Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance ....Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance of nutrient uptake by plants. The effects of the developed method on nutrient use efficiency and leaching loss, and crop yields will be quantified under different soil types and climatic conditions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to ....Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to be negatively affected by climate changes. The requested infrastructure will enable direct, plot scale measurements of crop water balance and water status, including crucial influence factors such as root growth and architecture and crop canopy temperatures, and allow manipulation experiments to develop adaptation options to improve crop resource use efficiencies. Read moreRead less
Big data modelling to forecast crop yield to enable precision fertilisation. This project aims to lay a foundation for a generic data-driven approach to more precise management of our agricultural landscapes. A multitude of agriculture-related data streams are now available to growers to characterise their yield, management, soil and weather. However, currently there is no approach able to digest all these disparate data streams to enable a management decision. The project will develop an appro ....Big data modelling to forecast crop yield to enable precision fertilisation. This project aims to lay a foundation for a generic data-driven approach to more precise management of our agricultural landscapes. A multitude of agriculture-related data streams are now available to growers to characterise their yield, management, soil and weather. However, currently there is no approach able to digest all these disparate data streams to enable a management decision. The project will develop an approach to harness all of these data streams to guide spatially variable applications of nitrogen fertilisers with a focus on grains cropping. This should provide the opportunity to allocate fertiliser inputs as required at fine spatial scales according to local soil and weather conditions to maximise profit and minimise off-farm impacts of excessive fertilisation.Read moreRead less
Role of organic matter and soil biota in optimising crop nutrition in sustainable farming systems. Australian grain producers face increasing competition on the world market from countries with cheap production costs (China, Argentina, Brazil). This project will develop biological farming systems based on improving soil health and enhancing soil microflora and nutrient cycling. Western Australia and other states are currently defining certification guidelines for sustainable farming systems (inc ....Role of organic matter and soil biota in optimising crop nutrition in sustainable farming systems. Australian grain producers face increasing competition on the world market from countries with cheap production costs (China, Argentina, Brazil). This project will develop biological farming systems based on improving soil health and enhancing soil microflora and nutrient cycling. Western Australia and other states are currently defining certification guidelines for sustainable farming systems (including biological ones). Selling grain produced in certified biological farming system will attract market premium, therefore enhancing the position of Australian farmers. This project will produce fertiliser recommendation systems incorporating organic fertilisers, thus decreasing costs of production and maintaining clean and healthy environment.Read moreRead less
Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This proje ....Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This project aims to determine the effect of drought and rainfall patterns on the efficiency of fertiliser use by crops, through examination of the effects of soil moisture conditions on the interaction between soil and added fertilisers. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100077
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Automated preparative gas chromatograph for isolating unique and important organic components for structural identification. The rapid capability to purify and identify significant and important organic compounds, present at low levels within complex mixtures, is fundamental to geochemistry, plant biology, chemistry, and environmental science. This facility's automated gas chromatograph will assist in isolating and purifying new compounds from microbes, plants, humans, animals, and environmental ....Automated preparative gas chromatograph for isolating unique and important organic components for structural identification. The rapid capability to purify and identify significant and important organic compounds, present at low levels within complex mixtures, is fundamental to geochemistry, plant biology, chemistry, and environmental science. This facility's automated gas chromatograph will assist in isolating and purifying new compounds from microbes, plants, humans, animals, and environmental and geological samples.Read moreRead less
Alleviating herbicide damage to crops by using fulvate and manganese. Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide, but its drift can cause growth depression in sensitive plants such as wheat by reducing uptake of metallic micronutrients, particularly manganese. In pot and field trials, this project aims to assess the alleviating potential of fulvate and manganese on growth and micronutrient uptake by wheat exposed to glyphosate drift. The influence of land management on the effect of these treatments ....Alleviating herbicide damage to crops by using fulvate and manganese. Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide, but its drift can cause growth depression in sensitive plants such as wheat by reducing uptake of metallic micronutrients, particularly manganese. In pot and field trials, this project aims to assess the alleviating potential of fulvate and manganese on growth and micronutrient uptake by wheat exposed to glyphosate drift. The influence of land management on the effect of these treatments will also be assessed. The underlying mechanisms will be characterised, eg. by determining metal speciation in soil and assessing soil microbial community composition. The outcome of this project will contribute to sustainable agriculture by giving land managers options to reduce glyphosate damage in sensitive crops.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of soil microbial interactions for increased efficacy of herbicides using novel fertiliser management practices. Soil microbes are essential for nutrient cycling and plant root growth. This project aims to investigate whether herbicides influence soil biological processes when different types of fertilisers are used. It is expected that complex interactions between fertiliser practice and herbicides will alter herbicide efficacy in weed control. This project aims to compare nove ....Characterisation of soil microbial interactions for increased efficacy of herbicides using novel fertiliser management practices. Soil microbes are essential for nutrient cycling and plant root growth. This project aims to investigate whether herbicides influence soil biological processes when different types of fertilisers are used. It is expected that complex interactions between fertiliser practice and herbicides will alter herbicide efficacy in weed control. This project aims to compare novel fertiliser practices claimed to maximise benefits from soil microbial processes with traditional fertiliser practices which can override biological processes, including beneficial plant-microbial symbioses. This will enable a rigorous evaluation of fertiliser-herbicide interactions to clarify whether soil microbial benefits can be included as part of weed control programs.Read moreRead less