The Crop Research Unit is used by students, researchers and commercial companies to conduct their field trials. The unit comprises approximately 100 acres of cultivation and is fully irrigated drawing its water from underground bores and the Lockyer Creek. It is a relatively frost-free area allowing the growing of a large variety of agricultural crops.
Included in the facilities are two rainout shelters that are designed to protect a certain area of land against receiving rain as a means of controlling the effects of the environment. The shelters are used to create artificial drought scenarios on different types of agricultural crops, allowing UQ researchers to look extensively into the water use efficiency of particular crops.
This facility was purpose designed and built and is essential in helping to develop new drought-tolerant varieties.