A new approach to control of plant parasitic nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes are the fourth most important plant pathogens worldwide. The aim of this project is to develop ?proof-of-concept? of a new strategy for nematode control, based on a synthetic ?cell death? resistance gene, in which tight specificity of expression of the resistance gene is provided using two gene promoters. The work focusses on finding the best combination of promoters which are switched on by infection of plants w ....A new approach to control of plant parasitic nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes are the fourth most important plant pathogens worldwide. The aim of this project is to develop ?proof-of-concept? of a new strategy for nematode control, based on a synthetic ?cell death? resistance gene, in which tight specificity of expression of the resistance gene is provided using two gene promoters. The work focusses on finding the best combination of promoters which are switched on by infection of plants with nematodes. It is based on an Australian patent which has wide applicability in plant biotechnology. Nematode control will benefit horticultural and broadacre farming by reducing pathogen losses and improving quality.Read moreRead less
Improved growth of Pinus radiata through better modelling and management of photosynthesis and respiration. This research will use recently developed technologies to deliver the first comprehensive analysis of the effects of thinning and fertilizer on distribution of photosynthetically active proteins and nitrogenous metabolites in P. radiata. We seek to develop mechanistic and empirical understandings of photosynthesis, respiration, water use and growth and thus better model and predict effec ....Improved growth of Pinus radiata through better modelling and management of photosynthesis and respiration. This research will use recently developed technologies to deliver the first comprehensive analysis of the effects of thinning and fertilizer on distribution of photosynthetically active proteins and nitrogenous metabolites in P. radiata. We seek to develop mechanistic and empirical understandings of photosynthesis, respiration, water use and growth and thus better model and predict effects of management actions on yield of commercial softwood plantations. We will also apply similarly new but complementary and compatible technologies to assess photosynthesis, water use and respiration characteristics of a range of P. radiata genotypes of known growth potential. Our aim here is to develop new tools to help selection of high-yielding genotypes. The data collected will again be used to inform our development of a new growth model where the 'driver' of growth is respiration and where hydraulic architecture and soil water balance limits photosynthesis and water use.
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