Control points in nitrogen uptake: enhancing the response of cereals to nitrogen supply and demand. Vast amounts of nitrogen fertiliser are applied to cereal crops to maintain yields. By uncovering what limits nitrogen uptake in cereals, this project will provide the scientific basis for improving nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing fertiliser use, with significant economic and environmental benefits.
Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein a ....Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein assembles without difficulty. This project will devise strategies for controlling this variability that will facilitate attempts to exploit plastid transformation for transplanting better versions of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, into plants to improve their growth efficiency in terms of water, fertiliser and light use.Read moreRead less
The role of chlorophyll f in photosynthesis. The knowledge of energetic limits of oxygenic photosynthesis will provide opportunities for improving the efficiency of photosynthesis by using a wider range of the solar spectrum. This project aims to understand the roles of newly discovered chlorophyll f in central photoreactions and its biosynthesis.
Defining biologically significant units in spinifex (Triodia spp.) for improved ecological restoration in arid Australia. This project will investigate composition and functioning of the iconic spinifex grasslands of arid Australia. The findings will increase the capacity to restore these landscapes after mining. Project outcomes directly address the national priority for sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity, particularly of vulnerable ecosystems.
Microgenomics - a tool to dissect effects of salinity on gene expression in specific cell types of Arabidopsis and rice. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in salinity tolerance in higher plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of a range of processes relevant to salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The increased understanding arising from this ....Microgenomics - a tool to dissect effects of salinity on gene expression in specific cell types of Arabidopsis and rice. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the cell type-specific processes involved in salinity tolerance in higher plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of a range of processes relevant to salinity tolerance, an area of great importance to Australian agriculture and environmental sustainability. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Long noncoding RNAs and their regulatory roles in epigenetic control of gene expression in plants. Epigenetic control of gene expression plays a critical role in development, environmental adaptation, stress response and disease resistance in plants, but its molecular basis remains largely unknown. The proposed study should contribute to the emerging field of epigenetics by discovering new regulatory noncoding RNAs involved in epigenetic mechanisms in plants. These new discoveries could potentia ....Long noncoding RNAs and their regulatory roles in epigenetic control of gene expression in plants. Epigenetic control of gene expression plays a critical role in development, environmental adaptation, stress response and disease resistance in plants, but its molecular basis remains largely unknown. The proposed study should contribute to the emerging field of epigenetics by discovering new regulatory noncoding RNAs involved in epigenetic mechanisms in plants. These new discoveries could potentially provide new opportunities and platforms for improving the performance, yield and quality of crop plants. The proposed study is therefore consistent with the national research priority goals such as breakthrough science, frontier technologies and promoting an innovation culture.Read moreRead less
Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes th ....Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes that regulate flowering and seed production in sorghum in response to changes in temperature and light interactions. These studies will help to develop novel sorghum varieties with desirable characters through plant-breeding programmes.Read moreRead less
Systemic control of nodule proliferation. We aim to clone and characterize the functions of the supernodulation (NTS-1) locus of soybean using positional cloning and functional genomics approaches. Supernodulation fascinatingly results from a mutant Nts-1 gene functioning in the shoot, although the phenotype is expressed as excessive nodule proliferation in the root. The cloned gene will be used to monitor expression changes after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium, treatment with nitrate, nod-fac ....Systemic control of nodule proliferation. We aim to clone and characterize the functions of the supernodulation (NTS-1) locus of soybean using positional cloning and functional genomics approaches. Supernodulation fascinatingly results from a mutant Nts-1 gene functioning in the shoot, although the phenotype is expressed as excessive nodule proliferation in the root. The cloned gene will be used to monitor expression changes after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium, treatment with nitrate, nod-factor, xylem exudates and phytohormones. We will use RT-PCR, in situ hybridisation and reporter gene expression in transgenic plants. Microarray analysis of soybean ESTs (4200 arrayed) will analyse concurrent gene expression changes in both root and shoot.Read moreRead less
Beyond the gene: Linking herbivore behaviour to plant defense gene expression. This collaborative project investigates insect herbivore avoidance of plant defence mechanisms. Our project is novel because it integrates changes in the plant at a number of different levels and links them to insect foraging behaviour. Researchers assume that insects respond to plant defences by changing their foraging behaviour. This has not been tested directly. We use the genetically well characterised plant Arabi ....Beyond the gene: Linking herbivore behaviour to plant defense gene expression. This collaborative project investigates insect herbivore avoidance of plant defence mechanisms. Our project is novel because it integrates changes in the plant at a number of different levels and links them to insect foraging behaviour. Researchers assume that insects respond to plant defences by changing their foraging behaviour. This has not been tested directly. We use the genetically well characterised plant Arabidopsis and the world-wide pest Helicoverpa (heliothis) as a model system. Damage caused to crops by insect herbivores is a direct function of behaviour. Understanding this behaviour will lead to improved pest management and reduced economic losses.Read moreRead less
Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge ....Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge will deliver crucial breeders’ tools to select heat-tolerant varieties. The project also aims to identify genes most likely to control tolerance at these chromosome locations using gene expression profiling data, trait associations and knowledge of heat-tolerance genes from other species. It is expected that these genes will reveal molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance and create new opportunities to engineer superior levels of tolerance in cereals.Read moreRead less