b'INTERNATIONAL NEWSGLOBAL SEED WATCHFUNDING FOR RESEARCH ANNOUNCED IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA, THAILAND WELCOMING DRONES FOR AG, AND THE U.S. PUTTING FUNDS TOWARDS A BIO-BASED ECONOMYSTATUS AUSTRALIA The drones are fully autonomous and powered by AI, making them highly efficient in terms of spreading and precision spraying. The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) hasThis helps save both time and energy and most importantly, help announced a $12.7 million national research project to support thealleviate labor shortage which responds to the current situation in integration of long coleoptile wheat into Australian farming systems. Thailand as the country is now facing an ageing farming population, The announcement was made by GRDC Chair John Woodswhere the average age of farmers is 58.46 years1. Additionally, the today at the Grains Research UpdatePerth, Western Australiasintroduction of this technology is in line with Thailand 4.0, which premier grains industry forum. aims to transform traditional agriculture into smart agriculture and The four-year project will be led by Australias national sci- improve the countrys ability to compete globally.ence agency CSIRO along with research parties including theMr. Cao Nan, Head of Overseas Business Department, XAG University of Melbourne, NSW Department of Primary Industries,Company Limited reiterated the companys vision, stating XAG QLD Department of Agriculture and Forestry (QLD DAF), SLRfocuses on developing drones, robots, and AI technology to advance Agriculture, the WA Department of Primary Industries andfarming processes with a vision to build a smart agriculture eco-Regional Development, the University of South Australia andsystem for the future. Our drone applications range from seeding, EPAG Research. fertilization to crop spraying, which have helped smallholders and The coleoptile is the protective sheath which encloses thelarge farms worldwide to grow more with less. With our ambitious emerging shoot and first leaves. The longer the coleoptile is, theplan, we work with strategic partners to expand our high-perfor-greater the emergence potential when deep sowing. Long coleoptilemance products to other countries, including Thailand, which is one wheats can be sown at depths of more than 10 centimetres, makingof the leading export countries of high-quality agricultural prod-better use of stored soil moisture. ucts in Southeast Asia. Through this partnership, we have seen the Woods said that long coleoptile wheat could be a gamepotential for growth and development of Thai agriculture which is changer for growers in low-to-mid rainfall zones, extending optionsthe mutual ambition to uphold high standards of cultivation and for early sowing to meet the challenges of increasing enterprise sizesadd value to agricultural produce.and changing climates.STATUS UNITED STATESSTATUS CANADAThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $590 million The three Prairie provincial canola grower associations will be fund- to renew its four existing Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs). This ing five new research projects focusing on developing and evaluat- funding will help support the departments research into the next ing disease resistance, abiotic stress resilience, and integrated pestgeneration of sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts and bioenergy management. from domestic biomass resources, which is critical to reducing The funding is being doled out under the Canola Agronomicharmful greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring future energy security, Research Program (CARP) with the total investment being overand creating new economic opportunities in rural areas. Since their $1.7 million. The funding also includes over $1 million from Albertainception, the BRCs have made ground breaking scientific contri-Canola, SaskCanola and Manitoba Canola Growers, as well as overbutions to and advancements in biotechnology that are helping to $600,000 from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF),expand the diversity of reliable domestic clean energy sources and the release said. ensuring the United States reaches President Bidens ambitious goal CARP supports canola agronomic research focused on increas- of net-zero emissions economy by 2050. ing yield and profitability, reducing production risk and enhancingTo meet our future energy needs, we will need versatile sustainability, the release noted. renewables like bioenergy as a low-carbon fuel for some parts of our transportation sector, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. Continuing to fund the important scientific work STATUS THAILAND conducted at our Bioenergy Research Centers is critical to ensuring these sustainable resources can be an efficient and affordable part of FarmInno (Thailand) by Chia Tai Group, Thailands leading inno- our clean energy future. vative agricultural company, has teamed up with XAG, a smartEach of the four centers, led by a National Laboratory or agriculture technology firm, to introduce fully autonomous agri- University, support the science behind a bio-based economy and cultural drones in Thailand. This takes smart agriculture to theaims to break down the barriers to building a strong domestic bio-next level aiming to scale up the potential of Thai farmers withenergy industry. The centers include the Great Lakes Bioenergy advanced technology and increase both productivity and qualityResearch Center, led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the agricultural sector. in partnership with Michigan State University; the Center FarmInno (Thailand) announces its strategic partnership withfor Bioenergy Innovation, led by DOEs Oak Ridge National XAG with an aim to push forward the cultivation technology inLaboratory; the Joint BioEnergy Institute, led by DOEs Lawrence Thailand to the next level. The collaboration results in the launch ofBerkeley National Laboratory; and the Center for Advanced the fully autonomous agricultural drones with an intelligent controlBioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, led by the University of system. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.46IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'