Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60MARCH 2017 GERMINATION.CA 51 “Our results are a serious concern to the future liveli- hood of wheat farmers in marginal growing areas and to the Australian economy, as well as future global food security,” Hochman said. “Wheat farmers are making the most of developments in farming technology and adapt- ing them to their needs. However, their best efforts are merely enabling them to keep pace with the impacts of a changing climate.” He said that despite the adverse trend in growing con- ditions, farmers have so far managed to maintain yields at 1990 levels of around 1.74 tonnes per hectare. This shows that wheat growers are closing the gap between potential and actual yield. “1990 was a watershed year for Australia’s wheat indus- try, with a continued decline trend in yield potential since that year,” Hochman said. The study analyzed 50 weather stations with the most complete records across Australia’s wheat growing regions, spanning five states from the east to the west coast. “We found that the loss of yield potential is not evenly distributed across Australia’s wheat zone,” Hochman said. “While some areas have not suffered any decline, others have reduced yield potential by up to 100 kg per hectare per year.” Wide annual variation in climate, yield potential and actual yields are normal in Australia. However, the prob- ability of seeing the trends shown by this study across 50 weather stations over 26 years, through random seasonal variability, is less than one in 100 billion. “Assuming the climate trends we have observed over the past 26 years continue at the same rate, even if farm- ers continue to improve their practices, it is likely that the national wheat yield will fall,” Hochman said. “We estimate that the recent average yield of 1.74 tonnes per hectare will fall to 1.55 tonnes per hectare by 2041.” Although the study focused on wheat, the findings would be broadly applicable to other cereal grains, pulses and oilseed crops, which grow in the same regions and same season as wheat. NEPAL NEPAL RECENTLY RELEASED ‘Khajura Masuro-3’ (RL-4), a new iron- and zinc-rich lentil variety, to the farmers in Terai region. The variety was developed by conventional breeding methods, crossed with germplasm originating from Syria and provided by ICARDA. The new variety, undergoing advance trials since 2006, demonstrates high yield performance and less disease and pest infestation. With many desirable traits such as fast cooking and a palatable taste, it quickly became the preferred variety with farmers and is scaling up in eastern Terai to mid- and far-western Terai regions of Nepal. The RL-4 variety was developed by scientists at Nepal Agricultural Research Council’s Grain Legumes Research Program, in collaboration with ICARDA. “To the consumer, our story doesn’t exist until we tell it.” Andrew Campbell, Agvocate Dairy Producer Learn more at AgMoreThanEver.ca. Be somebody who does something. Be an agvocate.