Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge ....Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge will deliver crucial breeders’ tools to select heat-tolerant varieties. The project also aims to identify genes most likely to control tolerance at these chromosome locations using gene expression profiling data, trait associations and knowledge of heat-tolerance genes from other species. It is expected that these genes will reveal molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance and create new opportunities to engineer superior levels of tolerance in cereals.Read moreRead less
Genome-wide determination of Puccinia psidii s.l. rust resistance in eucalypts. Recently, guava rust was detected in Australia, posing significant risks to native flora, plantations, and timber exports. Scientists from The University of Melbourne and Victorian Department of Primary Industries together with tree breeders, forest growers and forest managers aim to use tree genomics rust resistance breeding to enable management and operational responses and inform policy development.
Methods to infer dense genomic information from sparsely genotyped populations. Prediction of phenotype based on DNA polymorphisms or sequence has important applications such as prediction of disease risk in human medicine and prediction of genetic value in plant or animal breeding. This project will enhance precision and lower the cost of association studies leading to substantial increase in accuracy of such predictions. This will allow more effective genetic improvement, particularly of diff ....Methods to infer dense genomic information from sparsely genotyped populations. Prediction of phenotype based on DNA polymorphisms or sequence has important applications such as prediction of disease risk in human medicine and prediction of genetic value in plant or animal breeding. This project will enhance precision and lower the cost of association studies leading to substantial increase in accuracy of such predictions. This will allow more effective genetic improvement, particularly of difficult but important traits such as disease resistance, reduced green-house gas emissions and product quality. The same methods can be extended to improve genetic improvement in plants and better prediction of human disease risk. Read moreRead less
Fertility crisis: harnessing the genomic tension behind pollen fertility in sorghum. Hybrid sorghum varieties yield more grain than inbred varieties but the production seed for farmers can be difficult. This project will identify the genes responsible for a trait that makes hybrid seed production possible and this knowledge will help raise sorghum yields in Australian and in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Resolving the Genetics of Grain Pigmentation Traits in Rice . New critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the high UV Australian growing environment to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice. The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally. The concentration of key functional compounds in black rice may be increased by growing optimised cul ....Resolving the Genetics of Grain Pigmentation Traits in Rice . New critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the high UV Australian growing environment to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice. The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally. The concentration of key functional compounds in black rice may be increased by growing optimised cultivars under high-UV radiation, making Australia well placed to produce the highest quality black rice. Utilising a unique genetic resource this project will resolve how the interaction between crop genetics and the growing environment drives the concentration of functional compounds in black rice. Read moreRead less
FastStack - evolutionary computing to stack desirable alleles in wheat. This project aims to investigate rapid development of new, high-yielding wheat varieties with appropriate disease resistance. An emerging challenge in wheat breeding is how to stack desirable alleles for disease resistance, drought, and end-use quality into new varieties with high yielding backgrounds in the shortest time. As the number of known desirable alleles for these traits increases, the number of possible crossing c ....FastStack - evolutionary computing to stack desirable alleles in wheat. This project aims to investigate rapid development of new, high-yielding wheat varieties with appropriate disease resistance. An emerging challenge in wheat breeding is how to stack desirable alleles for disease resistance, drought, and end-use quality into new varieties with high yielding backgrounds in the shortest time. As the number of known desirable alleles for these traits increases, the number of possible crossing combinations that need to be considered increases. This project aims to use evolutionary computing with speed breeding and genomic selection, in the partners breeding program, to address this challenge. Potential outcomes will lead to more profitable wheat varieties for Australian growers, and expanded exports to high value markets that require quality grain.Read moreRead less
Identifying the diversity and evolution of loci associated with adaptation to aridity/heat and salinity in ancient cereal crops. This project will use ancient grains of wheat, barley and rye to find 'lost' genetic diversity at key genes associated with resistance to aridity, salt and disease. This project will make the proteins of key genes, and study their interaction with the environment over time by measuring ions in the grains to reveal the ancient environmental conditions.
Genomic selection: a new frontier for higher rates of genetic gain in wheat. The historical rates of genetic gain in wheat production are insufficient to meet the world's future needs for wheat-based food. Genomic selection (GS) is the most likely candidate tool that is capable of delivering the required level of genetic gain. This project will develop data-sets and statistical methods to implement GS in wheat.
Reducing skeletal malformations in cultured marine fish using gene expression, improved nutrition and advanced system operation. Reducing malformations in farmed fish will benefit the Australian economy and society by providing greater quantities of cheaper, higher quality fish. Increased farmed fish production, currently worth ~$300 million p.a., will increase exports and decrease imports (currently ~50% of all Australian consumed fish). To benefit are the important regional farming operations ....Reducing skeletal malformations in cultured marine fish using gene expression, improved nutrition and advanced system operation. Reducing malformations in farmed fish will benefit the Australian economy and society by providing greater quantities of cheaper, higher quality fish. Increased farmed fish production, currently worth ~$300 million p.a., will increase exports and decrease imports (currently ~50% of all Australian consumed fish). To benefit are the important regional farming operations in QLD, NSW, SA, NT, TAS and WA. In particular, the largest industry in Tasmania will profit by having a viable new species to farm (striped trumpeter) reducing risk due to climate change and global oversupply of salmon. Another important benefactor will be the rapidly expanding yellowtail kingfish industry. Read moreRead less
The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will ....The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will identify environmental stressors that activate viral disease in Penaeus monodon. Outcomes will be incorporated into on-farm managerial regimes to minimize risk of crop loss to disease. Development of biomarkers as indicators of stress related risks may be commercialized.Read moreRead less