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Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combi ....Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combinations; (ii) reveal a herbicide against which weeds outside of Japan have not evolved resistance to; and (iii) establish how best to make breakdown blockers. A benefit of using existing herbicides is the approaches are close to market, so with partner Nexgen Plants, its outcomes can be commercialised.Read moreRead less
Physiology and genetics of barley grain germination in the malting and brewing industries. An international research team will provide new scientific information on barley grain germination. This detailed basic knowledge will be immediately applied in breeding programs that are aimed at improving malting and brewing quality in a commercial context. At the same time, the industry's carbon footprint will be significantly reduced.
Functional network analysis of plant metabolism in response to salinity and temperature through targeted proteomics. This project will measure changes in plant metabolism and provide methods and a pipeline for quantification and modelling. It will assess nitrogen linked metabolism under environmental stress experienced in Australian wheat cropping systems and build fundamental knowledge of changes in networks of nitrogen metabolism in model plants.
Genome editing to improve the dietary quality of potato. The project aims to develop non-genetically modified (non-GM) potato varieties with lower glycaemic index (GI) but good agronomic and culinary traits. Potato is the world's fourth-most important food. It is integral to the western diet and consumption is rising rapidly in Asia. However, the starch in cooked potato is readily digestible causing a rapid elevation of blood sugar levels on eating (i.e. it has a high GI). Long-term consumption ....Genome editing to improve the dietary quality of potato. The project aims to develop non-genetically modified (non-GM) potato varieties with lower glycaemic index (GI) but good agronomic and culinary traits. Potato is the world's fourth-most important food. It is integral to the western diet and consumption is rising rapidly in Asia. However, the starch in cooked potato is readily digestible causing a rapid elevation of blood sugar levels on eating (i.e. it has a high GI). Long-term consumption of meals with high GI is associated with increased risk of obesity, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This project aims to use new genome editing methods to silence key genes that influence starch composition and thus develop non-GM potato varieties with lower GI to reduce these risks.Read moreRead less
Advanced plant breeding and food manufacturing for healthier bread. This project aims to generate bread containing high amounts of biologically available iron through targeted manipulation of plant-derived phytonutrients at several points along the wheat-to-bread supply chain. The project expects to generate new knowledge for developing healthier bread and address consumer demands for value-added food products. Anticipated outcomes are novel plant breeding and food manufacturing techniques that ....Advanced plant breeding and food manufacturing for healthier bread. This project aims to generate bread containing high amounts of biologically available iron through targeted manipulation of plant-derived phytonutrients at several points along the wheat-to-bread supply chain. The project expects to generate new knowledge for developing healthier bread and address consumer demands for value-added food products. Anticipated outcomes are novel plant breeding and food manufacturing techniques that enhance the nutritional composition of wheat grain and bread making products, resulting in higher-value agricultural commodities and breads. The project should benefit bread retailers and crop growers involved in Australia’s $4.7 billion bread market and reduce the environmental impacts of bread production.Read moreRead less
Molecular characterisation of the fungal disease defence response in tropical sandalwood (Santalum album). The tropical sandalwood industry in Australia is a highly profitable and expanding enterprise; however this cannot be taken for granted. Fungal diseases in tropical plantations are of increasing concern to growers and left unchecked could result in substantial economic loss and an unsustainable industry. This research seeks to understand the defence response of the tree in order to develop ....Molecular characterisation of the fungal disease defence response in tropical sandalwood (Santalum album). The tropical sandalwood industry in Australia is a highly profitable and expanding enterprise; however this cannot be taken for granted. Fungal diseases in tropical plantations are of increasing concern to growers and left unchecked could result in substantial economic loss and an unsustainable industry. This research seeks to understand the defence response of the tree in order to develop tools to combat fungal disease by rapid selection of highly resistant trees. Essential oil production is also linked to the defence response. Understanding this response as well as exploring chemical means of increasing both disease resistance and oil production will deliver a substantial economic benefit to the expanding tropical sandalwood industry.Read moreRead less
Better bees for tomorrow: A proteomic and physiological characterization of male fertility in managed versus feral honeybees in Western Australia. The importance of honeybees for food production is often undervalued as they pollinate more than 80 crops of economic interest. However, honeybee populations are on a worldwide decline and the beekeepers struggle to survive economically. Australia has so far been spared of major collapses but this seems merely a question of time. The work proposed ini ....Better bees for tomorrow: A proteomic and physiological characterization of male fertility in managed versus feral honeybees in Western Australia. The importance of honeybees for food production is often undervalued as they pollinate more than 80 crops of economic interest. However, honeybee populations are on a worldwide decline and the beekeepers struggle to survive economically. Australia has so far been spared of major collapses but this seems merely a question of time. The work proposed initiates a close collaboration between the only honeybee-breeding organization in Western Australia and the University of Western Australia. Scientific research to ensure a future supply of managed and healthy honeybees is initiated to understand honeybee reproduction, diseases and immunity in more detail. The results are expected to be of interest for the entire Australian honeybee industry.Read moreRead less
Feeding and digestion in tropical rock lobster phyllosoma larvae and its applications for culture. Provision of larval culture diets that provide optimal nutrition in a suitable presentation format is the major challenge for developing a rock lobster aquaculture industry. Tropical rock lobsters are likely contenders due to their faster growth rates and shorter larval phase than temperate species. This project will assess the ingestive and digestive capabilities of larvae during development, thro ....Feeding and digestion in tropical rock lobster phyllosoma larvae and its applications for culture. Provision of larval culture diets that provide optimal nutrition in a suitable presentation format is the major challenge for developing a rock lobster aquaculture industry. Tropical rock lobsters are likely contenders due to their faster growth rates and shorter larval phase than temperate species. This project will assess the ingestive and digestive capabilities of larvae during development, through an examination of mouthpart and gut structure and their types and concentration of digestive enzymes. Information will be used to formulate and test improved diets of appropriate size, texture and nutritional composition and will be the first comprehensive analysis of preferred larval diets on the basis of their biological and physiological characteristics.Read moreRead less
Membrane transporters mediating 2,4-D resistance in wild radish. This project aims to identify the membrane transporter protein(s) that endows resistance to the herbicide 2,4-D in wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum). Wild radish is a particular problem in Australia due to its high competitiveness with crops and widespread resistance to other herbicides. 2,4-D resistance is rapidly increasing and threatening crop production in Australia and the United States. The anticipated outcome of the projec ....Membrane transporters mediating 2,4-D resistance in wild radish. This project aims to identify the membrane transporter protein(s) that endows resistance to the herbicide 2,4-D in wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum). Wild radish is a particular problem in Australia due to its high competitiveness with crops and widespread resistance to other herbicides. 2,4-D resistance is rapidly increasing and threatening crop production in Australia and the United States. The anticipated outcome of the project is to identify strategies to minimise 2,4-D resistance in wild radish by interfering with the specific transporters that confer resistance and by taking advantage of the fitness cost associated with resistance in some populations. It is expected that this will help to improve crop yields and preserve 2,4-D as an effective herbicide.Read moreRead less
In vitro expression of macrocyclic peptides. This project aims to develop a novel strategy for the production of polypeptides with unnatural chemical groups using a sense codon reassignment approach. Novel peptides could be used in a range of pharmaceutical applications. Peptides made of 20 natural amino acids cover only a very small fraction of the available chemical and functional space. While a peptide’s functionality can be extended with unnatural amino acids, the methods for their site-sele ....In vitro expression of macrocyclic peptides. This project aims to develop a novel strategy for the production of polypeptides with unnatural chemical groups using a sense codon reassignment approach. Novel peptides could be used in a range of pharmaceutical applications. Peptides made of 20 natural amino acids cover only a very small fraction of the available chemical and functional space. While a peptide’s functionality can be extended with unnatural amino acids, the methods for their site-selective incorporation are inefficient. The project’s strategy relies on the depletion of selected tRNAs from an in vitro protein translation system and their replacement with synthetic tRNAs, charged with unnatural amino acids. It is expected that the developed technology could be used to rapidly generate and screen highly diversified macrocyclic peptide libraries.Read moreRead less