Aquaporins in roots: resolving observations linking them to diverse processes in water relations and plant productivity. The knowledge we gain will benefit Australia by allowing better management of plant water use and productivity. This is critical for adaptation to a drier climate where water is a critical resource. Large quantities of water move through aquaporin proteins in plants, therefore our understanding of these and the way they influence other processes in plant growth could enable us ....Aquaporins in roots: resolving observations linking them to diverse processes in water relations and plant productivity. The knowledge we gain will benefit Australia by allowing better management of plant water use and productivity. This is critical for adaptation to a drier climate where water is a critical resource. Large quantities of water move through aquaporin proteins in plants, therefore our understanding of these and the way they influence other processes in plant growth could enable us to manipulate plants to conserve water or to extract it more efficiently from the soil. Molecular aspects of the project could reveal new unexploited links between water and plant productivity. High calibre PhD and Honours students will also be educated to maintain the momentum of international excellence within Australia in the field of plant water relations.Read moreRead less
Symbiotic transport proteins in legumes. Some plants form a symbiosis with soil bacteria (rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia which is then supplied to the plant. This enables legumes to grow without application of nitrogen-based fertilizer, avoiding environmental problems such as run-off and land degradation, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture practise. We will investigate the interactions between plant and rhizobia, focusing on identifying genes and proteins wh ....Symbiotic transport proteins in legumes. Some plants form a symbiosis with soil bacteria (rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia which is then supplied to the plant. This enables legumes to grow without application of nitrogen-based fertilizer, avoiding environmental problems such as run-off and land degradation, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture practise. We will investigate the interactions between plant and rhizobia, focusing on identifying genes and proteins which govern nutrient exchange between the partners and development of the special structures in the roots that house the bacteria. Subsequent manipulation of these genes and proteins may allow us to identify control points and enhance nitrogen fixation.
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Molecular analysis of the symbiotic interface of nitrogen-fixing legumes. Some legumes form a symbiosis with soil bacteria (rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia which is then supplied to the plant. This enables legumes to grow without application of nitrogen-based fertilizer, avoiding environmental problems such as run-off and land degradation, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture practise. We will investigate the interactions between plant and rhizobia, focusing on ....Molecular analysis of the symbiotic interface of nitrogen-fixing legumes. Some legumes form a symbiosis with soil bacteria (rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia which is then supplied to the plant. This enables legumes to grow without application of nitrogen-based fertilizer, avoiding environmental problems such as run-off and land degradation, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture practise. We will investigate the interactions between plant and rhizobia, focusing on identifying genes and proteins which govern nutrient exchange between the partners and development of the special structures in the roots that house the bacteria. Subsequent manipulation of these genes and proteins may allow us to identify control points and enhance nitrogen fixation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775534
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
A liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer for plant metabolomics. The Australian Agrifood sector will benefit significantly from the establishment of functional genomics platform technologies, such as metabolomics, that underpin 'Systems Biology'; a new branch of biology that attempts to discover and understand biological properties that emerge from the interactions of many system elements. Australian agriculture will benefit through the development of techniques to improve both yield and quality ....A liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer for plant metabolomics. The Australian Agrifood sector will benefit significantly from the establishment of functional genomics platform technologies, such as metabolomics, that underpin 'Systems Biology'; a new branch of biology that attempts to discover and understand biological properties that emerge from the interactions of many system elements. Australian agriculture will benefit through the development of techniques to improve both yield and quality through minimising the effects of abiotic and biotic stresses, and a reduced dependence on inputs (eg fertilisers) leading to environmentally sustainable production systems. Ultimately this will result in enhanced food quality and analytical methods to monitor quality and safety characteristics of food.Read moreRead less
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
New strategies for reducing the concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in crop plants. The research is directed at reducing the concentrations in crops of cadmium and arsenic, two elements that accumulate in humans and can have a range of toxic effects. The results will have widespread implications for improving health in Australia, but are expected to have an even greater impact on populations in parts of Asia where contamination of soil and water by these elements is most severe. The project wi ....New strategies for reducing the concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in crop plants. The research is directed at reducing the concentrations in crops of cadmium and arsenic, two elements that accumulate in humans and can have a range of toxic effects. The results will have widespread implications for improving health in Australia, but are expected to have an even greater impact on populations in parts of Asia where contamination of soil and water by these elements is most severe. The project will train two junior scientists and foster scientific links with China. Read moreRead less