This review describes the impact of drought on yield, trends in yield for boosting crop yields to meet the projected demands of rising global population by 2050, and genetic gain achieved by plant breeding in the last decades in wheat. In addition, it discusses recently developed techniques (i.e. genomic selection and high-throughput phenotyping) integrated with current approaches for improving drought in wheat.

Acid soils remain an important constraint to crop production in Australia and globally. It is likely that crop yields on acid soils can be increased with further breeding and biotechnology. This review summarises the known variation in acid-soil tolerance in Australia’s most important grain crops and assesses the potential for genetics and biotechnology to increase yields.

Wheat genotypes possess two strategies of avoidance and tolerance to adapt to high temperature and weak radiation stress; diploid and tetraploid wheats acquired avoidance mechanism to adapt to abiotic stress; modern hexaploid wheat varieties displayed a stronger tolerance to the stress environment; tolerance and avoidance strategies respectively accounted for 60% and 22% of the variations in grain yield.

Low temperature induced spikelet sterility at the booting stage was investigated in a CSSL population under natural conditions. Eight major QTLs for cold tolerance were identified. Five QTLs might be new.

Heterosis analysis was performed to exploit the crossing combinations with desirable positive effects of heterosis in terms of mineral element content. The superior parental lines and hybrid combinations for the improvement of mineral elements were found by analysis of combining ability in non-heading Chinese cabbage. Two isonucleus-alloplasmic lines of non-heading Chinese cabbage was verified with positive cytoplasmic effects in mineral elements including calcium and iron.

Subsoil manuring potentially has both amelioration and fertilisation effects. To separate these effects, eight field experiments were carried out testing surface and deep placement of poultry litter and inorganic fertiliser with matched nutrition. Differences in crop yield were attributed to nutrients (particularly nitrogen) supplied by the amendment, and not to the amelioration of subsoil constraints.

Elevated temperatures cause decreases in photosynthetic rates in C. arabica. Photochemical apparatus of coffee plants show great heat tolerance. Stomatal closure imposes the major limitation on C. arabica photosynthesis under elevated temperature.

Echium plantagineum is a serious pasture weed in Australia. We conducted a study to understand the effects of range of environmental factors on this invasive species seeds. Temperature was influential on germination than light and the species is tolerant of a wide range of pH. Moisture may limit germination, as may elevated salinity. Management of this weed requires approaches that minimise soil seedbank input or prevent germination of soil seedbanks.