Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combi ....Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combinations; (ii) reveal a herbicide against which weeds outside of Japan have not evolved resistance to; and (iii) establish how best to make breakdown blockers. A benefit of using existing herbicides is the approaches are close to market, so with partner Nexgen Plants, its outcomes can be commercialised.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH190100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,787,259.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection. The Hub aims to develop and commercialise an innovative biological alternative to chemical fungicides targeting economically significant diseases of broadacre and horticultural crops. It addresses industry challenges of fungicide resistance, chemical residues in food, off-target effects and environmental harm. It builds on ground-breaking ‘BioClay’ platform to deliver pathogen targeting RNA using clay particles as non-genetically modified crop pr ....ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection. The Hub aims to develop and commercialise an innovative biological alternative to chemical fungicides targeting economically significant diseases of broadacre and horticultural crops. It addresses industry challenges of fungicide resistance, chemical residues in food, off-target effects and environmental harm. It builds on ground-breaking ‘BioClay’ platform to deliver pathogen targeting RNA using clay particles as non-genetically modified crop protection. An expert multidisciplinary team uniting science, commercial and social licence pathways ensures industry and consumer uptake advancing $60B Australian Agriculture. The Hub translates to increased productivity, market access and enhanced environmental credentials of Australian food.
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Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC150100026
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,732,019.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. This training centre aims to transform the way that horticulture industries combat invasive fruit flies that threaten Australian crops, which are valued at $9 billion per year. For generations, Australia has relied on insecticides to protect crops. Owing to environmental damage and concerns for consumer health, the most effective insecticides have recently been banned for use on ma ....ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. ARC Training Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation. This training centre aims to transform the way that horticulture industries combat invasive fruit flies that threaten Australian crops, which are valued at $9 billion per year. For generations, Australia has relied on insecticides to protect crops. Owing to environmental damage and concerns for consumer health, the most effective insecticides have recently been banned for use on many crops leaving no equivalent replacements. Horticulture industries are unprepared for this change, and are in desperate need of new sustainable practices to combat fruit flies. New researchers who are trained in both scientific approach and practical application will be well placed to deliver these new tools.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101560
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,589.00
Summary
Towards understanding the molecular details of canola-infection by Fusarium. This project aims at improving our understanding of how canola plants are infected by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Canola is the primary oilseed crop, and the overall third most important crop in Australia, accounting for a 3 billion AUS$ industry. Fusarium is a relatively new fungal disease to Australian canola, but projected to become a serious threat in the future. The project will provide insights into ....Towards understanding the molecular details of canola-infection by Fusarium. This project aims at improving our understanding of how canola plants are infected by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Canola is the primary oilseed crop, and the overall third most important crop in Australia, accounting for a 3 billion AUS$ industry. Fusarium is a relatively new fungal disease to Australian canola, but projected to become a serious threat in the future. The project will provide insights into the earliest stages of plant-infection by the fungus on a cellular level, using molecular biology, genetics and microscopic tools. Expected outcomes of this research include the identification of key components to improve plant defense against Fusarium, and the development of strategies to improve the plant's resilience.Read moreRead less
Does plasma membrane perception of 2,4-D influence auxin resistance? This project aims to investigate the role of the cell membrane in synthetic auxin herbicide resistance by analysing the functions and interaction partners of candidate resistance proteins. It is expected that this project will generate new knowledge about the very early response of plants to auxin and the difference between susceptible and resistant weeds in perceiving auxin herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Does plasma membrane perception of 2,4-D influence auxin resistance? This project aims to investigate the role of the cell membrane in synthetic auxin herbicide resistance by analysing the functions and interaction partners of candidate resistance proteins. It is expected that this project will generate new knowledge about the very early response of plants to auxin and the difference between susceptible and resistant weeds in perceiving auxin herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project include the identification of potential herbicide synergists and a greater understanding of how weeds develop resistance to auxin herbicides. This should benefit Australian grain growers by providing more effective weed control options and lessening the amount of unnecessarily-applied herbicide in the environment.Read moreRead less
Eco-friendly pesticides for crop protection. The aims of the project are to develop robust methods for measuring bioactive pesticidal molecules in butterfly pea cultivars, characterise their modes of action, determine the exposure and persistence of these molecules in field runoff and waterways and, in the longer term, develop butterfly pea cultivars with optimised bioactivity and safety. The major outcome of the project is the generation of new knowledge that will contribute to the development ....Eco-friendly pesticides for crop protection. The aims of the project are to develop robust methods for measuring bioactive pesticidal molecules in butterfly pea cultivars, characterise their modes of action, determine the exposure and persistence of these molecules in field runoff and waterways and, in the longer term, develop butterfly pea cultivars with optimised bioactivity and safety. The major outcome of the project is the generation of new knowledge that will contribute to the development of novel antifungal and insecticidal agents. This outcome is significant as there is a huge need for new pesticidal agents that exhibit wide safety margins, reduce problems associated with resistance to existing treatments, and that are safe for the environment.Read moreRead less
Plant cyclotides as novel sustainable tools for crop protection . This project between the University of Queensland and Syngenta, a top-tier agricultural biotech company, aims at developing new crop protection technologies based on peptides. Insecticides are essential to meet the 60% increase in food production goal set by the UN but long-term exposure to traditional insecticides can harm beneficial pollinating insect populations. Expected outcomes include an exciting new insecticide technology ....Plant cyclotides as novel sustainable tools for crop protection . This project between the University of Queensland and Syngenta, a top-tier agricultural biotech company, aims at developing new crop protection technologies based on peptides. Insecticides are essential to meet the 60% increase in food production goal set by the UN but long-term exposure to traditional insecticides can harm beneficial pollinating insect populations. Expected outcomes include an exciting new insecticide technology based on natural plant defense peptides, the cyclotides, which has potential to revolutionise crop protection, leading to safer products for the environment. Benefits from the technology include a reduction in toxic insecticide residues, precision targetted applications and agrichemicals that degrade without trace.Read moreRead less
Novel biological and genetic disease control tools for the barley industry. This project places Australian barley breeders at the forefront of disease resistance by providing them with novel tools to develop varieties with enhanced protection against fungal diseases. The aims are to produce fungal strains with multiple virulence genes for fast and cost-effective testing of barley lines, untangle the fungal/host gene interaction for resistance breeding and identify new sources of resistance. The ....Novel biological and genetic disease control tools for the barley industry. This project places Australian barley breeders at the forefront of disease resistance by providing them with novel tools to develop varieties with enhanced protection against fungal diseases. The aims are to produce fungal strains with multiple virulence genes for fast and cost-effective testing of barley lines, untangle the fungal/host gene interaction for resistance breeding and identify new sources of resistance. The outcomes will lead to the commercialisation by Australian breeding companies of barley varieties with durable fungal resistance. This will benefit the Australian economy by providing sustainability and protection for barley breeding thereby significantly reducing crop losses for this important global agricultural commodity.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100443
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,971.00
Summary
Pyrethrum in half the time: genes and systems to annually crop a perennial. The capacity of the Australian pyrethrum industry, the global leader in the supply of the natural insecticide, is threatened by the profitability of the current 18-month crop cycle. The project aims to transform the crop to an annual production cycle by discovering genes that underpin flower timing and yield. The project will generate new knowledge on the genetic and physiological drivers of flowering and exploit these f ....Pyrethrum in half the time: genes and systems to annually crop a perennial. The capacity of the Australian pyrethrum industry, the global leader in the supply of the natural insecticide, is threatened by the profitability of the current 18-month crop cycle. The project aims to transform the crop to an annual production cycle by discovering genes that underpin flower timing and yield. The project will generate new knowledge on the genetic and physiological drivers of flowering and exploit these for the development of viable 10-month crops. Outcomes of the project include new protocols and germplasm for breeding and managing short cycle crops for optimum yield. This will provide significant benefits including an economically attractive crop option for growers and a more sustainable industry. Read moreRead less
Extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of fungal plant disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane bound sacs that carry information between cells in essentially all organisms. EVs are also produced by bacterial and fungal pathogens and have a crucial role in infection in mammals . We propose that fungal EVs are key players in the establishment of fungal diseases in plants. We have isolated EVs from the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum which decreases yield and quality of gr ....Extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of fungal plant disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane bound sacs that carry information between cells in essentially all organisms. EVs are also produced by bacterial and fungal pathogens and have a crucial role in infection in mammals . We propose that fungal EVs are key players in the establishment of fungal diseases in plants. We have isolated EVs from the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum which decreases yield and quality of grain in major food crops such as wheat, barley and corn. This project will focus on the cargo that EVs transport through the fungal cell wall and into the plant host and will establish the role of this cargo in disease progression. Ultimately, this knowledge will be used to design new strategies for disease control.Read moreRead less