Development of Novel Pesticidal Agents. We have discovered a family of naturally occurring plant proteins called the cyclotides that have potent insecticidal activity against Helicoverpa species, one of the major pests on cotton and corn in Australia and world wide. Preliminary evidence has shown that they also have activity against major pests to livestock in Australia, including sheep blowflies. To develop these proteins as potential pesticidal agents it is necessary to understand the struct ....Development of Novel Pesticidal Agents. We have discovered a family of naturally occurring plant proteins called the cyclotides that have potent insecticidal activity against Helicoverpa species, one of the major pests on cotton and corn in Australia and world wide. Preliminary evidence has shown that they also have activity against major pests to livestock in Australia, including sheep blowflies. To develop these proteins as potential pesticidal agents it is necessary to understand the structural basis for their activity. We will do this by chemically synthesising peptides with selected residues mutated to determine their effects on activity.Read moreRead less
Orally active spider toxins: a novel paradigm for control of insect pests. Many insects and other arthropods are serious pests of Australian crops, livestock, and pets. Australian farmers spend about $300 million per annum on insecticides and acaricides, while Australian consumers spend more than $100 million annually on insecticides for use around the home and garden, and on pets. Viruses disseminated by arthropods are also responsible for diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and Ros ....Orally active spider toxins: a novel paradigm for control of insect pests. Many insects and other arthropods are serious pests of Australian crops, livestock, and pets. Australian farmers spend about $300 million per annum on insecticides and acaricides, while Australian consumers spend more than $100 million annually on insecticides for use around the home and garden, and on pets. Viruses disseminated by arthropods are also responsible for diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and Ross River fever. Unfortunately, many of these arthropod pests have developed resistance to chemical insecticides. This aim of this research program is to develop a new generation of environmentally-friendly natural products that can be used to control arthropod pests on pets, farms, and around the home and garden.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354908
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outco ....The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outcomes and solutions to problems in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and protection of Australia's native flora. Researchers are struggling to create these links, constrained by disciplinary boundaries and geographical isolation. Key industries and researchers already support this proposal.Read moreRead less
Life hanging on a thread; disrupting the structure and function of lepidopteran silking behaviour. The production and use of silk by many invertebrates is vital for their survival. We develop a means of visualising and understanding the role of silking behaviour as a survival mechanism for Helicoverpa larvae (a key world-wide pest) with a view to disrupting silking. This novel project allows us to understand not just where larvae go but what they do along the way. The project outcomes will have ....Life hanging on a thread; disrupting the structure and function of lepidopteran silking behaviour. The production and use of silk by many invertebrates is vital for their survival. We develop a means of visualising and understanding the role of silking behaviour as a survival mechanism for Helicoverpa larvae (a key world-wide pest) with a view to disrupting silking. This novel project allows us to understand not just where larvae go but what they do along the way. The project outcomes will have wide application to the study and control of lepidopteran pests in natural and agricultural ecosystems and is of interest to applied and fundamental projects associated with insect pest control, behaviour and ecology.Read moreRead less
Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Cala ....Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Calandrinia are inherently drought resistant. Novel ornamental cultivars will have high water use efficiency and contribute to water conservation in urban Australia in the face of drought and global warming. Moreover, understanding their synthesis and roles could yield new strategies for enhancing stress tolerance in other species, including crop plants.Read moreRead less
To move or not to move: are insect movement strategies driven by plant-induced defences? Plants change chemically when damaged by insects. By showing how movement and feeding is related to these induced defences we can manipulate plant defences to resist insect attack in a more focused way. Our target insects are major pests against which we use large amounts of insecticide. Our research will decrease insect damage to crops using existing genetic machinery of plants as opposed to inserting 'nove ....To move or not to move: are insect movement strategies driven by plant-induced defences? Plants change chemically when damaged by insects. By showing how movement and feeding is related to these induced defences we can manipulate plant defences to resist insect attack in a more focused way. Our target insects are major pests against which we use large amounts of insecticide. Our research will decrease insect damage to crops using existing genetic machinery of plants as opposed to inserting 'novel' toxin-expressing genes. This project builds on Australia's strong record of achievement in agricultural and natural resource research by increasing understanding of the interplay between plant traits and insects. We will build cross-disciplinary research capacity training a new generation of biologists in an exciting area of science.Read moreRead less
The Other Side: Long-distance Feedback and Cross-talk in the Arabidopsis Branching Gene Network. Shoot structure in nearly all plants impacts on water relations, yield and sustainability. Isolation of novel genes and plant hormone pathways that affect shoot structure should allow us to capture IP for Australia and enhance plant improvement and sustainability. One of the pathways we will investigate produces glucosinolates, small plant-specific molecules that have considerable value as anti-cance ....The Other Side: Long-distance Feedback and Cross-talk in the Arabidopsis Branching Gene Network. Shoot structure in nearly all plants impacts on water relations, yield and sustainability. Isolation of novel genes and plant hormone pathways that affect shoot structure should allow us to capture IP for Australia and enhance plant improvement and sustainability. One of the pathways we will investigate produces glucosinolates, small plant-specific molecules that have considerable value as anti-cancer agents in humans. Flavonoids, another pathway regulated in our shoot branching lines, also benefit human health. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will gain skills in research management, design, ethics and experimental methods pertinent to the growing biotechnology industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Conservation tillage and its potential to affect catchment salt and water balances. Replacement of deep-rooted vegetation with shallow rooted crops has resulted in greater movement of water into groundwater systems, raising in groundwater level and mobilizing salt to the land's surface. The practice of conservation tillage, provides a range of advantages to landholders, but also has the potential to accentuate the risk of salinisation because it increases water infiltration into the soil surfac ....Conservation tillage and its potential to affect catchment salt and water balances. Replacement of deep-rooted vegetation with shallow rooted crops has resulted in greater movement of water into groundwater systems, raising in groundwater level and mobilizing salt to the land's surface. The practice of conservation tillage, provides a range of advantages to landholders, but also has the potential to accentuate the risk of salinisation because it increases water infiltration into the soil surface. This project aims to evaluate the impact of conservation tillage on soil salt profiles in the Condamine-Balonne and Border Rivers Catchments, and to model will the effect of changed landscape salt and water balances on river water quality.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775763
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,000.00
Summary
High throughput orthogonal mass spectrometer for biotechnology research in WA. The new 'orthogonal' mass spectrometer will be housed at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre at Murdoch University (SABC). The SABC is a multi-user university centre that provides equal access for researchers from all universities, state government and industry to major facilities. The equipment will provide a competitive advantage to researchers undertaking fundamental and applied projects that underpin ....High throughput orthogonal mass spectrometer for biotechnology research in WA. The new 'orthogonal' mass spectrometer will be housed at the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre at Murdoch University (SABC). The SABC is a multi-user university centre that provides equal access for researchers from all universities, state government and industry to major facilities. The equipment will provide a competitive advantage to researchers undertaking fundamental and applied projects that underpin new developments in plant and animal agriculture. Outcomes include: development of new molecular markers to speed crop improvement and quality, animal genetic improvement and health, and support for new biotechnology companies. This will benefit the community through more productive, competitive and sustainable agriculture.Read moreRead less
Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a ....Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a range of weeds and crop plants.
The outcomes will be reduced herbicide inputs, and the development of a new group of natural herbicides to counteract the threat imposed by the development of herbicide resistance.
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