Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a nov ....Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a novel NUE technology that when transferred to plants significantly improves NUE. We will define the phenotype at the molecular, biochemical and physiological levels to maximise its adoption to other agricultural crops such as wheat, barley and maize.Read moreRead less
Translocation of secreted effector proteins from fungal pathogens into host plant cells. Every year, fungal diseases of plants cause huge losses in agricultural productivity and extensive environmental damage in Australia. Disease control in major crops, like wheat, currently relies heavily on breeding for disease resistance. However, fungal pathogens continually adapt to overcome plant defences, necessitating identification of new sources of resistance. The research in this project will eluc ....Translocation of secreted effector proteins from fungal pathogens into host plant cells. Every year, fungal diseases of plants cause huge losses in agricultural productivity and extensive environmental damage in Australia. Disease control in major crops, like wheat, currently relies heavily on breeding for disease resistance. However, fungal pathogens continually adapt to overcome plant defences, necessitating identification of new sources of resistance. The research in this project will elucidate the molecular basis of a new aspect of the establishment of plant infection by fungi, and in so doing will provide new avenues for the development of novel disease resistance strategies, with relevance in particular to devastating cereal diseases like wheat rust.Read moreRead less
Role of fungal secreted proteins as plant disease effectors. Many crop diseases are economically significant threats to agricultural productivity in Australia, with rust fungi in particular being a major problem for cereal grain production. Current methods of rust disease control are based on breeding for resistance but continued adaption by rust fungi to overcome plant defences means there is an urgent need for new methods of crop protection. This project will investigate molecular processes ....Role of fungal secreted proteins as plant disease effectors. Many crop diseases are economically significant threats to agricultural productivity in Australia, with rust fungi in particular being a major problem for cereal grain production. Current methods of rust disease control are based on breeding for resistance but continued adaption by rust fungi to overcome plant defences means there is an urgent need for new methods of crop protection. This project will investigate molecular processes underlying fungal infection of plants, focusing on mechanisms that enable fungi to take over the metabolism of infected cells. The research will provide basic knowledge for development of novel and durable disease resistance strategies.Read moreRead less