Resolving the steps in the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. This project aims to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the evolution of grasses using the C4 biochemical pathway that enables plants to survive in hot, dry, high-light environments. The endemic Australian subtribe Neurachninae is the only known grass group that contains C4 species, species using the ancestral C3 pathway, as well as species using pathways intermediate to C3 and C4. Through a comparative approach employing ....Resolving the steps in the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. This project aims to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the evolution of grasses using the C4 biochemical pathway that enables plants to survive in hot, dry, high-light environments. The endemic Australian subtribe Neurachninae is the only known grass group that contains C4 species, species using the ancestral C3 pathway, as well as species using pathways intermediate to C3 and C4. Through a comparative approach employing high-throughput sequencing technologies, it is expected that the molecular changes underlying the transition from C3 to C4 will be identified. These results should define what is required to engineer plant varieties with increased yield and the ability to withstand climate change effects.Read moreRead less
Investigating a new paradigm for plant-pathogen interactions; Identification of host-selective toxin proteins in the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum. Stagonospora nodorum is a fungus that causes leaf and glume blotch disease on wheat. This disease alone causes $55 million dollars in yield losses per annum. Traditional breeding methods have yielded crops that are only mildly resistant leaving control of the disease to be worryingly reliant on fungicides. This project aims to identify and char ....Investigating a new paradigm for plant-pathogen interactions; Identification of host-selective toxin proteins in the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum. Stagonospora nodorum is a fungus that causes leaf and glume blotch disease on wheat. This disease alone causes $55 million dollars in yield losses per annum. Traditional breeding methods have yielded crops that are only mildly resistant leaving control of the disease to be worryingly reliant on fungicides. This project aims to identify and characterise proteins that the fungus secretes to cause disease on wheat. By identifying these proteins, it is anticipated that strategies, both traditional and modern, could be employed to enable better control of the disease. This in turn would help provide a long term and secure supply of wheat and wheat based products to the community.Read moreRead less