crossbred

This evolutionary process leads to the formation of ecotypes, i.e., locally adapted "plant breeds" that differ slightly in appearance and may no longer be easily crossbred.

"Coffee is not a crop that has been heavily crossbred, such as maize or wheat, to create new varieties. People mainly chose a variety they liked and then grew it. So the varieties we have today have probably been around for a long time."

Dr Cockerton will be searching for genes in plants that are drought-resistant which could be crossbred with plants that are currently grown for use in beer production.

WA 64, first crossbred in 1998, has been researched extensively for more than two decades.

Evans said WA 64 was first budded in 2001 after being crossbred in 1998.