Improving yield through image-based structural analysis of cereals. Feeding an increasing world population under the threat of climate change requires the development of new plant varieties capable of delivering higher yield in more marginal conditions. This project will develop image-based technologies for accurately estimating plant yield which will improve the effectiveness of plant breeding processes.
Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This proje ....Explaining the interactions between drought and fertiliser use efficiency using tracing and imaging techniques. With climate change, Australian agriculture is faced with periods of increasing drought and changing rainfall patterns. At the same time, Australian farmers are faced with increasing costs of fertiliser inputs (their largest variable input cost), yet have little information on how they should change their nutrient management programs to suit the changing climatic conditions. This project aims to determine the effect of drought and rainfall patterns on the efficiency of fertiliser use by crops, through examination of the effects of soil moisture conditions on the interaction between soil and added fertilisers. Read moreRead less
Reducing environmental footprint by improving phosphorous use efficiency. While modern agriculture relies heavily on the use of phosphorous fertilizers, most of them are not used by plants and lost in runoff, resulting in a massive environmental damage through contamination of waterways (termed eutrophication). This project takes advantage of an untapped resource - a unique collection of Tibetan wild barley genotypes, to reveal key traits that confer superior phosphorus use efficiency in wild ba ....Reducing environmental footprint by improving phosphorous use efficiency. While modern agriculture relies heavily on the use of phosphorous fertilizers, most of them are not used by plants and lost in runoff, resulting in a massive environmental damage through contamination of waterways (termed eutrophication). This project takes advantage of an untapped resource - a unique collection of Tibetan wild barley genotypes, to reveal key traits that confer superior phosphorus use efficiency in wild barley and identify appropriate candidate genes and their position on chromosomes for further incorporating these traits into commercial barley cultivars. This will reduce the environmental footprint of modern agricultural practices on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems without compromising food security.Read moreRead less
Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance ....Combating subsoil acidity for sustainable production through managing plant cation-anion uptake. At least 50 million hectares of topsoil and 23 million ha of subsoil of Australian land are presently affected by acidity, with this area expanding due to the ongoing processes of acidification. Surface liming is ineffective in neutralizing subsoil acidity. The project will develop an innovative method that stimulates root proliferation and ameliorates subsoil acidity through manipulating the balance of nutrient uptake by plants. The effects of the developed method on nutrient use efficiency and leaching loss, and crop yields will be quantified under different soil types and climatic conditions.Read moreRead less
Using cutting edge genomic tools to dissect the molecular control of hybrid vigour in cereals. Hybrid cereals grow in a wide range of environments, require less water and produce more grain from less land. This project will generate an enhanced capacity to rapidly develop new hybrid cereal varieties. The Australian community will benefit by having enhanced food security using less water and less land. The Australian community will also benefit because land and water will be released to the envir ....Using cutting edge genomic tools to dissect the molecular control of hybrid vigour in cereals. Hybrid cereals grow in a wide range of environments, require less water and produce more grain from less land. This project will generate an enhanced capacity to rapidly develop new hybrid cereal varieties. The Australian community will benefit by having enhanced food security using less water and less land. The Australian community will also benefit because land and water will be released to the environment, or to support other industries and their communities, or to grow other crops. The wide environmental adaptation of these hybrid cereals will allow the Australian community to respond flexibly to adverse climatic changes. Read moreRead less
Developing molecular and physiological markers for marker-assisted barley breeding for waterlogging tolerance. The overall loss in crop production due to waterlogging is second largest after drought, and more than 5 million hectares in Australia are prone to waterlogging. This project will develop physiological and molecular markers allowing for the development of waterlogging tolerant crops, thus contributing to the National Goal of ‘Responding to Climate Change and Variability’.
Gene identification and functional characterization for metabolism-based herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum. Evolution of multiple herbicide resistance is widespread in Lolium rigidum in Australia. This resistance is very often endowed by enhanced rates of herbicide metabolism (metabolic resistance) involving cytochrome P450. This project aims to identify, clone and characterise important herbicide-metabolising P450 and other genes from multiple herbicide-resistant L. rigidum biotypes, and d ....Gene identification and functional characterization for metabolism-based herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum. Evolution of multiple herbicide resistance is widespread in Lolium rigidum in Australia. This resistance is very often endowed by enhanced rates of herbicide metabolism (metabolic resistance) involving cytochrome P450. This project aims to identify, clone and characterise important herbicide-metabolising P450 and other genes from multiple herbicide-resistant L. rigidum biotypes, and develop transcriptional and biochemical markers for metabolic resistance diagnosis. Herbicide-metabolising gene discovery, characterisation and marker development will greatly extend the currently limited knowledge and understanding of metabolic resistance and help achieve sustainable weed management.Read moreRead less
Genetic and environmental basis for endosperm hardness in malting barley. Barleys with a hard endosperm do not malt as well as other barleys, leading to under-modified malt. While malts may appear to be satisfactory by bulk chemical analysis, even relatively small amounts of under-modified malt causes problems in the brewing industry, such as slow filtration rates and increasing haze formation. We aim to examine two new procedures potentially useful in determining heterogeneity in barley hardn ....Genetic and environmental basis for endosperm hardness in malting barley. Barleys with a hard endosperm do not malt as well as other barleys, leading to under-modified malt. While malts may appear to be satisfactory by bulk chemical analysis, even relatively small amounts of under-modified malt causes problems in the brewing industry, such as slow filtration rates and increasing haze formation. We aim to examine two new procedures potentially useful in determining heterogeneity in barley hardness by examining single kernels, and investigating the role of barley variety and growing conditions on hardness.This project will aid in the production and selection of more uniform barleys for the malting and brewing industries.Read moreRead less
Assuring the microbial safety and quality of Australian malt and barley. This project aims to ensure that Australian malt and barley is 'clean' and free of undesirable micro-organisms that may produce mycotoxins and factors that impact on brewing efficiency and beer quality. The project will determine what is the typical microbial composition and load of Australian malt and barley grown in different environments and areas benchmarked against malting barley and malt grown internationally. A set ....Assuring the microbial safety and quality of Australian malt and barley. This project aims to ensure that Australian malt and barley is 'clean' and free of undesirable micro-organisms that may produce mycotoxins and factors that impact on brewing efficiency and beer quality. The project will determine what is the typical microbial composition and load of Australian malt and barley grown in different environments and areas benchmarked against malting barley and malt grown internationally. A set of diagnostic tools are expected to be developed. The successful execution of the project is expected to highlight that Australian malt and barley is of high quality so that the health of domestic customers is ensured and it attracts a premium from our export customers.Read moreRead less
New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. ....New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. However, the Australian gene pool has very limited genetic diversity in grain textures and thus possibly in pathogen resistance. The project will work out the science behind these two traits and identify lines with new variants of textures and pathogen resistances, thus greatly benefiting the national infrastructure and local primary industries.Read moreRead less