Domestication of blue-banded bees for greenhouse pollination. The tomato industry is currently shifting towards production in greenhouses, which allows climate control and improved pest management. A lack of pollinators is an obstacle to this move. This project will establish protocols for large-scale use of native blue-banded bees as pollinators in greenhouses, especially for tomatoes. Pollination by native bees increases fruit weight by 15%, comparable to the effects of bumblebees used overs ....Domestication of blue-banded bees for greenhouse pollination. The tomato industry is currently shifting towards production in greenhouses, which allows climate control and improved pest management. A lack of pollinators is an obstacle to this move. This project will establish protocols for large-scale use of native blue-banded bees as pollinators in greenhouses, especially for tomatoes. Pollination by native bees increases fruit weight by 15%, comparable to the effects of bumblebees used overseas. Significant economic, environmental and health benefits are expected from this project. The outcome will satisfy an industry need and remove an environmental threat by finding indigenous substitutes for alien bumblebees.Read moreRead less
Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources u ....Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources used to control Fusarium wilt. It will also improve our knowledge about the mechanisms plants use to defend themselves against Fusarium wilt diseases.Read moreRead less
Use of Organic Residues in Edible Mushroom Production. The aims are to develop growth and casing materials for mushroom production based on organic wastes. Casing peat is the most expensive raw ingredient used in mushroom production and there are major concerns over supply due to increasing environmental concerns in supplier countries and quarantine issues such as the recent foot and mouth outbreak in Europe. This project will develop alternatives to imported peats as casing materials and invest ....Use of Organic Residues in Edible Mushroom Production. The aims are to develop growth and casing materials for mushroom production based on organic wastes. Casing peat is the most expensive raw ingredient used in mushroom production and there are major concerns over supply due to increasing environmental concerns in supplier countries and quarantine issues such as the recent foot and mouth outbreak in Europe. This project will develop alternatives to imported peats as casing materials and investigate a range of organic residues which can be used as basic growth media for button and exotic mushrooms. This will increase the viability and sustainability of the mushroom industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Epidemiology of Phoma spp. complex and other foliar pathogens affecting pyrethrum. We will quantify the spectrum of fungal plant pathogens found on pyrethrum (Tanacetum cineariifolium L.) foliage and their relative impact on yield and pyrethrin assay. For those fungi having a significant impact on production (such as Phoma ligulicola) we will conduct detailed epidemiological studies to determine how disease levels change with environmental parameters and geographical factors. This study will a ....Epidemiology of Phoma spp. complex and other foliar pathogens affecting pyrethrum. We will quantify the spectrum of fungal plant pathogens found on pyrethrum (Tanacetum cineariifolium L.) foliage and their relative impact on yield and pyrethrin assay. For those fungi having a significant impact on production (such as Phoma ligulicola) we will conduct detailed epidemiological studies to determine how disease levels change with environmental parameters and geographical factors. This study will adapt radiometric technology for disease assessment in pyrethrum, and develop predictive models for disease development based on environmental conditions and furthermore, assess the effect of simulated climate change events on disease severity in the future.Read moreRead less
Towards a durable management strategy for ray blight in Tasmanian pyrethrum crops. This project will take a multi-factorial approach to the identification of edaphic factors and their collinearity for the prediction of foliar disease caused by the fungus, Phoma ligulicola in Tasmanian pyrethrum crops. This will allow implementation of a decision support system whereby disease management options may be weighed against site specific risk. Alternative management strategies to the current fungicid ....Towards a durable management strategy for ray blight in Tasmanian pyrethrum crops. This project will take a multi-factorial approach to the identification of edaphic factors and their collinearity for the prediction of foliar disease caused by the fungus, Phoma ligulicola in Tasmanian pyrethrum crops. This will allow implementation of a decision support system whereby disease management options may be weighed against site specific risk. Alternative management strategies to the current fungicide based system for control will also be assessed for their efficacy and role in mitigating site risk. The effect of cultural control methods such as cultivar mixtures and host resistance will be modelled on the spatio-temporal characteristics of the epidemic and compared to these in naturally occurring epidemics at specific sites.Read moreRead less
The response of mitochondria to oxidative stress in plants. Crops encounter many situations in their environment which place them under stress. Reactive oxygen molecules produced in these situations act as messengers to trigger defence mechanisms but also cause cellular damage. Mitochondria are the subcellular compartments involved in energy production and are essential for plant development and growth. However, they also have been implicated in the response of plants to stress and pathogen atta ....The response of mitochondria to oxidative stress in plants. Crops encounter many situations in their environment which place them under stress. Reactive oxygen molecules produced in these situations act as messengers to trigger defence mechanisms but also cause cellular damage. Mitochondria are the subcellular compartments involved in energy production and are essential for plant development and growth. However, they also have been implicated in the response of plants to stress and pathogen attack, and in production of reactive oxygen molecules. This proposal seeks to investigate how mitochondria are involved in these processes, focusing on the role of terminal oxidases. Potential outcomes include crops better able to cope with environmental stress.Read moreRead less
Meeting the challenges of Sclerotinia crown rot in a perennial production system - pyrethrum. The Australian pyrethrum industry has undergone rapid growth in the last decade, which has seen it become the second largest producer of natural insecticidal pyrethrins in the world. Current production supplies 60% of the global market, with further expansion planned. Sclerotinia crown rot is a major disease that results in plant death; reducing yields and the life of the perennial crop. This project ....Meeting the challenges of Sclerotinia crown rot in a perennial production system - pyrethrum. The Australian pyrethrum industry has undergone rapid growth in the last decade, which has seen it become the second largest producer of natural insecticidal pyrethrins in the world. Current production supplies 60% of the global market, with further expansion planned. Sclerotinia crown rot is a major disease that results in plant death; reducing yields and the life of the perennial crop. This project aims to develop more cost effective and environmentally sustainable methods of managing this disease. This will help to ensure consistent supply of pyrethrin to the world market, reduce the costs of production and increase the net return to growers.Read moreRead less
Improved olive productivity and the use of molecular markers. Sales of olive oil on international markets are growing at 15% per year, and the Australian industry is expanding rapidly to win some of this trade. Varietal identity is a major problem, which has production implications and this project will verify trueness-to type via genetic fingerprinting. Many olive cultivars require cross pollination for optimal production, and the research will identify compatible cultivars for the major variet ....Improved olive productivity and the use of molecular markers. Sales of olive oil on international markets are growing at 15% per year, and the Australian industry is expanding rapidly to win some of this trade. Varietal identity is a major problem, which has production implications and this project will verify trueness-to type via genetic fingerprinting. Many olive cultivars require cross pollination for optimal production, and the research will identify compatible cultivars for the major varieties. Molecular markers will be developed to accelerate the selection of improved varieties with self-fertility, high oleic acid, low linolenic acid and tolerance to Peacock spot disease.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0345743
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$210,000.00
Summary
Purchase of a Benchtop Triple Quadrupole Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer. This submission seeks funding to replace the existing 18 year old bench top gas chromatography/mass spectrometry instrument with a modern instrument, so providing the research community with a facility capable of meeting the increasingly more demanding analytical requirements of current research projects. The requested instrument will make a substantive contribution to improving research output. In comparison with th ....Purchase of a Benchtop Triple Quadrupole Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer. This submission seeks funding to replace the existing 18 year old bench top gas chromatography/mass spectrometry instrument with a modern instrument, so providing the research community with a facility capable of meeting the increasingly more demanding analytical requirements of current research projects. The requested instrument will make a substantive contribution to improving research output. In comparison with the existing instrument it will be 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive, enable an additional two forms of ionisation, have the capacity to perform 3 additional types of mass spectrometry experiments and will have manufacturer spares support.Read moreRead less
Plant Genes Conferring Resistance to Ultraviolet Radiation. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces DNA damage that can decrease plant growth and productivity. Our aim is to begin deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the UV resistance phenotype in plants by: 1) isolating genes that control processing of UV-induced DNA damage; 2) determining the influence of UV on gene activity; and 3) elucidating the functions and essential interactions of the gene products. The results of this study will help ....Plant Genes Conferring Resistance to Ultraviolet Radiation. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces DNA damage that can decrease plant growth and productivity. Our aim is to begin deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the UV resistance phenotype in plants by: 1) isolating genes that control processing of UV-induced DNA damage; 2) determining the influence of UV on gene activity; and 3) elucidating the functions and essential interactions of the gene products. The results of this study will help us understand how these genes operate to produce the UV resistance phenotype. This new knowledge will facilitate eventual engineering of plants to increase agricultural productivity by enhancing resistance to solar UV radiation.Read moreRead less