Plant Research Centre

The Plant Research Centre is located on the agri-science precinct at the Waite campus, Adelaide.

This is a unique research complex supporting a high standard of agricultural and bioscience innovation. It also houses the Molecular Diagnostics Centre (PDF 570.8 KB).

Research capabilities

The Plant Research Centre supports our advanced crop sciences research in the following areas.

Crops and horticulture

  • crop evaluation and agronomy
  • crop and horticultural pathology, including diagnostic services to growers
  • entomology
  • crop improvement
  • climate risk management
  • farming systems
  • water resources
  • viticulture.

Pastures and sustainable resources

  • genetic resource conservation
  • lucerne cultivar development
  • medic cultivar development
  • rhizobiology
  • soil and plant nutrition
  • pathology.

Facility features

The Plant Research Centre houses a range of amenities to support SARDI's research divisions.

Its computer-based building management systems monitor the:

  • mechanical and electrical services
  • climate control options of the growth rooms and greenhouses.

A gas-fired power generator supports the energy requirements of the building, which reduces demand on the public electricity grid.

Mechanical services harness the surplus energy produced by the co-generation system, to be reused for heating the building and greenhouses. This system provides an essential power back-up in the event of public network supply interruption.

Laboratories

The centre contains a range of PC2, QC2, and general use laboratories. Facilities used by the food sciences program include:

  • analytical laboratories for testing in traditional and molecular microbiology
  • sensory laboratory
  • product development kitchen
  • small-scale packaging and processing equipment
  • cool rooms for storage at various temperatures.

Adaptable plant growth rooms

The facility houses 30 controlled environment rooms for plant research, each measuring 12 square metres. Features include:

  • temperature ranges from 5°C to 40°C
  • variable light intensities from 250 to 400 watts
  • controlled plant growth lighting
  • fully automated control systems.

Greenhouses

The centre’s greenhouses simulate natural conditions to allow for advanced experimentation. These consist of 24 modules which operate in conjunction with the building management system.

Each greenhouse measures 150 square metres, including:

  • 3 QC2 certified quarantine modules
  • 3 PC2 certified greenhouse modules
  • 2 refrigerated greenhouse modules to provide accurate low temperature environments.

The greenhouses are covered in twin-walled polycarbonate. This lightweight, durable material is impact resistant and maximises natural light. It provides thermal insulating properties which reduce heating and cooling costs.

Cool rooms and freezers

The centre has a combination of 23 cool rooms and freezers to securely house germplasm collections and perishable post-harvest samples.

Contact

Plant Research Centre
Waite campus, 2b Hartley Grove, Urrbrae, SA 5064
Telephone: (08) 8303 9400
Email: pirsa.sardi@sa.gov.au

Page last reviewed: 15 May 2023

 


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