China

Achievements

Key indicators and performance for 2009-2010

Indicator:Understanding by Chinese partners of opportunities and challenges from World Trade Organization (WTO) accession and associated farm adjustment prospects improved

Performance: Previous ACIAR joint project results arising from a project on achieving food security in China have been published and widely distributed in conjunction with the China Centre for Economic Research and the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Research. These results were presented to Chinese policymakers and analysts to inform policy options for the future.

Indicator: Joint analysis undertaken to assess the viability of alternative frameworks for global agricultural trade negotiations

Performance: A final report was produced and presented at relevant workshops and conferences with a creative alternative approach to future trade negotiations involving ‘critical mass’ principles. The general view is that, while more-efficient and effective agricultural negotiations are required in the WTO, this is likely not to be included in the Doha Round but, prospectively, introduced in agricultural negotiations in the future.

Indicator: Understanding of wheat-breeding potential to address dryland wheat production and related conservation farming systems in north‑western China improved

Performance: Understanding of wheat-breeding potential to address dryland wheat production and related conservation farming systems in north‑western China improved Chinese scientists have new skills to screen for transpiration efficiency, coleoptile length, dwarfing-gene status, early vigour and root growth characteristics. This complex of traits is important for more-effective use of water by rainfed wheat and for shaping wheat varieties for systems incorporating reduced tillage.

Achievements from the 2009-10 Annual Report

In both north-western China and Australia conservation farming practices are being promoted as an important component of more-sustainable farming systems. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Plant Industry research centre has achieved considerable breeding success for dryland wheat in Australia by targeting specific traits that make more-effective use of available water. A project seeks to improve and stabilise farmer returns from growing wheat in dry, rainfed environments in north-western China by developing higher yielding wheat germplasm that makes more-effective use of water and soil resources. After two seasons of breeding and selection trials, Chinese scientists now have skills to screen for the traits of transpiration efficiency, coleoptile length, dwarfing-gene status, early vigour and root growth characteristics. Not only do these traits make the wheat more water efficient, but they are also important for its suitability in systems incorporating reduced tillage.

Chalkiness in rice occurs when there are high temperatures during grain filling and no breeding program has yet overcome it. Earlier research found that tropical rice germplasm (tropical japonica and indica) is more chalk-prone than temperate japonica germplasm. A project is now building on the earlier work to gain more insight into the genetic mechanisms of low-chalk in temperate lines and how to incorporate traits that will result in reduction of chalk in tropical breeds. Researchers have discovered that the expression of certain genes is influenced by high temperature, which is implicit in the development of chalkiness. They are now examining different rice lines to gain more insight into the genetic basis for chalkiness, and are growing material at different temperatures and under other environmental variables in order to define the conditions under which chalkiness develops.

The development of integrated crop–livestock systems has potential to alleviate poverty and reduce resource degradation in western China. Recognising this potential, Chinese government programs have introduced policies to replace cultivation on sloping land with perennial forages, promote conservation agriculture and develop livestock industries. However, there is a growing realisation that benefits will not be realised without the adoption of an integrated approach to research and development of crop–livestock systems, and steps are also needed to overcome some of the institutional barriers inherent in traditional research–extension pathways. A project to implement a participatory research program into forage production has undertaken studies to determine the best time and the optimum cutting height for lucerne harvest; and to identify the merits of dual-purpose (grain and graze) winter wheat and compare the performance of annual forage crops. Researchers found a significant opportunity for increasing harvestable lucerne forage by shifting to a harvest schedule based on appearance of first-flower; they also concluded that there was a large grain yield penalty from grazing winter wheat, and higher yield potential from summer forage crops compared with winter forages.

In addition, a cashmere-goat-feeding trial evaluated the influence of different proportions of lucerne hay in the diet on live-weight gain of weaned kids. The inclusion of lucerne in the diet increased the rate of live-weight gain compared with a diet comprising only maize straw and feed concentrate. Once lucerne was included in the diet, live-weight gains increased at a decreasing rate with any additional lucerne, which suggests the possibility of conserving lucerne and feeding it out gradually over the year rather than the current practice of feeding lucerne when it is green and growing.

Both local and central government identify increasing the output of dairy products in TAR as a high development priority. Current milk supply is well below demand and deficits are predicted over the next decade. Grain production in TAR, while sufficient to satisfy demand for human consumption, also needs to increase to support supplementation of livestock diets (particularly dairy cattle). A project directed at increasing household income and industry productivity, and developing community-based initiatives in dairy, crop and fodder production for farmers, focuses on the central valleys of TAR (Shigatse, Lhasa, Shannon and Linzhi prefectures). Researchers are seeking to understand and use the key factors affecting the adoption of improved technologies.

This project is the only international project in place with the Tibet Agricultural Research Institute (TARI). Two young Australian scientists are part of the project team located in TAR. Activities during 2009 included the establishment of research programs and on-farm evaluation of methods to improve grain, fodder and dairy production; and the enhancement of research and extension capacity in Tibet. Over the course of the year experiments were established at TARI to evaluate different varieties of triticale as winter-sown fodder crops and the productivity of different varieties of oats and maize as spring-sown fodder crops.

Researchers also assessed the nutritional status of wheat and barley crops in 16 fields across TAR’s cropping zone. Results indicate that potassium, magnesium and zinc are marginal or deficient in many areas—a field-based response trial showed biomass and grain yield responses to foliarapplied potassium fertiliser. A crucial aspect of this new project is the emphasis on extension of technology to farmers. To this end, demonstration sites were established at two locations in 2008 and two new technologies have been successfully demonstrated in these areas. Zero-till seeding of vetch as a double crop was demonstrated over an area of 50 ha in Chang Dru village in July 2008, and zero-till sown cereal crops have been established for winter wheat at Dazi.