ICRISAT and University of Queensland Partner to Accelerate Climate-Resilient Crop Breeding for Dryland Farmers
In a move set to accelerate the development of climate-resilient crops for some of the world’s most vulnerable farming regions, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, have launched a strategic partnership to deploy advanced Predictive Breeding technologies across dryland crop breeding programs in Asia and Africa.
.jpg)
Through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, ICRISAT will collaborate with the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures to integrate cutting-edge genomic prediction tools and simulation-based breeding strategies into its crop improvement pipelines.
The partnership aims to significantly accelerate the development of improved varieties of key dryland crops, helping farmers adapt to intensifying climate stress, emerging pests and diseases, and growing food demand.
By combining predictive breeding technologies with ICRISAT’s extensive breeding networks, the collaboration will optimize breeding strategies and shorten the time required to deliver improved crop varieties. These innovations are expected to increase genetic gains while reducing the cost, time, and resources required to develop new cultivars.
“Dryland agriculture is on the frontline of climate change,” said Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT. “Farmers in these regions cannot wait decades for improved crop varieties.
“Predictive breeding allows us to anticipate which genetic combinations will perform best before they are even field-tested.
“Through collaboration with one of the world’s leading centres for predictive breeding at the University of Queensland, we are accelerating the delivery of climate-resilient crops that farmers urgently need to sustain productivity, nutrition, and livelihoods,” said Dr Pathak.
Working closely with national agricultural research systems, ICRISAT has contributed to the release of more than 1,200 improved cultivars of dryland crops across over 40 countries.
Building on this legacy, the institute is modernizing its breeding programs to deliver breakthrough crop varieties capable of achieving 20–25% yield gains while improving resilience to drought, heat, and other climate stresses.
ICRISAT has already implemented rapid breeding cycle protocols for chickpea, pigeonpea, and more recently finger millet, significantly shortening breeding timelines.
The new partnership is expected to further strengthen these efforts by integrating genomic prediction into breeding pipelines.
This partnership represents an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement of ICRISAT’s world-class breeding programs,” said Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation, ICRISAT.
“Over the past decade, we have invested heavily in improving breeding efficiency. Integrating genomic prediction, one of the key recommendations of the 2024 Breeding Program Assessment Tool review, will allow our scientists to deliver improved varieties faster and with greater precision,” said Dr Blade.
The ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures, supported by the Australian Research Council and led by the University of Queensland, focuses on developing and applying next-generation predictive breeding technologies in plant and animal breeding.
“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to put cutting-edge predictive breeding tools into the hands of ICRISAT's breeders.
“Beyond the technology itself, building local capacity to implement and adapt these approaches is critical and will help ensure long-term impact for farmers across India and Africa," said Professor Lee Hickey, Director of the ARC Training Centre.
Coordinated by Dr Janila Pasupuleti, the collaboration will develop a transition strategy to implement rapid-cycle genomic prediction across ICRISAT’s dryland crop breeding programs, marking a significant step toward faster and more efficient development of improved crop varieties for farmers in climate-vulnerable regions.
For media enquiries, contact:
Ramon Peachey
