Integrating a physical and functional genetic map of Prunus dulcis. Genome wide physical mapping is the centrepiece of current genomics research in virtually all plant and animal species. The proposal seeks to champion the development of Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae) as a model perennial species towards parity with other plant model systems for gene discovery and validation. The Rosaceae represents a rich repository of genes of relevance to perenniality, adaptation, sustainable agriculture, health a ....Integrating a physical and functional genetic map of Prunus dulcis. Genome wide physical mapping is the centrepiece of current genomics research in virtually all plant and animal species. The proposal seeks to champion the development of Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae) as a model perennial species towards parity with other plant model systems for gene discovery and validation. The Rosaceae represents a rich repository of genes of relevance to perenniality, adaptation, sustainable agriculture, health and nutrition and the bioindustries. Ultimately, comparative genomics across the family will advance molecular eco-genetics via dissection of traits determining adaptive response. Access to user-friendly molecular markers will also bring greater precision to breeding programmes. Read moreRead less
Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high dema ....Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high demand on scarce water resources - and significantly increase our crop yields. Our advances will help Australian farmers to reduce the costs and increase the productivity of our substantial export crops while improving their environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian ag ....Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian agriculture, environmental sustainability and human health. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes th ....Mechanistic characterisation of genotype x environment interactions in sorghum and arabidopsis. Sorghum is an economically important cereal crop for Australia. In Australia, sorghum is used as a staple animal feed and it is very important for the live stock industry. With the predicted changes of temperature and rainfall patterns due to climate change, negative effects on sorghum yield are expected, which can have adverse effects on Australian economy. Our studies will identify and mark genes that regulate flowering and seed production in sorghum in response to changes in temperature and light interactions. These studies will help to develop novel sorghum varieties with desirable characters through plant-breeding programmes.Read moreRead less
Plant heterotrimeric G proteins: new roles in defence, stomatal control and ABA perception. Agriculture is an important economic activity in Australia that results in considerable export revenues. Two of the major problems facing agriculture around the globe are the incidence of diseases and the scarcity of water. Agricultural losses caused by plant pathogens and low water availability account for billions of dollars every year and have profound economic and social implications. Water is an extr ....Plant heterotrimeric G proteins: new roles in defence, stomatal control and ABA perception. Agriculture is an important economic activity in Australia that results in considerable export revenues. Two of the major problems facing agriculture around the globe are the incidence of diseases and the scarcity of water. Agricultural losses caused by plant pathogens and low water availability account for billions of dollars every year and have profound economic and social implications. Water is an extremely scarce resource in Australia and periodic droughts inflict immense losses to the Australian agricultural sector. Our research will explore new and cleaner strategies to provide crop protection as well as to increase water use efficiency.Read moreRead less
Manipulation of apoptosis-related genes to generate novel disease resistances in banana. Bananas are one of Australia's most important fruit crops. However, the industry is continually threatened by numerous diseases including yellow and black Sigatoka, Fusarium wilt and bunchy top. Control of these diseases currently requires either extensive pesticide treatments or complex agronomic procedures, of which most are ineffective, expensive or environmentally damaging. The aim of this project is to ....Manipulation of apoptosis-related genes to generate novel disease resistances in banana. Bananas are one of Australia's most important fruit crops. However, the industry is continually threatened by numerous diseases including yellow and black Sigatoka, Fusarium wilt and bunchy top. Control of these diseases currently requires either extensive pesticide treatments or complex agronomic procedures, of which most are ineffective, expensive or environmentally damaging. The aim of this project is to utilise a novel strategy to generate transgenic bananas with resistance to these diseases. The benefit will be both economic and environmental as implementation should significantly reduce or eliminate pesticide use. Importantly, this strategy can potentially be extrapolated to many other crops.Read moreRead less
Generating broad and stable resistance to gemini- and nanoviruses. The ssDNA geminiviruses and nanoviruses are considered a major threat to crop production in the tropics and subtropics. There are currently no effective control strategies for these viruses. We have been developing a novel transgenic strategy for generating resistance to ssDNA viruses based on the activation of a suicide gene in the presence of the viral Rep protein. Importantly, we have demonstrated proof-of-principle using Toba ....Generating broad and stable resistance to gemini- and nanoviruses. The ssDNA geminiviruses and nanoviruses are considered a major threat to crop production in the tropics and subtropics. There are currently no effective control strategies for these viruses. We have been developing a novel transgenic strategy for generating resistance to ssDNA viruses based on the activation of a suicide gene in the presence of the viral Rep protein. Importantly, we have demonstrated proof-of-principle using Tobacco yellow dwarf mastrevirus. In this project, we aim to further develop this strategy into a broad and stable mechanism for generating resistance to all known geminiviruses and nanoviruses.Read moreRead less
How common and what is the significance of cis-acting regulatory variation and genomic imprinting in plants? Plant based processes provide truly sustainable solutions to many of the challenges facing Australia. The proposed research will help elucidate how plants regulate variation in gene expression rather than changes in the structure of encoded proteins. This is an area of gene expression, that has not been approached before, that explains the plant's ability to respond to external stimuli. ....How common and what is the significance of cis-acting regulatory variation and genomic imprinting in plants? Plant based processes provide truly sustainable solutions to many of the challenges facing Australia. The proposed research will help elucidate how plants regulate variation in gene expression rather than changes in the structure of encoded proteins. This is an area of gene expression, that has not been approached before, that explains the plant's ability to respond to external stimuli. Variation between plant species in the number of genes does not fully explain the differences between them. This information will come not from seqenceing genomes but from investigation of regulatory elements. Read moreRead less
Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The pro ....Regulation of Plant Development by Small RNAs. Understanding the roles of small RNAs and their pathways is a new field of research that is giving, and will continue to give profound insights into how multicellular organisms regulate gene expression at a genomic level. Research in this area has already led to RNA interference technology, by which almost any gene can be switched off, and there is considerable potential for other gene silencing and trait modification technologies to emerge. The project will yield insights into fundamental biological processes which are expected to engender applications in agriculture and biotechnology. It will maintain and enhance Australia's position in this area.Read moreRead less
Modification of lignin biosynthesis in sugarcane for the improved efficiency of pre-treatment in ethanol production. Sugarcane is one of Australia's most important rural industries. However, as a single product industry, declining sugar prices threaten the industry's long term economic sustainability unless alternative markets for sugarcane are created. Utilising the sugarcane waste for cellulosic ethanol would provide a new revenue stream, injecting life into the Australian sugarcane industry. ....Modification of lignin biosynthesis in sugarcane for the improved efficiency of pre-treatment in ethanol production. Sugarcane is one of Australia's most important rural industries. However, as a single product industry, declining sugar prices threaten the industry's long term economic sustainability unless alternative markets for sugarcane are created. Utilising the sugarcane waste for cellulosic ethanol would provide a new revenue stream, injecting life into the Australian sugarcane industry. In addition, cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane has the potential to substantially decrease the cost of biofuel production and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The research proposed here will advance our ability to improve sugarcane through biotechnology.Read moreRead less