Australian crop production takes place in a challenging environment where growers have to cope with climatic extremes. Managing production risk in yield-limiting environments due to abiotic events such as drought, high temperatures and frost is a necessity for growers to remain financially viable. It is estimated that $360 million is lost on average annually in wheat production as a result of frost depending on the severity of the events. Frost damage avoidance could be achieved through the manipulation of crop phenology using novel agronomic practices, including the application of plant growth regulators or mechanical defoliation.
These approaches need to be researched at field scale over a range of production environments. Products that purport tolerance to/protection against frost will be assessed separately or in combination with phenological manipulation to arrive at novel outcomes for frost avoidance and protection in wheat, barley and canola crops.