Australia & Saudi Arabia: Australian and Saudi research centres to cooperate in barley breeding

Barley breeding is one of the first collaborative projects between the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Murdoch University, WA, and Taif University, located in the west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Farm Online published on October, 22.

Researchers for the projects will be based at Murdoch and at Taif's campus where a new Biotechnology Centre is being established, modelled on the SABC, it was reported.

According to Professor Talal al Maliki, dean of medicine and founding director of the Biotechnology Centre at Taif University, the project involves barley breeding and improvement.

SABC director Professor Mike Jones said he was honoured to be appointed to the Panel of International Experts and he was confident research at Taif Biotechnology Centre would benefit agriculture in the Taif region.

"Some of the challenges, such as heat, drought and salt stresses that impact on agriculture in Australia, are the same as those in Saudi Arabia," he said.

24 October, 2008