— 29 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 — 29 IREC Farmers’ Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 Rice breeding in Australia – challenges and opportunities QUICK TAKE l  There will always be a need to improve rice varieties to achieve high yield and premium quality, as well as addressing other traits such as seedling vigour, lodging resistance and growth duration. l  Plant breeding, including rice, requires a broad range of knowledge (including genetics, physiology, cereal chemistry, pathology, agronomy and statistics) and a multi-disciplinary team effort. l  The challenge for current breeders is to use, to the advantage of growers and the industry, the recent deluge of new genomics information and implement efficient new molecular breeding strategies. Bert Collard & Peter Snell NSW Department of Primary Industries Yanco Agricultural Institute PHOTO: The rice breeding program involves large-scale logistical operations involving thousands of packages of seeds representing new genetic combinations. RICE BREEDING IN AUSTRALIA – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES