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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Be(e) friendly venomous spiders! Novel biopesticides from arachnid venoms. The overall aim of this project is to improve global honeybee health by developing novel bee-friendly bioinsecticides as well as treatments against honeybee parasites such as varroa mites and small hive beetles. This project seeks to significantly improve existing insecticidal lead peptides from spider venoms to increase their oral toxicity and make them more pest-specific. Expected outcomes of this project include a pane ....Be(e) friendly venomous spiders! Novel biopesticides from arachnid venoms. The overall aim of this project is to improve global honeybee health by developing novel bee-friendly bioinsecticides as well as treatments against honeybee parasites such as varroa mites and small hive beetles. This project seeks to significantly improve existing insecticidal lead peptides from spider venoms to increase their oral toxicity and make them more pest-specific. Expected outcomes of this project include a panel of biologically degradable venom peptides that are active against selected pest and parasite species and that can be economically produced in large scale. This would not only provide significant environmental, social and economical benefits on a global scale, but also boost the Australian agrochemical research sector.Read moreRead less
Plant plasters: Efficient spray micro-coatings for plant delivery. This proposal will study and apply recently-discovered methods of strongly attaching beneficial chemicals to plant leaves, stalks, and fruit. The materials have an unusually good ability to stick to crop plants and deliver herbicide or pesticide active ingredients more efficiently than standard additives, without toxicity. Recent findings have shown significant health risks from commercial herbicide additives and their run-off in ....Plant plasters: Efficient spray micro-coatings for plant delivery. This proposal will study and apply recently-discovered methods of strongly attaching beneficial chemicals to plant leaves, stalks, and fruit. The materials have an unusually good ability to stick to crop plants and deliver herbicide or pesticide active ingredients more efficiently than standard additives, without toxicity. Recent findings have shown significant health risks from commercial herbicide additives and their run-off into vulnerable ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. This project will explain the unusually effective, but simple, adhesion and delivery performance, incorporate the new additives into commercially-relevant formulations for our industrial partner, and work to deliver the materials at relevant manufacturing scales.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
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
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
Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is ex ....Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is expected to enable a broad array of applications, from agricultural treatments to nasal sprays, by exhibiting responsive behaviour at concentrations much lower than conventional modifiers require. The project will study the responsiveness of the system in single droplet, spray, and coating form as well as an active delivery system.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