Tasmania to be centre of cool climate trials to fight climate change

A five-year $6.4 million research trial program aims to grow cool climate horticulture production by 20 per cent in the face of climate change.

Hort Innovation is delivering the project which is co-funded by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), with support from national and international industry partners.

Trial sites are being set up in Tasmania and the research team will design experiments to be relevant to cool climate regions across the country.

Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said the aim was to investigate what operational adjustments need to be made to farms in various regions to achieve maximum productivity in the face of unpredictable weather patterns.

"This project is all about getting growers the best possible production outcomes," Mr Fifield said.

"Researchers will look at fragile soil management, nutrient and water use.

"High-yield plants that can be picked early to maximise returns, and establishing protected cropping environments that offer stable, pest and disease-controlled growing environments are further priorities."

Co-investing industry partners are:

There are also contributions from the Australian government.

TIA Horticulture Centre leader Dr Nigel Swarts said primary producers across the horticultural sector are partnering to address the critical issues and risks associated with climatic variability and extremes in temperature and rainfall.

"With climate change, we can expect heat stress causing irregular yields for peas and potatoes," he said.

"For fruit crops like cherries, there is the threat of premature ripening and projected increases in pest populations.

"Nutritional quality in terms of sugars, acids, or antioxidant capacity will also shift, impacting fruit quality outcomes.

"It is vital that we undertake this research now to give growers the knowledge, tools, and confidence to invest and sustainably expand into the future."

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Through industry field demonstration days and workshops, trial sites will be accessible to growers.

All project findings will be made available to the industry through resources such as fact sheets, webinars and case studies.

Fruit Growers Tasmania CEO Peter Cornish said industry is increasingly exploring and investing in protective cropping systems to manage climate risks, and there has never been a larger appetite for collaboration to solve issues being faced by growers.

"Tasmanian's have always been early adopters of this technology, particularly in the berry sector where we have seen this technology allow them to manage climate variability, reduce risk, increase crop reliability, and drive business growth and employment outcomes," Mr Cornish said.

"Through this project, we can see the potential for industry to get some important tools that will help them inform production decisions. This project could not have come at a more valuable time."

Growers in cool climate regions are encouraged to get involved by contacting Dr Nigel Swarts at TIA.

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