Improved Indian Mustard for sustainable biodiesel production. There is an urgent need to reduce Australia's dependency on fossil fuels and to improve the sustainability of the Australian farming sector. The on-farm production of biodiesel will reduce farm input costs, reduce farmer dependency on fluctuations in fossil fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Indian mustard is drought tolerant and produces inedible oil suitable for biodiesel production. The genetic improvement of Indian mu ....Improved Indian Mustard for sustainable biodiesel production. There is an urgent need to reduce Australia's dependency on fossil fuels and to improve the sustainability of the Australian farming sector. The on-farm production of biodiesel will reduce farm input costs, reduce farmer dependency on fluctuations in fossil fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Indian mustard is drought tolerant and produces inedible oil suitable for biodiesel production. The genetic improvement of Indian mustard will provide farmers with a viable crop for biodiesel production and its bio-fumigation properties make it an effective addition to the crop rotation. Useful by-products include a natural insecticide and, once the glucosinolates are removed, meal suitable for animal feed. Read moreRead less
New crop on the block: The genetic control of hempseed nutritional quality. Hempseed, which is rich in polyunsaturated oils and high-quality protein, is emerging as a functional food crop across Australia. However, very little is known about the genetic control of oil and protein contents and composition, crucial characteristics for the optimization of hempseed productivity and quality for the Australian industry. A unique genetic resource of 120 diverse hemp accessions, many provided by our ind ....New crop on the block: The genetic control of hempseed nutritional quality. Hempseed, which is rich in polyunsaturated oils and high-quality protein, is emerging as a functional food crop across Australia. However, very little is known about the genetic control of oil and protein contents and composition, crucial characteristics for the optimization of hempseed productivity and quality for the Australian industry. A unique genetic resource of 120 diverse hemp accessions, many provided by our industry partner, will be used to define the genetics underpinning nutritional variation and associated genotype-by-environment interactions. This fundamental knowledge will lay the foundation for targeted breeding and best management practice, for the benefit of farmers, the hemp industry and health-conscious consumers.Read moreRead less
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.
Mining the rice genome for alleles of value in rice improvement. Food production and quality are determined by the varieties of food plants that are used in agriculture. A high quality rice genome sequence became available in 2005. This project will mine the data in the sequence to identify genes associated with key production and quality traits. New technologies and strategies will be developed and applied. The discoveries will be of value for the model crop, rice and for other cereal and foo ....Mining the rice genome for alleles of value in rice improvement. Food production and quality are determined by the varieties of food plants that are used in agriculture. A high quality rice genome sequence became available in 2005. This project will mine the data in the sequence to identify genes associated with key production and quality traits. New technologies and strategies will be developed and applied. The discoveries will be of value for the model crop, rice and for other cereal and food crops. Human health benefits from the availability of technologies to combine desirable nutritional traits and attractiveness to humans. This ensures healthy foods will be produced and consumed.Read moreRead less
Starting closer to home: disease control and the nonhost resistance paradigm in plants. The wellbeing of all humans depends upon plant production. This project will investigate the feasibility of transferring disease resistance genes among wheat, barley and oats, which account for 78 per cent of Australian grain production, to achieve sustained disease control, by dissecting the genetic bases of resistance to stem rust across these three crop species.
Developing Zn-dense, high-yielding wheat by molecular marker technology. The objective of this project is to identify pathways leading to the accumulation of zinc — an important element for human nutrition — in wheat. The project aims to provide biochemical and molecular markers for breeding programs that will facilitate the selection of superior breeding lines for improved human nutrition and seed health. This project builds on studies using a wheat diversity panel with 90 000 gene-based single ....Developing Zn-dense, high-yielding wheat by molecular marker technology. The objective of this project is to identify pathways leading to the accumulation of zinc — an important element for human nutrition — in wheat. The project aims to provide biochemical and molecular markers for breeding programs that will facilitate the selection of superior breeding lines for improved human nutrition and seed health. This project builds on studies using a wheat diversity panel with 90 000 gene-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, where zinc–SNP associations were identified. The project also builds on recent studies that show particular metabolites and macronutrients around anthesis are linked to improved grain zinc concentration at maturity.Read moreRead less
eSorghum as a bio-fuel feedstock for arid environments. Increasing fuel costs, finite resources and the need to develop more carbon neutral and cleaner fuels have created a need for renewable sources. Ethanol and future generation biofuels (butanol and more energy-rich alcohols) can be extracted from biomass sources. Sorghum is an ideal bioenergy feedstock in the hotter, drier areas of Northern Australia, where starch (grain), sugar and lignocellulose (stover) can be amassed in this water effi ....eSorghum as a bio-fuel feedstock for arid environments. Increasing fuel costs, finite resources and the need to develop more carbon neutral and cleaner fuels have created a need for renewable sources. Ethanol and future generation biofuels (butanol and more energy-rich alcohols) can be extracted from biomass sources. Sorghum is an ideal bioenergy feedstock in the hotter, drier areas of Northern Australia, where starch (grain), sugar and lignocellulose (stover) can be amassed in this water efficient plant. Identifying and manipulating the genes to enable the improvement of sorghum as a dedicated bioenergy crop, will enable the increased efficiency of the Australian biofuels industry and create sustainable rural industries.Read moreRead less
Development of novel cereal grain products for wheat and gluten intolerant Australians. Many Australians claim to have wheat or gluten intolerances and this has led to the growing demand for wheat and gluten free grain products. The most common problems reported by individuals relate to gut symptoms and chronic fatigue. There are a number of dietary factors in cereal products that may be responsible for triggering these symptoms including the presence of poorly absorbed carbohydrates and wheat g ....Development of novel cereal grain products for wheat and gluten intolerant Australians. Many Australians claim to have wheat or gluten intolerances and this has led to the growing demand for wheat and gluten free grain products. The most common problems reported by individuals relate to gut symptoms and chronic fatigue. There are a number of dietary factors in cereal products that may be responsible for triggering these symptoms including the presence of poorly absorbed carbohydrates and wheat gluten itself. This partnership between Monash University and George Weston Foods will develop novel food products that will be better tolerated by Australians reporting wheat and gluten intolerances. This will help provide the cereal industry with a competitive edge and improve the sustainability of the Australian agriculture sector.Read moreRead less
Development of drought tolerant, high protein legume for arid Australia. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the molecular basis of a non-proteinogenic amino acid toxin accumulation by using genomics and genome editing to produce a non-transgenic, protein rich legume. The significance of the outcomes will be a fundamental understanding of how non-proteinogenic amino acids are metabolised in plants and an inexpensive, high-protein feed for the pork and chicken industries thereby reducing p ....Development of drought tolerant, high protein legume for arid Australia. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the molecular basis of a non-proteinogenic amino acid toxin accumulation by using genomics and genome editing to produce a non-transgenic, protein rich legume. The significance of the outcomes will be a fundamental understanding of how non-proteinogenic amino acids are metabolised in plants and an inexpensive, high-protein feed for the pork and chicken industries thereby reducing production costs and increasing profitability. The outcomes from the research are fundamental knowledge of non-proteinogenic amino acid metabolism and turnkey approach to identify, engineer, test and produce value added crops. The benefits of the research are a multi-purpose crop for Australian crop and animal producers.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH130200027
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,308,668.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for genetic diversity and molecular breeding for wheat in a hot and dry climate. ARC Research Hub for genetic diversity and molecular breeding for wheat in a hot and dry climate. This Research Hub, in partnership with wheat breeding companies, aims to deliver advanced technologies, germplasm and information to produce new stress tolerant varieties. Genetic diversity and novel traits will be introduced from exotic germplasm and high-throughput field-phenotyping tools will be deve ....ARC Research Hub for genetic diversity and molecular breeding for wheat in a hot and dry climate. ARC Research Hub for genetic diversity and molecular breeding for wheat in a hot and dry climate. This Research Hub, in partnership with wheat breeding companies, aims to deliver advanced technologies, germplasm and information to produce new stress tolerant varieties. Genetic diversity and novel traits will be introduced from exotic germplasm and high-throughput field-phenotyping tools will be developed to assist in selection of superior lines. Strategic research will be targeted towards the development of wheat with combined heat and drought tolerance and maintenance of high grain protein.Read moreRead less