Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668294
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Facility for Nitrogen and Water Analysis in Plants. Continual improvement to agricultural plant production is key to maintaining future sustainable growth in Australian agriculture. Our respective research teams are focussed on improving how plants utilise both nitrogen and water. Many questions remain with respect to where, how and when plants use and or access these important nutrients. The proposed facility will enable plant scientists to begin in-depth anal ....Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Facility for Nitrogen and Water Analysis in Plants. Continual improvement to agricultural plant production is key to maintaining future sustainable growth in Australian agriculture. Our respective research teams are focussed on improving how plants utilise both nitrogen and water. Many questions remain with respect to where, how and when plants use and or access these important nutrients. The proposed facility will enable plant scientists to begin in-depth analysis of both nitrogen transport mechanisms and the ability to model root development and water allocation in crop species. This research will ultimately lead to improved knowledge on how plants respond to their environment and where modifications can be made to generate sustainable crops suited to Australian agriculture.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561161
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Joint Facility for Genome Analysis of Nutrient Transport Proteins. The joint facility for genome analysis of nutrient transport proteins is a new initiative between the University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, and the University of Western Australia to use a high throughput Xenopus oocyte expression system to screen plant cDNA/cRNA collections for genes encoding nutrient transport proteins. The facility will also provide a platform to rapidly accelerate our p ....Joint Facility for Genome Analysis of Nutrient Transport Proteins. The joint facility for genome analysis of nutrient transport proteins is a new initiative between the University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, and the University of Western Australia to use a high throughput Xenopus oocyte expression system to screen plant cDNA/cRNA collections for genes encoding nutrient transport proteins. The facility will also provide a platform to rapidly accelerate our present capacity for Xenopus oocyte expression analysis of nutrient transport proteins. This facility will greatly aid our current research quantum in this field and allow for new discoveries related to nutrient transport in plants.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
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
Targeted approaches to improve nitrogen use efficiency in maize. Nitrogen is an essential input required for growing high yielding quality cereal crops such as maize and wheat. Unfortunately, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers can lead to serious environmental costs including nitrogen pollution through leaching and the significant cost in non-renewable fossil fuels used in their production. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crops such as maize will reduce fertilizer use while ensuring lo ....Targeted approaches to improve nitrogen use efficiency in maize. Nitrogen is an essential input required for growing high yielding quality cereal crops such as maize and wheat. Unfortunately, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers can lead to serious environmental costs including nitrogen pollution through leaching and the significant cost in non-renewable fossil fuels used in their production. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crops such as maize will reduce fertilizer use while ensuring long-term sustainable production and harvestable yields. This collaboration with DuPont-Pioneer will focus on identifying nitrogen-linked traits in Maize that will be incorporated into new lines targeted at reducing grower dependence on nitrogen fertilizers.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
Optimising the Strategy for Breeding Micronutrient-Dense Staple Foods that Improve Human health and Nutrition. The project is part of a new paradigm for agriculture in which staple crops are bred with greater micronutrient density to improve human health. It generates strategic basic information on how nutrients interact in the body of animal models in absorption, transport and utilisation that will allow plant breeders to optimise the breeding strategy for maximum outcomes in health and minimum ....Optimising the Strategy for Breeding Micronutrient-Dense Staple Foods that Improve Human health and Nutrition. The project is part of a new paradigm for agriculture in which staple crops are bred with greater micronutrient density to improve human health. It generates strategic basic information on how nutrients interact in the body of animal models in absorption, transport and utilisation that will allow plant breeders to optimise the breeding strategy for maximum outcomes in health and minimum breeding cost. Animals deficient in the nutrients of most concern (iron, zinc, vitamin A - and inulin) will be fed new varieties with enhanced levels of these factors, and from the responses, a superior strategy will be developed.Read moreRead less