Congratulations to staff from School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and Waite Research Institute – Scott Boden and Jay Bose who were recently awarded ARC Future Fellowships and Rachel Burton, Philip Brewer and Tina Bianco-Miotto who were awarded an ARC Linkage Project.
Scott Boden – ‘Deciphering the genetic regulation of inflorescence development in wheat’. The project aims to identify genes and molecular processes that regulate inflorescence architecture in wheat, using state-of-the-art genetic resources to identify novel biological mechanisms that regulate the development of spikelets – reproductive branches that contain grain-producing florets.
Jay Bose – ‘Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance’. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts; the part of the plant cell responsible for photosynthesis. By comparing chloroplast water and salt transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, Dr Bose’s project aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions.
Rachel Burton, Philip Brewer, Tina Bianco- Miotto – ‘Pioneering seed solutions for the industrial hemp industry’. The project aims to develop the next generation of elite industrial hemp cultivars, grown for their seed with high protein and oil content. They will be drought resistant and minimise the amount of THC – the psychoactive compound – found in them. The Australian Hemp and Seed Company is a partner in the project
Rachel Burton
Scott Boden
Philip Brewer
Tina Bianco-Miotto
Jay Bose