Email sally.norton@agriculture.vic.gov.au

The Australian Grains Genebank (AGG) safeguards the plant genetic resources (PGRs) that underpin agricultural grain crop production for Australia. It is custodian to one of the largest and most diverse collections of temperate and tropical grain crop species globally including cultivated, landrace and wild relative species. The AGG has the mandate to acquire, conserve, maintain and distribute PGRs to plant breeders and researchers across Australia, and operates in accordance with Australia’s obligation under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The AGG is a Strategic Partnership between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Agriculture Victoria. The application of genomic and digital innovation is being used to unlock the genetic potential of germplasm conserved within the AGG to enable more effective, efficient and cost sustainable genebank management and increased accessibility to industry.

The AGG has implemented new policies and procedures across acquisition, distribution and genebank management that have accelerated access and increased the utility of germplasm. These policies and practice changes have integrated genomic and passport data, and developed diversity subsets to ensure only the most valuable PGRs are acquired, conserved, maintained and made accessible to genebank users to facilitate and accelerate the development of profitable, climate resilient grain crops.

Here we describe the Policy changes, germplasm and genomic data accessibility and explore how they will facilitate widespread access to PGRs for crop improvement and the benefits that will accrue to industry from these changes. The AGG is a vital asset for the agricultural sector, underpinning the development of more resilient and high-yielding grain crops, which are essential for food security and sustainable agriculture and the profitability of the Australian grains industry.