Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but l ....Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but less available to plants. How plants can best access organic nitrogen will be explored, based on our recent discovery that plants can use protein as a nitrogen source for growth. The project will produce essential knowledge for nitrogen-efficient bioproduction.Read moreRead less
Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance ....Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance of nutrient uptake by plants. The effects of the developed method on nutrient use efficiency and leaching loss, and crop yields will be quantified under different soil types and climatic conditions.Read moreRead less
Conservation tillage and its potential to affect catchment salt and water balances. Replacement of deep-rooted vegetation with shallow rooted crops has resulted in greater movement of water into groundwater systems, raising in groundwater level and mobilizing salt to the land's surface. The practice of conservation tillage, provides a range of advantages to landholders, but also has the potential to accentuate the risk of salinisation because it increases water infiltration into the soil surfac ....Conservation tillage and its potential to affect catchment salt and water balances. Replacement of deep-rooted vegetation with shallow rooted crops has resulted in greater movement of water into groundwater systems, raising in groundwater level and mobilizing salt to the land's surface. The practice of conservation tillage, provides a range of advantages to landholders, but also has the potential to accentuate the risk of salinisation because it increases water infiltration into the soil surface. This project aims to evaluate the impact of conservation tillage on soil salt profiles in the Condamine-Balonne and Border Rivers Catchments, and to model will the effect of changed landscape salt and water balances on river water quality.Read moreRead less
Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed ....Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed.Read moreRead less
Theoretically derived calibration of the neutron moisture meter. The moisture content of soils is of key importance in a wide range of situations including agriculture, engineering and land and water management. The measurement of soil moisture contents in the field is problematic, and even commonly used methods like the neutron probe give results of limited accuracy. This research will enable calibration curves for the neutron probe to be determined theoretically, thereby improving the accuracy ....Theoretically derived calibration of the neutron moisture meter. The moisture content of soils is of key importance in a wide range of situations including agriculture, engineering and land and water management. The measurement of soil moisture contents in the field is problematic, and even commonly used methods like the neutron probe give results of limited accuracy. This research will enable calibration curves for the neutron probe to be determined theoretically, thereby improving the accuracy of moisture content measurements and enhancing its usefulness to industry and research.Read moreRead less
Integrating microbiology and climatic drivers to determine triggers for nitrous oxide emissions from arable soils in semi-arid Western Australia. Increasing nitrous oxide emissions from soil to the atmosphere are a concern as they contribute to global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer. While 70-81% of this increase has been attributed globally to agricultural soils, the factors controlling emissions from arable soils in southern Australia are not well understood. We aim to charact ....Integrating microbiology and climatic drivers to determine triggers for nitrous oxide emissions from arable soils in semi-arid Western Australia. Increasing nitrous oxide emissions from soil to the atmosphere are a concern as they contribute to global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer. While 70-81% of this increase has been attributed globally to agricultural soils, the factors controlling emissions from arable soils in southern Australia are not well understood. We aim to characterise and model the relationship between the soil microbial community responsible for nitrous oxide emissions and soil water availability. Understanding the processes responsible for nitrous oxide emissions will enable us to change the way we manage our semi-arid soils so as to minimise nitrous oxide emissions.Read moreRead less
Coal-ash as a resource for sustainable soil-management in plant production systems. Acidification and salinisation are major causes of land degradation in Australia, costing $1-2 billion to combat. Farmers used 1.9M t of lime and 1.0M t of gypsum to manage their soils in 2000. Power stations annually produce 12M t of coal-ash that have functional characteristics of lime and gypsum and can potentially ameliorate degraded land. Presently only 43% of the ash is used and almost entirely for constr ....Coal-ash as a resource for sustainable soil-management in plant production systems. Acidification and salinisation are major causes of land degradation in Australia, costing $1-2 billion to combat. Farmers used 1.9M t of lime and 1.0M t of gypsum to manage their soils in 2000. Power stations annually produce 12M t of coal-ash that have functional characteristics of lime and gypsum and can potentially ameliorate degraded land. Presently only 43% of the ash is used and almost entirely for construction with the rest going into landfills. This project will determine the sustainable use of coal-ash to improve structure and nutritive properties of the soil and to raise crop yield across several sites in Australia.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
Water and nutrient stress detection in broad acre crops using remote sensing. The national benefit of the remote sensing of water and nutrient levels in crops comes from improved agricultural practice; leading to cost savings, reduced water usage and reduced pollution. This benefit will arise since irrigation and fertiliser application can be exactly tailored to the measured needs of broad-acre crops. In Australia, water is a scarce resource. Reducing consumption by irrigators will have signi ....Water and nutrient stress detection in broad acre crops using remote sensing. The national benefit of the remote sensing of water and nutrient levels in crops comes from improved agricultural practice; leading to cost savings, reduced water usage and reduced pollution. This benefit will arise since irrigation and fertiliser application can be exactly tailored to the measured needs of broad-acre crops. In Australia, water is a scarce resource. Reducing consumption by irrigators will have significant downstream benefits. By remote measurement of nutrient variation within paddocks, fertiliser applications can be optimised. Minimum excess fertiliser will then be present and this will minimise runoff and potential downstream water pollution.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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