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Associate Professor Andries Potgieter
Associate Professor

Andries Potgieter

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 33465

Overview

Background

Professor Andries B. Potgieter is a Principal Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland, and an international leader in Digital Agriculture. With a career spanning over 35 years across government, industry, and academia, his research integrates remote sensing, climate forecasting, and crop–climate modelling to support resilient, data-driven decision-making in agriculture. He is currently a key research collaborator in the $36 million GRDC-funded Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) initiative, where he leads digital analytics activities within UQ.

Professor Potgieter’s work focuses on developing predictive tools that combine satellite Earth observation, machine learning, and crop simulation to improve seasonal forecasting, crop monitoring, and risk management. He has pioneered widely adopted innovations such as the CropID tool, now commercialised via Data Farming Pty Ltd, and his models have influenced decision frameworks at Statistics Canada and the FAO. His 114 peer-reviewed publications have accrued over 4,000 citations, and his Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) places him in the top 5% of researchers globally.

He has built a thriving interdisciplinary research program and mentoring pipeline, supervising PhD, Masters, and MoDS students, and supporting postdoctoral researchers who now work at AWS, Sugar Research Australia, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. His leadership in global partnerships has positioned UQ as a preferred academic collaborator for international institutions tackling climate-smart agriculture.

Current projects

  • Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) – Digital analytics for yield forecasting and decision tools for grain growers (GRDC)

  • CropVision – Satellite remote sensing and AI for field-scale crop production forecasting (ARC Linkage)

  • RiskSSmart – Integration of Earth observation and climate models for sorghum risk mitigation (SmartSat CRC)

  • Root Phenomics – Linking above-ground sensing to root system architecture to accelerate phenotyping of drought-tolerant cereals (GRDC; Chief Investigator)

  • ARC Training Centre for Predictive Breeding in Agricultural Futures – Developing next-generation tools and training pathways for climate-resilient crop improvement (ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres; Collaborating Investigator)

Previous research highlights

  • Late Maturity Alpha Amylase (LMA) Risk Modelling – National-scale risk prediction framework for wheat quality (GRDC)

  • CropPhen – High-throughput phenotyping for crop type and growth stage detection via drone/UAV (GRDC)

  • SIMLESA and YieldShield – Groundbreaking work in food insecurity mapping and climate risk insurance across eastern and southern Africa

Availability

Associate Professor Andries Potgieter is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Southern Queensland

Research impacts

Transforming agricultural decision-making through digital tools My research has led to practical innovations that help farmers, government agencies, and agribusinesses make better decisions under climate uncertainty. By combining satellite imagery, climate data, and artificial intelligence, I have created tools that support crop forecasting, risk assessment, and sustainable farming practices at local, national, and global levels.

Real-world outcomes

  • CropID, a remote sensing tool developed through my research, has been commercialised by Data Farming Pty Ltd and is now used across Australia to map and monitor crops—helping reduce fertiliser waste and improve land management.

  • My seasonal yield forecasting models have been adopted by the Queensland Government and informed policy and logistics planning.

  • Statistics Canada built their national crop forecasting system using frameworks I co-developed, showing international uptake.

  • I co-developed YieldShield™, Australia’s first climate-based crop insurance product, which helped farmers manage drought risk.

  • In 2024–2025, I was contracted by the FAO to adapt these models for use in low-income countries, supporting food security initiatives in Africa and Latin America.

Broader benefits

  • Economic impact: My tools improve supply chain planning, reduce crop losses, and inform commodity trading and insurance.

  • Environmental impact: Precision monitoring enables more efficient fertiliser use, reducing runoff and environmental harm.

  • Social impact: My training and mentoring of students and early-career researchers builds long-term capability in digital agriculture, both in Australia and internationally.

Works

Search Professor Andries Potgieter’s works on UQ eSpace

109 works between 1997 and 2025

1 - 20 of 109 works

2025

Journal Article

Unmanned aerial vehicle phenotyping of agronomic and physiological traits in mungbean

Van Haeften, Shanice, Smith, Daniel, Robinson, Hannah, Dudley, Caitlin, Kang, Yichen, Douglas, Colin A., Hickey, Lee T., Potgieter, Andries, Chapman, Scott and Smith, Millicent R. (2025). Unmanned aerial vehicle phenotyping of agronomic and physiological traits in mungbean. The Plant Phenome Journal, 8 (1) e70016, 1-18. doi: 10.1002/ppj2.70016

Unmanned aerial vehicle phenotyping of agronomic and physiological traits in mungbean

2025

Journal Article

Multimodal sequential cross-modal transformer for predicting plant available water capacity (PAWC) from time series of weather and crop biological data

Nguyen, Dung, de Voil, Peter, Potgieter, Andries, Dang, Yash P., Orton, Thomas G., Nguyen, Duc Thanh, Nguyen, Thanh Thi and Chapman, Scott C. (2025). Multimodal sequential cross-modal transformer for predicting plant available water capacity (PAWC) from time series of weather and crop biological data. Agricultural Water Management, 307 109124, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.109124

Multimodal sequential cross-modal transformer for predicting plant available water capacity (PAWC) from time series of weather and crop biological data

2024

Journal Article

Prediction accuracy and repeatability of UAV based biomass estimation in wheat variety trials as affected by variable type, modelling strategy and sampling location

Smith, Daniel T. L., Chen, Qiaomin, Massey-Reed, Sean Reynolds, Potgieter, Andries B. and Chapman, Scott C. (2024). Prediction accuracy and repeatability of UAV based biomass estimation in wheat variety trials as affected by variable type, modelling strategy and sampling location. Plant Methods, 20 (1) 129. doi: 10.1186/s13007-024-01236-w

Prediction accuracy and repeatability of UAV based biomass estimation in wheat variety trials as affected by variable type, modelling strategy and sampling location

2024

Journal Article

Estimating aboveground biomass dynamics of wheat at small spatial scale by integrating crop growth and radiative transfer models with satellite remote sensing data

Hu, Pengcheng, Zheng, Bangyou, Chen, Qiaomin, Grunefeld, Swaantje, Choudhury, Malini Roy, Fernandez, Javier, Potgieter, Andries and Chapman, Scott C. (2024). Estimating aboveground biomass dynamics of wheat at small spatial scale by integrating crop growth and radiative transfer models with satellite remote sensing data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 311 114277, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114277

Estimating aboveground biomass dynamics of wheat at small spatial scale by integrating crop growth and radiative transfer models with satellite remote sensing data

2024

Journal Article

Mapping quantitative trait loci for seminal root angle in a selected durum wheat population

Kang, Yichen, Alahmad, Samir, Haeften, Shanice V., Akinlade, Oluwaseun, Tong, Jingyang, Dinglasan, Eric, Voss‐Fels, Kai P., Potgieter, Andries B., Borrell, Andrew K., Makhoul, Manar, Obermeier, Christian, Snowdon, Rod, Mace, Emma, Jordan, David R. and Hickey, Lee T. (2024). Mapping quantitative trait loci for seminal root angle in a selected durum wheat population. The Plant Genome, 18 (1) e20490, e20490. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.20490

Mapping quantitative trait loci for seminal root angle in a selected durum wheat population

2024

Conference Publication

Insights in the ability of high-resolution narrow band multispectral and thermal sensors to estimate cotton production in Australia

Devoto, F., Reynolds-Massey-Reed, S., Segura, Pinzon C., Bell, M., Mclaren, T., Awale, R., Camino, C., Bange, M., Woodgate, W., Chapman, S. and Potgieter, A. B. (2024). Insights in the ability of high-resolution narrow band multispectral and thermal sensors to estimate cotton production in Australia. 2024 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Athens, Greece, 7-12 July 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/igarss53475.2024.10642663

Insights in the ability of high-resolution narrow band multispectral and thermal sensors to estimate cotton production in Australia

2024

Journal Article

Seminal root angle is associated with root system architecture in durum wheat

Kang, Yichen, Rambla, Charlotte, Haeften, Shanice V., Fu, Brendan, Akinlade, Oluwaseun, Potgieter, Andries B., Borrell, Andrew K., Mace, Emma, Jordan, David R., Alahmad, Samir and Hickey, Lee T. (2024). Seminal root angle is associated with root system architecture in durum wheat. Food and Energy Security, 13 (4) e570. doi: 10.1002/fes3.570

Seminal root angle is associated with root system architecture in durum wheat

2024

Journal Article

Seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands in the broadacre cropping region of Australia

Xie, Zunyi, Zhao, Yan, Jiang, Ruizhu, Zhang, Miao, Hammer, Graeme, Chapman, Scott, Brider, Jason and Potgieter, Andries B. (2024). Seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands in the broadacre cropping region of Australia. Remote Sensing of Environment, 305 114070, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114070

Seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands in the broadacre cropping region of Australia

2024

Journal Article

Fusarium wilt constrains mungbean yield due to reduction in source availability

Van Haeften, Shanice, Kang, Yichen, Dudley, Caitlin, Potgieter, Andries, Robinson, Hannah, Dinglasan, Eric, Wenham, Kylie, Noble, Thomas, Kelly, Lisa, Douglas, Colin A, Hickey, Lee and Smith, Millicent R (2024). Fusarium wilt constrains mungbean yield due to reduction in source availability. AoB Plants, 16 (2) plae021, plae021. doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plae021

Fusarium wilt constrains mungbean yield due to reduction in source availability

2023

Journal Article

Featured cover

Van Haeften, Shanice, Dudley, Caitlin, Kang, Yichen, Smith, Daniel, Nair, Ramakrishnan M., Douglas, Colin A., Potgieter, Andries, Robinson, Hannah, Hickey, Lee T. and Smith, Millicent R. (2023). Featured cover. Food and Energy Security, 12 (6). doi: 10.1002/fes3.516

Featured cover

2023

Conference Publication

Advances in the study of biochemical, morphological and physiological traits of wheat and sorghum crops in australia using hyperspectral data and machine learning

Potgieter, A. B., Camino, C., Poblete, T., Zhi, X., Reynolds-Massey-Reed, S., Zhao, Y., Belwalkar, A., Ruizhu, J., George-Jaeggli, B., Chapman, S., Jordan, D., Wu, A., Hammer, G. L. and J, Zarco-Tejada P. (2023). Advances in the study of biochemical, morphological and physiological traits of wheat and sorghum crops in australia using hyperspectral data and machine learning. 2023 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Pasadena, CA USA, 16-21 July 2023. Piscataway, NJ USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/igarss52108.2023.10282230

Advances in the study of biochemical, morphological and physiological traits of wheat and sorghum crops in australia using hyperspectral data and machine learning

2023

Book Chapter

Modelling the impact of climate change on agriculture in Australia and Oceania

Wang, Enli, Teixeira, Edmar, Zheng, Bangyou, Hughes, Neal, Chenu, Karine, Hunt, James, Ghahramani, Afshin, Potgieter, Andries B., Zhu, Junqi, Cichota, Rogerio and Huth, Neil (2023). Modelling the impact of climate change on agriculture in Australia and Oceania. Modelling climate change impacts on agricultural systems. (pp. 481-540) edited by Claas Nendel. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. doi: 10.19103/as.2022.0115.17

Modelling the impact of climate change on agriculture in Australia and Oceania

2023

Conference Publication

Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes

Geetika, Geetika, Borrell, Andrew, Thornton, Erin, Hunt, Colleen, Chapman, Scott, Philp, Trevor, Fekybelu, Solomon, Potgieter, Andries, Godwin, Ian, Hammer, Graeme, Mace, Emma and Jordan, David (2023). Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes. Global Sorghum Conference Sorghum in the 21st Century, Montpellier, France, 5-9 June 2023.

Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes

2023

Conference Publication

Environment characterisation of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) crops using climate, satellite imagery, and crop simulation modelling in Australia

Javier A. Fernandez, Hu, Pengcheng, Chen, Zhi, Gho Brito, Carla, Segura Pinzon, Camilo, Chen, Qiaomin, Smith, Daniel, Arief, Vivi, Zheng, Bangyou, Potgieter, Andries, Zhao, Yan, Ramakers, Jip, Hemerik, Jesse, van Eeuwijk, Fred and Chapman, Scott C. (2023). Environment characterisation of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) crops using climate, satellite imagery, and crop simulation modelling in Australia. Global Sorghum Conference, Montpellier, France, 5-9 June 2023.

Environment characterisation of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) crops using climate, satellite imagery, and crop simulation modelling in Australia

2023

Journal Article

Building a better Mungbean: breeding for reproductive resilience in a changing climate

Van Haeften, Shanice, Dudley, Caitlin, Kang, Yichen, Smith, Daniel, Nair, Ramakrishnan M., Douglas, Colin A., Potgieter, Andries, Robinson, Hannah, Hickey, Lee T. and Smith, Millicent R. (2023). Building a better Mungbean: breeding for reproductive resilience in a changing climate. Food and Energy Security, 12 (6) e467. doi: 10.1002/fes3.467

Building a better Mungbean: breeding for reproductive resilience in a changing climate

2023

Conference Publication

Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes

Geetika, Geetika, Borrell, Andrew, Thornton, Erin, Reed, Sean, Hunt, Colleen, Chapman, Scott, Philp, Trevor, Fekybelu, Solomon, Potgieter, Andries, Godwin, Ian, Hammer, Graeme, Mace, Emma and Jordan, David (2023). Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes. Australian Summer Grains Conference, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 13-15 March 2023.

Evaluating variation in stem strength in response to artificial drought stress amongst sorghum genotypes

2023

Conference Publication

Physiological insight to improve mungbean productivity

Smith, Millicent, Van Haeften, Shanice, Dudley, Caitlin, Kohl, Theresa, Douglas, Colin, Ryan, Merrill, Potgieter, Andries, Chapman, Scott, Robinson, Hannah, Dinglasan, Eric and Hickey, Lee (2023). Physiological insight to improve mungbean productivity. Australian Summer Grains Conference, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 13-15 March 2023.

Physiological insight to improve mungbean productivity

2023

Conference Publication

Understanding the genetics of mungbean senescence behaviour using longitudinal UAV data

Van Haeften, Shanice, Kang, Yichen, Douglas, Colin, Dudley, Caitlin, Ryan, Merrill, Smith, Millicent, Chapman, Scott, Robinson, Hannah, Potgieter, Andries and Hickey, Lee (2023). Understanding the genetics of mungbean senescence behaviour using longitudinal UAV data. Australian Summer Grains Conference, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 13-15 March 2023.

Understanding the genetics of mungbean senescence behaviour using longitudinal UAV data

2023

Journal Article

Using digital photography to monitor changes in biocrusts and ground cover in a savanna rangeland

Myint Swe, Than, Williams, Wendy J., Schmidt, Susanne, Potgieter, Andries, Cowley, Robyn, Mellor, Vincent, Driscoll, Colin and Zhao, Yan (2023). Using digital photography to monitor changes in biocrusts and ground cover in a savanna rangeland. The Rangeland Journal, 44 (6), 263-278. doi: 10.1071/rj22019

Using digital photography to monitor changes in biocrusts and ground cover in a savanna rangeland

2023

Other Outputs

Late Maturity alpha-Amylase winter wheat data from field trials conducted at six locations in Australia

Armstrong, Robert, Potgieter, Andries, Hammer, Graeme, Mortlock, Miranda, Biddulph, Ben, Curry, Jeremy, Height, Nathan, McCallum, Melissa, Porker, Kenton, Harris, Felicity, Bathgate, Jordan, Simpson, Jess, Clarke, Genevieve, Giblot-Ducray, Danièle, Fairlie, William, Hughes, David and Cullis, Brian (2023). Late Maturity alpha-Amylase winter wheat data from field trials conducted at six locations in Australia. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/6769356

Late Maturity alpha-Amylase winter wheat data from field trials conducted at six locations in Australia

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    RiskSSmart: Digital tool for de-risking sorghum production decisions (SMART SAT CRC)
    SmartSat CRC
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2029
    ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures
    ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    Root structure and function traits: Overcoming the root phenotyping bottleneck in cereals
    PROC-9176895 Phenomics methods and tools to enable improved resource capture efficiency in grain crops
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI)
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2027
    Reducing lodging risk in sorghum to increase grower confidence and profitability
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    CropVision: A next-generation system for predicting crop production
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2024
    CropPhen: Remote mapping of grain crop type and phenology
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    Machine learning to extract maximum value from soil and crop variability (GRDC project administered by The University of Adelaide).
    University of Adelaide
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    LMA Project C: An improved model of Late Maturity Alpha-Amylase (LMA) field risk in Australian wheat
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    A Genetic x Environment characterization of the risk for Late Maturity Alpha-amylase across the main wheat producing shires of Australia
    Grains Research & Development Corporation
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa - Phase II (SIMLESA-2)
    International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Seeing is believing: The use of thermal sensing in predicting crop yield at field scale
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Integrating crop and livestock production for improved food security and livelihoods in rural Zimbabwe (ZimLESA; ACIAR project led by ILRI)
    International Livestock Research Institute
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping system for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) - Ethiopian Extension
    International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Determining the ability of crop water stress indices to capture yield, within the crop canopy/thermal space, through utilising remote sensing at a farm/paddock level
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2011
    An analysis of spatial data for Zimbabwe (ACIAR project)
    Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2014
    Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping systems for enhancing food security in eastern and southern Africa (SIMLESA; CIMMYT-led ACIAR Project novated from DEEDI)
    International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
    Open grant
  • 2010
    Strategic Planning for investment based on agro-ecological zones
    Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Andries Potgieter is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

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