Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high dema ....Biofertiliser technology for improved yields and environmental sustainability of rice and wheat crops. Australia faces the double challenge of improving the efficiency of its crop production while minimising the agricultural impact on its fragile biodiversity. Our project will meet this challenge by providing the technology for using natural biofertilisers in cereal crops. This will reduce our heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers - with associated soil loss, salinity and acidity, and high demand on scarce water resources - and significantly increase our crop yields. Our advances will help Australian farmers to reduce the costs and increase the productivity of our substantial export crops while improving their environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100130
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$850,000.00
Summary
Systems biology: New generation DNA sequencing to functional analysis. The technique of DNA sequencing (or 'reading' the lines of the four repeating letters that make up the genetic code) illustrates how technological developments have become the main drivers in exploring the roles of genetic factors across a spectrum of research activities. Funding provided through this ARC grant will allow the purchase of the latest DNA sequencing platform, the Illumina Solexa, as well as equipment that will b ....Systems biology: New generation DNA sequencing to functional analysis. The technique of DNA sequencing (or 'reading' the lines of the four repeating letters that make up the genetic code) illustrates how technological developments have become the main drivers in exploring the roles of genetic factors across a spectrum of research activities. Funding provided through this ARC grant will allow the purchase of the latest DNA sequencing platform, the Illumina Solexa, as well as equipment that will be used to understand the biological function of the DNA sequencing results that are obtained. The equipment will allow Australian researchers to compete on an equal footing with the international leaders in understanding the roles played by genes in plants, microorganisms, animals and humans.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0452977
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,504.00
Summary
Upgrade and expansion of Newcastle Plant Growth Facility. The project will upgrade and expand the Newcastle Plant Growth Facility. The upgrades will improve glasshouse environments for the production of high quality plant material. This outcome will be achieved through increasing solar transmittance and more effective temperature control. Expansion will address unmet demand for standard and PC2 plant growth space. Together the infrastructure additions will enhance productivity and excellence ....Upgrade and expansion of Newcastle Plant Growth Facility. The project will upgrade and expand the Newcastle Plant Growth Facility. The upgrades will improve glasshouse environments for the production of high quality plant material. This outcome will be achieved through increasing solar transmittance and more effective temperature control. Expansion will address unmet demand for standard and PC2 plant growth space. Together the infrastructure additions will enhance productivity and excellence of core areas of plant biology research at Newcastle in nutrient transport, cell development as well as environment management and rehabilitation . In addition, they will underpin new collaborative initiatives at the interfaces between plant biology with transgenic delivery of reproductive vaccines and phytoremediation.Read moreRead less
Fruit fly pests in northwestern Australia: invasion, hybridisation or evolution? In northwestern Australia, recent events suggest that a new and serious fruit fly pest is now present, wher previously none existed. Due to difficulties in accurate identification, we do not know whether these new pest fruit flies are endemic fruit flies that have changed their behaviour, invasions of Queensland fruit fly, or hybrids between them. This project will use DNA microsatellites to distinguish between th ....Fruit fly pests in northwestern Australia: invasion, hybridisation or evolution? In northwestern Australia, recent events suggest that a new and serious fruit fly pest is now present, wher previously none existed. Due to difficulties in accurate identification, we do not know whether these new pest fruit flies are endemic fruit flies that have changed their behaviour, invasions of Queensland fruit fly, or hybrids between them. This project will use DNA microsatellites to distinguish between these possibilities. It will also establish whether the different species involved are actually different species, or should be regarded merely as different races. Such distinctions are important both scientifically and for export quarantine purposes.Read moreRead less
Regulation of photosynthesis by phosphorus in Australia’s C3 and C4 tropical grasses. Tropical grasses with distinctly different photosynthetic biochemistry (C3 and C4) dominate Australia's vast tropical grasslands. The soils of this ancient landscape are chronically low in the mineral nutrient phosphorus that plays a crucial role in regulating photosynthesis. The project will use an integrated experimental approach and novel techniques such as metabolomics to unravel and define the intricate ....Regulation of photosynthesis by phosphorus in Australia’s C3 and C4 tropical grasses. Tropical grasses with distinctly different photosynthetic biochemistry (C3 and C4) dominate Australia's vast tropical grasslands. The soils of this ancient landscape are chronically low in the mineral nutrient phosphorus that plays a crucial role in regulating photosynthesis. The project will use an integrated experimental approach and novel techniques such as metabolomics to unravel and define the intricate mechanisms by which phosphorus regulates the complex photosynthetic biochemistry of C4 grasses. The new scientific knowledge generated by the project will be used for pasture management models to ensure that successful strategies are implemented to reduce soil loss from our fragile grasslands.Read moreRead less
A novel signalling pathway in plant cells: the phospholipase-microtubule link. Plant development is closely linked to a dynamic network of microtubules and associated proteins. The network responds to a variety of hormonal and environmental signals, although the details of the signalling mechanism are unclear. Recently we made an outstanding discovery - a unique phospholipase D, a key signal-transducing enzyme that links the plasma membrane to the microtubule network. This project aims to def ....A novel signalling pathway in plant cells: the phospholipase-microtubule link. Plant development is closely linked to a dynamic network of microtubules and associated proteins. The network responds to a variety of hormonal and environmental signals, although the details of the signalling mechanism are unclear. Recently we made an outstanding discovery - a unique phospholipase D, a key signal-transducing enzyme that links the plasma membrane to the microtubule network. This project aims to define the molecular details of this novel signal-transduction pathway and establish how external signals modulate developmental events or initiate protective responses such as resistance to drought or pathogen attack.Read moreRead less
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
Investigations of signals involved in redox-regulation of carbon storage. This project seeks molecular understanding of signals optimising storage processes in plants in response to nutrient supply and environmental stress. Discovering regulatory signals that control carbon storage and yield will maintain Australia's international reputation in this field of research and may provide technical opportunities to improve crops in healthy or stressful environments. This is an issue of increasing impo ....Investigations of signals involved in redox-regulation of carbon storage. This project seeks molecular understanding of signals optimising storage processes in plants in response to nutrient supply and environmental stress. Discovering regulatory signals that control carbon storage and yield will maintain Australia's international reputation in this field of research and may provide technical opportunities to improve crops in healthy or stressful environments. This is an issue of increasing importance especially in the context of global warming. Read moreRead less
Phloem unloading of sucrose: cloning, functional characterisation and regulation of novel membrane transporters. Sucrose is the principal form in which plant biomass, produced in photosynthetic leaves, is transported to non-photosynthetic organs for growth and storage. Sucrose transport proteins play pivotal roles in facilitating sucrose transport around plants. Hence activities of sucrose transporters directly impact on plant growth rates and crop yields. Our aim is to isolate hitherto unkno ....Phloem unloading of sucrose: cloning, functional characterisation and regulation of novel membrane transporters. Sucrose is the principal form in which plant biomass, produced in photosynthetic leaves, is transported to non-photosynthetic organs for growth and storage. Sucrose transport proteins play pivotal roles in facilitating sucrose transport around plants. Hence activities of sucrose transporters directly impact on plant growth rates and crop yields. Our aim is to isolate hitherto unknown membrane proteins that move sucrose at high rates between cells and discover their transport properties. Expected outcomes are to better understand mechanisms and regulation of sucrose transport and hence provide novel opportunities to enhance crop yield. The project will foster a productive international collaboration.Read moreRead less
Plant Transfer Cells - Discovering the Mechanisms of Wall Ingrowth Formation. This project seeks fundamental molecular understanding of how specialized plant cells that are designed for optimum transport of nutrients develop. So-called "transfer cells" are important for efficient nutrient transport and distribution in many crop species of significance to agriculture. Discovering the mechanisms that coordinate development of these specialized cells will maintain Australia's international reputat ....Plant Transfer Cells - Discovering the Mechanisms of Wall Ingrowth Formation. This project seeks fundamental molecular understanding of how specialized plant cells that are designed for optimum transport of nutrients develop. So-called "transfer cells" are important for efficient nutrient transport and distribution in many crop species of significance to agriculture. Discovering the mechanisms that coordinate development of these specialized cells will maintain Australia's international reputation in this field of research, as well as provide technological opportunities to enhance crop yields by manipulating the efficiency of nutrient distribution in crop species. Read moreRead less