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
Maximising the essential oil yield of blue mallee plantations. Felton, Grimwade and Bickford Pty Ltd will collaborate with us to develop plant material and methods for establishing profitable plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) for eucalyptus oil production. This is important because, as a result of recent legislation, the forest patches currently used in oil production will soon be unavailable to the company. We will also investigate the physiological and biochemical mechanism ....Maximising the essential oil yield of blue mallee plantations. Felton, Grimwade and Bickford Pty Ltd will collaborate with us to develop plant material and methods for establishing profitable plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) for eucalyptus oil production. This is important because, as a result of recent legislation, the forest patches currently used in oil production will soon be unavailable to the company. We will also investigate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying oil quality and quantity in blue mallee. This knowledge will assist the industry in the longer term by allowing them to improve and modify their products in response to changes in market demands.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the essential oil yield of clonal blue mallee plantations. Production of high quality eucalyptus oil in Victoria involves sustainable harvesting of foliage from public land. A recent review of land use by the Victorian Government has required that, over the next few years, oil producers move their harvesting operations into plantations on private land. This project will assist producers by developing methods for establishing plantations of eucalypts (blue mallee) with very high and e ....Enhancing the essential oil yield of clonal blue mallee plantations. Production of high quality eucalyptus oil in Victoria involves sustainable harvesting of foliage from public land. A recent review of land use by the Victorian Government has required that, over the next few years, oil producers move their harvesting operations into plantations on private land. This project will assist producers by developing methods for establishing plantations of eucalypts (blue mallee) with very high and economically viable yields of eucalyptus oil. This research will help restore Victoria's position as one of the major producers of high quality eucalyptus oil. Read moreRead less
Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian ag ....Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian agriculture, environmental sustainability and human health. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes th ....Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes that regulate flowering and seed production in sorghum in response to changes in temperature and light interactions. These studies will help to develop novel sorghum varieties with desirable characters through plant-breeding programmes.Read moreRead less
Development of advanced screening protocols for the identification of genes involved in nutrient sensing and nutrient efficiency in plants. Sustainable plant production in Australia builds on the concept of stable crop yield and high crop quality at low pesticide and fertilizer input. This requires a more efficient use of the plant's own mechanisms to efficiently explore nutrient patches in soils that are usually heterogeneously distributed. The identification of nutrient sensors in plants will ....Development of advanced screening protocols for the identification of genes involved in nutrient sensing and nutrient efficiency in plants. Sustainable plant production in Australia builds on the concept of stable crop yield and high crop quality at low pesticide and fertilizer input. This requires a more efficient use of the plant's own mechanisms to efficiently explore nutrient patches in soils that are usually heterogeneously distributed. The identification of nutrient sensors in plants will not only allow a deeper understanding of how plants manage to overcome nutrient-poor growth periods but also open new possibilities for enhancing nutrient efficiency in crop plants. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Salinity tolerance and long-distance transport in cereals. The aim of this program is to alter shoot accumulation of solutes in cereals by exploiting novel transgenic technology to manipulate processes in specific cell types in the roots. The primary objective is the generation of cereals which have increased tolerance of saline soils. This is clearly of much agricultural significance in Australia. More general outcomes include the generation of plants with altered concentrations of a range of n ....Salinity tolerance and long-distance transport in cereals. The aim of this program is to alter shoot accumulation of solutes in cereals by exploiting novel transgenic technology to manipulate processes in specific cell types in the roots. The primary objective is the generation of cereals which have increased tolerance of saline soils. This is clearly of much agricultural significance in Australia. More general outcomes include the generation of plants with altered concentrations of a range of nutrients in both leaves and grain. This will be of wide agricultural and nutritional benefit, as well as providing an understanding of principles underlying the long-distance co-ordination of processes in plants.Read moreRead less
Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: Functional analysis of high-affinity ammonium transport in plant lines altered in ammonium transport capacity. Improving nitrogen fertiliser use in crop species will benefit Australia and world agriculture by reducing nitrogen-linked environmental pollution. Nitrogen fertilisers can be leached from soils and result in the pollution of ground water, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Using model plant systems we are dissecting the genes and their encod ....Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: Functional analysis of high-affinity ammonium transport in plant lines altered in ammonium transport capacity. Improving nitrogen fertiliser use in crop species will benefit Australia and world agriculture by reducing nitrogen-linked environmental pollution. Nitrogen fertilisers can be leached from soils and result in the pollution of ground water, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Using model plant systems we are dissecting the genes and their encoded proteins responsible for ammonium nitrogen uptake into plants. Identifying the in planta function of these genes will allow new breeding approaches to specifically target genes that will improve the efficiency of ammonium uptake and lessen the reliance on the supply of nitrogen fertilizers in modern agricultural crop production.Read moreRead less
Potential of Corymbia torelliana hybrids for hardwood forestry and investigation of their seed dispersal by Trigona bees. Cadaghi (Corymbia torelliana) and their hybrids with spotted gums (C. variegata complex) have enormous potential for plantation forestry. These hybrids have many excellent features that make them exciting as hardwood species, such as resistence to disease, tolerance of marginal environments, good wood properties, and fast growth rates. This project will create hybrids between ....Potential of Corymbia torelliana hybrids for hardwood forestry and investigation of their seed dispersal by Trigona bees. Cadaghi (Corymbia torelliana) and their hybrids with spotted gums (C. variegata complex) have enormous potential for plantation forestry. These hybrids have many excellent features that make them exciting as hardwood species, such as resistence to disease, tolerance of marginal environments, good wood properties, and fast growth rates. This project will create hybrids between Corymbia torelliana and spotted gums to identify hybrids which are suitable for sustainable wood production on marginal agricultural lands.
An unusual feature of Cadaghi is that native Trigona bees disperse their seeds. This project will investigate this unique seed dispersal mechanism and identify features of hybrids that are not attractive to bees. This will prevent environmental problems by preventing hybrids from dispersing seeds, becoming weedy and harming the Trigona bees.
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Using defined biotic and abiotic stimuli to dissect patterns of gene expression and protein accumulation that specify root architecture. Root morphogenesis is fundamental to agriculture and valuable for investigating the informational networks of genes, proteins and metabolites that control root growth and plant development. Root systems vary widely both within and between species. Root morphology is directed by a basic genetic program that is influenced by environmental factors to provide an e ....Using defined biotic and abiotic stimuli to dissect patterns of gene expression and protein accumulation that specify root architecture. Root morphogenesis is fundamental to agriculture and valuable for investigating the informational networks of genes, proteins and metabolites that control root growth and plant development. Root systems vary widely both within and between species. Root morphology is directed by a basic genetic program that is influenced by environmental factors to provide an enormous "phenotypic plasticity". This project will use two model plant systems to investigate how different external signals are "translated" by the plant into different developmental regimes. This knowledge is crucial to understanding how the plasticity of root development is modulated in response to changing environmental factors.Read moreRead less