The response of mitochondria to oxidative stress in plants. Crops encounter many situations in their environment which place them under stress. Reactive oxygen molecules produced in these situations act as messengers to trigger defence mechanisms but also cause cellular damage. Mitochondria are the subcellular compartments involved in energy production and are essential for plant development and growth. However, they also have been implicated in the response of plants to stress and pathogen atta ....The response of mitochondria to oxidative stress in plants. Crops encounter many situations in their environment which place them under stress. Reactive oxygen molecules produced in these situations act as messengers to trigger defence mechanisms but also cause cellular damage. Mitochondria are the subcellular compartments involved in energy production and are essential for plant development and growth. However, they also have been implicated in the response of plants to stress and pathogen attack, and in production of reactive oxygen molecules. This proposal seeks to investigate how mitochondria are involved in these processes, focusing on the role of terminal oxidases. Potential outcomes include crops better able to cope with environmental stress.Read moreRead less
Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of th ....Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of the host-pathogen interactions. A successful outcome could contribute an additional 5-20% increase in crop yields (depending on the crop) through inherent resistance of crops to nematode pests. This would benefit rural communities and the national economy, and could also generate international royalties.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561161
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Joint Facility for Genome Analysis of Nutrient Transport Proteins. The joint facility for genome analysis of nutrient transport proteins is a new initiative between the University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, and the University of Western Australia to use a high throughput Xenopus oocyte expression system to screen plant cDNA/cRNA collections for genes encoding nutrient transport proteins. The facility will also provide a platform to rapidly accelerate our p ....Joint Facility for Genome Analysis of Nutrient Transport Proteins. The joint facility for genome analysis of nutrient transport proteins is a new initiative between the University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, and the University of Western Australia to use a high throughput Xenopus oocyte expression system to screen plant cDNA/cRNA collections for genes encoding nutrient transport proteins. The facility will also provide a platform to rapidly accelerate our present capacity for Xenopus oocyte expression analysis of nutrient transport proteins. This facility will greatly aid our current research quantum in this field and allow for new discoveries related to nutrient transport in plants.Read moreRead less
Visual methods for advanced automation of underwater manipulation. This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Such activities are essential for the operation of subsea robotic systems used in offshore industries, scientific exploration and defence. Our approach will improve perception and situational awareness through the principled fusion of multiple navigation and camera sensors. We will use this improved scene understand ....Visual methods for advanced automation of underwater manipulation. This project will increase the autonomy of underwater robotic systems engaged in intervention and inspection tasks. Such activities are essential for the operation of subsea robotic systems used in offshore industries, scientific exploration and defence. Our approach will improve perception and situational awareness through the principled fusion of multiple navigation and camera sensors. We will use this improved scene understanding to effectively plan the motion of vehicles and manipulators through larger and more complex workspaces, enabling semi-supervised and autonomous task execution. Our project will demonstrate these capabilities in real-world deployments relevant to industry and marine science.Read moreRead less
Genome Approaches to Investigate Metabolic Coordination in Plant Cells. Metabolism of C and N in legume nodules requires interaction between the symbiotic bacteria and plant organelles, particularly metabolism in plastids and mitochondria. Fixed N is assimilated through the de novo synthesis of purines in both plastids and mitochondria. However, each of the nine pathway enzymes is encoded by a single gene, indicating each protein is targeted to both organelles. Purine metabolism will provide ....Genome Approaches to Investigate Metabolic Coordination in Plant Cells. Metabolism of C and N in legume nodules requires interaction between the symbiotic bacteria and plant organelles, particularly metabolism in plastids and mitochondria. Fixed N is assimilated through the de novo synthesis of purines in both plastids and mitochondria. However, each of the nine pathway enzymes is encoded by a single gene, indicating each protein is targeted to both organelles. Purine metabolism will provide a model to assess the more general occurrence of dual-targeted proteins in plants. The aim is to identify and eventually exploit the signalling mechanism(s) that mediate communication between plastids and mitochondria.Read moreRead less
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
Detecting, Locating and Tracking Human Faces using Skin Colour. With growing concerns for national security and public safety, government agencies in Australia and around the world are taking strong measures to introduce biometric-enhanced official identification documents such as passports, visas, and ID cards. The proposed face detection and tracking system will play a key role in personal identification and human activity monitoring. The developed system will have a huge potential in surveill ....Detecting, Locating and Tracking Human Faces using Skin Colour. With growing concerns for national security and public safety, government agencies in Australia and around the world are taking strong measures to introduce biometric-enhanced official identification documents such as passports, visas, and ID cards. The proposed face detection and tracking system will play a key role in personal identification and human activity monitoring. The developed system will have a huge potential in surveillance, security, law enforcement, and ICT. This project will contribute to building a knowledge economy in Australia and help safeguard and protect Australia from terrorism and crime. Furthermore, its outcomes will enhance the reputation of Australia as a leader in frontier technologies and smart information use.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354753
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
MESH: amalgamating innovative teams of cross-disciplinary collaborators for creativity in Media-arts, E-culture, Science and Humanities. MESH is a cross-disciplinary network that amalgamates a national array of sub-networks of research in digital arts, ICT and cross-cultural and policy negotiation. It boosts Australia's existing cross-disiciplinary strengths in Media-arts, E-culture, Science and Humanities by encouraging existing digital sub-networks to grow together via well-brokered communic ....MESH: amalgamating innovative teams of cross-disciplinary collaborators for creativity in Media-arts, E-culture, Science and Humanities. MESH is a cross-disciplinary network that amalgamates a national array of sub-networks of research in digital arts, ICT and cross-cultural and policy negotiation. It boosts Australia's existing cross-disiciplinary strengths in Media-arts, E-culture, Science and Humanities by encouraging existing digital sub-networks to grow together via well-brokered communications and demonstrations online and on-location. Progressively, MESH participants will discover existing harmonies whilst also inventing new languages and protocols leading to breakthroughs in cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation. MESH encourages a 'paradigm shift' in digital research, realising the extraordinary potential that is ready but latent across Australia's arts and sciences.Read moreRead less
Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiati ....Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiation to biomass in arid, high-light and saline environments, which are expanding due to global climate change. The outcomes of this project could define what is required to engineer plant varieties with increased yield and the ability to withstand effects of climate shift, and contribute to our understanding of convergent evolutionary processes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100056
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,000.00
Summary
Design and Art Australia Online: Sustainable data sharing for Australian researchers and collections. This project will produce a comprehensive and authorative research facility of national and international signi?cance. The enhanced Design and Art Australia Online facility will provide crucial information pertaining to Australia’s art and design heritage that will be open for researchers of all levels, from school students through to higher-education researchers.