Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) principal research scientist Gaus Azam said soil reengineering held great promise as the next significant advancement for the grains industry.
Dr Azam will next week visit Germany, which is a global developer and producer of agricultural machinery, then travel to Canada and the USA in September to meet leading crop and soil researchers.
The study is supported by a travel scholarship through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Recognising and Rewarding Excellence Award, presented to Dr Azam last year.
“Recent findings from soil profile reengineering research indicate the potential to double grain yield and water use efficiency of major grain crops,” Dr Azam said.
“To fully translate these findings into practical applications on a commercial scale and achieve a new frontier in grain yield and water use efficiency, the development of next-generation soil re-engineering machinery is imperative.
“This may involve developing and building machinery domestically or sourcing cutting-edge technologies from other countries.”
While in Germany, Dr Azam’s visit will include the University of Bonn, which is renowned as a leading research institute in agricultural engineering globally, collaborating with the agricultural machinery industry and conducting field-based research using state-of-the-art machinery technology.
In September, he will visit the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Swift Current Research and Development Centre and the United States Department of Agriculture at Raleigh, North Carolina.
“North American countries are the leaders in cutting-edge technologies such as soil mapping, breeding crops with desired root systems, in situ imaging of root architecture and technology for precision application of fertiliser and soil amendments,” Dr Azam said.
“These trips offer practical insights into the development of machinery and new agronomic practices to maximise the benefits of soil reengineering, which I’m keen to share with colleagues and stakeholders in the WA grains industry.”
GRDC Western Panel Chair Darrin Lee said Dr Azam’s work to date had been instrumental in bringing innovative, ‘outside-the-box’ soil reengineering research to WA growers.
“GRDC’s Rewarding and Recognising Excellence award recognised Dr Azam’s dedication to delivering soil constraints research and extension that has resulted in meaningful improvements for western grain growers,” Mr Lee said.
“Dr Azam’s upcoming travel scholarship, supported by this GRDC award, will bring cutting-edge intel from leading soil scientists around the globe back to WA, enabling the grains industry to reach new frontiers in soil reengineering.”
