— 32 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 Future endeavours The challenge for current breeders is to exploit the deluge of genomics information and implement efficient new molecular breeding strategies. In the future, we plan to upscale the use of DNA markers to screen breeding material, especially at the early stages of the program. Future technological developments will undoubtedly provide rice breeders with new tools. Continued advances in crop physiology and molecular biology will enhance our understanding of yield potential and stress tolerance, and rice quality. Imaged-based technologies may also have a wide range of applications from screening to trial monitoring to accurate in-field measurements. Data management of trial and molecular data will become increasingly important as new more sophisticated analytical methods continue to be developed. Finally, and equally importantly, closer integration with agronomy will ensure that the newest varieties are grown to maximise yields in the field. Contact the author Bert Collard Technical specialist (rice breeding and research) Telephone: 02 6951 2739 Mobile: 0429 076 101 Email: [email protected] — 32 IREC Farmers’ Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 Rice breeding in Australia – challenges and opportunities BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE