Regulation of principal components of the antioxidant system in table grapes. An expanded ?health-claims? system will likely be enacted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand within two years. Horticultural industries are attracted to the promotional ?point of difference? this offers. Many health-promoting compounds are antioxidants, including polyphenols that are abundant in fruit such as grape and citrus. Antioxidants are also involved in the plant's defences against abiotic and biotic stres ....Regulation of principal components of the antioxidant system in table grapes. An expanded ?health-claims? system will likely be enacted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand within two years. Horticultural industries are attracted to the promotional ?point of difference? this offers. Many health-promoting compounds are antioxidants, including polyphenols that are abundant in fruit such as grape and citrus. Antioxidants are also involved in the plant's defences against abiotic and biotic stress. Here, the WA Table Grape industry has committed funds for an APAI to study regulation of antioxidants in relation to nutritional and postharvest qualities. Effects of preconditioning with mild oxidative stresses will be assayed, postharvest, using molecular and biochemical techniques.Read moreRead less
Prediction of fruit quality by non-invasive assessment, with special reference to avocado. The project aims to develop non-invasive rapid assessment techniques of avocado quality (dry matter percentage, oil content, susceptibility to rots) suitable for application in at-line, in-line and in-field settings using NIR spectroscopic methods. The development and introduction of these non-invasive technologies into the avocado industry will allow rapid low-cost testing to support existing quality con ....Prediction of fruit quality by non-invasive assessment, with special reference to avocado. The project aims to develop non-invasive rapid assessment techniques of avocado quality (dry matter percentage, oil content, susceptibility to rots) suitable for application in at-line, in-line and in-field settings using NIR spectroscopic methods. The development and introduction of these non-invasive technologies into the avocado industry will allow rapid low-cost testing to support existing quality control procedures. The technology has the potential to enhance the competitive advantage of Australian producers/processors by guaranteeing high quality and optimising shelf-life. The ability to deliver a differentiated product will maximise sales in existing markets and facilitate the targeting of new domestic and overseas markets.Read moreRead less
Establishing the role of heterotrimeric G-proteins in plant defence. Agriculture is an important economic activity in Australia that resulting in considerable export revenues. Agricultural losses caused by plant pathogens account for millions of dollars every year and have profound economic and social implications.
The proposed research will explore new approaches to increase plant resistance to pathogens using a previously unkown component of this network: G-proteins and could ultimately reduc ....Establishing the role of heterotrimeric G-proteins in plant defence. Agriculture is an important economic activity in Australia that resulting in considerable export revenues. Agricultural losses caused by plant pathogens account for millions of dollars every year and have profound economic and social implications.
The proposed research will explore new approaches to increase plant resistance to pathogens using a previously unkown component of this network: G-proteins and could ultimately reduce dependency on toxic chemical products.Read moreRead less
Influence of high temperature on phenology, metabolism and the fate of axillary buds and inflorescences in grapevine. Subtropical regions in Australia, due to a warm climate, land and water availability, have the potential to produce a variety of agricultural produce, particularly fruit, to meet market demand. However adoption of fruit crops, many of which, including table grape, have temperate origins, requires intensive management. Despite years of agronomic R&D, production remains variable du ....Influence of high temperature on phenology, metabolism and the fate of axillary buds and inflorescences in grapevine. Subtropical regions in Australia, due to a warm climate, land and water availability, have the potential to produce a variety of agricultural produce, particularly fruit, to meet market demand. However adoption of fruit crops, many of which, including table grape, have temperate origins, requires intensive management. Despite years of agronomic R&D, production remains variable due to a lack of fundamental knowledge on how climate impacts on the development cycle, particularly flowering, required to produce fruit. This proposal will carry out basic research to provide knowledge that will enable consistent production and expansion of table grape and other temperate crop industries.Read moreRead less
New biotech methods for crop quality assurance. Quality assurance of crop products is a key for Australia to be competitive in the world marketplace. The power of molecular diagnostics has not been applied to this important but neglected part of the produce handling chain. In this project research will be undertaken that will lead to low cost on site assays to test for variety preservation, contamination, and presence of pests and diseases. It employs the tools of genomics and proteomics to p ....New biotech methods for crop quality assurance. Quality assurance of crop products is a key for Australia to be competitive in the world marketplace. The power of molecular diagnostics has not been applied to this important but neglected part of the produce handling chain. In this project research will be undertaken that will lead to low cost on site assays to test for variety preservation, contamination, and presence of pests and diseases. It employs the tools of genomics and proteomics to provide basic understanding of processes which can be developed into cost effective analyses for practical use by industry to ensure quality assurance.Read moreRead less
The importance of price and perceived quality to the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that the direct and indirect cost of diet-related diseases to Australia is between $2-3 billion per annum. One of the most important things that can be done to prevent diet-related disease is to encourage the population to eat more fruits and vegetables. The aim of this project is to examine the effect of price and perceived quality on the type and quantity of fruits and vegetables cons ....The importance of price and perceived quality to the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that the direct and indirect cost of diet-related diseases to Australia is between $2-3 billion per annum. One of the most important things that can be done to prevent diet-related disease is to encourage the population to eat more fruits and vegetables. The aim of this project is to examine the effect of price and perceived quality on the type and quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed, especially among low-income households. The project will employ modelling techniques that are novel to this product group and that will provide valuable insights to the constraints and opportunities for increasing fruits and vegetables intake, as well as benchmarks for future research.Read moreRead less
Development of bagasse fly ash adsorbent for the removal of impurities in sugar process streams. High quality raw sugar attracts a premium and is important in maintaining market access in these times of increasing competition and excess production from overseas producers. Options that are in current use in Australia for the removal of colour and impurities are not very cost effective. This research will develop a sugarcane waste (fly ash) into an adsorbent for the removal of these impurities. Th ....Development of bagasse fly ash adsorbent for the removal of impurities in sugar process streams. High quality raw sugar attracts a premium and is important in maintaining market access in these times of increasing competition and excess production from overseas producers. Options that are in current use in Australia for the removal of colour and impurities are not very cost effective. This research will develop a sugarcane waste (fly ash) into an adsorbent for the removal of these impurities. This will enable the sugar industry and rural communities to become more sustainable through enhanced competitiveness and diversification through co-generation and value-added products. This project will also reduce the disposal costs ($2 M/y) for the sugar industry and minimize environmental pollution due to the use of a waste product.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775702
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,000.00
Summary
Climate controlled physical containment 2 (PC2) and pathogen/ insect contained glasshouse facility. The Australian economy relies heavily on agricultural production. The outcomes of the projects supported by these growth facilities will be of economic benefit to the nation by producing new knowledge of plant-insect and plant-pathogen interactions, how plants acquire essential nutrients, and how they respond to environmental stress. The research outcomes will benefit the environment by increasin ....Climate controlled physical containment 2 (PC2) and pathogen/ insect contained glasshouse facility. The Australian economy relies heavily on agricultural production. The outcomes of the projects supported by these growth facilities will be of economic benefit to the nation by producing new knowledge of plant-insect and plant-pathogen interactions, how plants acquire essential nutrients, and how they respond to environmental stress. The research outcomes will benefit the environment by increasing legume production and so reducing land degradation and risk of nitrate contamination of waterways and lowering the environmental risk from agrochemicals by developing safer strategies for control of pests and diseases. In addition, a number of projects that will benefit from the glasshouse facilities aim to produce healthier and safer foods.Read moreRead less
The evolution of multipartite mitochondrial genomes in the cyst-forming nematodes. The cyst-forming nematodes are a serious pest of agricultural crops throughout the world, attacking cereal, root and legume crops. Although sporadically recorded in Australia, they have not become established here. This project will characterize unique sequences from the noncoding portion of the mitochondrial genome of a range of cyst-forming nematodes, facilitating the development of molecular diagnostic screen ....The evolution of multipartite mitochondrial genomes in the cyst-forming nematodes. The cyst-forming nematodes are a serious pest of agricultural crops throughout the world, attacking cereal, root and legume crops. Although sporadically recorded in Australia, they have not become established here. This project will characterize unique sequences from the noncoding portion of the mitochondrial genome of a range of cyst-forming nematodes, facilitating the development of molecular diagnostic screening tools for these crop pests. This program will train a number of young scientists with skills in biotechnology, preparing them to join programs safeguarding our agricultural industries.Read moreRead less
Invesitgation of environmental staining and storage discolouration in Faba Bean. Faba beans are an important pulse crop in Australia. They are exported to the Middle East and Europe for human consumption where buff coloured beans are desired. A third of beans become discoloured in storage. These are downgraded to stock feed with a loss of $50 per ton to the grower. Currently little is known about the causes. Environmental factors and selected genotypes will be assessed to determine the potential ....Invesitgation of environmental staining and storage discolouration in Faba Bean. Faba beans are an important pulse crop in Australia. They are exported to the Middle East and Europe for human consumption where buff coloured beans are desired. A third of beans become discoloured in storage. These are downgraded to stock feed with a loss of $50 per ton to the grower. Currently little is known about the causes. Environmental factors and selected genotypes will be assessed to determine the potential causes of discoluration. Analytical techniques will ascertain the discolouration process and the compounds produced. The aim is to provide growers with information on management strategies and breeders of strain resistant genotypes.Read moreRead less