Enhancement of monopartite geminivirus pathogenicity by satellite DNA beta encoded betaC1 protein: the role of host factors. Australian incursions of geminiviruses are uncontrollable due to their unique mode of spread by whiteflies. The first incursion in Darwin in 1970 has spread to Far Northern Queensland. The second in SE Queensland in 2006 is estimated to cause $500 million loss to horticulture. Our $2 billion cotton industry is threatened by cotton leaf curl diseases from South Asia, where ....Enhancement of monopartite geminivirus pathogenicity by satellite DNA beta encoded betaC1 protein: the role of host factors. Australian incursions of geminiviruses are uncontrollable due to their unique mode of spread by whiteflies. The first incursion in Darwin in 1970 has spread to Far Northern Queensland. The second in SE Queensland in 2006 is estimated to cause $500 million loss to horticulture. Our $2 billion cotton industry is threatened by cotton leaf curl diseases from South Asia, where DNA beta enhances virus replication and disease severity. DNA beta has the potential to enter Australia with several different geminiviruses and to spread into others by co-infection, which requires research on detection and pathogenesis of DNA beta.Read moreRead less
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
Role of plant host factors in the replication and pathogenesis of Tomato leaf curl virus (TLCV). Geminivirus infection is an emerging problem in the Australian tomato growing industry which is currently worth ca.A$200m annually. Knowledge gained from this research will have direct benefit in safeguarding this industry by providing an insight into geminivirus replication and identifying molecular targets for virus control. More generally, the technology developed through this study will contribu ....Role of plant host factors in the replication and pathogenesis of Tomato leaf curl virus (TLCV). Geminivirus infection is an emerging problem in the Australian tomato growing industry which is currently worth ca.A$200m annually. Knowledge gained from this research will have direct benefit in safeguarding this industry by providing an insight into geminivirus replication and identifying molecular targets for virus control. More generally, the technology developed through this study will contribute to our basic understanding of virus replication in plants with a view to controlling virus diseases by direct molecular intervention with specifically engineered tools. We foresee potential industrial applications. Read moreRead less
Role of rhizosphere microorganisms in growth of plants in soils with low P availability. The concentration of available phosphorus in many Australian soils is low compared to the requirement of plants and soil organisms. Plant genotypes differ in their capacity to grow at low P availability but the role of rhizosphere microorganisms in plant P uptake from such soils is largely unknown. We will determine the role of rhizosphere microorganisms in P solubilisation and mobilisation in different crop ....Role of rhizosphere microorganisms in growth of plants in soils with low P availability. The concentration of available phosphorus in many Australian soils is low compared to the requirement of plants and soil organisms. Plant genotypes differ in their capacity to grow at low P availability but the role of rhizosphere microorganisms in plant P uptake from such soils is largely unknown. We will determine the role of rhizosphere microorganisms in P solubilisation and mobilisation in different crop genotypes and native plant species in different Australian soils with low P availability. The results will give a comprehensive picture of the role of rhizosphere microbial ecology in phosphorus acquisition by crop and native plants.Read moreRead less
IMPROVING NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY IN CROP PLANTS: ROLE OF THE AMMONIUM TRANSPORT FAMILY AMT. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants will reduce the use of environmentally damaging nitrogen fertilisers that threaten through leaching the sustainability of Australia's agricultural sector and local water ecosystems. Plants contain genes that encode transport proteins required for the uptake of nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate) from the soil. We will identify the in planta activity of the A ....IMPROVING NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY IN CROP PLANTS: ROLE OF THE AMMONIUM TRANSPORT FAMILY AMT. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants will reduce the use of environmentally damaging nitrogen fertilisers that threaten through leaching the sustainability of Australia's agricultural sector and local water ecosystems. Plants contain genes that encode transport proteins required for the uptake of nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate) from the soil. We will identify the in planta activity of the AMT family of ammonium transporters and associated signalling pathways which control the uptake and assimilation of ammonium in plants. This project will confirm the mechanisms involved in ammonium uptake from the soil and lead to the development of ammonium-nitrogen efficient crop plants.Read moreRead less
Integrating a physical and functional genetic map of Prunus dulcis. Genome wide physical mapping is the centrepiece of current genomics research in virtually all plant and animal species. The proposal seeks to champion the development of Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae) as a model perennial species towards parity with other plant model systems for gene discovery and validation. The Rosaceae represents a rich repository of genes of relevance to perenniality, adaptation, sustainable agriculture, health a ....Integrating a physical and functional genetic map of Prunus dulcis. Genome wide physical mapping is the centrepiece of current genomics research in virtually all plant and animal species. The proposal seeks to champion the development of Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae) as a model perennial species towards parity with other plant model systems for gene discovery and validation. The Rosaceae represents a rich repository of genes of relevance to perenniality, adaptation, sustainable agriculture, health and nutrition and the bioindustries. Ultimately, comparative genomics across the family will advance molecular eco-genetics via dissection of traits determining adaptive response. Access to user-friendly molecular markers will also bring greater precision to breeding programmes. Read moreRead less
Molecular mechanisms of catalysis and the basis of substrate specificity in polysaccharide hydrolases. Reaction intermediates along hydrolytic pathways and molecular determinants of substrate specificity of barley B-glucan exo- and endohydrolases will be defined using crystallographic and kinetic analyses. These enzymes are of central importance in cell wall metabolism during development of higher plants, and in plant-pathogen interactions. Realization of the project objectives will not only pro ....Molecular mechanisms of catalysis and the basis of substrate specificity in polysaccharide hydrolases. Reaction intermediates along hydrolytic pathways and molecular determinants of substrate specificity of barley B-glucan exo- and endohydrolases will be defined using crystallographic and kinetic analyses. These enzymes are of central importance in cell wall metabolism during development of higher plants, and in plant-pathogen interactions. Realization of the project objectives will not only provide fundamental information on catalytic mechanisms, but will also provide opportunities to manipulate enzyme specificity. Further, site-directed mutagenesis of the enzymes will be used to generate glycosynthases, which will be evaluated for their ability to synthesise novel oligosaccharide and polysaccharide products, some of which might show immunomodulating activity.Read moreRead less
Markov Field Theory applied to Sensor Networks Analysis and Design. Ad hoc and sensor networks have a wide range of applications in defence, emergency services and agriculture because they do not require telecommunications infrastructure such as base stations or access points, hence are relatively easy to deploy in harsh environments. This project aims at improving the theoretical understanding of sensor and ad hoc networks, which enable improvements in performance in such networks. Australian d ....Markov Field Theory applied to Sensor Networks Analysis and Design. Ad hoc and sensor networks have a wide range of applications in defence, emergency services and agriculture because they do not require telecommunications infrastructure such as base stations or access points, hence are relatively easy to deploy in harsh environments. This project aims at improving the theoretical understanding of sensor and ad hoc networks, which enable improvements in performance in such networks. Australian defence industry and emergency services will benefit from this research by gaining access to improved ad hoc communications networks. The agricultural sector will also benefit from the improved sensor networks in applications such as monitoring soil conditions, stock and crop levels. 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