Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101296
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Accelerated genomic selection to speed up genetic gain in wheat. This project aims to design drought-resistant crops. Since the Green Revolution, rates of genetic gain for wheat yield have begun to plateau, while climate change threatens productivity and global food security. Numerous breeding technologies have emerged, including genomic selection, speed breeding, high-throughput phenotyping and crop modelling. This project will develop and validate crop improvement protocols by fusing these fou ....Accelerated genomic selection to speed up genetic gain in wheat. This project aims to design drought-resistant crops. Since the Green Revolution, rates of genetic gain for wheat yield have begun to plateau, while climate change threatens productivity and global food security. Numerous breeding technologies have emerged, including genomic selection, speed breeding, high-throughput phenotyping and crop modelling. This project will develop and validate crop improvement protocols by fusing these four technologies. More efficient breeding techniques could accelerate genetic gain in wheat beyond what is expected in ongoing breeding programs, and enable breeders to develop robust cereal varieties in the face of climate change.Read moreRead less
CropVision: A next-generation system for predicting crop production. Accurate and timely production estimates are essential to Australia’s grain producers and industry to better deal with down side risk caused by climate extremes and market volatilities. However, current systems for predicting crop production are inaccurate and unreliable. This project aims to develop a next generation system for advance and high accuracy predictions for yield, crop type and area at field scale. This will be don ....CropVision: A next-generation system for predicting crop production. Accurate and timely production estimates are essential to Australia’s grain producers and industry to better deal with down side risk caused by climate extremes and market volatilities. However, current systems for predicting crop production are inaccurate and unreliable. This project aims to develop a next generation system for advance and high accuracy predictions for yield, crop type and area at field scale. This will be done by integrating the state of the art global climate models (GCM), biophysical crop modelling, and high-resolution earth observation technologies. This project will deliver a next generation crop prediction system to predict crop production at field scale for improved decision-making and enhancing resilience.Read moreRead less
Crop genome complexity: sulphur metabolism and mustard pungency. This project aims to explain the molecular basis of crop plant plasticity in the context of a complex crop genome. It will determine how epigenetic mechanisms contribute to regulating the yield of a secondary metabolite harvested from mustard plants in response to variation in environmental factors. Specifically it will explore the relationship between sulphur metabolism and small RNA regulation of glucosinolates. The project shoul ....Crop genome complexity: sulphur metabolism and mustard pungency. This project aims to explain the molecular basis of crop plant plasticity in the context of a complex crop genome. It will determine how epigenetic mechanisms contribute to regulating the yield of a secondary metabolite harvested from mustard plants in response to variation in environmental factors. Specifically it will explore the relationship between sulphur metabolism and small RNA regulation of glucosinolates. The project should uncover the role that duplicated genetic loci and epigenetic marks play in regulating tissue-specific gene networks, particularly in field-grown environments. The project will explore how duplication of genes enables a crop such as mustard to respond to application of sulphur fertiliser and regulate the stockpiling of the 'hot' volatile oil in mustard seed, a valuable export commodity.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of a major quantitative trait locus on wheat chromosome 3BL responsible for Fusarium crown rot resistance. Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a serious wheat disease in Australia and worldwide. Our team has identified a major chromosome region controlling this disease. This project is proposing to develop DNA markers for marker assisted breeding, to understand the genetic mechanism of resistance and to identify genes responsible for resistance to the disease.
The Development of Microbial Inoculants as Biofertilisers for Rice, Wheat and Turf-Grass. Plant-microbial interactions can increase vegetative growth and crop yield. These PGPR effects result from improved N and P nutrition, stimulation of root growth, disease control, altered environmental conditions and, most importantly, positive interactions between all these. This project aims to develop plant growth promoting bacteria and fungi as commercial products. By matching microbes to plants and soi ....The Development of Microbial Inoculants as Biofertilisers for Rice, Wheat and Turf-Grass. Plant-microbial interactions can increase vegetative growth and crop yield. These PGPR effects result from improved N and P nutrition, stimulation of root growth, disease control, altered environmental conditions and, most importantly, positive interactions between all these. This project aims to develop plant growth promoting bacteria and fungi as commercial products. By matching microbes to plants and soil environments, a set of peat-based inoculants will be optimised for application as biofertilisers to field crops and turfgrass.
Potential applications are both rural and urban.
The outcomes will be proven commercial products able to promote plant growth and rapid recovery from adverse conditions.Read moreRead less
A soil ecological approach to increasing Australian crop productivity. The objective of this project is to use emerging genomics technologies to identify and characterize soil bacteria that allow the replacement of current agricultural fertilisers, which have significant environmental and economic disadvantages, with sustainable biological fertilisers. Soil bacteria can greatly enhance phosphate solubilization and hence availability for plant growth. Beneficial microbes will be identified from o ....A soil ecological approach to increasing Australian crop productivity. The objective of this project is to use emerging genomics technologies to identify and characterize soil bacteria that allow the replacement of current agricultural fertilisers, which have significant environmental and economic disadvantages, with sustainable biological fertilisers. Soil bacteria can greatly enhance phosphate solubilization and hence availability for plant growth. Beneficial microbes will be identified from our existing soil collection and their performance and persistence optimised. Concurrently, our industry partners will develop suitable microbial formulations for application. The outcomes of the project will be the use of biological fertilisers to enhance crop productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner.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
Development of eco-friendly alternatives for crop pest management. This project will produce novel insecticides to protect cotton and other crops from a range of economically damaging pests. It will lead to a more sustainable and eco-friendly cotton industry by reducing the dependence on chemical insecticides and genetically modified cotton plants.
Development of environmentally-friendly bioinsecticides for control of Australian crop pests. Insect pests cause over $3 billion of damage each year to Australian crops. Current insecticides are becoming less effective, and they often have adverse environmental impacts. This project aims to develop a new generation of environmentally-friendly insecticides that can be used to control insect pests on farms and around the home and garden.
Small molecules with large effect: The dual role of nitrogen-containing metabolites in stress tolerance and nutrient recycling. The main objective of this project is to identify drought and nutrient-deficiency responsive pathways in tolerant wheat and to provide markers to breeding programs that facilitate selection of superior breeding lines. This project builds on a pilot study conducted in rice in which tolerant-specific metabolites were identified which are representative of pathways relevan ....Small molecules with large effect: The dual role of nitrogen-containing metabolites in stress tolerance and nutrient recycling. The main objective of this project is to identify drought and nutrient-deficiency responsive pathways in tolerant wheat and to provide markers to breeding programs that facilitate selection of superior breeding lines. This project builds on a pilot study conducted in rice in which tolerant-specific metabolites were identified which are representative of pathways relevant for the protection of cells from damage through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and for nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, sugars) recycling under stress. Available data suggest that these pathways are also relevant in wheat. Quantitative metabolomics, genetics, and molecular tools will be used to deliver either DNA-based or metabolomics markers to breeders.Read moreRead less