Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, ....Understanding, controlling and improving the flavour of almond kernels. Almond kernels may be sweet, semi-bitter or bitter, with the first two categories marketed as fresh nuts, while the latter are used in processed products such as marzipan. Semi-bitter kernels have a more interesting flavour than sweet kernels and we require tools to breed for this character. The bitter flavour is imparted by amygdalin via the cyanogenic pathway. This project will characterise the genetic control of sweet, semi-bitter and bitter flavour, amygdalin accumulation in developing kernels, and key enzymes in the cyanogenic pathway. Almond populations segregating for these traits will be used and the data will be integrated into the Australian almond meiotic map.Read moreRead less
Microsatellite marker development for almond breeding. Australian almond growers produce 8,000 tonnes of kernel annually, and the long term aim is to develop strong export markets. The industry funds a breeding program at Adelaide University, comprising hybridisation and selection. Through our current ARC SPIRT grant we augment this with a program in molecular techniques. Research is well-advanced in the development of a genetic map for almond based on both molecular and agronomic characters. ....Microsatellite marker development for almond breeding. Australian almond growers produce 8,000 tonnes of kernel annually, and the long term aim is to develop strong export markets. The industry funds a breeding program at Adelaide University, comprising hybridisation and selection. Through our current ARC SPIRT grant we augment this with a program in molecular techniques. Research is well-advanced in the development of a genetic map for almond based on both molecular and agronomic characters. This IREX grant will facilitate integration of our map with the International Prunus mapping program, based at Cabrils, Spain. It will also facilitate augmentation of the map with jointly-developed microsatellite markers.Read moreRead less
Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self- ....Investigation of almond transformation for self-fertility and virus resistance. This project addresses the long-term goal of the Australian almond industry to produce cultivars that are self-fertile and resistant to Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses. Both self-sterility and virus infection can result in unreliable and often low yields. Research will address the control of gene expression relating to self-sterility and the introduction of virus resistance, via sequencing of self-fertility and self-sterility genes, construct development and improved regeneration of transformed almond in vitro without the use of antibiotics.Read moreRead less
National Macadamia Conservation Program. Macadamia is a national icon, and the only indigenous Australian plant food crop to be commercialised. However, it is vulnerable to extinction in the wild, needing conservation action. University, government, industry and community sectors will work together applying cutting edge research methodologies to produce a systematic conservation and recovery plan for Macadamia. This requires: Habitat modelling to predict past, contemporary and potential distribu ....National Macadamia Conservation Program. Macadamia is a national icon, and the only indigenous Australian plant food crop to be commercialised. However, it is vulnerable to extinction in the wild, needing conservation action. University, government, industry and community sectors will work together applying cutting edge research methodologies to produce a systematic conservation and recovery plan for Macadamia. This requires: Habitat modelling to predict past, contemporary and potential distributions for advising resource discovery and rehabilitation; Genetic variation modelling to assess quality and distinctness of native genetic resources and potential for rehabilitation by natural colonisation; and Developing a unifying statistical framework to support this work.Read moreRead less
Carboxylate exudation and phosphorus acquisition in eucalypts. Eucalypts are thought to rely on mycorrhizas to acquire phosphorus (P). Using leaf manganese concentrations in the field to proxy rhizosphere carboxylates, followed by plant growth in low P-solutions, it was shown that some, but not all eucalypts that grow on P-impoverished soils release carboxylates from their roots. This trait is a strategy of Proteaceae to access soil P, but assumed not to be used by eucalypts. This game-changing ....Carboxylate exudation and phosphorus acquisition in eucalypts. Eucalypts are thought to rely on mycorrhizas to acquire phosphorus (P). Using leaf manganese concentrations in the field to proxy rhizosphere carboxylates, followed by plant growth in low P-solutions, it was shown that some, but not all eucalypts that grow on P-impoverished soils release carboxylates from their roots. This trait is a strategy of Proteaceae to access soil P, but assumed not to be used by eucalypts. This game-changing discovery challenges the current dogma that eucalypts invariably rely on mycorrhizas to acquire P. This project will explore the significance of this newly-described trait for functioning of eucalypts more broadly and produce results that are important for conservation, restoration and forestry activities. Read moreRead less
Quantitative genetic control of economic traits in Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalyptus globulus is the most important plantation eucalypt in Australia and a model for tree genetic research. The project aims to study the quantitative genetic architecture of this species, focusing on traits of economic significance, and provide new insights into: the relative importance of non-additive genetic effects, including maternal and reciprocal effects; the importance of indirect genetic effects, particularly ....Quantitative genetic control of economic traits in Eucalyptus globulus. Eucalyptus globulus is the most important plantation eucalypt in Australia and a model for tree genetic research. The project aims to study the quantitative genetic architecture of this species, focusing on traits of economic significance, and provide new insights into: the relative importance of non-additive genetic effects, including maternal and reciprocal effects; the importance of indirect genetic effects, particularly on the competitive interactions amongst trees; and the genetics of traits impacting the production of emerging plantation products such as veneer. This information is needed to improve genetic evaluation models and to better target germplasm to environments and products.Read moreRead less