Ascorbate and glutathione integrate the control of grapevine development. This project aims to make a step-change in understanding how the growth of woody perennial crops is regulated. The study of herbaceous annual plants has established that the antioxidants, ascorbate and glutathione, are important in regulating every step of plant development. However, this cannot readily translate to perennial life cycles. This project will develop novel genetic tools in grapevine that enable functional stu ....Ascorbate and glutathione integrate the control of grapevine development. This project aims to make a step-change in understanding how the growth of woody perennial crops is regulated. The study of herbaceous annual plants has established that the antioxidants, ascorbate and glutathione, are important in regulating every step of plant development. However, this cannot readily translate to perennial life cycles. This project will develop novel genetic tools in grapevine that enable functional studies of these antioxidants in a perennial plant for the first time. It will investigate how ascorbate and glutathione regulate the development of grapevine, and how these functions integrate with hormone and energy metabolism. The outcomes will advance our ability to manage perennial crops in current and future climates.Read moreRead less
Oxygen Signalling in Grapevine Bud Dormancy. Dormancy is an important economic and ecological trait of many trees and crop plants, including most commercially valuable fruit species. This project aims to: define oxygen and radicals of oxygen as central cues of grapevine bud development and dormancy; identify and model the developmental processes that occur during dormancy onset, maintenance and release (bud burst); as well as to identify the molecular and biochemical regulators of oxygen signals ....Oxygen Signalling in Grapevine Bud Dormancy. Dormancy is an important economic and ecological trait of many trees and crop plants, including most commercially valuable fruit species. This project aims to: define oxygen and radicals of oxygen as central cues of grapevine bud development and dormancy; identify and model the developmental processes that occur during dormancy onset, maintenance and release (bud burst); as well as to identify the molecular and biochemical regulators of oxygen signals in bud dormancy. The knowledge generated could provide a platform to test impacts of climate change on fruit and tree species, and lead to better management of fruit and tree species in agricultural and ecological systems.Read moreRead less
Developmental functions of oxygen and redox cues in plants. This project aims to transform our understanding of the regulation of meristem functions, with a central hypothesis that plant cell quiescence (repressed cell division) is governed by oxygen and oxidation/reduction (redox)-dependent cues. Meristems are the growing tips of plants, and thus the fundamental unit of plant growth and productivity. This project will develop new knowledge of how plants integrate changes in the environment to r ....Developmental functions of oxygen and redox cues in plants. This project aims to transform our understanding of the regulation of meristem functions, with a central hypothesis that plant cell quiescence (repressed cell division) is governed by oxygen and oxidation/reduction (redox)-dependent cues. Meristems are the growing tips of plants, and thus the fundamental unit of plant growth and productivity. This project will develop new knowledge of how plants integrate changes in the environment to regulate meristem activity. This project will define new paradigms of how oxygen and redox status interact with energy and other cues to regulate decisions to grow or quiesce. This will underpin the development of new strategies to optimise crop management and productivity, improve the efficiency of inputs, and reduce the risk of decision making in crop production.Read moreRead less