Control of sucrose source/sink status by the plant immune system. This project aims to investigate the roles of plant malectin receptor kinases in pathogen recognition and response. The project will utilise molecular and cell biological tools to detect complex formation and changes in sugar import into cells. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of how pathogens manipulate plant cells to their benefit, and greater knowledge of which host molecules participate in this ....Control of sucrose source/sink status by the plant immune system. This project aims to investigate the roles of plant malectin receptor kinases in pathogen recognition and response. The project will utilise molecular and cell biological tools to detect complex formation and changes in sugar import into cells. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of how pathogens manipulate plant cells to their benefit, and greater knowledge of which host molecules participate in this process. This should provide significant benefits such as a new theoretical basis to engineer crop plants for resistance against devastating diseases.Read moreRead less
Context dependent flower choice in honey bees. This project aims to discover the strategies honey bees use when choosing between multiple flowers. The choices that honey bees make about which flowers to visit and which to avoid has significant impacts on crop yields, the spread of invasive weeds, and the conservation of native plants. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of behavioural and pollination ecology through a combination of field experiments and modelling. Expec ....Context dependent flower choice in honey bees. This project aims to discover the strategies honey bees use when choosing between multiple flowers. The choices that honey bees make about which flowers to visit and which to avoid has significant impacts on crop yields, the spread of invasive weeds, and the conservation of native plants. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of behavioural and pollination ecology through a combination of field experiments and modelling. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity in the field of pollination ecology, and new insight into flower preferences in the world’s most important commercial pollinator. This should provide significant benefits to food production and security as one third of the world’s crops benefit from insect pollination.Read moreRead less
Improving plant reproductive success under heat stress: A sweet approach. This project aims to determine how genetic manipulation of cell wall invertase (CWIN) activity could regulate pollen germination, elongation and fruit set under heat stress using tomato as a model. Plant reproductive processes are highly susceptible to heat stress, which often leads to pollination failure and fruit and seed abortion, hence irreversible yield loss. Research has established that CWIN-mediated sugar metabolis ....Improving plant reproductive success under heat stress: A sweet approach. This project aims to determine how genetic manipulation of cell wall invertase (CWIN) activity could regulate pollen germination, elongation and fruit set under heat stress using tomato as a model. Plant reproductive processes are highly susceptible to heat stress, which often leads to pollination failure and fruit and seed abortion, hence irreversible yield loss. Research has established that CWIN-mediated sugar metabolism and signaling may play crucial roles in pollen growth and fruit set under heat stress. The intended outcome is the generation of critical knowledge that will advance understanding on reproductive development under heat stress, thereby providing significant benefits, such as novel ideas and solutions for improving crop yield.Read moreRead less
Food System Shocks: Managing Transitions to Future Food Security. Recent food system shocks such as bushfires, floods, drought, and the impact of Covid-19 on the harvesting and distribution of agricultural products, are having profound on-farm impacts. Farmers, as land managers, are on the front line of navigating these major disruptions whilst also maintaining continuity of supply that supports Australia's national and regional food security. Situating the farmer as the 'expert' of managing and ....Food System Shocks: Managing Transitions to Future Food Security. Recent food system shocks such as bushfires, floods, drought, and the impact of Covid-19 on the harvesting and distribution of agricultural products, are having profound on-farm impacts. Farmers, as land managers, are on the front line of navigating these major disruptions whilst also maintaining continuity of supply that supports Australia's national and regional food security. Situating the farmer as the 'expert' of managing and accommodating shocks, this project will co-produce a range of evidence-based transition and innovation scenarios for the horticultural industry to enhance future preparedness for shocks and support rural livelihoods. Read moreRead less
Structure and metabolism of bioactive carbohydrates from brown algae. Brown algae produce a diversity of species-specific carbohydrates in their cell walls that exhibit a variety of biological activities that can be exploited for the development of functional food and biopharmaceutical formulations. However, the metabolic pathways responsible for the biosynthesis of these carbohydrates are poorly characterised. This multidisciplinary project aims to understand the molecular events that control t ....Structure and metabolism of bioactive carbohydrates from brown algae. Brown algae produce a diversity of species-specific carbohydrates in their cell walls that exhibit a variety of biological activities that can be exploited for the development of functional food and biopharmaceutical formulations. However, the metabolic pathways responsible for the biosynthesis of these carbohydrates are poorly characterised. This multidisciplinary project aims to understand the molecular events that control the structure and metabolism of bioactive carbohydrates in the prominent Australian brown alga Ecklonia radiata, with particular focus on alginates and fucoidans. This knowledge will be used to produce in yeast bioactive oligosaccharides that are of high commercial interest to the biopharmaceutical industry.Read moreRead less
High-throughput single-molecule directed evolution. DNA polymerases are essential enzymes in many biotechnological tools, including DNA sequencing and PCR tests. However, existing DNA polymerases have limitations, resulting in inaccuracies and inefficiencies. Existing methods to improve polymerases lack sensitivity to screen for subtle, yet pivotal traits. This project aims to overcome this limitation by developing a new single-molecule directed-evolution system to evolve better polymerases. Wit ....High-throughput single-molecule directed evolution. DNA polymerases are essential enzymes in many biotechnological tools, including DNA sequencing and PCR tests. However, existing DNA polymerases have limitations, resulting in inaccuracies and inefficiencies. Existing methods to improve polymerases lack sensitivity to screen for subtle, yet pivotal traits. This project aims to overcome this limitation by developing a new single-molecule directed-evolution system to evolve better polymerases. With this new technology we aim to identify DNA polymerases with improved performance that benefit biotechnological applications. Additionally, these single-molecule directed-evolution methods will benefit the wider scientific community and lay the foundation for further advances in directed evolution.Read moreRead less
A Concurrent Multiscale Model for Improved Prediction of Drying Process. This project aims to develop an innovative multiscale model for food drying, which integrates spatial and temporal nonlinear behaviours at different scales. The proposed unifying theory will capture dynamic micro level features and upscale them to macro level features through a concurrent bridging scheme. As cellular elements critically govern the drying process, the fundamental understanding captured through this theory wi ....A Concurrent Multiscale Model for Improved Prediction of Drying Process. This project aims to develop an innovative multiscale model for food drying, which integrates spatial and temporal nonlinear behaviours at different scales. The proposed unifying theory will capture dynamic micro level features and upscale them to macro level features through a concurrent bridging scheme. As cellular elements critically govern the drying process, the fundamental understanding captured through this theory will lead to more accurate prediction of drying kinetics, deformation and quality changes, and hence the development of efficient drying systems. This project will overcome a longstanding research problem and position Australia at the forefront in world drying research to reap substantial economic benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking. This project aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and to define the polysaccharide product associated with them. Successful identification of the polysaccharide is highly likely to increase our fundamental understanding of how cell walls are made, how cells stick together or fall apart as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of cell wall biologists in challenging molecular and ....Novel cell wall genes ripe for the picking. This project aims to investigate the role of recently discovered plant cellulose synthase-like CslM genes and to define the polysaccharide product associated with them. Successful identification of the polysaccharide is highly likely to increase our fundamental understanding of how cell walls are made, how cells stick together or fall apart as well as facilitating the training of the next generation of cell wall biologists in challenging molecular and biochemical techniques. This new knowledge could increase our understanding of fruit ripening, and how it might be manipulated. This could have significant downstream commercial benefits if applied to breeding programs of economically important fruit such as grapes, tomatoes and strawberries.Read moreRead less
Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will p ....Channels for improved crop salt and water stress tolerance. Water and salt are critical factors for the Australian agricultural industry. Crops use proteins called aquaporins to move water across cell membranes, and a newly discovered subset of these proteins can also transport salts. This project aims to reveal the molecular pathways that regulate water and salt transport via aquaporins using multidisciplinary techniques in genetics, molecular biology and electrophysiology. These results will provide novel insights into how plants coordinate and adapt to changing water and salt conditions, answering key questions in plant physiology. Benefits include an expanded, innovative range of targets for plant breeding programs to improve plant productivity in our changing climate.Read moreRead less
Transforming Australian bio-based industries through multiscale modelling. Agricultural and forestry biomass can be converted into feedstocks for production of biofuels and biomaterials via synthetic biology. A key challenge is the complex biomass microstructure renders it highly resistant to conversion, and pretreatment is crucial for enhancing process efficiency. Micro-CT imaging will enable particle characterisation and identification of changes in the fibre composition during pretreatment. T ....Transforming Australian bio-based industries through multiscale modelling. Agricultural and forestry biomass can be converted into feedstocks for production of biofuels and biomaterials via synthetic biology. A key challenge is the complex biomass microstructure renders it highly resistant to conversion, and pretreatment is crucial for enhancing process efficiency. Micro-CT imaging will enable particle characterisation and identification of changes in the fibre composition during pretreatment. This information will be used to create a virtual biomass particle model for an in silico investigation to inform optimal process design. The framework will transform the way biomass is processed, contributing to the growth of the Australian bio-manufacturing industry by making it more productive, profitable and sustainable.Read moreRead less