Visiting Scientist Seminar – Associate Professor Todd Gaines

If you would like to meet with A/Prof Gaines on Thursday 6th July, please contact Dr Rebecca Vandeleur: rebecca.coleman@adelaide.edu.au

Abstract 

While herbicides are the most effective and widely adopted weed management practice, the evolution of multiple herbicide resistance in damaging weed species threatens the yield and profitability of many crops. This seminar will discuss how genomics and molecular biology can contribute to improving weed management. The International Weed Genomics Consortium (IWGC) is a public-private collaboration with the vision to 1) develop genomics resources for major weed species, 2) make the data and analysis tools broadly available, and 3) to foster networking and training for weed scientists to use genomics tools. Through the IWGC and collaborating groups, 26 weed species now have high quality annotated reference genomes. The availability of this information provides opportunities for future research, with three specific areas to be discussed. The first area is developing and improving rapid, in-field herbicide resistance diagnostics to assist on-farm decision making. The second area is developing next-generation herbicides using sprayable RNA-targeting technology. The third area is using advances in understanding of herbicide resistance mechanisms to develop strategies to overcome or reverse resistance, whether through herbicide mixtures, RNA-targeting, or chemical inhibitors of herbicide metabolism.

About the speaker

While herbicides are the most effective and widely adopted weed management practice, the evolution of multiple herbicide resistance in damaging weed species threatens the yield and profitability of many crops. This seminar will discuss how genomics and molecular biology can contribute to improving weed management. The International Weed Genomics Consortium (IWGC) is a public-private collaboration with the vision to 1) develop genomics resources for major weed species, 2) make the data and analysis tools broadly available, and 3) to foster networking and training for weed scientists to use genomics tools. Through the IWGC and collaborating groups, 26 weed species now have high quality annotated reference genomes. The availability of this information provides opportunities for future research, with three specific areas to be discussed. The first area is developing and improving rapid, in-field herbicide resistance diagnostics to assist on-farm decision making. The second area is developing next-generation herbicides using sprayable RNA-targeting technology. The third area is using advances in understanding of herbicide resistance mechanisms to develop strategies to overcome or reverse resistance, whether through herbicide mixtures, RNA-targeting, or chemical inhibitors of herbicide metabolism.