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
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
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
Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will p ....Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will provide novel insights into how plants coordinate and adapt to changing water and salt conditions, answering key questions in plant physiology. Benefits include an expanded, innovative range of targets for plant breeding programs to improve plant productivity in our changing climate.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
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
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
Regulation and expression of disease resistance responses in the Rhynchosporium secalis/barley interaction. The barley leaf scald fungus, Rhynchosporium secalis, causes annual losses of up to 10% in Australia's major export crop, barley. The primary aim of this project is to isolate and understand the interplay of genes specifically involved in the regulation of resistance to scald. Several resistance-specific genes will be functionally analysed to identify regulatory signalling pathways that li ....Regulation and expression of disease resistance responses in the Rhynchosporium secalis/barley interaction. The barley leaf scald fungus, Rhynchosporium secalis, causes annual losses of up to 10% in Australia's major export crop, barley. The primary aim of this project is to isolate and understand the interplay of genes specifically involved in the regulation of resistance to scald. Several resistance-specific genes will be functionally analysed to identify regulatory signalling pathways that link genetic expression with the specific gene-for-gene disease resistance phenotype. Knowledge of the genes controlling signalling processes within the disease-challenged plant will allow for the development of more effective and durable resistances by traditional breeding and transgenic approaches.Read moreRead less