New dispersants for improved agrochemical and allied formulations. This project will deliver substantial benefits for national regional communities and the environment through improved agrochemical dispersion, and reduced pesticide and water use. This project will deliver improved products for agrochemicals and animal food, bringing significant agricultural advantages to Australia. This will help Huntsman with cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing agrochemical and related products for the n ....New dispersants for improved agrochemical and allied formulations. This project will deliver substantial benefits for national regional communities and the environment through improved agrochemical dispersion, and reduced pesticide and water use. This project will deliver improved products for agrochemicals and animal food, bringing significant agricultural advantages to Australia. This will help Huntsman with cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing agrochemical and related products for the national and global markets. We will provide advanced training for postgraduate and research personnel that will be sought-after by the agrochemical and allied industries.Read moreRead less
Development of a pre-production prototype for a laser-based plant sensing weed control system. Australian farmers spend over $800 million per annum on herbicides. The proposed technology can reduce herbicide usage by 80 per cent (i.e. over $640 million per annum saving) and improve crop yields by 30 per cent. Precision application of herbicides, fertilisers and nutrients to weeds and crops has both economic and environmental benefits which will increase farm profits and boost Australia's export ....Development of a pre-production prototype for a laser-based plant sensing weed control system. Australian farmers spend over $800 million per annum on herbicides. The proposed technology can reduce herbicide usage by 80 per cent (i.e. over $640 million per annum saving) and improve crop yields by 30 per cent. Precision application of herbicides, fertilisers and nutrients to weeds and crops has both economic and environmental benefits which will increase farm profits and boost Australia's export sales. Reduced chemical loads on ecosystems will benefit the environment and reduced chemicals in the food chain will benefit the health of Australians. This development will put Australia at the cutting edge of precision spray technology and has numerous spin-off applications in many sectors.Read moreRead less
Sensor Integration for Low-Cost Robust Machine Automation. Machine automation (MA) radically improves efficiency of mining and construction operataions. When used for farming, it makes Australia more competitive with subsidised competitors in Europe and USA. In one case, a 50% reduction in tractor fleet resulted when night plowing was made possible using MA techniques. The systems developed in this project will make MA far more attractive to Australian agriculture, mining and construction indust ....Sensor Integration for Low-Cost Robust Machine Automation. Machine automation (MA) radically improves efficiency of mining and construction operataions. When used for farming, it makes Australia more competitive with subsidised competitors in Europe and USA. In one case, a 50% reduction in tractor fleet resulted when night plowing was made possible using MA techniques. The systems developed in this project will make MA far more attractive to Australian agriculture, mining and construction industries, by making it more robust and less susceptible to difficult conditions, such as under trees.Read moreRead less
Engineer enzyme nanoparticles as antibiotic alternatives for agriculture. Antibiotic usage in agriculture contributes to spread of resistant bacteria. Existing antibiotic alternatives to minimize such usage are focused on growth promotion of animals and infection prevention, but lack efficient treatment. This project aims to engineer enzyme nanoparticles, with synergy from multiple enzymes, to confer better antibacterial abilities against livestock pathogens. It will combine protein engineering, ....Engineer enzyme nanoparticles as antibiotic alternatives for agriculture. Antibiotic usage in agriculture contributes to spread of resistant bacteria. Existing antibiotic alternatives to minimize such usage are focused on growth promotion of animals and infection prevention, but lack efficient treatment. This project aims to engineer enzyme nanoparticles, with synergy from multiple enzymes, to confer better antibacterial abilities against livestock pathogens. It will combine protein engineering, nanotechnology and biophysics to develop new enzyme nanoparticles that can be manufactured at low-cost through self-assembly process. The intended outcome is knowledge on molecular engineering of enzyme nanoparticles and innovative agriculture biotechnology for treatment of bacterial infectious diseases in livestock.Read moreRead less
Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self- ....Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self-fertility and self-sterility genes, construct development and improved regeneration of transformed almond in vitro without the use of antibiotics.Read moreRead less
Automated photonic multi-spectral weed discrimination sensor for precision agriculture. Australian farmers spend over $800 million yearly on herbicides. The proposed technology can reduce herbicide usage by 80% (i.e. over $640 million p.a. saving) and improve crop yields by 30%. Precision application of herbicides, fertilisers and nutrients to weeds and crops has both economic and environmental benefits which will increase farm profits and boost Australia's export sales. Reduced chemical loads o ....Automated photonic multi-spectral weed discrimination sensor for precision agriculture. Australian farmers spend over $800 million yearly on herbicides. The proposed technology can reduce herbicide usage by 80% (i.e. over $640 million p.a. saving) and improve crop yields by 30%. Precision application of herbicides, fertilisers and nutrients to weeds and crops has both economic and environmental benefits which will increase farm profits and boost Australia's export sales. Reduced chemical loads on ecosystems will benefit the environment and reduced chemicals in the food chain will benefit the health of Australians. This development will put Australia at the cutting edge of precision spray technology and has numerous spin-off applications in many sectors.Read moreRead less
Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or ....Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or light. The most efficient Rubiscos are more complex, with two different types of subunits which, in plants, are encoded in different subcellular compartments (nucleus and plastid). This proposal addresses the challenges associated with complementary engineering both genomes to substitute foreign Rubiscos into higher-plant chloroplasts.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Grain Yield Potential and Quality of Lupin. Sustainability of wheat production in Western Australia depends on the continued use of legumes, specifically lupins, in farming systems. The low returns to growers for lupins has jeopardised these sustainable systems. This project aims to gather new information to develop novel genetic strategies to increase yield potential and modify seed composition in lupins, enhancing their commercial worth.
The study of wear debris using advanced technologies. A large portion of the operating cost of machinery is associated with wear due to the interaction between moving surfaces, which generates wear particles as by-products. The wear particles thus carry information regarding the wearing process, and can be used to assess the machine's condition and further facilitate failure prediction and minimise maintenance. This project will explore the mechanisms and possible influence of corrosion on the w ....The study of wear debris using advanced technologies. A large portion of the operating cost of machinery is associated with wear due to the interaction between moving surfaces, which generates wear particles as by-products. The wear particles thus carry information regarding the wearing process, and can be used to assess the machine's condition and further facilitate failure prediction and minimise maintenance. This project will explore the mechanisms and possible influence of corrosion on the wearing process. A new methodology will be developed to quantify the wearing process. This research will significantly advance our understanding with respect to wear and provide innovative means for identifying wear mechanisms/phases.Read moreRead less
Exploiting the Arabidopsis genome sequence as a molecular 'toolbox' for Brassica improvement. Australia's position as a major exporter of canola (Brassica napus) is under threat from genetic improvements in yield and quality being made by our international competitors. We will identify genes from Arabidopsis (the 'tool-box') that will be used to increase the speed of selection of new canola varieties with improved oleic acid content, disease resistance, and agronomic traits such as early flower ....Exploiting the Arabidopsis genome sequence as a molecular 'toolbox' for Brassica improvement. Australia's position as a major exporter of canola (Brassica napus) is under threat from genetic improvements in yield and quality being made by our international competitors. We will identify genes from Arabidopsis (the 'tool-box') that will be used to increase the speed of selection of new canola varieties with improved oleic acid content, disease resistance, and agronomic traits such as early flowering and cold tolerance. Genome similarity between Arabidopsis and canola will be exploited to map specific genes from Arabidopsis directly into canola. Based on this knowledge, we will develop gene-specific molecular markers for rapid selection of Australian-adapted canola varieties.Read moreRead less