CSIRO Plant Industry conducts research to promote profitable and sustainable agrifood, fibre and horticultural industries, develop new plant products and improve natural resource management.

The Food Futures Flagship aims to transform Australia's international competitiveness in the agrifood sector through the application of frontier technologies to high potential industries.

CSIRO and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers, have been awarded a AU$1.6 million grant to increase the understanding of genes responsible for growth and yield in grasses for use as bio-energy and food crops.

CSIRO Plant Industry scientists and international collaborators have discovered the key to overcoming three major cereal diseases, which in epidemic years cost wheat growers worldwide in excess of AUS$7.8 billion.

CSIRO Entomology's gene research contributes to an understanding of the impact of insects on our environment and agriculture.

CSIRO is working with research partners on the Grains Research and Development Corporation's (GRDC) new initiative to improve the water use efficiency (WUE) of grain-based farming systems.

CSIRO’s plant breeding capabilities benefit a range of agribusiness industries from horticulture and pastoral through to broadacre crops such as wheat.

CSIRO develops novel products from plants for use as pharmaceuticals, industrial raw materials and unique healthy new foods.

CSIRO has found a way to grow plants with healthy omega-3 oils, which are normally only found in fish and microalgae. Learn how we did it in this video from SCOPE, a science TV show for kids produced by Network Ten Australia and CSIRO. (3:00)

Dr Sumana Bell believes that science is the quickest road to innovation, the trick to shifting paradigm and adding value to conventional products.

Brachypodium distachyon may be a tiny plant but it is having a big impact on cereal productivity research at CSIRO and around the world.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation: Water-Use Efficiency Initiative meeting was held in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, on 29-31 July 2009. Read more about the sessions and look at the presentations on the following pages.

Research on stored product insects has improved application techniques for fumigants, insecticides, controlled atmospheres and inert dusts.

CSIRO scientists are investigating flowering in cereals. (1 page)