Novel genomic technologies to improve fertility in northern beef cattle. This project aims to develop new genomic technologies to enable accelerated improvement of cow fertility. Increased global demand for beef is driving northern Australian beef enterprises to develop innovative ways to increase productivity. A substantial industry challenge is poor fertility of cows, with weaning rates frequently less than 40%. The expected outcomes of this project are an improvement in weaning rates to enabl ....Novel genomic technologies to improve fertility in northern beef cattle. This project aims to develop new genomic technologies to enable accelerated improvement of cow fertility. Increased global demand for beef is driving northern Australian beef enterprises to develop innovative ways to increase productivity. A substantial industry challenge is poor fertility of cows, with weaning rates frequently less than 40%. The expected outcomes of this project are an improvement in weaning rates to enable accelerated genetic gain for fertility in these enterprises by delivering a low cost array, which assays thousands of DNA variants affecting fertility simultaneously. This should provide significant benefits such as a new genomic prediction method informed by gene expression data from a unique resource of Brahman cattle with exceptionally high fertility, generating significant industry benefits.Read moreRead less
Maximising pineapple production for Australian farmers using genome editing. This project addresses the single biggest issue affecting the viability of pineapple farming in Australia and internationally: premature flowering leading to supply collapse. We aim to develop CRISPR technology to breed new pineapple varieties using non-GM approaches. Expected outcomes include the production of pineapples with resistance to premature flowering, as well as the technologies to deliver additional improveme ....Maximising pineapple production for Australian farmers using genome editing. This project addresses the single biggest issue affecting the viability of pineapple farming in Australia and internationally: premature flowering leading to supply collapse. We aim to develop CRISPR technology to breed new pineapple varieties using non-GM approaches. Expected outcomes include the production of pineapples with resistance to premature flowering, as well as the technologies to deliver additional improvements in the future. The new varieties will benefit farmers through increased production, maximising supply capability for a rapidly growing internal demand. This will benefit Australian pineapple producers through higher profitability in existing markets, as well as enabling expansion into international and future markets.Read moreRead less
Software Quality Improvement Through Static Analysis and Annotation. Software forms the basis of critical infrastructure that supports industries such as electronic commerce. Flaws in the software can lead to failure of the overall system, or allow the security mechanisms of the software to be by-passed. This project is developing methods to improve the quality of software by finding common flaws that lead to security vulnerabilities or runtime failures. Within Australia, it is estimated that th ....Software Quality Improvement Through Static Analysis and Annotation. Software forms the basis of critical infrastructure that supports industries such as electronic commerce. Flaws in the software can lead to failure of the overall system, or allow the security mechanisms of the software to be by-passed. This project is developing methods to improve the quality of software by finding common flaws that lead to security vulnerabilities or runtime failures. Within Australia, it is estimated that there are approximately 75,000 software developers who make substantial use of C/C++ and who could benefit from the availability of better automatic static analysis tools to improve both the quality of the code they produce and their productivity.Read moreRead less
Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. This project aims to develop enhanced varieties of sugarcane, a highly efficient crop for capturing carbon in plant biomass. This project will use genomic and metabolomic tools to investigate the biochemical and molecular genetic control of carbon partitioning into the major components of sugarcane biomass; identify key genetic controls of sucrose, cellulo ....Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. Manipulation of carbon partitioning to enhance the value of sugarcane. This project aims to develop enhanced varieties of sugarcane, a highly efficient crop for capturing carbon in plant biomass. This project will use genomic and metabolomic tools to investigate the biochemical and molecular genetic control of carbon partitioning into the major components of sugarcane biomass; identify key genetic controls of sucrose, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin biosynthesis; and establish strategies for genetic selection of sugarcane genotypes with desirable biomass components. Anticipated outcomes are an optimised industrial sugarcane crops with higher sugar content and other biomass components designed for high value end uses such as bio-energy or bio-material production.Read moreRead less
Combining molecular plant physiology and breeding to improve canola (Brassica napus) performance in dry environments. Canola is Australia's most important oilseed crop with 1,400,000 hectares sown annually worth $560m. The major abiotic factor limiting canola production in Australia is water availability. Transpiration efficiency (TE) is a trait with potential to contribute to improved drought tolerance of grain crops. This project seeks to select canola germplasm with improved TE by indirect s ....Combining molecular plant physiology and breeding to improve canola (Brassica napus) performance in dry environments. Canola is Australia's most important oilseed crop with 1,400,000 hectares sown annually worth $560m. The major abiotic factor limiting canola production in Australia is water availability. Transpiration efficiency (TE) is a trait with potential to contribute to improved drought tolerance of grain crops. This project seeks to select canola germplasm with improved TE by indirect selection for carbon-isotope-discrimination. In addition we will use the extensive Brassica-Arabidopsis genome synteny to locate and alter the expression of genes involved in TE using Arabidopsis as a model. The longterm aim is to improve the reliability and overall grain production of canola in Australia. Read moreRead less
Genomic strategies for reducing losses during processing and improving the nutritional value of wheat in human diets. Wheat breeding requires efficient tools to allow selection of varieties with both high grain yield and good functional and nutritional value. Whole genome analysis will be used to develop screening methods to deliver wheat varieties with novel processing and nutritional properties for human diets contributing to global food and nutritional security.
Accelerated breeding for a changing environment: genomic and physiological profiling of newly generated polyploid trees. Global climate change threatens the health and productivity of forests and plantations. Because tree breeding is slow, elite trees cannot be adapted rapidly to new environments. A new procedure for accelerated tree breeding has been developed by the industry partner. The procedure, termed polyploidisation, increases DNA content and produces novel traits that can improve plant ....Accelerated breeding for a changing environment: genomic and physiological profiling of newly generated polyploid trees. Global climate change threatens the health and productivity of forests and plantations. Because tree breeding is slow, elite trees cannot be adapted rapidly to new environments. A new procedure for accelerated tree breeding has been developed by the industry partner. The procedure, termed polyploidisation, increases DNA content and produces novel traits that can improve plant growth and resilience. Polyploidisation is a natural force in plant evolution and its routine application for tree breeding has much potential. Using diverse approaches, we will investigate how newly synthesised polyploid tree species perform under heat and drought stress.Read moreRead less
Developing technology for the cost effective de novo sequencing and analysis of complex genomes. Applying the latest scientific advances supports society directly through promoting a knowledge based economy, as well as indirectly through securing agricultural productivity and improved biomedical applications. Establishing these methods places Australia at the forefront of genomics technology with direct applications for Australian biomedical and biotechnology industries. Maintaining agricultural ....Developing technology for the cost effective de novo sequencing and analysis of complex genomes. Applying the latest scientific advances supports society directly through promoting a knowledge based economy, as well as indirectly through securing agricultural productivity and improved biomedical applications. Establishing these methods places Australia at the forefront of genomics technology with direct applications for Australian biomedical and biotechnology industries. Maintaining agricultural production in an unreliable environment remains a national challenge, both for rural and urban communities. This sequencing technology will provide a detailed understanding of crop genome structure and lead to the development of crops that are better suited to the Australian climate, supporting a sustainable agricultural industry. Read moreRead less
Predicting Perfect Partners: climate resilient seed production technology . This project aims to increase productivity and profitability of the Australian sorghum industry in the face of risks imposed by an increasingly variable climate. This project expects to generate new knowledge of processes limiting hybrid seed production and translate this world-class research into tools and services that can be used by seed companies to improve its efficiency and reliability. The intended outcome will in ....Predicting Perfect Partners: climate resilient seed production technology . This project aims to increase productivity and profitability of the Australian sorghum industry in the face of risks imposed by an increasingly variable climate. This project expects to generate new knowledge of processes limiting hybrid seed production and translate this world-class research into tools and services that can be used by seed companies to improve its efficiency and reliability. The intended outcome will increase the security and sustainability of farming by minimising the risk of climate-induced seed shortages, maintaining Australia’s leadership in agricultural technology development. The expected benefits support profitable and productive businesses, providing Australian agriculture with a competitive, sustainable edge.Read moreRead less
NextGen Sorghum: Genomic approaches to novel renewable bioproducts. Next Gen Sorghums will have enhanced nutritional and processing qualities for humans and animals, and be ideal feedstocks for the bio-economy for the delivery of novel products. Our approaches in reverse genetics to identify gene networks which control sorghum seed development, cell size, cell wall thickness and the way in which starch and protein are packaged within the grain will generate knowledge to underpin the future utili ....NextGen Sorghum: Genomic approaches to novel renewable bioproducts. Next Gen Sorghums will have enhanced nutritional and processing qualities for humans and animals, and be ideal feedstocks for the bio-economy for the delivery of novel products. Our approaches in reverse genetics to identify gene networks which control sorghum seed development, cell size, cell wall thickness and the way in which starch and protein are packaged within the grain will generate knowledge to underpin the future utilisation of this important grain. This will help to drive the future of Australian cereals industries, with health benefits to consumers, the enhanced delivery of specialised feedstocks for novel and renewable bio-products, and financial benefits to farmers.Read moreRead less