A research team from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia
is working to produce hardier and more drought tolerant varieties of
mungbean. UQT's Professor Sagadevan Mundree and researcher Michael Dodt
explained to members of the Australian Mungbean Association that they are
pursuing three key elements to create hardier varieties of mungbean.

According to Dodt, they are working to enhance the root architecture of the
plant to make the root system deeper and have more volume to spread over a
wider area for more access to water and nutrients. They are also using
computer modelling software to identify the highest yielding mungbean
varieties for different growing conditions.

Dodt said "This program has been used to great success in relation to
growing sorghum and has the potential to provide great benefits to mungbean
growers, identifying advances in genetics and determining the best type of
mungbean for a specific environment."

[www.qut.edu.au]