What we do
BSES Limited - essential to profitable, sustainable sugarcane production.
Thorough research, creative development and effective extension of new knowledge and technology are vital to every agricultural industry. BSES is the principal provider of research, development and extension to the Australian sugarane industry.
BSES is made up of scientists, engineers, field staff, extension officers and administrative staff who work together to ensure that Australian sugarcane remains a valuable, viable commodity.
BSES has several major programs of work, and conducts these through its stations, centres and laboratories that are located in 17 cane growing areas throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Variety improvement and variety adoption
The BSES-CSIRO conventional sugarcane breeding and selection program uses optimal genetic evaluation systems to select parents, crosses and clones, with the ultimate objective of delivering new, more productive varieties to the Australian Sugar Industry. These varieties will also have adequate disease resistance to endemic diseases and acceptable milling and sugar quality. Variety introduction (foreign varieties) and variety exchange between regional programs enhance the germplasm used, both for breeding and varietal development. Varieties from this program are protected by Plant Breeder's Rights (PBR).
Molecular breeding
This program applies plant molecular biology, transgenic technology and plant functional biology strategies to develop varieties that improve productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of the Australian sugar industry. It focuses on creating sugarcane with new and commercially important traits. These include i) herbicide tolerance, ii) drought tolerance, and water and nutrient-use efficiency. Developing and implementing advanced sugarcane micropropagation technologies to accelerate variety release and adoption is a major thrust of this program. Evaluation of molecular markers for marker-assisted selection is also a priority area. In addition to conducting commercial and strategic research, Molecular Breeding program offers training for post-graduate students. This program collaborates with DuPont, CSIRO and the University of Queensland (UQ) with the support from the Australian sugarcane industry and SRDC.
Biosecurity
Exotic diseases and pests represent a significant threat to the continued security of cane supply for the Australian sugarcane industry. Cooperating with federal and state government departments to prevent entry of these pests and to prepare for possible incursions is a high priority for the BSES Biosecurity program. Working with the Variety Improvement Program to breed disease and pest resistant varieties and conducting quarantine and disease-free seedcane programs to prevent the spread of pests and diseases within Australia are also high priorities.
Improved cropping systems
The overall aim of the Improved Cropping Systems program reflects the general role of BSES, ie. to deliver realised value to growers, millers and other customers from targeted research, development and extension. The Program forms part of the QCROPS division.
Many of the activities are undertaken under contract to, or in collaboration / communication with other organisations. These include industry stakeholders involving individual growers or grower-groups; CANEGROWERS, productivity services; millers; harvesting contractors and manufacturers; NCEA; government departments, CSIRO Ecosystems Sciences; various Natural Resource Management groups; and commercial companies.
Analytical support
The Technology Support program is spread across the Indooroopilly and Meringa research stations and contains industry recognised expertise in near infrared (NIR) technology, cane and sugar quality, chemical analysis and sugar industry analytical methods. The Program’s goal is to apply R&D expertise to produce practical, usable outcomes that can be adopted by the Australian sugar industry.
Program staff possess expertise in disciplines such as chemistry, biochemistry, food science and chemical engineering, and apply these skills across a broad range of R&D activities, significant levels of fee-for-service work for various external customers, and an advisory and support role for BSES research and extension programs. Technology Support staff typically work in multi-disciplinary activities and projects, with a combination of internal and external stakeholders, research collaborators, commercial partners and customers.
Traditional Technology Support program strengths are in areas such as sugar quality, cane quality, NIR technology, chemometric data treatment, non-sugar products, food chemistry, separation technologies and the development of analytical measurement methods. The multidisciplinary skill set of Program staff is a key strength, and is critical in delivering commercial outcomes from research efforts.
Technology transfer and extension
Extension specialists work with researchers and industry stakeholders to facilitate and increase the adoption of R&D by different customers in all regions where sugarcane is produced. Extension specialists have a sound working knowledge of all aspects of sugarcane production and use a variety of channels such group workshops, grower discussion groups, field days/farm walks, SMS, internet and media (both electronic and printed) to facilitate change in practice for cane growers and other industry clients. Extension is an embedded part of BSES QCANES and QCROPS and ensures that research is packaged appropriately so that outputs are responsive to industry needs and are communicated timely and effectively. Extension specialists also deliver tailored solutions to meet local industry needs as part of district Service Level Agreements.
