Technology adoption, varietal preferences and disease resistance: A systems perspective on management decisions in Australian grain production
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Context Disease resistance is a critical trait targeted by crop breeders worldwide, offering a pathway to sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical inputs and enhancing long-term resilience of agricultural systems. However, in Australian grain systems, older and more susceptible cultivars continue to be widely grown, contributing to ongoing reliance on fungicides. While the biological and agronomic dimensions of disease management are well documented, maximising the disease-control value of genetic resistance requires greater attention to the socioeconomic factors shaping varietal adoption within farming systems. Objective This study examines how Australian grain growers prioritise varietal traits and how those preferences influence the adoption of new crop varieties, while explicitly accounting for the interdependence between varietal choice, crop protection practices, and other farming decisions within production systems. Methods We draw on nationally representative survey data from 1200 Australian grain growers producing wheat, pulses, legumes, and oilseeds during the 2020/21 cropping season. A two-stage empirical approach is applied. First, an Item Response Theory model is used to identify and rank farmers' latent preferences for varietal traits based on stated selection criteria. Second, a Multivariate Probit model jointly analyses varietal adoption, crop protection practices, and input use decisions, allowing for interdependencies among management choices while accounting for environmental and farming system characteristics. Results and conclusions Results indicate that disease resistance is positively associated with the adoption of new varieties. However, its influence is weaker than that of yield, particularly for pulse and oilseed crops, with yield potential being the dominant trait guiding varietal selection across crop types. The analysis also reveals strong interdependencies between varietal adoption, fungicide use, and other management decisions, indicating that farmers' production choices are made jointly rather than independently. Significance By adopting a system-level perspective on varietal adoption and crop management, this study provides insights to inform breeding priorities, extension approaches, and policy strategies aimed at promoting more sustainable disease management in Australian grain systems. The findings highlight that reducing reliance on chemical disease control depends not only on the availability of resistant cultivars, but also on how the adoption of resistant varieties is influenced by farmers' broader production objectives and farming systems constraints.
Source: Agricultural Systems
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,000
OpenAlex ID: W7213370283