Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept ....Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept complementation experiments aim to confer salt tolerance on sensitive plants. These fundamental insights are likely to lead to rapid, step-change improvements in salt tolerance, especially in agriculturally relevant crops, to benefit Australia’s agri-industry and ensure food security in the future.Read moreRead less
Targeting root architecture to improve plant production in sub-optimal soil. This project aims to identify important missing links in the signalling pathways that connect major plant hormones in their control of root architecture, with a focus on the signalling system that helps plants cope with sub-optimal growing conditions. New discoveries in plant hormones will be applied to crops to provide a deeper understanding of root growth responses under sub-optimal conditions, and to maximise plant e ....Targeting root architecture to improve plant production in sub-optimal soil. This project aims to identify important missing links in the signalling pathways that connect major plant hormones in their control of root architecture, with a focus on the signalling system that helps plants cope with sub-optimal growing conditions. New discoveries in plant hormones will be applied to crops to provide a deeper understanding of root growth responses under sub-optimal conditions, and to maximise plant efficiency. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of signal pathways in roots, improved knowledge about how crops respond to adverse conditions, new knowledge and potential genetic resources for plant industry, and novel ideas about how to improve crop productivity.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the genetic regulation of inflorescence development in wheat. The project aims to identify genes and molecular processes that regulate inflorescence architecture in wheat, using state-of-the-art genetic resources to identify novel biological mechanisms that regulate the development of spikelets – reproductive branches that contain grain-producing florets. The research is highly significant as little is known about how spikelet and floret numbers are determined genetically in wheat, a ....Deciphering the genetic regulation of inflorescence development in wheat. The project aims to identify genes and molecular processes that regulate inflorescence architecture in wheat, using state-of-the-art genetic resources to identify novel biological mechanisms that regulate the development of spikelets – reproductive branches that contain grain-producing florets. The research is highly significant as little is known about how spikelet and floret numbers are determined genetically in wheat, and new traits need to be identified to increase yields for the world’s growing population. Project outcomes will include new insights into the biology that underpins grain production of wheat, with expected benefits enabling sustainable increases of yields by breeders and growers to help bolster global food security.Read moreRead less
Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport. This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the mole ....Deciphering how plants control water and salt co-transport. This project aims to increase our understanding of how plant cells regulate solute transport. Crop growth depends on water uptake and transport, and the rapid movement of water across plant cell membranes requires transporters such as aquaporins. Preliminary data indicates that a series of signals can switch aquaporins between functioning as highly selective water channels and salt transport channels. The project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt co-transport, using genetics, molecular biology, and electrophysiology data to decipher how plants regulate and coordinate aquaporin solute transport during growth and in osmotic adjustment. The project has the potential to lead to improvements in crop-plant solute transport traits, enhanced agricultural productivity, and yield stability in saline and water limited environments.Read moreRead less