In undertaking cultivar trials, the variability of the response of the cultivars to the different environments in which they are grown introduces the possibility of release errors and non‐release errors in the decisions made on the basis of the trial results. In this article a model is...

Private and many publicly funded plant breeding organisations charge farmers for use of varieties they develop. This article compares four alternative charging mechanisms and outlines responses to these alternatives by farmers and plant breeders. Risk‐averse farmers and breeders are shown to...

Benefit‐cost analyses of R&D activity in agriculture increasingly form part of the decision‐making process of allocating R&D funds. This article describes how institutional and social influences can affect the rigour and quality of R&D evaluations. The article explores some possible...

A model of investment in crop sowing machinery is applied to wheat production under current and projected climatic conditions at several locations in south-western Australia. The model includes yield responses to time of sowing at each location given current and projected climatic conditions....