Improving oat yields in Western Australia through the Yield per se Project
Project name
Building grain yield (without neglecting physical grain quality) in milling oats through a better understanding of source and sink relationships and developing a targeted selection toolbox for future breeding gains
Funded by
Western Australian Processed Oats Growth Partnership (POP), a State Government initiative
Targeting yield growth
Western Australia (WA) is a global player in oat production, accounting for 90 per cent of Australia's processed oat exports and 70 per cent of raw oat exports, with the trade of both from WA accounting for approximately 10 per cent of world trade.
However, despite the region's dominance in the global market, the genetic yield potential of milling oats has gone stagnate over the last two decades.
To address this challenge, the Yield per se project, launched in 2022, aims to improve oat yields without compromising physical grain quality.
The project is a collaboration between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and InterGrain, and is funded by the Western Australian Processed Oats Growth Partnership (POP) through the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA).
Driving genetic gains
Oat production in WA has experienced minimal genetic gain since the release of the Bannister and Williams varieties in 2012.
The genetics of these oats were developed in the late 1990’s and although these varieties were initially a step-change in yield, further improvements have been slow.
One important reason for the stagnation of oat yields is that oat genomic resources are not as developed as in other major cereal crops (e.g. wheat and barley).
Consequently, the oat industry has missed the wave of technological advances to enhance yield potential, such as marker-assisted breeding and genomic selection.
Furthermore, the attributes which should be selected and improved to boost oat’s yield potential and adaptability are not yet clearly defined, particularly for WA growing conditions.
The Yield per se project seeks to reverse this trend by developing a targeted selection toolbox for oat breeding, with the ultimate goal of raising WA's oat yields to levels comparable with wheat and barley.
Project objectives
The primary objective of the project is to increase the rate of yield genetic gain in milling oats grown in WA by focusing on the source and sink relationships that drive yield formation.
Aligned with the broader goals of the POP project, this one specifically aims to:
- Develop a breeding toolbox that accelerates genetic gain through a better understanding of environmental interactions and physiological traits.
- Boost the yield per hectare (t/ha) of oats.
Unlocking the potential of oat genetics
The project involves field-based phenotyping of both Australian and international oat germplasm to investigate the source and sink dynamics in WA’s unique environments.
A core panel of up 60 lines were assessed by DPIRD in the first year, rising to 72 in the second year and 108 lines in the third year.
These lines were examined in detail for yield components, grain quality, and several key physiological parameters.
The core panel represents oat germplasm developed in Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, USA, and the UK. Fifty of the lines are common to all 3 seasons.
The physiological traits measured include a dissection of the panicle structure, photosynthetic parameters, grain growth, water soluble carbohydrate storage and mobilisation and radiation use efficiency.
A sub-set of six Australian varieties of the core panel, representing a 20 per cent yield contrast, were phenotyped by DPIRD in more detail for source and sink relationships using canopy shading, defoliation, and de-graining techniques, to investigate if oats are more source or sink limited under WA growing conditions.
The project will gather comprehensive data across a range of environments, which will be crucial for identifying key traits that improve adaptation and yield potential in WA’s oat-growing regions. Detailed phenotyping has occurred at Yerecoin and York, with less detailed phenotyping at Wongan Hills, Merredin, Corrigin, Narrogin, Popanyinning, and Holt Rock.
Additionally, a diversity panel of around 600 international oat lines are being evaluated for agronomic fit, grain yield and quality by InterGrain.
Key outputs and breeding impacts
One of the major expected outcomes of the project is the identification of different environment types in WA, which will allow for more targeted breeding strategies.
Currently, variety recommendations in WA are based on broader Agzones, but the identification of target environments will enable breeders to make more precise selections tailored to specific environments. Furthermore, this information will help InterGrain optimise where it places its selection sites.
By the end of the project, a selection toolbox will be developed to help breeders identify and advance elite genotypes that demonstrate high grain yield and quality in WA’s oat-growing regions.
This toolbox will be used to guide future breeding decisions, including the use of physiological crosses that combine complementary traits for yield improvement for the target environments.
The project also seeks to address potential trade-offs in breeding for yield.
By analysing the trade-offs, the breeding toolbox will ensure that new oat varieties not only yield more but also maintain or improve key quality traits.
Long-term impact on the oat industry
Although the project is expected to make significant strides in understanding and improving oat yield potential, the timeframe of the project alone will not solve the problem of stagnant yields.
However, by providing a foundation of knowledge and tools, the project will enable breeders to continue making genetic gains in the years to come.
In the long term, the project aims to help the WA oat industry produce better-adapted and higher-yielding oat varieties with stable grain quality suitable for milling.
These advancements will strengthen the industry’s competitiveness on the global stage and ensure that WA remains a leading exporter of high-quality oats.
Take home messages
- Grain yield of oats have gone nowhere in nearly 20 years – the Yield per se project is pulling apart the oat plant to work out why
- This fundamental research will guide oat breeders in improving the yield gain of oats to be at least equivalent to wheat and barley
More information
Read more about the Processed Oat Partnership here
Contact
Dr Hamid Shirdelmoghanloo
DPIRD Senior Research Scientist
E: Hamid.Shirdelmoghanloo@dpird.wa.gov.au