Functional diversity in root systems that are critical for water and nutrient acquisition by Australian monocotyledons. Specialised root structures facilitate water and nutrient acquisition in grass-like sedges, a major vegetation type on nutrient-poor, intensely weathered soils in Australia. The project will enhance our understanding of key root structures and functional traits for water and nutrient acquisition in various habitats. The identification of such structures and traits will contribu ....Functional diversity in root systems that are critical for water and nutrient acquisition by Australian monocotyledons. Specialised root structures facilitate water and nutrient acquisition in grass-like sedges, a major vegetation type on nutrient-poor, intensely weathered soils in Australia. The project will enhance our understanding of key root structures and functional traits for water and nutrient acquisition in various habitats. The identification of such structures and traits will contribute to Australia's excellent international reputation in this discipline. Increased fundamental insight into the strategies of perennial monocotyledons in Australian ecosystems will be directly relevant to difficult cases of landscape restoration on skeletal soils with widely varying water availability and thus addresses the National Research Priority: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Australian rushes: unearthing the function of root clusters and sand-binding roots. Unearthing the functioning of highly specialised root structures provides fundamental insights into the role of native rush plants in south-western Australian ecosystems and addresses a major issue with Australia's biodiversity, currently a Priority area for the ARC. Native rushes form a prominent but inconspicuous component of the Australian 'grass-like' flora, accounting for more than half the plant biomass on ....Australian rushes: unearthing the function of root clusters and sand-binding roots. Unearthing the functioning of highly specialised root structures provides fundamental insights into the role of native rush plants in south-western Australian ecosystems and addresses a major issue with Australia's biodiversity, currently a Priority area for the ARC. Native rushes form a prominent but inconspicuous component of the Australian 'grass-like' flora, accounting for more than half the plant biomass on some landscapes. Rushes are also highly sensitive to small increments in nutrients in disturbed environments and thus form a management priority relating to their use in rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, such as mine sites and wetland margins. Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC210100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Accelerated Future Crop Development . The Centre will create a new generation of leaders in the implementation of advanced gene and field technologies for the benefit of the Australian agriculture industry. We will build the workforce and foundations that will drive translation of breakthroughs in advanced breeding, phenotyping and genetic technologies into higher-yielding crops. This will increase productivity across the sector and create new markets. Our technical trai ....ARC Training Centre for Accelerated Future Crop Development . The Centre will create a new generation of leaders in the implementation of advanced gene and field technologies for the benefit of the Australian agriculture industry. We will build the workforce and foundations that will drive translation of breakthroughs in advanced breeding, phenotyping and genetic technologies into higher-yielding crops. This will increase productivity across the sector and create new markets. Our technical training programs for graduates, trainees and industry will interface with best evidence-based practices in the wider socio-economic, regulatory and environmental contexts. Coupled with community and stakeholder engagement, the Centre will redefine and secure Australia’s future in agriculture. Read moreRead less
Novel approach to study mechanisms of Na+ transport in plants using Lab on a Chip technology. A Lab on a Chip for sodium ion measurements in plants is proposed, offering a long overdue solution to the lack of appropriate techniques to study the mechanisms of sodium iron uptake, transport and compartmentation. Sodium ion transport is a key determinant of salt tolerance, but a good understanding of its transport mechanisms is lacking since no appropriate measurement tools are available. Using the ....Novel approach to study mechanisms of Na+ transport in plants using Lab on a Chip technology. A Lab on a Chip for sodium ion measurements in plants is proposed, offering a long overdue solution to the lack of appropriate techniques to study the mechanisms of sodium iron uptake, transport and compartmentation. Sodium ion transport is a key determinant of salt tolerance, but a good understanding of its transport mechanisms is lacking since no appropriate measurement tools are available. Using the system proposed here, sodium ion is separated from interfering ions, allowing fast and selective measurements. A series of ground breaking studies towards sodium ion uptake, transport and compartmentation in plants will be conducted using this Lab on a Chip.Read moreRead less
Farming in a biodiversity hotspot - harnessing native plants to reduce deleterious off-site phosphorus flows. Biodiversity hotspots that coexist with farmland are often threatened by movement of phosphorus off farmland into waterways and into vegetation adapted to low phosphorus soils. Strategic use of phosphorus-resistant native perennial plants may aid biodiversity preservation by retaining phosphorus in farmland soils.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100784
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Improving cereal grain quality using epigenetic regulators. The project aims to determine the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms that control cereal grain quality and yield under water-deficit and heat stress. The project will use next-generation sequencing to identify key epigenetic regulators and their functional target genes, which confer superior grain quality to elite genotypes under adverse environments. Project outcomes will benefit cereal breeding by providing more-tailored screening stra ....Improving cereal grain quality using epigenetic regulators. The project aims to determine the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms that control cereal grain quality and yield under water-deficit and heat stress. The project will use next-generation sequencing to identify key epigenetic regulators and their functional target genes, which confer superior grain quality to elite genotypes under adverse environments. Project outcomes will benefit cereal breeding by providing more-tailored screening strategies and superior parental germplasm with enhanced quality and yield. The development of nutritionally improved crops will benefit the Australian cereal industry and export opportunities.Read moreRead less
Novel methods for the production of micronutrient-enriched rice. The increasingly productive Australian rice industry generated AUD$1 billion revenue in 2012. By targeting a rice gene that we recently identified as a key regulator of iron uptake and transport, this project will produce high value, micronutrient-enriched rice grain to improve the nutritional health of people in Australia and throughout the world.
Ecophysiology of stem succulent halophytes subject to changes in salinity and water availability: distinguishing natural dynamics from potential mine-related impacts. This project contributes to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. The project will underpin management strategies of vegetation in saline lakes/marshes; wetlands of national importance to biodiversity. Understanding the vegetation at the Fortescue Marshes will provide vital base-information for ....Ecophysiology of stem succulent halophytes subject to changes in salinity and water availability: distinguishing natural dynamics from potential mine-related impacts. This project contributes to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. The project will underpin management strategies of vegetation in saline lakes/marshes; wetlands of national importance to biodiversity. Understanding the vegetation at the Fortescue Marshes will provide vital base-information for the future, and have flow-on benefits for improved strategies for revegetation of saline lands. Improvement of the publicly available Herbarium database on samphire species will also enable improved species identifications for conservation and/or rehabilitation efforts. The project will train a PhD student in an industry-relevant research area that is currently in high demand.Read moreRead less
Effects of environmental factors on ecophysiological performance in the toxic cyanobacterium Nodularia. Nodularia is a toxic cyanobacterium that causes problem blooms in Australian waters and worldwide. The effects of environmental conditions on physiological processes in Nodularia are poorly understood and information on the effects on macromolecular synthesis and photosynthesis in Nodularia is limited. This project is of fundamental biological importance, making a major contribution to under ....Effects of environmental factors on ecophysiological performance in the toxic cyanobacterium Nodularia. Nodularia is a toxic cyanobacterium that causes problem blooms in Australian waters and worldwide. The effects of environmental conditions on physiological processes in Nodularia are poorly understood and information on the effects on macromolecular synthesis and photosynthesis in Nodularia is limited. This project is of fundamental biological importance, making a major contribution to understanding the impacts of environmental conditions on the physiological performance and ecology of Nodularia. The research has significance, both nationally and internationally, for the prediction of algal blooms in coastal and estuarine ecosystems, and will increase our knowledge of the factors controlling growth and toxicity of Nodularia worldwide. Read moreRead less
Stomata functioning in halophytes for improved plant stress tolerance. This project aims to determine how halophytes balance photosynthesis and water loss under extreme soil conditions. Salinity and drought affect crop production. Plants’ ability to balance carbon dioxide uptake and water loss through stomata determines how they cope with stressors. Halophytes can achieve this balance at conditions that normally kill 99% of crops, but how they do so is unknown. This project will characterise the ....Stomata functioning in halophytes for improved plant stress tolerance. This project aims to determine how halophytes balance photosynthesis and water loss under extreme soil conditions. Salinity and drought affect crop production. Plants’ ability to balance carbon dioxide uptake and water loss through stomata determines how they cope with stressors. Halophytes can achieve this balance at conditions that normally kill 99% of crops, but how they do so is unknown. This project will characterise the transport systems mediating stomata function in halophytes and contribute to understanding the molecular and physiological basis of their operation. This should allow breeders to use this trait to improve crop performance under conditions of extreme salinity and drought.Read moreRead less