DrKedar Adhikari

Dr Adhikari began his career in plant breeding as an assistant wheat breeder in Nepal after completing a Bachelor's degree with Honours from the Harayana Agricultural University, India. He obtained his Masters from the University of Manitoba, Canada in plant breeding and a PhD from the University of Sydney in genetics of cereal rust. After his PhD, he has been committed to grain legume (lupins, field pea and faba bean) research as a breeder. Dr Adhikari worked as a plant breeder for more than 14 years in Western Australia, firstly at the University of Western Australia and later at the State Department of Agriculture and Food. He has released three varieties of lupins and the same number of varieties of faba beans in Australia. His varieteies are well received by farmers and almost all area of faba bean in northern NSW and southern Queensland is under his varieteies. Along with the increased grain yield and quality, breeding for resistance to diseases, such as rust and bean leaf roll virus; and abiotic stresses such as frost, drought and heat tolerance have been his main focus. He joined the University of Sydney in 2010 as a grain legume breeder.