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
Quantitative genetic control of economic traits in Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalyptus globulus is the most important plantation eucalypt in Australia and a model for tree genetic research. The project aims to study the quantitative genetic architecture of this species, focusing on traits of economic significance, and provide new insights into: the relative importance of non-additive genetic effects, including maternal and reciprocal effects; the importance of indirect genetic effects, particularly ....Quantitative genetic control of economic traits in Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalyptus globulus is the most important plantation eucalypt in Australia and a model for tree genetic research. The project aims to study the quantitative genetic architecture of this species, focusing on traits of economic significance, and provide new insights into: the relative importance of non-additive genetic effects, including maternal and reciprocal effects; the importance of indirect genetic effects, particularly on the competitive interactions amongst trees; and the genetics of traits impacting the production of emerging plantation products such as veneer. This information is needed to improve genetic evaluation models and to better target germplasm to environments and products.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
Marker assisted selection of honey bees. The project will develop new molecular markers for commercially relevant trait of honey bees and ways of using these to implement marker-assisted selection for honey bee genetic improvement. Beekeepers need to use genetically improved stock to remain competitive. Honey production needs to be improved, and new ways of identifying disease resistant bees are needed. Unfortunately, breeding bees is very difficult. This project will use modern molecular gen ....Marker assisted selection of honey bees. The project will develop new molecular markers for commercially relevant trait of honey bees and ways of using these to implement marker-assisted selection for honey bee genetic improvement. Beekeepers need to use genetically improved stock to remain competitive. Honey production needs to be improved, and new ways of identifying disease resistant bees are needed. Unfortunately, breeding bees is very difficult. This project will use modern molecular genetic techniques to help find new efficient ways to breed better bees. The benefits will be a more viable beekeeping sector, a keystone industry that provides pollination services essential to many horticultural industriesRead 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
Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, ....Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, semi-bitter and bitter flavour, amygdalin accumulation in developing kernels, and key enzymes in the cyanogenic pathway. Almond populations segregating for these traits will be used and the data will be integrated into the Australian almond meiotic map.Read moreRead less
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) flavoromics for distinctive beer. Hop is the spice of beer, as it provides unique flavour chemicals imparting taste (bitterness) and aroma. With the worldwide rise of craft beer, there is international demand for differentiated beer. The flavour potential of hop has not been fully explored, and the genetic basis of hop chemistry is poorly understood. This project aims to gather flavoromic data through modern analytical chemistry, genomics, molecular genetics and brewing ....Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) flavoromics for distinctive beer. Hop is the spice of beer, as it provides unique flavour chemicals imparting taste (bitterness) and aroma. With the worldwide rise of craft beer, there is international demand for differentiated beer. The flavour potential of hop has not been fully explored, and the genetic basis of hop chemistry is poorly understood. This project aims to gather flavoromic data through modern analytical chemistry, genomics, molecular genetics and brewing in order to better understand the genetic basis of hop chemistry which affects the entire value chain: from hop farm to consumers' experience of beer. The overarching aim of this project is to offer smart breeding strategies leading to novel flavours (taste and aroma) for existing and emerging breweries.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
Reducing environmental footprint by improving phosphorous use efficiency. While modern agriculture relies heavily on the use of phosphorous fertilizers, most of them are not used by plants and lost in runoff, resulting in a massive environmental damage through contamination of waterways (termed eutrophication). This project takes advantage of an untapped resource - a unique collection of Tibetan wild barley genotypes, to reveal key traits that confer superior phosphorus use efficiency in wild ba ....Reducing environmental footprint by improving phosphorous use efficiency. While modern agriculture relies heavily on the use of phosphorous fertilizers, most of them are not used by plants and lost in runoff, resulting in a massive environmental damage through contamination of waterways (termed eutrophication). This project takes advantage of an untapped resource - a unique collection of Tibetan wild barley genotypes, to reveal key traits that confer superior phosphorus use efficiency in wild barley and identify appropriate candidate genes and their position on chromosomes for further incorporating these traits into commercial barley cultivars. This will reduce the environmental footprint of modern agricultural practices on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems without compromising food security.Read moreRead less
Quantitative genetics of Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalypt plantations in Australia have expanded rapidly over the last decade. With increasing market competition from overseas plantations for both pulp and solid wood products, Australia must maintain a competitive edge through efficiencies in production and product quality. Breeding and deployment of genetically superior planting stock is part of the solution. With global climate chance and requirements for re-afforestation in drier zones, there ....Quantitative genetics of Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalypt plantations in Australia have expanded rapidly over the last decade. With increasing market competition from overseas plantations for both pulp and solid wood products, Australia must maintain a competitive edge through efficiencies in production and product quality. Breeding and deployment of genetically superior planting stock is part of the solution. With global climate chance and requirements for re-afforestation in drier zones, there is an increasing requirement to genetically improve drought tolerance. This project will provide genetic information and strategies to back Eucalyptus globulus breeding and deployment programs for traditional as well as drier environments. Read moreRead less