Gramina has been created to develop designer pasture grasses with superior performance for the world’s temperate pastoral agriculture. Through the combined capabilities of the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC and PGG Wrightson, Gramina will provide the following key outcomes:

MPBCRC and PGG Wrightson each own 50 percent of the shareholding in Gramina. Both partners have agreed to license intellectual property rights developed under the joint venture exclusively to Gramina to enable the global commercialisation of enhanced pasture grasses.

MPBCRC and PGG Wrightson each bring to Gramina a complementary set of capabilities. With its strong research background in molecular technologies, MPBCRC has the genetic tools and know-how needed for the successful development of a new generation of pasture grasses. These world-leading capabilities are being provided to Gramina through the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, a core participant in MPBCRC.

PGG Wrightson, New Zealand’s largest agribusiness company, has well established plant breeding and seed marketing business units in New Zealand, Australia and South America, and extensive research collaborations in locations around the world. Using these networks, PGG Wrightson has established a strong track record in forage crop development.

Each party is providing substantial resources to achieving Gramina’s proposed outcomes: MPBCRC in the early stages of the product development and PGG Wrightson at the latter stages according to their respective expertise.

Significant contributions of intellectual property from both shareholders provide a foundation for the development of the enhanced forage grass products.

Gramina is also supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments. The Australian Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program and the trans-Tasman Australia New Zealand Biotechnology Partnership Fund, administered by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Department, have both invested significant resources to help ensure the success of the venture.

In total, Gramina constitutes an annual multi-million dollar investment expended over a 10 year period from 2004 to 2014.

Each year pastoral industries directly contribute $15.8 billion to the Australasian economy. Internationally, competitive dairy, meat and wool production are based on pasture to provide a low cost feed source to grazing animals.

In the ongoing drive for increased productivity and profitability of pasture-based livestock systems, molecular plant breeding research and development is providing a clear pathway for increasing nutritive value and biomass production of forage grasses.

Perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and hybrid ryegrass are key pasture grasses sown in temperate climates throughout the world. Herbage yield, nutritive value and the ability to withstand prolonged periods of drought are important breeding objectives for these grasses.

Improving forage quality
Increasing animal productivity through improved forage quality of temperate pasture grasses is a major priority for industry R&D.

Lignin
During late spring and early summer, a marked decline in the feeding value of temperate pastures can result in grasses that are insufficient to meet the metabolic demands of lactating dairy cattle.

The problem is caused by lignin, a structural component of plant cell walls. Lignification is the major factor responsible for lowering digestibility of forage tissues as they mature.

Using gene technology, lignin composition in forage grasses can be altered, resulting in increased digestibility. Even small increases in digestibility are expected to have significant impact on forage quality and animal production.

Fructans
Fructans are forms of carbohydrate that play a key role in forage quality in pasture species. In addition to providing a rich source of energy for livestock, fructans are thought to protect ryegrasses and fescues from environmental stresses such as drought and cold. MPBCRC and PGG Wrightson have isolated genes encoding key fructan metabolism enzymes from perennial ryegrass and tall fescue.

Improved forage quality of grass leads to increased animal production, through increases in both pasture intake and energy yield from pasture. Such improvements would be beneficial in the summer when declining feed quality can limit lactation, requiring animals to receive supplementary feeding.

Reducing hay fever
Hay fever affects about 20% of the population in cool temperate climates. Much of this is directly attributable to ryegrass pollen.

The main allergy-causing proteins in ryegrass have been identified. Using gene technology, Gramina will develop the world’s first commercially available allergy-free pasture grass.

By combining all three of the above traits into perennial ryegrass, hybrid ryegrass and tall fescue, Gramina plans to fast track delivery of its products to world markets.

Gramina Pty Ltd Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre 1 Park Drive, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia 3083	Molecular Plant Breeding Pty Ltd Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre 1 Park Drive, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia 3083	PGG Wrightson Genomics Ltd c/- PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd 57 Waterloo Road, Sockburn PO Box 939, Christchurch, NZ
E: info@gramina.com.au www.gramina.com.au ACN 114 856 156	T: +61 3 9479 1698 F: +61 3 9479 5022 E: mpb@molecularplantbreeding.com www.molecularplantbreeding.com ABN 26 091 932 026	T: +64 3 372 0834 F: +64 3 372 0836 E: webmaster@pggwrightson.co.nz www.pggwrightson.co.nz CN 106 5988