Climate change continues to pose a threat to Australia’s grain belt, presenting variable and often difficult to predict seasonal conditions. Growers can do everything right in terms of sowing date, variety choice and agronomy, but weather conditions in-season can throw off even the best laid plans. Extremes in temperature and changing rainfall patterns impact crop yield and financial returns. Timing of emergence, variety, temperature, and day length are key drivers of crop development, some of which are beyond our control. Cold and heat during critical periods can have a devastating impact on crop development, yield and quality – often occurring late in the season when significant investment in crop inputs has already been made. What more can be done to better deal with the challenges each season throws at us? How can research and development help growers tackle the challenges of heat, cold and drought to future-proof farming systems and mitigate financial risk. With costs of production loaded up-front at planting, can weather forecasting be improved, crops manipulated to respond to seasonal conditions or programmed for performance regardless of season?
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