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
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
Harnessing genetic diversity for complex traits. Genetic diversity underpins crop improvement but has become increasingly narrow in our major crops. Strategies exist for mobilising simple traits (e.g. disease resistance) from wild accessions or landraces into cultivars, but there are no effective approaches for introducing complex traits, including stress tolerance or components of yield. Using barley as an important crop and a genetic model, the project aims to address this problem by applying ....Harnessing genetic diversity for complex traits. Genetic diversity underpins crop improvement but has become increasingly narrow in our major crops. Strategies exist for mobilising simple traits (e.g. disease resistance) from wild accessions or landraces into cultivars, but there are no effective approaches for introducing complex traits, including stress tolerance or components of yield. Using barley as an important crop and a genetic model, the project aims to address this problem by applying a novel approach; partial redomestication of wild accessions by introgressing genes required for modern farming, then evaluating the resulting partially adapted germplasm in hybrids with elite cultivars. The project expects to generate new and diverse germplasm pools for breeding.Read moreRead less
The genetic and molecular organisation of the self incompatibility gene region in the grasses. Self-incompatibility (SI) is a cell-cell recognition process used by plants to prevent self-pollination and force outcrossing. It is widespread, occurring in a third of plant families. Although studies of SI go back to the 1800s, the origin of SI remains a mystery. Recent advances in the molecular characterisation of SI loci in some species has re-ignited debate on its origins but has provided few answ ....The genetic and molecular organisation of the self incompatibility gene region in the grasses. Self-incompatibility (SI) is a cell-cell recognition process used by plants to prevent self-pollination and force outcrossing. It is widespread, occurring in a third of plant families. Although studies of SI go back to the 1800s, the origin of SI remains a mystery. Recent advances in the molecular characterisation of SI loci in some species has re-ignited debate on its origins but has provided few answers. This project uses the grasses to explore the origins of SI. As a model system, the grasses offer detailed genetic and molecular data and aspects of floral architecture associated with SI can be investigatedRead 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.
Plant transformation: exploiting anti-apoptosis genes for very high efficiency transformation. Crop improvement through genetic modification depends on the ability to transform target species. The most desirable method is Agrobacterium mediated transformation. However, plant species and cultivars differ significantly in their ability to be efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium. This is particularly true for the economically important cereals. We have discovered that anti-apoptosis genes, whic ....Plant transformation: exploiting anti-apoptosis genes for very high efficiency transformation. Crop improvement through genetic modification depends on the ability to transform target species. The most desirable method is Agrobacterium mediated transformation. However, plant species and cultivars differ significantly in their ability to be efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium. This is particularly true for the economically important cereals. We have discovered that anti-apoptosis genes, which inhibit programmed cell death, dramatically increase the Agrobacterium transformation efficiency in bananas and sugarcane. We will utilise this information and develop the use of these genes to increase the efficiency of transformation in those crops and cultivars that are difficult to transform using Agrobacterium.Read moreRead less
Molecular switches and genetic consequences of grain retention in cereals. Grain retention at maturity was key for crop domestication and laid the basis for farming. Wheat and barley have evolved a novel mechanism for ensuring grain retention and, although the genes are known, the mechanisms for action are not. Grain dispersal in the wild relatives involves highly targeted changes in the walls of a small number of cells. This project will explore how the two identified genes control this proces ....Molecular switches and genetic consequences of grain retention in cereals. Grain retention at maturity was key for crop domestication and laid the basis for farming. Wheat and barley have evolved a novel mechanism for ensuring grain retention and, although the genes are known, the mechanisms for action are not. Grain dispersal in the wild relatives involves highly targeted changes in the walls of a small number of cells. This project will explore how the two identified genes control this process and clarify their mode of action. The genes ensuring grain retention have been so critical for domestication that the region surrounding them has become genetically fixed. The project will assess the implication of fixation on genetic diversity and develop options to bring novel variation into breeding programs.Read moreRead less
New strategies for reducing the concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in crop plants. The research is directed at reducing the concentrations in crops of cadmium and arsenic, two elements that accumulate in humans and can have a range of toxic effects. The results will have widespread implications for improving health in Australia, but are expected to have an even greater impact on populations in parts of Asia where contamination of soil and water by these elements is most severe. The project wi ....New strategies for reducing the concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in crop plants. The research is directed at reducing the concentrations in crops of cadmium and arsenic, two elements that accumulate in humans and can have a range of toxic effects. The results will have widespread implications for improving health in Australia, but are expected to have an even greater impact on populations in parts of Asia where contamination of soil and water by these elements is most severe. The project will train two junior scientists and foster scientific links with China. Read moreRead less
Cereal blueprints for a water-limited world. This project aims to demonstrate that key developmental genes in cereals can be manipulated to design plant architecture for specific resource-limited environments. Producing more food with less water is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. This project expects to increase understanding of how shoot and root systems can be uncoupled to enhance crop adaptation in water-limited environments using an accelerated genome editing approach. ....Cereal blueprints for a water-limited world. This project aims to demonstrate that key developmental genes in cereals can be manipulated to design plant architecture for specific resource-limited environments. Producing more food with less water is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. This project expects to increase understanding of how shoot and root systems can be uncoupled to enhance crop adaptation in water-limited environments using an accelerated genome editing approach. An expected outcome of the project is enhanced drought adaptation for cereals in a dry world. This should provide significant benefits to farmers and consumers in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing wheat evolution using ancient DNA. The domestication of wild grasses by farmers was a step change in human history; it led to the emergence of modern cereals and with them, western civilisation. This project will apply modern DNA sequencing methods to 5000-year-old cereal seeds to reconstruct the history of wheat, barley and other crops, and identify lost ancient forms and diversity.