Guest: Tarkjot Kaur

Host: Ben Camer-Pesci

In this episode of Cultivating the Future, Ben Camer-Pesci speaks with Tarkjot Kaur, a PhD student at Murdoch University, about advancing grain yield potential in barley and oats through genetics and data-driven breeding.

Growing up in a Punjabi agricultural family in India, Tarkjot developed an early connection to farming systems and crop production, experiences that continue to shape her research perspective today. Her current PhD focuses on translating knowledge of grain-yield genetics from major cereal crops such as rice, wheat and maize into barley and oats, helping unlock new opportunities to improve productivity in these important grains.

The discussion explores how integrating genetic insights with machine-learning-based prediction models could enable breeders to more accurately identify high-yielding varieties and accelerate breeding progress. By combining traditional plant breeding approaches with advanced analytics, this work aims to support the development of more productive, resilient cereal crops for future farming systems.

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