2008 Media Releases

22 December 2008 - SARDI's new water guru

SARDI’s new water guru, Dr Jim Cox, is set to take SARDI’s Water Resources and Irrigated Crops group “to the next level.”

12 December 2008 - Microalgae for Biofuels Boost

Efforts to pioneer a commercially sustainable South Australian biofuels industry from microalgal biodiesel feedstock have been boosted with a Premier’s Science and Research Fund grant of $1.2 million announced by South Australian Science Minister Paul Caica.

19 November 2008 - New era with wine cluster connection

Adelaide is set to become the centre of wine and grape research in the world, following the launch of the Wine Innovation Cluster and opening of its new $28 million building at the Waite Campus.

16 November 2008 - Fresh approach to sheep genetics at field day

South Australian and Western Victorian farmers can get the lowdown on a fresh approach to sheep genetics this month. A Sheep CRC Information Nucleus Open Day Thursday 27 November at Struan Research Centre featured the Sheep CRC's ground-breaking Information Nucleus flock research.

11 November 2008 - SARDI Elite bulls to make their mark

Two bulls from SARDI's elite dairy breeding herd have been handpicked by a leading international dairy genetics company to perform higher duties.

5 November 2008 - Pushing grapevines to the edge

In a Drought Response Project, Yalumba Nursery and SARDI have begun Australia's largest irrigation trial to test the extremes under which grapevines can survive.

31 October 2008 - Breeding females in focus at Beef CRC Field Day

A new project looking into the link between breeding cattle for feed efficiency and leaness and the performance of breeding females was the focus of a Beef CRC field day held at Struan Research Centre November 6.

10 October 2008 - Royalties Seed Research

The rapid uptake of SARDI-bred oaten hay varieties by South Australian and Victorian growers has helped the Australian Exporters Company (AEXCO) ramp up support for oat breeding to earn export dollars for the State.

29 September 2008 - Keeping Carp Out!

SARDI researchers are confident they have found a way to keep Banrock Station wetland virtually carp free using carp capture cages designed by SARDI Aquatic Sciences.

17 September 2008 - Drought Proofing Study Commences 

SARDI in a $1m project, is grasping the opportunities during the drought to measure its extreme impacts and enable farmers to be better prepared for future droughts.

17 September 2008 - Minnipa Agricultural Centre Field Day 

The Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems 3 Project which aims to help farmers make more informed farm management decisions was launched on September 17 at the 2008 Minnipa Agricultural Centre Field Day.  

11 September 2008 - Take a fresh look at forage

Farmers are being urged to take a fresh look at shrubs to bolster feed resources for stock. A field day to be held at Monarto this month (Friday 26 September) explored the role of shrubs in filling feed shortages to make grazing systems more resilient. 

30 July 2008 - Playing with rainfall: A new way to fight salinity

Recent rainfalls have provided Lakes districts and McLaren Vale irrigators with a golden opportunity to gain new insight into root zone salinity.  

14 July 2008 - Applications open for $4.2 million in science research grants (.PDF)

Applications are now open for $4.2 million worth of State Government grants for scientific research that has the potential to generate significant and sustainable benefits for industry, the community and the environment.   

2 July 2008 - New form of net blotch attacks barley crop

SA barley growers should be on high alert for an early season outbreak of the net form of net blotch (NFNB) emerging in the Adelaide Plains, Mid North and Yorke Peninsula regions.  

24 June 2008 - See why Sulla intrigues

New Australian sulla varieties, providing prolific early winter growth, were the star attraction of South Australia’s first Sulla field day. 

26 May 2008 - Gulf St Vincent Unveiled

A book that captures all that is known about the waters of Gulf St Vincent and Investigator Strait – the Natural History of Gulf St Vincent - was launched Monday May 26 by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Rory McEwen.  

23 April 2008 - SARDI discovery supports multi-billion dollar industry

Gene function scientists at SARDI are helping to take the guesswork out of breeding an exciting new line of non-GM pastures.

16 April 2008 - Minlaton Climate Workshop shifts to the Waite Campus

The Minlaton Managing In A Changing Climate workshop scheduled for Friday 18 April has been shifted to the Waite Campus.

14 April 2008 - Young scientists share historic national award

Two young scientists with differing ways of improving farm productivity have been jointly awarded a major national scholarship.

14 April 2008 - Innovative spore trapper gets results

An Adelaide University and Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity student’s innovative research program into trapping fungal spores has been awarded a science bursary from SARDI.

4 April 2008 - Ebb and flow of the Coorong

How much water do you need to maintain an estuary’s health? What impacts, outside flow, do barrage structures and more recently the drought have? A new $900,000 three-year project aims to answer these questions and examine the freshwater flows needed to maintain ecological health of the Coorong estuary and its native fish populations.

2 April 2008 - Henry's tracker removed

Henry the sea lion provided researchers with greater insight into the lives of the remarkable animals following the removal of a satellite tracking device at Holdfast Shores. 

20 March 2008 - Pea model gives growers more choice 

South Australian pea growers have a new tool at their fingertips to decide the best possible sowing time to lessen the risk of a blackspot outbreak.

20 March 2008 - Prominence in research recognised: A new professor

Dr Rob Lewis, the Executive Director of SARDI has been appointed Affiliate Professor to the University of Adelaide's School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. 

18 March 2008 - Heat wave odds stacked high

It’s official. Adelaide’s heat wave has been an extraordinary event likely to occur just once in 3000 years.

March 2008 - Voyage of Discovery

Scientists from the MISA institutions - SARDI, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, the South Australian Museum and PIRSA set out on the three-week 'voyage of discovery' on the Marine National Facility Research Vessel, the Southern Surveyor in February.

29 February 2008 - SA farmers tipped on latest research to manage in a changing climate

As climate shifts bring about challenging new times ahead, Australian farmers are teaming up with SARDI and the Bureau of Meteorology to turn groundbreaking scientific research and information into reality, in a series of climate-focused workshops being held across the state. 

21 February 2008 - New look ute guide makes insect identification easy

One of the most popular references for grain growers, Crop Insects the Ute Guide: Southern Grain Belt Edition, has a new look thanks to a make-over initiated by SARDI’s partner, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).  

18 February 2008 - Holy mackerel 

Europeans love ‘em; we’ve got heaps of ‘em.  Ground breaking research by SARDI scientists has identified a valuable new Australian fishery brimming with the ‘good’ fatty acid Omega 3.

4 February 2008 - Scientist fathom unexplored depths off South Australia

The mystery behind small balls of natural tar washed up on SA's South-East beaches may be solved by Marine Innovation SA scientists who left from Hobart on Monday, Feb 4, on a million expedition on the Marine National Facility Research Vessel, Southern Surveyor. Marine experts and geo-scientists from SARDI, PIRSA, Flinders University, University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum will study the deep water canyon systems in Southern Australia during the three-week voyage. The tar balls may be linked to oil bearing sediments at the base of the canyon slopes. Expedition leader, SARDI's Dr David Currie, says it is imperative that the importance to regional productivity of the canyons is understood before a need arises to manage any other activity.