Profitable plantations of blue mallee for essential oil production. This project will develop the methods and knowledge required for establishing plantations of eucalypts (blue mallee) with very high and economically viable yields of eucalyptus oil. It is expected that the research will underpin an expansion of the essential oil industry both in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia.
Maximising the essential oil yield of blue mallee plantations. Felton, Grimwade and Bickford Pty Ltd will collaborate with us to develop plant material and methods for establishing profitable plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) for eucalyptus oil production. This is important because, as a result of recent legislation, the forest patches currently used in oil production will soon be unavailable to the company. We will also investigate the physiological and biochemical mechanism ....Maximising the essential oil yield of blue mallee plantations. Felton, Grimwade and Bickford Pty Ltd will collaborate with us to develop plant material and methods for establishing profitable plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) for eucalyptus oil production. This is important because, as a result of recent legislation, the forest patches currently used in oil production will soon be unavailable to the company. We will also investigate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying oil quality and quantity in blue mallee. This knowledge will assist the industry in the longer term by allowing them to improve and modify their products in response to changes in market demands.Read moreRead less
Developing eucalypt plantations for pharmaceutical flavanone production. The project aims to produce the tools and knowledge required to establish plantations of mallee eucalypts for the production of pinocembrin and structurally related flavanones. This is important because these flavanones have been shown to have a range of medicinal applications, including treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. The research plans to focus on producing and establishing trees with improved flavano ....Developing eucalypt plantations for pharmaceutical flavanone production. The project aims to produce the tools and knowledge required to establish plantations of mallee eucalypts for the production of pinocembrin and structurally related flavanones. This is important because these flavanones have been shown to have a range of medicinal applications, including treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. The research plans to focus on producing and establishing trees with improved flavanone content and growth rates, and on understanding the biochemical mechanisms that underlie flavanone production and structural modification. Expected outcomes include supporting the development of profitable plantations in rural Australia and the establishment of plantations more widely in southern Australia, especially on marginal land.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the essential oil yield of clonal blue mallee plantations. Production of high quality eucalyptus oil in Victoria involves sustainable harvesting of foliage from public land. A recent review of land use by the Victorian Government has required that, over the next few years, oil producers move their harvesting operations into plantations on private land. This project will assist producers by developing methods for establishing plantations of eucalypts (blue mallee) with very high and e ....Enhancing the essential oil yield of clonal blue mallee plantations. Production of high quality eucalyptus oil in Victoria involves sustainable harvesting of foliage from public land. A recent review of land use by the Victorian Government has required that, over the next few years, oil producers move their harvesting operations into plantations on private land. This project will assist producers by developing methods for establishing plantations of eucalypts (blue mallee) with very high and economically viable yields of eucalyptus oil. This research will help restore Victoria's position as one of the major producers of high quality eucalyptus oil. Read moreRead less
Adding value to blue mallee plantations. The project aims to develop the tools and knowledge required for establishing and enhancing the profitability of plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea). This is important because mallees have considerable potential for sustainable essential oil and biomass production in low rainfall regions, and they can sequester considerable amounts of carbon in their below-ground parts. The project intends to produce trees with improved oil quality and yie ....Adding value to blue mallee plantations. The project aims to develop the tools and knowledge required for establishing and enhancing the profitability of plantations of blue mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea). This is important because mallees have considerable potential for sustainable essential oil and biomass production in low rainfall regions, and they can sequester considerable amounts of carbon in their below-ground parts. The project intends to produce trees with improved oil quality and yields through chromosome doubling and breeding, and to dissect the mechanisms that underpin essential oil production through the production of mutants and studies of the main monoterpene producing enzyme.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC150100004
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,630,239.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Forest Value. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value. This training centre aims to build capacity to transform the Australian forest products sector by providing advanced training and research. In particular, it aims to train a workforce capable of improving resource utilisation and creating value at all stages along the forest-to-building supply chain. This should allow the sector to exploit emerging markets in the use of renewable materials. The centre’s partners range fr ....ARC Training Centre for Forest Value. ARC Training Centre for Forest Value. This training centre aims to build capacity to transform the Australian forest products sector by providing advanced training and research. In particular, it aims to train a workforce capable of improving resource utilisation and creating value at all stages along the forest-to-building supply chain. This should allow the sector to exploit emerging markets in the use of renewable materials. The centre’s partners range from forest managers to architects and engineers, to ensure a flow of information from forest to design and manufacture. The centre’s research, and the industry-ready graduates produced, should increase industry productivity, profitability and sustainability, and enable increased returns from Australia’s forests.Read moreRead less
Functional genetic analysis of wood formation genes in Eucalyptus. Eucalypts are the world's most important plantation hardwood species due to their superior wood characteristics and high growth rates that make them excellent carbon sequestration platforms. Australia is the custodian of the world's natural eucalypt resource and our results will assist in their sustainable use with the potential to transform the national forestry industry by helping to streamline tree improvement efforts. This wi ....Functional genetic analysis of wood formation genes in Eucalyptus. Eucalypts are the world's most important plantation hardwood species due to their superior wood characteristics and high growth rates that make them excellent carbon sequestration platforms. Australia is the custodian of the world's natural eucalypt resource and our results will assist in their sustainable use with the potential to transform the national forestry industry by helping to streamline tree improvement efforts. This will be achieved by increasing our understanding of the development and production of wood, which will lead to increased productivity (more and better quality wood from less land). Custom designed wood also holds much promise for the production of novel biopolymers and as a renewable source for improved biofuels.Read moreRead less
A new integrated approach for ecologically sustainable forest management. As harvested regions can maintain high levels of biodiversity, forestry has moved away from conservation in large reserves, and instead focuses on creating a dynamic mosaic of harvested and unharvested forest. However, designing this mosaic poses complex problems. This project aims to identify underlying patterns and processes determining how forest biodiversity is distributed and use this information to develop decision m ....A new integrated approach for ecologically sustainable forest management. As harvested regions can maintain high levels of biodiversity, forestry has moved away from conservation in large reserves, and instead focuses on creating a dynamic mosaic of harvested and unharvested forest. However, designing this mosaic poses complex problems. This project aims to identify underlying patterns and processes determining how forest biodiversity is distributed and use this information to develop decision models to underpin sustainable forest management plans. Existing and new evidence will be used, the latter derived from three innovative approaches for more efficient and cost effective biodiversity assessment: remote sensing of plants, next generation DNA technology of beetles and analysis of acoustic recording of birds.Read moreRead less
Improved growth of Pinus radiata through better modelling and management of photosynthesis and respiration. This research will use recently developed technologies to deliver the first comprehensive analysis of the effects of thinning and fertilizer on distribution of photosynthetically active proteins and nitrogenous metabolites in P. radiata. We seek to develop mechanistic and empirical understandings of photosynthesis, respiration, water use and growth and thus better model and predict effec ....Improved growth of Pinus radiata through better modelling and management of photosynthesis and respiration. This research will use recently developed technologies to deliver the first comprehensive analysis of the effects of thinning and fertilizer on distribution of photosynthetically active proteins and nitrogenous metabolites in P. radiata. We seek to develop mechanistic and empirical understandings of photosynthesis, respiration, water use and growth and thus better model and predict effects of management actions on yield of commercial softwood plantations. We will also apply similarly new but complementary and compatible technologies to assess photosynthesis, water use and respiration characteristics of a range of P. radiata genotypes of known growth potential. Our aim here is to develop new tools to help selection of high-yielding genotypes. The data collected will again be used to inform our development of a new growth model where the 'driver' of growth is respiration and where hydraulic architecture and soil water balance limits photosynthesis and water use.
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Climate-proofing southeastern Australia's native forests: where, when, and how? Changing environmental conditions and forest fragmentation threaten the ability of native forest species to regenerate or migrate. Using unique long–term datasets and novel statistical analyses, this project will assess future risks to forest regeneration after logging, bushfires, and land abandonment.