Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but l ....Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but less available to plants. How plants can best access organic nitrogen will be explored, based on our recent discovery that plants can use protein as a nitrogen source for growth. The project will produce essential knowledge for nitrogen-efficient bioproduction.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of arsenic tolerance in plants: how do symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi reduce uptake? Arsenic contamination of soil is a major problem caused by irrigation with contaminated ground-water, mining and application of pesticides. Plant uptake leads to entry into food chains, with severe consequences for crop growth and human health. This project will aid the search for mechanisms to reduce plant arsenic accumulation by exploring roles of beneficial plant-fungus symbioses in r ....Mechanisms of arsenic tolerance in plants: how do symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi reduce uptake? Arsenic contamination of soil is a major problem caused by irrigation with contaminated ground-water, mining and application of pesticides. Plant uptake leads to entry into food chains, with severe consequences for crop growth and human health. This project will aid the search for mechanisms to reduce plant arsenic accumulation by exploring roles of beneficial plant-fungus symbioses in reducing uptake. Results will be relevant to most crop plants, because of the widespread occurrence of the symbioses. The project will enhance collaboration with China where arsenic toxicity is prevalent, provide education and training in an internationally recognised laboratory and enhance Australia's reputation for tackling soil contamination.Read moreRead less
Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian ag ....Controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of higher plants by manipulating processes in specific cell types in the roots. This project will provide novel, fundamental understanding of the processes controlling accumulation of elements in the shoots of plants. As such, it will impact on our understanding of processes relevant to stress tolerance, plant nutrition, human nutrition and the removal of toxic metals from soils by plants. These are all areas of great importance to Australian agriculture, environmental sustainability and human health. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Development of advanced screening protocols for the identification of genes involved in nutrient sensing and nutrient efficiency in plants. Sustainable plant production in Australia builds on the concept of stable crop yield and high crop quality at low pesticide and fertilizer input. This requires a more efficient use of the plant's own mechanisms to efficiently explore nutrient patches in soils that are usually heterogeneously distributed. The identification of nutrient sensors in plants will ....Development of advanced screening protocols for the identification of genes involved in nutrient sensing and nutrient efficiency in plants. Sustainable plant production in Australia builds on the concept of stable crop yield and high crop quality at low pesticide and fertilizer input. This requires a more efficient use of the plant's own mechanisms to efficiently explore nutrient patches in soils that are usually heterogeneously distributed. The identification of nutrient sensors in plants will not only allow a deeper understanding of how plants manage to overcome nutrient-poor growth periods but also open new possibilities for enhancing nutrient efficiency in crop plants. The increased understanding arising from this project will underpin future work to increase agricultural productivity and the quality of life for all in the Australian and international communities.Read moreRead less
Ion transporters regulating plant adaptive responses to salinity and the modes of their control by compatible solutes in plant cells. Plants respond to saline conditions by a significant elevation in the level of compatible solutes in the cytosol. It appears that these solutes are not directly involved in conventional osmoprotection, but instead have a regulatory role in cell metabolism. This project will apply a range of state-of-the-art biophysical and molecular techniques to investigate the m ....Ion transporters regulating plant adaptive responses to salinity and the modes of their control by compatible solutes in plant cells. Plants respond to saline conditions by a significant elevation in the level of compatible solutes in the cytosol. It appears that these solutes are not directly involved in conventional osmoprotection, but instead have a regulatory role in cell metabolism. This project will apply a range of state-of-the-art biophysical and molecular techniques to investigate the modes of control exercised by compatible solutes over the activity of major plasma membrane transporters involved in plant adaptive responses to salinity. The work will substantially advance our understanding of salt tolerance and will provide a sound basis for genetic engineering of salt tolerant crops.Read moreRead less
Salinity tolerance and long-distance transport in cereals. The aim of this program is to alter shoot accumulation of solutes in cereals by exploiting novel transgenic technology to manipulate processes in specific cell types in the roots. The primary objective is the generation of cereals which have increased tolerance of saline soils. This is clearly of much agricultural significance in Australia. More general outcomes include the generation of plants with altered concentrations of a range of n ....Salinity tolerance and long-distance transport in cereals. The aim of this program is to alter shoot accumulation of solutes in cereals by exploiting novel transgenic technology to manipulate processes in specific cell types in the roots. The primary objective is the generation of cereals which have increased tolerance of saline soils. This is clearly of much agricultural significance in Australia. More general outcomes include the generation of plants with altered concentrations of a range of nutrients in both leaves and grain. This will be of wide agricultural and nutritional benefit, as well as providing an understanding of principles underlying the long-distance co-ordination of processes in plants.Read moreRead less
Role of nitrogen and sulphur nutrition in determining quantity and quality of oil in canola seed. Canola is the second most important crop in Australia, with exports worth $1 billion a year. However, competitiveness of Australian canola on the world markets is hampered by low and inconsistent oil content. Nitrogen fertilisation increases seed yield and seed protein content, but decreases oil content. This project will elucidate regulation by nitrogen and sulphur (the other important nutrient in ....Role of nitrogen and sulphur nutrition in determining quantity and quality of oil in canola seed. Canola is the second most important crop in Australia, with exports worth $1 billion a year. However, competitiveness of Australian canola on the world markets is hampered by low and inconsistent oil content. Nitrogen fertilisation increases seed yield and seed protein content, but decreases oil content. This project will elucidate regulation by nitrogen and sulphur (the other important nutrient in canola growth) of protein and oil biosynthesis in developing canola grain. The knowledge generated in this project will allow optimisation of canola agronomy and more effective breeding for increased nitrogen- and sulphur-use efficiency, seed yields and oil content in canola, thus enhancing the competitiveness of Australian canola on the world markets.Read moreRead less
Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: Functional analysis of high-affinity ammonium transport in plant lines altered in ammonium transport capacity. Improving nitrogen fertiliser use in crop species will benefit Australia and world agriculture by reducing nitrogen-linked environmental pollution. Nitrogen fertilisers can be leached from soils and result in the pollution of ground water, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Using model plant systems we are dissecting the genes and their encod ....Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: Functional analysis of high-affinity ammonium transport in plant lines altered in ammonium transport capacity. Improving nitrogen fertiliser use in crop species will benefit Australia and world agriculture by reducing nitrogen-linked environmental pollution. Nitrogen fertilisers can be leached from soils and result in the pollution of ground water, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Using model plant systems we are dissecting the genes and their encoded proteins responsible for ammonium nitrogen uptake into plants. Identifying the in planta function of these genes will allow new breeding approaches to specifically target genes that will improve the efficiency of ammonium uptake and lessen the reliance on the supply of nitrogen fertilizers in modern agricultural crop production.Read moreRead less
Role of intracellular calcium homeostasis and aluminium transport across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Aluminium is the most important yield-limiting factor in acid soils throughout the world. The problem of aluminium toxicity is aggravated by continuous acidification of arable land. Mechanisms of aluminium toxicity in plant cells are poorly understood. The present project seeks to elucidate the molecular basis of the interaction between intracellular calcium homeostasis, ....Role of intracellular calcium homeostasis and aluminium transport across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Aluminium is the most important yield-limiting factor in acid soils throughout the world. The problem of aluminium toxicity is aggravated by continuous acidification of arable land. Mechanisms of aluminium toxicity in plant cells are poorly understood. The present project seeks to elucidate the molecular basis of the interaction between intracellular calcium homeostasis, cytosolic pH and aluminium uptake across the plasma membrane in aluminium toxicity to plants. Knowledge of primary triggers of aluminium toxicity will pay off in a breeding programme aimed at selecting crop genotypes with increased resistance to aluminium toxicity.Read moreRead less
Aluminium uptake across the root-cell plasma membrane. Aluminium toxicity limits crop growth in acid soils that occupy about 24 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia. Liming can increase pH of the surface soil, but is frequently too expensive in the low-input Australian agriculture. Surface-applied lime is poorly effective in ameliorating subsoil acidity, and incorporating lime deep into the profile is prohibitively expensive and technically difficult. Hence, Al-resistant crop culti ....Aluminium uptake across the root-cell plasma membrane. Aluminium toxicity limits crop growth in acid soils that occupy about 24 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia. Liming can increase pH of the surface soil, but is frequently too expensive in the low-input Australian agriculture. Surface-applied lime is poorly effective in ameliorating subsoil acidity, and incorporating lime deep into the profile is prohibitively expensive and technically difficult. Hence, Al-resistant crop cultivars are important part of sustainable farming in Australia. This project will characterise early triggers of Al toxicity in plants, providing a foundation for increasing Al resistance in crop cultivars. Understanding the physiological basis of Al toxicity will lead to improved crop breeding strategies.Read moreRead less