70 RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT On the ground, pre-commercial drought- and heat-tolerant hybrids are nearing release, with plans to ensure affordability for smallholders. Long-term soil and rotation trials provided critical insights showing that conventional tillage can outperform minimum-till systems under extended drought, but that rotations incorporating cover crops enhance soil structure, microbial activity, and resilience over time. This work gives farmers region-specific insights into how soil management choices affect productivity and risk reduction under changing rainfall patterns. The DIFM and soil health projects are integrating precision agriculture and ecological indicators to optimise input use and monitor soil biological function. By linking big data with on-farm experimentation, these projects help farmers refine fertiliser and seeding strategies for both profitability and sustainability. Microbial and nematode analyses revealed that soil biological activity fluctuates strongly during the season, reinforcing the need for time-sensitive soil monitoring. Collectively, these projects are empowering South African farmers with actionable data, locally adapted technologies, and resilient production practices to withstand climate uncertainty. Collectively, these outcomes show the consortium’s tangible impact in strengthening South Africa’s adaptive capacity, translating scientific research into resilient, profitable, and sustainable grain farming systems. Objectives Activity Projects Build a knowledge base of the effect of climate change on agriculture. Investigate the impact of climate variability and change on crop production. Project 1: The effects of a changing environment and late-planting dates on maize plant development and yield in South Africa. Project 2: Expanding genetic variability for heat and drought stress and multi-locality hybrid evaluation. Project 3: Long-term crop rotation and tillage. Project 4: From seed to harvest: A temporal odyssey of ecosystem dynamics in grain systems. Project 5: Development of region-specific crop rotation programmes for the Eastern Free State. Project 6: Yield potential and adaptation of grain crops in the Eastern Cape. Project 7: Data Intensive Farm Management (Using precision agriculture techniques to improve agronomic management). Project 8: Improving seed germination and evaluating the growth and yield potential of alternative crops (pigeon pea and dry beans). Project 9: Scaling on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE) in the South African Grain industry, towards data-driven decisions for smallholders. Develop climate change response plans. Establish long-term trials to support sustainable production and build agronomic capacity. Data Intensive Farm Management (using precision agriculture techniques to improve agronomic management). Improving seed germination and evaluating the growth and yield potential of alternative crops (pigeon pea and dry beans). From seed to harvest: A temporal odyssey of ecosystem dynamics in grain systems. Scaling on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE) in the South African Grain industry, towards data-driven decisions for smallholders. Table 3: Overview of the Climate Resilience Consortium.
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