Research seeds new technology

Ahorsham-based

research project centred on developing new sensor technologies for on-farm grain segregation is set to optimise industry processes and maximise growers’ returns.

Carried out through Agriculture Victoria and Grains Research and Development Corporation’s Victorian Grains Innovation Partnership, the project could see farmers capture higher prices for their crops by enabling segregation of pulse grain – based on quality – before it leaves the farm.

Agriculture Victoria research scientist Cassandra Walker, who is leading the project, said new imaging technologies were in development at Horsham’s Grains Innovation Park.

She said the technology could rapidly measure grain quality and would provide ‘significant benefits’ to growers.

“We are aiming to transfer these developments from within the lab to grain processing systems that can be used during harvest, allowing growers the option to segregate grain prior to delivery,” she said.

Dr Walker said there had been significant technological advances in recent years, which could measure the quality of cereals at harvest, such as grain moisture and protein.

She said the Horsham project aimed to expand this concept by developing new systems that could measure quality traits of lentil, chickpea and field pea to enable growers to capture the maximum value for their pulse crops.

“We are particularly keen to take new laboratory-based segregation tools and demonstrate their value on-farm,” she said.

“To achieve this our grain quality and field scientists are working closely with the precision ag industry and growers to demonstrate the potential value at farm scale.”

Dr Walker said the research involved using high throughput spectral imaging systems to develop grain quality algorithms.

“This is world-class research and specialised,” she said.

“The program will test the ability of this technology to segregate grain for quality defects due to frost, heat, disease and contaminants such as snails or foreign seed – but the real value will be tested on-farm.”

Ashley Wallace, a research agronomist working on the program, said the research was also investigating quality degradation of grain during storage.

“This will provide industry with the knowledge to limit loss of quality associated with the storage of pulses, maximising the value of the product at the time of sale,” he said.

Grains Research and Development Corporation pulses and oil crops manager Francis Ogbonnaya said the findings of this research presented huge opportunities for growers.

“Growers will be able to add additional value to crops through objective segregation of high value grains to maximise their returns,” he said.

“Ultimately, if sensor-based technologies can be successfully employed on-farm, this will optimise the quality segregation process of grains and maximise grower returns.” is highly