Finding damage thresholds in pyrethrum to optimise crop profitability. This project aims to use a new vascular approach to develop a quantitative stress tolerance framework for the crop species pyrethrum, defining the risks to plant production of water, heat and frost stress. Using novel optical and x-ray technology, this project seeks to pinpoint damaging stress thresholds and combine this knowledge with crop monitoring technology in a way that will allow crop managers to avoid damaging stress ....Finding damage thresholds in pyrethrum to optimise crop profitability. This project aims to use a new vascular approach to develop a quantitative stress tolerance framework for the crop species pyrethrum, defining the risks to plant production of water, heat and frost stress. Using novel optical and x-ray technology, this project seeks to pinpoint damaging stress thresholds and combine this knowledge with crop monitoring technology in a way that will allow crop managers to avoid damaging stress events. The intended outcome is to enable the pyrethrum industry, and ultimately a diversity of crop managers, to better utilise new advances in monitoring technology to maximise the benefits of irrigation such that yields are high relative to water use and damage by stress is avoided. Immediate beneficiaries will be the pyrethrum industry, but the research will provide a model, applicable to the multitude of irrigated crops in Australia. Read moreRead less
How do sunflowers make protein drugs in their seeds? We recently discovered in sunflower the origin of a small protein ring that chemists have used for a decade to base designed drugs upon. This project aims to know how sunflowers make it so we may manipulate other plants to manufacture ring-based drugs.
How scissors learn to glue: the catalysis of ligation by proteases. This project proposes to study protein-cutting enzymes from plants that are drawn into biosyntheses where they paradoxically perform protein-joining (ligation) reactions. Enzymes are everywhere, from detergents to digestion to detoxifying drugs. Industry uses artificial evolution to improve enzymes or create enzymes with new activities. By exploring the changes that allowed one such cutting enzyme to ligate, the knowledge acquir ....How scissors learn to glue: the catalysis of ligation by proteases. This project proposes to study protein-cutting enzymes from plants that are drawn into biosyntheses where they paradoxically perform protein-joining (ligation) reactions. Enzymes are everywhere, from detergents to digestion to detoxifying drugs. Industry uses artificial evolution to improve enzymes or create enzymes with new activities. By exploring the changes that allowed one such cutting enzyme to ligate, the knowledge acquired may enable protein engineering to develop designer enzymes with enhanced or suppressed ligating ability. Although protein evolution can be studied with artificial systems, natural systems are extremely valuable. Insights from studying this natural evolution of ligation may test hypotheses developed with data from artificial evolution.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL160100155
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,715,383.00
Summary
Harmonising genes for modern agriculture. Harmonising genes for modern agriculture. This project aims to fully understand how a plant distinguishes self from non-self genes and to develop ways of precisely enhancing, repairing, updating, and/or redirecting genetic traits in harmony with the genome. The world’s food security relies on modern crops that are continually updated with genetic traits for higher yield and protection against changing environmental stresses. A crop plant’s genes determin ....Harmonising genes for modern agriculture. Harmonising genes for modern agriculture. This project aims to fully understand how a plant distinguishes self from non-self genes and to develop ways of precisely enhancing, repairing, updating, and/or redirecting genetic traits in harmony with the genome. The world’s food security relies on modern crops that are continually updated with genetic traits for higher yield and protection against changing environmental stresses. A crop plant’s genes determine its growth, development, survival and agronomic fitness. The ability to precisely edit genes in crop plants is tantalizingly close but significant barriers must be overcome. Anticipated outcomes are safer, higher yielding and more sustainable crops.Read moreRead less
Understanding the evolution of fungicide resistance for durable control of fungal pathogens in pyrethrum. The pyrethrum plant is grown for the extraction of natural insecticidal pyrethrins used in a variety of pest control products. Australia supplies 60 per cent of the global market for natural pyrethrins. Fungal pathogens of pyrethrum can cause severe losses. This project will investigate fungicide resistance in these pathogens at the molecular level.
Development of a risk management system for systemic downy mildew of poppies. Development of a risk management system for systemic downy mildew of poppies. This project aims to identify the critical inoculum sources of systemic downy mildew—a new disease threat to the Australian poppy industry, which produces over half the world’s medicinal opiates. It will assess these sources’ relative importance and interaction with agronomic site factors in epidemics; and also intends to understand the syste ....Development of a risk management system for systemic downy mildew of poppies. Development of a risk management system for systemic downy mildew of poppies. This project aims to identify the critical inoculum sources of systemic downy mildew—a new disease threat to the Australian poppy industry, which produces over half the world’s medicinal opiates. It will assess these sources’ relative importance and interaction with agronomic site factors in epidemics; and also intends to understand the systemic progression in planta, an area poorly understood in all downy mildew pathosystems. The project expects the data will form the basis of a disease risk index tool to educate growers and guide disease management strategies essential to this industry’s long term viability.Read moreRead less
Production and testing of novel bioactive honeys and honey-based cosmetic formulations. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the entire spectrum of plant bioactive compounds that are transferred to the honey and develop novel bioactive honeys with enhanced antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This project will also develop new honey-based cosmetic products like creams, gels and foams.