The Bengal Famine of 1943: Misfortune or Imperial Schema

Bengal famine resulted from food scarcity caused by large-scale exports of food from India for use in the war theatres and consumption in Britain. India exported more than 70,000 tonnes of rice between January and July 1943, even as the famine set in. This would have kept nearly 400,000 people alive for an entire year. Churchill turned down fervent pleas to export food to India, citing a shortage of ships-this when shiploads of Australian wheat, for example, would pass by India to be stored for future consumption in Europe. As imports dropped, prices shot up, and hoarders made a killing. Mr Churchill also pushed a scorched earth policy-which went by the sinister name of Denial Policy-in coastal Bengal, where the colonisers feared the Japanese would land. So, authorities removed boats (the region's lifeline), and the police destroyed and seized rice stocks. During the 1873-'74 famine, the Bengal lieutenant governor, Richard Temple, saved many lives by importing and distributing food. But the British government criticised him and dropped his policies during the drought of 1943, leading to countless fatalities.

Major weather-related risks to crop performance along the Australian wheat belt for recent past and longer-term historical weather records

<p>Extreme events, such as drought, heat and/or frost are among the major weather-related causes of yield reduction and crop failure worldwide. Changes in the frequency and intensity of such weather extremes affect the shape and scale of yield distributions. Wheat growers, in Australia, are particularly vulnerable to climate due to its high variability. Risks of both, extremely high or low temperatures and water stress occurring simultaneously or at different crop stages within the growing season (May-October, e.g. frost mid-season, drought during the season and heat towards the end) often lead to yield reductions, or sometimes even to crop failure. In this study, we focused on assessing the frequency and impact of these relevant extreme weather events (i.e. drought, heat and frost) affecting wheat production in Australia. Specifically, we used a widely used and calibrated crop model (APSIM) to simulate wheat grain yield, and determine probability density functions (PDFs) of grain yield and crop failure. Chances of crop failure due to these extreme events are explored for the recent past (1991-2020) and the longer-term historical past (1901-1990). Key adaption strategies to minimise the impacts of these extreme events, and reduce crop failure risk are assessed in this study, including early sowing and cultivar choice. Our findings are in line with recent studies, indicating that drought and heat are major risk factors contributing to reduced yields or crop failure. However, due to the timing, frequency and impacts of frost events on wheat productivity, frost also remains a relevant risk for the wheat industry in Australia.</p>

An Adult Plant Stripe Rust Resistance Gene Maps on Chromosome 7A of Australian Wheat Cultivar Axe

Australian wheat cultivar Axe produced resistant to moderately resistant stripe rust responses under field conditions and was exhibiting seedling response varying from 33C to 3+ under greenhouse conditions. Experiments covering tests at different growth stages (2nd, 3rd and 4th leaf stages) demonstrated the clear expression of resistance at the 4th leaf stage under controlled-environment greenhouse conditions. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed from the Axe/Nyabing-3 (Nyb) cross. Genetic analysis of Axe/Nyb RIL population in the greenhouse at the 4th leaf stage showed monogenic inheritance of stripe rust resistance. Selective genotyping using the iSelect 90K Infinium SNP genotyping array was performed and the resistance locus was mapped to long arm of chromosome 7A and named Yr75. The Axe/Nyb RIL population was genotyped using a targeted genotype-by-sequencing (tGBS) assay and the resistance-linked SNPs were converted into kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers. These markers were tested on the entire Axe/Nyb RIL population and markers sunKASP_430 and sunKASP_427 showed close association with Yr75 in Axe/Nyabing-3 RIL population. A high-resolution mapping family of 1032 F2 plants from the Axe/Nyb cross was developed and genotyped with sunKASP_430 and sunKASP_427 and these markers flanked Yr75 at 0.3 cM and 0.4 cM, respectively. These markers covers 1.24Mb of the physical map of Chinese Spring and can be used for future map-based cloning of this gene.

Using systems agronomy to exploit deep roots in crops

In this chapter we review strategies to capture benefits from deeper rooting, taking the example of the semi-arid southern Australian wheat belt. The chapter focusses on the theme of better capturing deep subsoil water with deeper and more effective root systems. The chapter looks at ways of increasing root depth, the role of agronomic techniques as well as genetic improvement methods.