Abstract Book - Tropical Agriculture Conference

ABSTRACTS
Keynote abstracts Listed in presentation order 24 – 32 Professor Wayne Powell │Chief Science Officer, CGIAR│ The role of public goods 24 in addressing global food and nutrition security Dr Donald Nkrumah │Senior Program Officer, Global Agriculture Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation │ Tropical livestock production and health constraints ? 24 Professor Randy Ploetz │ Tropical Research & Education Centre, Institute of Food & 25 Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida │What impacts do plant diseases have on tropical agriculture? Professor Mike Gidley │ Director of Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, 26 The University of Queensland │Nutrition Security – diverse and evolving targets Professor Graeme Hammer │Director of Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The 27 University of Queensland │ Climate risks and the productivity challenge in field crops Dr Mario Herrero│ Chief Research Scientist on Food Systems and the Environment, 28 CSIRO │How can integrated farming systems be marshalled to meet the productivity challenge in the tropics? Ms Margaret Stuart │Corporate and External Relations Manger, Nestle Oceania │ 29 #Likeandshare: How the changing consumer dynamic is affecting demand for tropical agriculture Dr Vivienne Anthony │ Senior Scientific Advisor, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable 29 Agriculture │ Can demand‐driven approaches to breeding increase smallholders’ adoption of new plant and animal genetics 30 Professor Cathie Martin│ Group Leader, John Innes Centre and Professor at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom │What can plant science do for human health? Professor Ken Cassman │Robert B Daugherty Professor of Agronomy, Co‐PI, Global 31 Yield Gap Atlas, Editor‐in‐chief, Global Food Security, USA │ How to bridge the gap between possible and existing production? Sir Gordon Conway │Director of Agriculture for Impact and a Professor of 32 International Development at Imperial College London, United Kingdom │ Tropical Agriculture by 2050 Page | 2
Invited abstracts 33 ‐ 41 Listed in presentation order Assoc. Prof Daniel Rodriguez │ Chief Research Scientist on Food Systems and the Environment, CSIRO │Pathways for the sustainable development of agriculture Dr Sabine Homann‐Kee Tui │ Senior Scientist – Markets, Institutions and Policies, International Crops Research Institute For The Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Zimbabwe │Co‐designing the transitions towards integrated market oriented mixed farming systems in semi‐arid Zimbabwe Dr Robert Farquharson │ Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Melbourne │ Financial and opportunity costs of agricultural labour in Cambodia: implications for rice production technologies Prof Ian Atkinson │ Tropical Leader and Director of the eResearch Centre, James Cook University │The digital frontier and the northern beef industry Prof Anabella Tulin │ The University of the South Pacific, Samoa │Micronutrient biofortification of acid and neutral soils for enhanced crop production and improved anthocyanin contents of sweetpotato Dr Heather Smyth │Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences Research Fellow, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ Identifying the sensory basis of consumer preference for red and yellow papaya in Australia Dr Graeme Wright │ Peanut Breeding, Seed and Innovation, Peanut Company of Australia │Progress in the breeding of high oleic, early maturing peanut varieties in Australia Dr Matthew Kelly │ Senior Research Analyst, AACo │Use of genomic tools to improve eating quality of northern Australian beef Prof Ian Godwin │School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland │ GM organic crops: the future of food security in the tropics Assoc. Prof Neena Mitter│ Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │Nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture: Innovative solutions for protecting crops and livestock Murugesan Tharanya │ Research Scholar, International Crops Research Institute For the Semi‐Arid Tropics, India │Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) genotypes contrasting for transpiration sensitivity also differ in their dependence on Aquaporin mediated and apoplastic water transport pathways Assoc. Prof Ala Lew‐Tabor │Centre for Animal Science Principal Research Fellow, The University of Queensland │ Genomics and tick vaccine development Page | 3
33 33 34 34 35 35 36 37 37 38 38 39 Prof Andre Drenth │Centre for Plant Science Professorial Research Fellow, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ Tropical plant diseases: Facing the challenge Mr Samuel Bacon │ Cropping Systems Advisor, Seeds of Life, Timor‐Leste │The challenge of maize production in the tropics: interaction of temperature, radiation and nitrogen with implications for climate change Mr Paul Sanford │Livestock Research Senior Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of Western Australia │ Subtropical grasses can improve out of season production in temperate Western Australia Ms Jan Edwards │General Manager Farming Systems, Soils and Agronomy – North, Grains Research and Development Corporation │Innovation and technology in the grains industry 39 40 40 41 Symposium abstracts 42 – 63 Future of Sugarcane Symposium 42 ‐ 45 Dr Frikkie Botha │ Executive Manager Research, Sugar Research Australia │Synopsis 42 Dr Frikkie Botha │Executive Manager Research, Sugar Research Australia │ Introduction 42 Dr George Piperidis │ Sugar Research Australia │Broadening the genetic base of 42 sugarcane: Genetic diversity and introgression opportunities Prof Mike Bell │ Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ 43 Failing to capitalize on genetic gains in sugarcane farming systems Mr Chris Norris │ Norris Energy Crop Technology, Brisbane │Mechanisation: 44 Challenges and Opportunities Dr Rob Bramley │ Precision Agriculture, CSIRO Agriculture │ Is there a role for 44 precision agriculture in sugarcane? Assoc. Prof Ian O’Hara│Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland 45 University of Technology │ Revenue diversification opportunities from sugarcane Control of Tropical Livestock Parasites into the future Symposium Synopsis Assoc. Prof Ala Lew‐Tabor │Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Page | 4
46 – 49 46 Dr Peter James │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Assoc. Prof Simon Reid │ School of Public Health, The University of Queensland │ Expansion of tropical animal production in Australia: the One Health implications Dr Andrew Kotze │ CSIRO Agriculture │Parasite resistance and new options for chemical control Dr Brown Besier │ Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of Western Australia │ Barbervax: a new technology for livestock helminth control Dr Wayne Johnston│ Institute of Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland │ Synthetic biology pipeline for detection and mitigation of parasites and diseases of farmed animals Assoc. Prof Ala Lew‐Tabor │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ Genomics and parasite vaccines Dr Peter James │Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ Parasites expanding their range Food Safety Issues and Challenges in Global Supply Chains 46 47 47 48 48 49 50 – 54 Synopsis 50 Dr Mary Fletcher │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa │ Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Dr Rao Rachaputi │ Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Mr Peter May │ Food Standards Australia New Zealand │ Global trade and domestic 50 food standards Prof Wayne Bryden │School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of 51 Queensland │ Climate change impact on food safety – mycotoxins as a case study Dr Alice Lee │ ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Food Manufacture 52 And School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales │Allergens and bioactives in peanut – impacts on peanut supply chain as a case study Prof Dharini Sivakumar │ Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa │Food safety 52 needs for fresh fruits and vegetables – avocado supply chain as a case study Page | 5
Dr Pat Blackall │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ 53 On‐farm aspects of food safety with relevance to the poultry industry Mr Philip Pond │ Safe Food Production Queensland │Managing Campylobacter though 53 the poultry meat supply chain to improve public health outcomes Dr Stephen Trowell │ CSIRO │Novel and innovative approaches to detect food 54 pathogens and other contaminants in real‐time in the supply chain – sensor technologies Dr Marie Connett │ Global Development Portfolio and Agriculture Lead, Global Good 54 Fund, Washington, DC │Food safety issues and challenges in the tropics Genomics Technologies for Tropical Agriculture Symposium 55 ‐ 58 Synopsis 55 Prof Ian Godwin │ School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland Prof Steve Moore │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Graham Alder │ Beef + Lamb New Zealand │How evolving DNA technologies are 55 changing sheep farming systems Dr Karen Aitken │ Plant Industry, CSIRO │A hybrid approach to sequencing the 55 sugarcane genome Dr Kemal Kazan │ Agriculture Flagship, CSIRO │ Reverse genetic analysis of disease 56 resistance in polyploidy crops Dr Andrezej Kilian │ Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd │DNA profiling and data 56 management solutions for tropical agriculture research and practice Dr Emma Mace │ Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government │ 57 From sequence to consequence: integrating technologies for enhancing complex, quantitative traits in sorghum Dr Nadia De Jager │ Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, The University of 57 Queensland Polymorphisms in taste receptor and nutrient sensor genes associated with tropically adapted pig breeds Prof Steve Moore │ Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland │ 58 Transcriptome of reproductive axis tissues pre and post puberty in Bos indicus heifers Page | 6
Redesigning Photosynthesis to Meet the Global Productivity Challenge Symposium 59 ‐ 63 Synopsis Prof Graeme Hammer │ Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Prof Murray Badger │ ARC Centre of Excellence for Translation Photosynthesis, Australian National University Prof Murray Badger │ ARC Centre of Excellence for Translation Photosynthesis, 59 Australian National University│ Introduction Prof Susanne Von Caemmerer │ Research School of Biology, ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University │Improving the access to CO² Prof John Evans │ Research School of Biology, ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University │Improving light utilization Dr Robert Furbank │ ARC Centre of Excellence for Translation Photosynthesis, Australian National University, CSIRO Agriculture Canberra │Building the C4 photosynthetic engine in rice: Progress and challenges Dr Anthony Condon │ ARC Centre of Excellence for Translation Photosynthesis, Australian National University, CSIRO Agriculture │Identifying and exploiting natural variation of photosynthesis in what, a C3 crop Assoc. Prof David Jordan │ The University of Queensland, QAAFI, Centre for Plant Science, Warwick, ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of Queensland │Using Sorghum as a C4 model to identify natural photosynthetic variation Prof Graeme Hammer │ Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University │Modelling the effects of improved photosynthesis at the crop scale Poster Abstracts 59 59 60 60 61 62 63 64 ‐ 210 listed in poster number order Crawford Fund Posters [CF001] Cheng, Bing │ Effect of environment on expression of genes controlling coffee quality Page | 7
64 [CF002] Tan, Eddie Ti Tjih │ Understanding in vitro Metabolism of Indospicine in Camels to improve food safety [CF003] Khemmuk, Wanporn │ Wild rice pathogens in northern Queensland [CF004] San, Anh Tram │ A convenient sample preparation protocol for scanning electron microscope examination of mango skin disorders [CF005] Sultan, Saira │ In vitro digestion models for measuring Indospicine bioaccessibility and stability in Camel meat [CF006] Sunarharum, Wenny │ Exploring 26 single origin coffees based on non‐volatile composition [CF007] Temba, Benigni Alfred │ The use of natural plant products for inactivation of Aflatoxin producing Aspergillus flavus by Photosensitization [CF008] Tikapunya, Tiparat │ Quality of Australian wild rice [CF009] Ugarte‐Guerra, Leoncio │ Feasibility of smallholder nursery microenterprises as sustainable germplasm delivery mechanisms in Papua New Guinea [CF010 & DVCR5] Calvo, Paula │ High temperature during kernel development significantly increases Carotenoid concentration of Zeaxanthin‐biofortified and yellow Sweet‐corn 64 63 64 65 66 66 67 67 68 DVCR Student Scholarship Award Posters [DVCR1] Nhantumbo, Nascimento │ Improving farming systems design and management: the role of model assisted participatory crop season planning in Sub‐Saharan Africa [DVCR2] Eats, Patricia │ What's hot in Bos taurus cattle? Validating the utility of thermal imaging from four body sites during viral and bacterial challenge in a climate controlled research facility [DVCR3] Worrall, Elizabeth │ A non‐transgenic approach for RNAi‐mediated resistance against Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) [DVCR4] Fei, Shulang │RNAi‐based management for Fusarium of Banana [DVCR5 &CF010] Calvo, Paula │ High temperature during kernel development significantly increases Carotenoid concentration of Zeaxanthin‐biofortified and yellow Sweet‐corn Page | 8
69 69 70 68 Theme 1 – Defining the Challenge [P001] Birch, Colin │ Whole of system and value chain analyses reveal research needs in horticulture in Laos and Cambodia [P002] Birch, Colin │ High yielding, quality cabbages and the challenges of production in the high altitude area of Central Province, Papua New Guinea: An approach to increasing the supply of temperate vegetables into the Port Moresby markets [P003] Chideya‐Phiri, Grace │ Is it time to vary the 3 rules definition of conservation agriculture package to suit farmers practice? Evidence of stepwise adoption from Malawi [P004] Dale, Allan │ How the governance of Northern Australia can help or hinder agriculture [P005] Dayao, Denise │ Antimicrobial resistance genes in bacterial respiratory pathogens isolated from Australian pigs [P006] Eisner, Rowan │ Agricultural dependence on petrochemicals and the threat to biodiversity of post peak agricultural extensification [P007] Fletcher, Mary │ The toxicity of Indospicine to grazing animals: An under‐recognised hazard [P008] Fox, Glen │ Seeding future research: Observations from seed increase efforts with australian wild rices [P009] Gidley, Mike │ Nutrition security ‐ Diverse and evolving targets [P010] Hathorn, Adrian │ A first generation Haplotype map of Sorghum [P011] Heisswolf, Susanne │ Transforming horticultural production systems: remaining competitive on world markets to help meet global food demands [P012] Hill, Bruce │ The commercialisation of the Achacha tropical fruit [P013] Mason, Patrick │ UDP‐6‐Glucose dehydrogenase: An important catalyst and regulator of carbon partitioning in Sugarcane [P014] Master, Ronald │ Potential growth response of kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) to applied phosphorous on low PBI soils [P015] Mortlock, Miranda │ An african diamond: From technology transfer, research and development in agriculture in Southern Africa (Botswana Livelihoods‐ 20 years of progress) Page | 9
72 73 74 74 75 75 76 77 77 78 78 79 79 80 80 [P016] Noble, Keith │ Eyes wide open: Planning a resilient future for 81 North Australian agriculture, come hell or high water [P017] Ochieng, Joel │ How ready is Sub‐Saharan Africa to adopt Biotech Crops? 81 Lessons from Kenya [P018] Paul, Tania │ The challenge of reviving the demand for traditional 82 vegetables in the face of increasing urbanisation in Papua New Guinea: A case study [P019] Rahmianna, Agustina Asri │ Increasing productivity of mungbean under 82 subsistence farming in Eastern Indonesia [P021] Tulin, Anabella │ Indigenous knowledge on natural resource management 83 and coping mechanisms of people living in climate change vulnerable marginal uplands [P022] Turni, Conny │ Haemophilus parasuis ‐ Research in Australia 84 [P023] Waha, K. │ Adaptation through crop diversification 84 [P024] Watson, Jim │ Projected impacts of climate change on drought stresses 85 in Australian wheat [P025] Webster, Tony │ Quantifying the potential for the Flinders and Gilbert 85 catchments in northern Australia to increase food production through irrigated cropping Theme 2 – Solutions through integrated farming systems [P026] Akinsanmi, Femi │ Advances and search for robust biological fertility indicators for sustainable soil health management in Perennial tree crops [P027] Bowen, Maree │ Utilising high output forages for profitable beef production in the subtropics [P028] Young, Anthony │Diverse Leifsonia genotypes are associated with sugarcane in Australia [P029] Christopher, Jack │ Can winter cereals be developed into a major industry for tropical Australia? [P030] Correa, Diego F. │ Growing of Microalgae for the production of Biofuels in Queensland, Australia: Ensuring energy production and farming in tropical and subtropical areas [P031] Cruickshank, Alan │ Grain Sorghum genetic determination of perenniality [P032] Dang, Yash │ The influence of tillage on crop productivity for no‐till systems in sub‐tropical to semi‐arid climates of Australia Page | 10
86 87 87 88 88 89 89 [P033] Daniells, Jeff │ TR4 in north Queensland ‐ What now? Meeting the productivity challenge in Bananas [P034] Dixon, Robert │ Variability of food fodder traits in grain legume genotypes in Ethiopia: 1. Seed and residue yields, morphological characteristics and straw quality in common bean [P035] Ferrante, Ariel │ Maize yield determination in Northern Region: Hybrid by environment by management interactions [P036] Gonzalez, Lina Maria │ Anaerobic digestion of microalgae via closed‐loop nutrient recycling: A sustainable integrated system to produce bioenergy for farms [P037] Rame‐rez‐Restrepo, Carlos A │ Intra‐cultivar potential of Desmanthus spp. as a greenhouse gas mitigation strategy for tropical livestock pastoral systems [P038] Hill, Bruce │ Achacha ‐ a fresh start for an exotic tropical fruit [P039] Irvine‐Brown, Stuart │ Soil Organic Matter inputs under tropical agricultural cropping systems: Where do they come from? What are they made of? Why does this matter? [P040] Jovicich, Elio │ Protected cropping of vegetables in the Australian tropics [P041] Kabir, Md Jahangir │ Farmers' perceptions of and responses to environmental change in coastal Bangladesh [P042] Kotir, Julius │ Global change and sustainability in linked social‐environmental systems: An application of systems dynamics approach within the Volta River Basin agri‐food systems in Ghana, West Africa [P043] Kouadio, Louis │ Robusta coffee model: An integrated model for coffee production at farm and regional scale [P044] McLean, James │ Use of proximal sensing in the monitoring of agronomic experiments [P046] Ockerby, Stephen │ Sugarbush ‐ A break‐crop for sustaining sugarcane productivity in the tropics [P047] O'Reagain, Peter │ Stocking strategies for sustainable and profitable beef production in a variable and unpredictable climate [P048] Rachaputi, Rao (RCN) │ Achieving reliable yields of legume break crops is the key for sustainable integrated farming systems [P049] Rodriguez, Daniel │ What do farmers want? Page | 11
90 90 91 92 92 93 93 94 95 95 96 96 97 98 98 99 [P050] Eyre, Joseph │ A GxExM approach to evaluate the suitability of prolific maize cropping systems in Queensland [P051] Schenk, Peer │ Algae energy farms for food, feed and fuel [P052] Seyoum, Solomon │ Optimizing genotype x environment x management interactions in Maize to increase rainfed yield in eastern and southern Africa [P053] Suriadi, Ahmad │ Improved food security of smalholder farmers through integrated maize‐livestock system in dryland and semi‐arid in eastern Indonesia [P054] Taufiq, Abdullah │ Improving soybean productivity in Eastern Indonesia [P055] Temoso, Omphile │ Sources of efficiency, productivity and output growth in Botswana agriculture [P056] Watson, Ian │ Agricultural development for the northern Australian tropics [P057] Watson, Ian │ Innovation systems, food security and gender realities in a Senegalese livestock‐crop system [P058] Yeates, Stephen │ Adapting mungbean to irrigated farming systems in the semi‐arid tropics 100 100 101 101 102 102 103 103 104 Theme 3 – Market Driven Solutions [P059] Adar, Damianus │ Farmer groups play a key role in improving productivity and profitability of mungbean in West Timor, Indonesia [P060] Beltran Alarcon, Patricia De Jesus │ Pabel Method [P061] Fu, Minghai │ Effects of bitter compounds on growth performance and carcass traits in finishing pigs [P063] Cowley, Frances │ Increasing the profitability of Indonesian smallholder cattle enterprises by purchasing high quality by‐product feeds [P064] Cox, Kendrick │ New pasture plants to improve beef cattle performance in seasonally dry zones of northern and central Queensland [P065] Cruickshank, Alan │ In‐harvester spectroscopy for better feed grain quality [P066] Ha, Duong Nam │ Market‐based approaches to food safety and animal health interventions: lessons from smallholder pig value chains in Viet Nam [P067] Furtado, Agnelo │ Understanding bread‐making in wheat using transcriptome analysis Page | 12
105 105 106 106 107 108 108 109 [P068] Gwabu, Clifton │ Market attributes of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) and its prospects in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea [P069] Dizyee, Kanar │ Smallholder dairy producers in rural Tanzania: a value chain approach [P070] Dizyee, Kanar │ Smallholder market competitiveness for beef production in Botswana: A quantitative value chain approach [P072] Hine, John │ Science along wont solve agricultural productivity [P073] Ho, Binh │ Quality characteristics and storage for floating rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: a preliminary study [P074] Kukhang, Tom │ Socio‐economic factors influencing household productivity and farm investment decisions on labour mobilisation among coffee households in Bena, EHP, Papua New Guinea [P075] Li, Jing │ Self‐adaptive rotation schedule of vegetable production cooperative considering uncertainty demand [P076] Liu, Dianna │ Value adding Papaya with plant extracts [P077] Lozano, Natalia │ Smallholders' perceptions of the completed goat improvement projects implemented by a local NGO in Chillan river watershed, Peru [P078] McKerrow, Angus │ Moving from commodity to value added beef product [P079] Mudge, Stephen │ More energy in sorghum grain: manipulating starch accumulation genes [P080] Navarro, Marta │ Assessment of the bioactivity of sorghum syrup, a by‐product from the bio‐fuel industry [P081] Netzel, Michael │ Carotenoids in unexploited tropical fruits grown in Queensland, Australia [P082] Nirmal, Ravi │ Identification of candidate genes which may control milling quality of wheat [P083] O'Donoghue, Adam │ How tomato carotenoids and cooking influence the anti‐proliferative effect of tomatoes on in vitro PC3 prostate cancer cells [P084] O'Hare, Tim │ Why take a supplement: Zeaxanthin‐Biofortified sweet‐corn for macular degeneration Page | 13
109 110 110 111 112 112 113 113 114 114 115 115 116 117 117 118 [P085] Pappu, Usha │ Consumer psychology of flavour: What consumers see in a coffee? [P086] Petrie, James │ Game‐changing technology for production of oils in tropical biomass species [P087] Rae, Anne │ Knowledge to support risk assessment of weediness of GM sugarcane: limits to vegetative propagation [P088] Rahmianna, Agustina Asri │ Minimizing aflatoxin contamination in peanut supply chain using tolerant cultivar [P089] Rangan, Parimalan │ Deep transcriptome sequencing of wheat seeds at different development stages reveals a dynamic gene expression pattern and regulatory network [P090] Sivakumar, Dharini │ Influence of photo‐selective shade netting to improve fruit quality at harvest and during post‐harvest storage [P091] Sonni, Francesca │ Volatile and sensory characterisation of Australian dry white wines from Cv. Verdelho produced in the Queensland Granite Belt Region [P092] Sultanbawa, Yasmina │ Extracting value from food waste by recycling [P093] Tegegne, Azage │ Experience of mass hormonal Oestrus synchronization and insemination of cattle to improve supply of dairy genetics under smallholder conditions in Ethiopia [P094] Tran, Hue TM │ Variation of physical characters of green bean in coffee (coffea arabica) germplasm [P095] Turni, Conny │ Establishing the underlying causes of pleurisy [P096] Watson, Ian │ A more systems driven approach to monitoring, evaluation and learning in agricultural research for development projects [P097] Webster, Tony │ Expanding supply of improved seed to farmers in northern Ghana to increase food security [P098] Winkelbach, Anja │ Reduction of dietary sodium by substituting NaCl with monosodium glutamate (MSG) maintains the hedonic value in a rice soup application 118 119 120 120 121 121 122 122 123 123 124 125 125 126 Theme 4 – Science Driven Solutions [P099] Ahsan, Muhammad Umair │ MicroRNAs control of vegetative phase transition in tropical/subtropical horticultural crops Page | 14
126 [P100] Aitken, Karen │ A hybrid approach to sequencing the sugarcane genome 127 [P101] Aitken, Karen │ Generation of a 345K sugarcane SNP chip 128 [P102] Aji, Galih Kusuma │ Variability in the sweet taste sensitivity to sucrose, 128 maltose and glucose in humans [P103] Al‐Amery, Anahid │ Use of non‐coding RNA to confer disease resistantance 129 against plant viruses [P104] Alderees, Fahad │ Bioactive properties of Australian native herb extracts 129 [P105] Alexandrov, Kirill │ Synthetic biology pipeline for detection and mitigation 130 of parasites and diseases of farmed animals 130 [P106] An‐Vo, Duc‐Anh │ Quantification of direct and indirect cost of frost for Australian wheatbelt [P107] Badro, Hayba │ Genotyping by Sequencing in Rice 131 [P108] Bell, Mike │ Improved soil test diagnostics and fertilizer management strategies 132 to address multiple nutrient constraints in rainfed cropping systems reliant on stored soil moisture [P110] Baker, Rod │ Yield of the Australian native bush mango (Buchanania obovata) 132 is affected by fire regime and regional variation [P111] Benvenutti, Marcelo │ Sward structure and foraging behaviour of cattle 133 grazing reproductive tropical pastures [P112] Bhuiyan, Shamsul │ Development of nematode resistant sugarcane 133 variety through introgression breeding in Australia [P113] Blackall, P.J │ Gallibacterium elongation factor‐Tu possesses amyloid‐like 134 protein characteristics and forms filaments that participate in cell adhesion and biofilm formation [P114] Borrell, Andrew │ The stay‐green drought adaptation trait enhances sorghum 135 production in subtropical Australia, central‐western India and sub‐saharan Africa [P115] Boschma, Suzanne │ Establishment and spring vigour of leucaena 136 (Leucaena leucocephala ssp. glabrata) cultivars in northern inland New South Wales, Australia [P116] Bouteille‐Pallas, Marie │ Using genome‐wide association study for improving 136 sorghum photosynthesis Page | 15
[P117] Bouteille‐Pallas, Marie │ Using comparative genomics for improving sorghum photosynthesis [P118] Brozynska, Marta │ Reference genomes of novel wild rice populations from Australia [P119] Campbell, Bradley │ Leaving the rice paddy behind; identification of mechanisms of cold tolerance and the pursuit of water use efficiency [P120] Chaliha, Mridusmita │ Exploring the metabolomic constituents and bioactive potential of Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) a native plant of Australia [P121] Chaparro, Jose │ Modification of temperate fruit tree species for growth in the subtropics: Peach as a model [P122] Chapman, Scott │ Phenotyping canopy characteristics of sugarcane and sorghum [P123] Chauhan, Bhagirath │ Possible strategies for weed management in Australian grain cropping systems [P124] Chauhan, Yash │ Characterisation of spatial and temporal patterns of water and thermal regimes to assist chickpea improvement for variable production environments [P125] Chen, Andy │ Targeting a resistance gene associated with Fusarium wilt in Banana [P126] Chen, Beibei │ Development of monoclonal antibody as a therapeutic tool for tick paralysis [P128] Chenu, Karine │ Breeding for the future: How to adapt to frost, drought and heat impacts in Australian wheat? [P129] Cho, Sungbo │ Feather eating behaviour in laying hens is related to tissues requiring keratin synthesis [P130] Christopher, Mandy │ Prioritizing investment in preparedness for exotic pests and pathogens in the Australian wheat and barley industries [P131] Mitter, Neena │ Cryopreservation of Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) using Somatic Embryos [P132] Constantin, Myrna │ Host delivered RNA silencing of P.cinnamomi essential genes using Arabidopsis thaliana as model species for biotechnology applications Page | 16
137 137 138 139 139 140 140 141 141 142 142 143 144 144 145 [P133] Corbet, Nicholas │ New strategies to improve reproduction in tropically 145 adapted beef breeds [P134] Czislowski, Elizabeth │ The development of small‐plant bioassay for 146 screening Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense [P135] Dann, Elizabeth │ Multi‐location avocado rootstock evaluation in Australia 146 [P136] De Jager, Nadia │ Polymorphisms in taste receptor and nutrient sensor 147 genes associated with tropically adapted pig breeds [P137] Dhital, Sushil │ Banana: Nutritional aspects and value additions 147 [P138] Dillon, Natalie │ Mango Genomics 148 [P139] Dixon, Rob │ Estimating phosphorus intake from faeces in cattle 148 grazing tropical pastures [P140] Do, Trung Kien │ Screening of sorghum condensed distillers solubles 149 for in‐vitro antifungal activity against fungal pathogens isolated from mango and avocado [P141] Dodt, Michael │ Effects of drought stress on mungbean ‐ integrating morphology, 149 physiology and transcriptome analysis [P142] Douglas, Col │ The International Mungbean Research Network 150 Building capacity and productivity in tropical agriculture [P145] Fernando, W.C. │ Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Ipomoea 151 pes‐caprae subsp. brasiliensis from the Northern Territory [P146] Fisher, Thao │ Eureka™ Genotyping Solution – Customizable, 151 affordable and scalable genotyping for agrigenomics [P147] Flanagan, Bernadine │ The effect of soluble dietary fibre on the 152 metabolite profile of pig intestinal tissue 152 [P148] Fletcher, Andrew │ How Australian wheat varieties have changed over the last decades: lessons to learn? [P149] Fordyce, Geoffry │ What's the right question? 153 [P150] Geering, Andrew │ Cophylogenetic relationships between gall 153 forming rust fungi (Uromycladium) on Acacia species and allied host genera [P151] George‐Jaeggli, Barbara │ Correlation and heritability of traits related 154 to photosynthesis and growth in the model cereal sorghum Page | 17
[P152] George‐Jaeggli, Barbara │ Adapting rain‐fed sorghum agronomy to breeding progress: Cropping system model parameterisation [P153] Glassop, Donna │ An analysis of ShSUT1 in transgenic sugarcane plants; Changes to Allele expression profiles as a result of RNAi [P154] Godwin, Rosamond │ Biopesticides for house fly control: Development of commercial fungal formulations [P155] Gorea, Emmanuel │ Microscopic analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) infections by Ganoderma boninense [P156] Han, Pengfei │ A pork‐rich breakfast elicits sensory specific satiety measured by fMRI and decreases appetite for savoury, salty and fatty foods [P157] Hardner, Craig │ Back‐yard macadamias in Brisbane as a reservoir of genetic diversity for future breeding [P158] Hardner, Craig │ Using a genomic relationship matrix to examine patterns in genotype‐by‐environment interaction in perennial horticultural tree crops [P159] Gleeson, Madeleine │ Microrna regulation of avocado adventitious rooting for clonal rootstock propagation [P160] Healey, Adam │ High‐throughput assessment of eucalypt biomass for next‐generation biofuel production [P161] Henry, Robert │ Plant genetic resources from Queensland for agriculture and food production in the tropics and sub‐tropics [P162] Hickey, Lee │ Combining breeding technologies to accelerate genetic gain and adapt winter cereal crops to future environments [P163] Hiti Bandaralage, Jayeni │ Synergistic effect of Gibberellin and Cytokinin for a rapid nodal multiplication system of Avacado [P164] Hoang, Nam │ Sugarcane genome analysis for biofuel traits [P165] Ishikawa, Ryuji │ Endemic Oryza species in Australia as breeding resources to improve grain size [P166] James, Andrew │ Improving adaptation and profitability of legumes in the tropics [P167] James, Peter │ Buffalo flies: a significant tropical cattle pest with expanding range in Australia and an impending threat to southern beef and dairy production Page | 18
154 155 156 156 157 157 158 158 159 160 160 161 161 162 163 163 [P168] James, Peter │ Chemical prevention and treatment of Old World screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana) infestations for exotic incursions in Australia [P169] Yim, Jason │ Tea tree oil formulations for cattle tick (Rhipicephalus australis) control [P170] Johnston, David J. │ Improving reproductive perfromance using genomic selection in tropical beef breeds [P171] Jordan, David │ An integrated approach to sorghum crop improvement in a variable water limited environment [P172] Joyce, Priya │ Protocols for transgenic event generation in sugarcane [P173] Karbanowicz, Thomas │ Development of a yeast surface display library cell line to examine tick:host interactions [P174] Kazan, Kemal │ Reverse genetic analysis of disease resistance in polyploid crops [P175] Moore, Stephen │ Understanding the genome of Australian Brahman beef cattle [P176] Kettle, Andrew │ Degradation of the phytoalexin benzoxazolinones is important for virulence in Fusarium pathogens infecting wheat [P178] Khippal, Anil Kumar │ Relay cropping of malt barley in cotton for quality and productivity [P179] Kilian, Andrzej │ DNA profiling and data management solutions for tropical agriculture research and practice [P180] Kim, Jun‐Mo │ Gene expression profiling for taste and nutrient sensors in the oral cavity in chickens [P181] Layden, Ian │ Improving productivity in intensive horticulture: the opportunities and challenges of turning precision into decision [P182] Le, Duy │ In vitro interactions between Pythium oligandrum, a potential biocontrol agent, and Pythium myriotylum, a pathogen of soft rot disease of ginger [P183] Amos, Brogan │ Innovative approaches to controlling a threat to bees in the sub‐tropics [P184] Lew‐Tabor, Ala │ Diagnosis of bovine venereal diseases ‐ update Page | 19
164 164 165 166 166 167 167 168 169 169 170 170 171 171 172 173 [P185] Limpus, Sarah │ Proximal and remote sensing in trellis tomatoes: disease detection in a tropical setting [P186] Liu, Hongwei │ Effects of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid signaling on the rhizosphere bacterial community of wheat [P187] Lozano, Natalia │ Evaluation of yeast extract (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in fattening rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) [P188] Mace, Emma │ Identification of nodal root angle QTL alleles that can increase sorghum yields under drought [P189] Jordan, David │ Fertility restoration: investigating the genomic tension behind pollen fertility in sorghum [P190] Mahony, Tim │ Live multivalent recombinant vaccines for bovine respiration disease [P191] Marquardt, Annelie │ Metabolic changes associated with the development of yellow canopy syndrome in sugarcane [P192] Masouleh, Ardashir │ Genome editing can boost yield and quality in rice [P193] Mirzaee, Hooman │ Tropical plant protection by using bacteriocin gene transformation [P194] Auzmendi, Inigo │ Improving avocado, macadamia and mango productivity in Australia: Integration of field trials and functional structural plant modelling [P195] Mohammad Moner, Ali │ Rice genetic resources of Cape York [P196] Montgomery, Stephanie │ The effect of maize stover mulch on maize and sunflower yields in a no till farming system in North West Cambodia [P197] Fortes, Marina R. S. │ Transcriptome of reproductive axis tissues pre and post puberty in Bos indicus heifers [P198] Morgan, Jess │ Genetic characterization of Australian Eimeria, the causal agent of coccidiosis in chickens [P199] Murphy, Sean │ Stored soil water: a growth limiting factor for tropical legumes and tropical grasses in northern New South Wales, Australia [P200] Nadaf, Altafhusain │ Deciphering aroma accumulation and gene expression analysis at developmental and mature stages in basmati and non‐basmati scented rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars Page | 20
173 174 174 175 175 176 177 177 178 178 179 179 180 180 181 181 [P201] Neal, Jodi │ Evaluating macadamia rootstocks 182 [P202] Nelson, Paul │ Bananas and Mangoes: Fertiliser and ground cover 183 management to benefit production, soil and the environment [P203] Netzel, Michael │ Screening Queensland grown sorghum for health 183 promoting compounds [P204] Nirmal, Nilesh │ Bergamot and lemongrass essential oils against 184 food spoilage microorganisms: Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action [P205] Nirmal, Nilesh │ Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity 185 of three Australian indigenous teas [P206] Noble, Tom │ Development of the Mungbean Nested Association 185 Mapping (NAM) Resource: transformation from opportunity crop into Queensland’s most dynamic pulse [P207] Obanor, Friday │ Elevated CO2 alters fitness of Fusarium pathogens 186 [P208] Oconnor, Daniel │ Integration of rapid phenotyping and genotyping 186 tools for peanut genetic improvement [P209] O'Halloran, Julie │ Yield monitoring in sub‐tropical carrots: Unlocking 187 productivity through understanding block performance [P210] Paengkoum, Siwaporn │ Replacement of soybean meal with leucaena 187 meal in concentrate diets in growing goats fed a basal diet of Pangola Hay [P211] Paengkoum, Pramote │ Effects of supplementation of purple Turi 188 (Sesbania grandiflora) leaf or flower on blood antioxidant activity in crossbred goats [P212] Parkinson, Louisamarie │ Investigating Soilborne Nectriaceous Fungi 188 associated with Black Root Rot in Avocado 189 [P213] Patriyawaty, Nia │ Genotypic variation for tolerance to high temperature stress during reproductive phase in Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L. Wilczek)) [P214] Pattison, Anthony │ Soil health, the competition for soil carbon 190 [P215] Piperidis, Nathalie │ Developing cytogenetic/genomic novel approaches 190 to study introgression sugarcane clones: A way to introduce new disease resistance genes? [P216] Potgieter, Andries │ The use of in‐situ proximal sensing technologies to 191 determine crop characteristics in Sorghum crop breeding [P217] Powell, Jonathan │ Transcriptomic Analysis of Biotic Stress Response in 192 Hexaploid Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Page | 21
[P218] Richard, Cecile │ NAM: a new breeding technology to improve and 192 expand sub‐tropical and tropical wheat cropping [P219] Robinson, Hannah │ A major QTL for narrow root angle provides a yield 193 advantage in barley [P220] Rodriquez Valle, Manuel │ Immunisation using microspheres of poly glycidyl 194 methacrylate functionalized with MSA‐2 peptide to protect cattle from babesiosis [P221] Rosli, Ahmad│ Biodiscovery of compounds from plant growth‐promoting 194 rhizobacteria and their role in stimulating pseudo‐chemical responses in Phytophthora cinnamomi [P222] Roura, Eugeni│ Use of computational modeling of the venus fly trap 195 domain of the sweet taste receptor (hTas1R2) to predict sensorial perception in humans [P223] Sanford, Paul │Methods for increasing the legume content of subtropical 195 grass based pastures in Southwest Western Australia [P224] Sequeira, Richard │ Using new soil testing strategies to develop site‐specific 196 fertilizer application programs for rainfed cropping systems in Central Queensland [P225] Shimelis, Hussein │ Grain yield and Striga resistance in sorghum under 196 Integrated Striga Management [P226] Singh, Vijaya │ Root system architecture and its association with drought 197 adaptation in sorghum [P227] Singh, Vijaya │ Beat the heat‐ Adaptation strategies to high temperature 198 stress in sorghum 198 [P228] Sullivan, Megan │ Innovative methods of obtaining body temperature from ruminants [P229] Sullivan, Megan │Diurnal variation of rumen temperature proxy for body 199 temperature [P230] Sun, Yue (Jenny) │ Molecular characterisation of transgenic sugarcane 199 [P231] Suriadi, Ahmad │Enhanced of peanut productivity of smallholder farmers 200 through improved technology package in Eastern Indonesia [P232] Susanti, Zuziana│ Floral traits of importance for cold tolerance at early and 200 late booting stages in rice (Oryza sativa L.) [P233] Tan, Grace │Biofortification of chickpea for enhanced iron content 201 Page | 22
[P234] Tao, Yongfu │ Whole‐genome identification of genes affecting grain size in 201 Sorghum bicolour and selection signatures revealed during sorghum domestication [P235] Taranet, Prapa │ Combinations of different root zone temperatures affect 202 storage root formation of sweetpotato [P236] Thavaraj, Pridhuvi │ Dietary fiber enrichment has the potential to manipulate 203 the taste of foods in humans [P237] Thomas, John │Tobacco streak virus and related ilarviruses from Australian 203 [P238] Tran, Nga │ Interactions between Phyllosticta citricarpa, the causal agent 204 of Citrus black spot, and P. capitalensis, a widespread endophyte of woody plants [P239] Turni, Conny │ Actinobacillus‐like isolates from diseased pigs: can multi‐locus 204 sequence analysis (MLSA) help resolve their identification? [P240] Van Oosterom, Erik │ Phenotyping transpiration efficiency: From detailed trait 205 dissection to large‐scale screening for breeding [P241] Wambugu, Peterson │ Promoting the conservation and utilization of African 206 Oryza genetic resources using molecular tools [P242] Wenham, Kylie │ Host range of the peanut root rot pathogen Fusarium 206 neocosmosporiellum [P243] Wijffels, Gene │ The metabolic and inflammatory challenges of summer in 207 the feedlot [P244] Williams, David │ Acids in Kakadu Plum Fruit (Terminalia ferdinandiana): 207 The Good (Ellagic), The Bad (Oxalic) and The Uncertain (Ascorbic) [P245] Worland, Belinda │ Gene expression patterns of nitrate transporter homologues 208 in Sorghum bicolor indicate function and localisation differ to Arabidopsis thaliana [P247] Zhang, Bing │ Expression of immunogenic Anaplasma marginale membrane 209 proteins VirB9.1 and VirB10.1 in a yeast system [P248] Zhao, Lihan │ Transgene breeding and development of transgenic sugarcane 209 [P249] Ziems, Laura │ Improved winter cereals are coming: A barley NAM for the North 210 [P251] Gangadhararao Sunnam, VS │ Varietal development in seasame 210 Author Index Page | 23
212‐ 215 Keynote Abstracts Listed in presentation order The role of Public Goods in addressing Global Food and Nutrition Security Wayne Powell¹*, Philippe Ellul¹ 1 CGIAR Consortium Office, 1000, Avenue Agropolis, F‐34394 Montpellier Cedex 5 E‐mail: [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________ The linkage between improved agricultural food systems and the alleviation of hunger and malnutrition is a global problem affecting every country on the planet. At the same time, rapid developments in biological, genetic, agronomic and data science are opening up radical new opportunities to transform the productivity, resilience and resource‐use efficiency of developing world agriculture. Exploiting the growing life sciences knowledge base for innovative solutions to the global challenges facing the world is a major opportunity and unifying force for research scientists. As such the distinction between developed and developing world research objectives are becoming more blurred, bringing opportunities for dual purpose research. As the leading global consortium of agricultural science for development, the expectations of the CGIAR have never been higher in translating this growing knowledge base into transformative solutions for the world’s poor. In this presentation we will provide examples of how CGIAR Research Programmes (CRPs) are delivering impact at scale particularly through the provision of global public goods. The presentation will emphasise the need for global collaboration to create the future knowledge systems on which food and nutrition security depend. Finally, we will briefly highlight relevant developments from the CGIAR’s new Strategy and Results Framework that will drive the development of the new CRP portfolio starting in 2017. Tropical livestock production and health constraints Donald Nkrumah¹* 1 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ________________________________________________________________________________ Nearly 1 billion of the world’s poor depend on livestock, but several interdependent technical and institutional challenges hamper livestock productivity growth. The technical constraints include the very low productivity of local breeds, the poor resilience to heat and other environmental stressors of exotic genotypes, overwhelming pests, parasites, and infectious diseases, and the lower quality and availability of feed and water resources. The goal of smallholder livestock genetic improvement is to enable farmer’s access to highly productive germplasm that is also appropriate for the agro‐ecology and well‐adapted to the low‐input production systems. To achieve this, we require on‐farm information systems and digital platforms for collecting phenotypes on traits that farmers care about. This information can then be used to develop and apply modern genetics and genomics tools to identify, characterize, and multiply the most promising high‐producing germplasm. For certain traits that farmers care about, faster progress may only be possible through the development and application of biotechnology tools. These Page | 24
tools will allow the rapid and successful introduction of tropical adaptability phenotypes into high‐
producing exotic genotypes or superior productivity traits from elite exotic animals into tropically‐
adapted animals. In many poor farming communities, there is often limited information on the true causes of mortality and morbidity. Also, most farmers often do not have an appreciation of the most cost‐effective strategies for the prevention or management of diseases and pests that are appropriate for their production systems. We are making progress in enabling the development of better products for diseases and pests that are relevant to the largest number of livestock owned by smallholders. However, sustainably improving the existing animal health systems will require facilitating regional cooperation in product development, approval, manufacturing, and distribution. We also require effective on‐farm veterinary service delivery and improvements in the capacity of national veterinary systems in disease and pest diagnosis, epidemiology, surveillance, and prevention. Animal nutrition is important because it is the foundation for animal wellness and the ability of farmers to realize the genetic potential of their animals. However, feed is the single most important cost factor in livestock production, accounting for most of the total cost. In most smallholder livestock systems, access to adequate feed and fodder remain a perennial constraint. In addition to finding strategies to optimize productivity under feed constraints, significant efforts in NEW research, development, and local adaptation are needed to introduce technologies that increase the sustainable intensification of feed, forage, and fodder supply (to enable adequate year‐round feeding). The institutional barriers to livestock productivity growth often stem from the need to support public‐private partnerships that facilitate and derisk market entry for local private and social entrepreneurs as well as multinational companies. Many of these organizations have significant interests in developing sustainable input and service delivery businesses. We also need to facilitate public‐
private partnerships for output market development (including aggregation models) to pull production from rural areas to urban centers, and processing and value‐addition systems to encourage sustainable intensification. What impacts do plant diseases have on tropical agriculture? Randy Ploetz¹* 1 University of Florida, 18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL, USA 33031 [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________ Tropical agriculture is confronted with enormous challenges. The growing demand for food in the face of shrinking areas of arable land, declining soil fertility, and the reduced availability and quality of irrigation water will accelerate the occurrence and magnitude of food shortages, whereas increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns resulting from climate change will impact where and how effectively many tropical crops are produced. These and other abiotic factors have received justified attention as problems that require swift and deliberate action. The present talk considers an important biotic factor in tropical agriculture. Plant diseases are significant biological constraints in the production of virtually every tropical crop. On many crops, their impact exceeds that of other biotic factors including weeds, arthropods, vertebrate pests and parasitic plants. The losses diseases typically cause range from 20 to 40% of potential yield, and a multitude of effects are responsible for these reductions. The marketability or edibility of a food crop can be directly reduced by diverse decays, altered development or quality of the harvested organ and other abnormalities, whereas post‐harvest losses result from rots, reduced Page | 25
quality, mycotoxin contamination and other problems. Furthermore, yields are reduced indirectly when diseases affect host plant vigor or fecundity. Ancillary impacts of plant diseases include economic losses that are suffered by producers and consumers, community upheaval, and public health and environmental problems that result from the diseases themselves or the measures that are used in their management. In total, plant diseases can have very substantial impacts on the production of tropical crops and the societies that produce market and consume them. Despite their fundamental value for prioritizing research and focusing efforts to increase production, accurate disease loss estimates have been established for very few tropical crops. An exceptionally detailed analysis for Asian rice production is discussed. The enemy release concept, wherein hosts are separated from coevolved pathogens when they are produced outside their centers of origin, is used to evaluate some of the most problematic tropical diseases. When coevolved pathogens are reunited with their released hosts, very serious losses can occur, and notable historical (e.g Panama disease of banana) and potential (e.g. South American leaf blight of Para rubber) impacts are discussed. In closing, options for managing these diseases are outlined with a special emphasis on conventional and nonconventional strategies with which these crops are improved for disease resistance. A case is made for the greater development, use and acceptance of genetically modified crops. Nutrition Security – Diverse and Evolving Targets M J Gidley¹* 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Australia ________________________________________________________________________________ The health and well‐being of individuals and populations is profoundly affected by the cumulative effect of their diet(s). In planning for the future of tropical agriculture, not only the quantity but also the sensorial and nutritional quality of foods derived from agriculture should be taken into account. There is currently a focus on relieving the pressures of under‐nutrition in selected communities across the tropics, with characteristic challenges being the provision of sufficient food energy and protein to support childhood growth, and overcoming deficiencies in micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron and zinc. As under‐nutrition issues steadily become less prevalent, there is a concomitant rise in over‐nutrition challenges, exacerbated by the abundance and affordability of energy‐dense and often micronutrient‐poor foods from highly efficient 'refine and recombine' food assembly processes. For sustainable health and well‐being, the consensus dietary advice to eat an energy‐appropriate diet rich in whole foods could be translated into choices concerning agricultural development. In order to achieve required nutrient intakes as well as controlling appetite, two key qualifying factors should be micronutrient density and satiety per kJ, coupled with much better education on the dietary choices that can be made to enhance individual health and well‐being. Economic development and the adverse effects of over‐nutrition need to be decoupled for the long term benefit of individuals and populations, but how? Currently ‘fast’ foods are not only available instantly but are often also digested quickly, because of the extensive post‐harvest thermal and mechanical processing traditionally required to provide the long term supply chain Page | 26
stability which is at the heart of the reasons why the ‘refine and recombine’ approach is economical. Fast digestion provides nutrients to the body rapidly which not only causes stress on e.g. insulin response (raising the risk of type 2 diabetes) but also results in more rapid subsequent onset of hunger and the risk of over‐consumption. The challenge is to combine lessons from our dietary evolution and large scale epidemiological trials on the benefits of a whole food diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables with the food preparation/processing/logistics required to service the demand for satisfying and affordable food ‘where and when I want it’ to increasingly time‐poor individuals. As nutrition and health outcomes result from the integration of factors across the whole diet and over time, nutrition security is also concerned with providing sufficient diversity of foods to sustain health and well‐being including a range of protein sources, (whole) grains and a ‘rainbow’ of fruits and vegetables. Agricultural and distribution systems which allow local access to this full diversity of foods is likely to provide the best insurance against both under‐ and over‐nutrition. Climate Risks and the Productivity Challenge in Field Crops Graeme Hammer¹* 1 Centre for Plant Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Australia ________________________________________________________________________________ Climate variability and risk pervade agricultural systems and restrict productivity. This situation is now exacerbated by the need to dramatically increase productivity of existing farmland to meet projected needs from population growth and the developing affluence of emerging economies. Beyond this, anthropogenic gases are moving us to new climatic regimes at an uncertain pace. Changes in rainfall patterns and extreme heat events will diminish the value of experience. Is it possible to adapt to these circumstances and simultaneously enhance productivity? An ability for skilful advance prediction of seasonal climate would significantly enhance production. The seasonal climate experienced during a crop life cycle is influenced by a range of forcing factors with varying degrees of predictive power depending on location and time of year. The seemingly random variation in historical annual patterns of rainfall and temperature have been deconstructed into decadal, inter‐annual, and secular components of variability with some skill. While the respective underpinning mechanisms ‐ the Interdecadal‐Pacific‐Oscillation (IPO), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and anthropogenic forcing ‐ have been the subject of much research, there remains considerable uncertainty in seasonal forecasts. While the diversity of modern global climate models capture some of these effects and show general agreement on the greenhouse gas forcing of temperature trends, there remains a degree of disparity and uncertainty on prediction of effects on rainfall. We are left with some useful predictive skill, but still face considerable seasonal uncertainty. It does, however, remain possible to characterise frequencies of likely cropping environments as a basis for exploring potential adaptive strategies for cropping. Here we present a modelling analysis of the shifting influence of drought and heat stress for sorghum and wheat crops in northeast Australia as an example. The analysis highlights the need to consider effects of heat, rainfall, and CO2 changes in an integrated manner when considering genetic improvement and crop management strategies best suited for crop adaptation at local scale. In sorghum, the Page | 27
exacerbated effects of drought associated with warming were offset by the water use efficiency benefits associated with increased CO2. And in wheat, the hastened development associated with warming reduced exposure to terminal drought. In both crops, the increasing influence of heat stress indicated that, in addition to continued effort on drought tolerance, an emphasis on heat tolerance was warranted. The approach complements broad global scale crop productivity studies on the challenge of meeting future food demand, but highlights the need for locally relevant analysis if we are to identify suitable strategies for adapting to climatic risks. How can integrated farming systems be marshalled to meet the productivity challenge in the tropics? Mario Herrero1*, Philip K Thornton1,2 1 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Agriculture Flagship, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia 2 CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya ________________________________________________________________________________ The demand for food is projected to increase by 70% in the next 35 years, as a result of population increases, changing diets and urbanisation. There is concern as to how to meet this demand in ways that are socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. Historically, this demand has been met by a wide range of agricultural production systems, of different levels of intensification and diversification, and resource endowment (land size, capital and others). Of particular importance have been mixed farming systems which integrate spatially or temporally food, feed and/or cash crops, livestock, horticulture, and or/aquaculture amongst others. These systems provide half of the world’s cereal production and more than 80% of the ruminant meat and milk, globally. These systems are at the centre of agricultural transformations. In parts of the developing world, population density, shrinking farm sizes, environmental concerns, and weak institutional and market support are making these systems infeasible as engines of food security. In other places, farm consolidation and expansion are required to deal with the low margins obtained from these farming enterprises. Significant opportunities to sustainably intensify these systems exist through improving crop and livestock productivity and in many cases their interactions. However, in many places, technical solutions will not reach very far, unless an enabling environment with the necessary incentives and markets for systems to intensify is properly developed. This requires donor support, public‐
private partnerships, market development and infrastructure, and collective action mechanisms in many cases. Similar attention needs to be put towards delivering the ‘sustainable’ part of these interventions, with appropriate environmental and social metrics; and their respective monitoring and evaluation frameworks. These are essential for meeting the productivity challenge in the tropics. Page | 28
#Likeandshare: How the changing consumer dynamic is affecting demand for tropical agriculture Margaret Stuart¹* 1 Nestlé Oceania ________________________________________________________________________________ The products of tropical agriculture – including coffee, cocoa, sugar and palm oil ‐ have long been core to some of Nestlé’s most iconic products. Scrutiny on supply chains is at levels never experienced before as consumers demand higher standards on areas such as environmental sustainability. The way in which consumers engage with brands is changing rapidly, as social media provides unprecedented opportunities for consumers to connect with brands, and the opportunities created online are leveraged by groups with a focus on issues such as labelling, environmental matters and human rights. These changing expectations have an increasing impact on tropical agriculture, as FMCG companies increasingly look to align their supply chains with the expectations of consumers. Can demand‐driven approaches to breeding increase smallholders’ adoption of new plant and animal genetics? Dr Vivienne Anthony¹* 1 Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, WRO 1020.11.66, Schwarzwaldallee 215, PO Box, CH‐4002, Switzerland Email: [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________ Over 450 million smallholders in developing countries provide food for more than one‐third of the world’s population. They therefore make a crucial contribution to food security. Their needs and preferences, together with those of their value chains, are key drivers for new trends in agriculture. The changing and rapidly increasing food needs of urban populations represent new income opportunities for these farmers. Adoption of new technology by smallholders involves a complex array of economic, policy, social and cultural factors. These include awareness about new crop varieties and breeds, access to products and credit. Smallholders carefully weigh the risks and benefits. To change their farming and selling practices, compelling and reliable benefits must significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Sub‐Saharan Africa has an overwhelming need for productivity improvement. With many food staples, however, fewer than 35% of modern improved crop varieties are used by farmers. One likely contributing factor to this low uptake is that new products do not always adequately satisfy smallholders’ requirements. There has been little de novo crop breeding in Sub‐Saharan countries targeted specifically at the needs of smallholders and the stakeholders in their value chains. For many crops, new varieties are registered based on local selections, often from international programmes working on specific traits such as drought tolerance. Similarly, tropical livestock development has seen only limited genetic improvement of the type required by smallholders. Some imported genetics have Page | 29
improved productivity short‐term. However, these gains have been limited by animals’ poor resilience under heat stress, their vulnerability to predators, the overwhelming burden of parasitic and infectious diseases, and the low quality and availability of feed and water. New breeds must be suited to their surroundings; adoption, however, also depends on local cultural preferences. For example, urban consumers in Kenya prefer the taste of indigenous breeds to that of more productive introduced livestock, and are willing to pay a “taste premium”. Demand‐driven approaches to breeding can lead to greater adoption. These approaches use best practices from the private and public sectors to ensure that new varieties and breeds bring compelling and reliable benefits. Demand‐driven breeding puts smallholders and their value chains at the heart of R&D. It places strong emphasis on market research to understand the relative importance of various attributes for different groups of smallholders and their immediate customers, as well as processors, retailers and consumers. It involves evaluating trade‐offs in product design, validating final versions with the beneficiaries and involving them and their suppliers throughout the development process. Thereby, delivering products that satisfies demand and results in rapid uptake by farmers. The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, the Crawford Fund, the Australian International Food Security Research Centre and the University of Queensland are partnering to strengthen demand‐led crop breeding in Sub‐Saharan Africa. They are working together with leading African education and research institutions on training, and implementation of the best demand‐driven approaches in the region’s breeding programmes. What can plant science do for human health? Yang Zhang¹, Eugenio Butelli¹, Saleh Alseekh², Jie Luo³, Prashant Kawar, Lionel Hil¹, Angelo Santino⁴, Alisdair Fernie², Cathie Martin¹* 1 Metabolic Biology Department, the John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom 2 Max‐Planck‐Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Wissenschaftspark Golm, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany 3 Colleges of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China 4 Institute of Sciences of Food Production CNR Unit of Lecce, via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy ________________________________________________________________________________ Over the past 30 years the developed world has seen an enormous change in diet with the proportions of carbohydrate‐dense foods increasing dramatically along with consumption of large amounts of saturated fats and foods with high levels of added sugars. The advent of the Western Diet has brought with it an increase in chronic diseases, particularly those associated with the metabolic syndrome, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. A major concern for the future is that ensuring food security by focussing on the major crops, cereals and starchy foods, will result in a loss in dietary diversity in developing countries, leading to similar problems in obesity and accompanying chronic diseases, observed in developed nations, today. Fruit and vegetables are important sources of many phytonutrients that promote health. Because these compounds are not essential for life, they have been ignored by many nutritional and biofortification programmes. However, their inclusion in the diet is essential to meeting the objectives of food and nutritional security as defined by the FAO. Page | 30
The first step that is required is the characterisation of the bioactivity of different phytonutrients and their comparative assessment to inform dietary diversification programmes and public information campaigns. Phenylpropanoids are derived from phenylalanine and comprise an important class of plant secondary metabolites that include specialized bioactives with medicinal properties and important phytonutrients that promote human health. By engineering the supply of precursors for phenylpropanoid metabolism, energy and reducing power, high levels of novel metabolites can be accumulated in tomatoes, offering an effective production system for high value polyphenols for comparative nutrition studies. Preclinical studies show substantial differences between the protective effects of different polyphenols in tomatoes against cardiovascular disease. These fundamental studies at the interface between plant science and nutrition will lead to foods fortified in health‐promoting phytonutrients, achieved either through breeding or metabolic engineering. This promotion of health through diet is of particular importance in tropical agricultural systems. How to bridge the gap between possible and existing production? Kenneth G. Cassman¹* 1 University of Nebraska, USA Email: [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________ It is fashionable to state that adequate future food demand can be easily achieved on existing farmland by closing gaps between current and potential yields with existing fertilizer and seed technologies, especially in tropical Asia and Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) where current average farm yields are very low. Such a statement belies the poor quality data and methodological challenges that afflict supporting yield gap estimates (defined as the difference between current and potential yields). Indeed, accurate estimates of current yield gaps in rainfed agriculture require good quality data on soil properties governing plant available water to rootable soil depth, long‐
term daily weather data, current farm yields, cropping systems and crop management including sowing dates, plant population, and cultivar maturity. A well validated crop model is also needed to estimate potential yields under rainfed conditions (Yw, water‐limited yield potential). Unfortunately such data and robust models are not available for much of the world, including many developed countries, and they are rare in much of tropical Asia and SSA. For rainfed agriculture in SSA, water holding capacity to rootable soil depth has a large influence on Yw and stability of Yw (coefficient of variation [CV] in yield) due to fluctuation in rainfall, yet there are few data on rootable soil depth in major crop producing regions, such as the Guinea‐
Savannah zone that stretches from west to east and southern Africa, and relatively sparse climate data. Recent research by Nicolas Guilpart and colleagues from the Global Yield Gap Atlas (www.yieldgap.org) have shown how sensitive both Yw and stability of Yw are to rootable soil depth: If only 30% of maize production area has a rootable soil depth ≤75 cm, yield stability would be to that at the westernmost edge of the USA Corn Belt, which is a harsh rainfed environment with highly unstable yields (Grassini et al., 2014). Indeed, it is the variability in Yw that determines risks associated with obtaining adequate return on investment in inputs such as fertilizer, improved seed, and pest control measures. Hence, it is very difficult to assess the potential impact Page | 31
of improved technologies on yield and return on investment in yield‐enhancing inputs without data on rootable soil depth and long‐term weather data. And while recent efforts to overcome these data gaps hold promise (Van Wart et al., 2015; Grassini et al., 2015; van Bussel et al, 2015), there is no substitute for “real” data, and concerted efforts are needed to obtain them as the basis for accurate estimates of yield gaps and yield stability to inform discussions about prioritization of research and development investments. Note that the same data and data quality are required for robust assessments of climate change impacts on crop production. It is also fashionable to say that yield gap analysis is not very relevant for SSA and parts of tropical Asia where current farm yields are very low and it is possible to double yields (from 1 to 1.5 t/ha to 2 to 3 t/ha) with currently available technologies. But doubling yields in these regions will neither lift smallholder farm families out of poverty nor achieve food security. In most regions the Yw ceiling is four to five times larger than current farm yields. And it is in the second doubling of yields (to 4.0 to 6.0 t/ha) that yield gap assessment and robust estimates of yield stability are critical for efficient targeting of research and extension efforts to steadily lift yields and yield stability in a cost‐effective and sustainable manner that builds soil quality, conserves natural resources, and enhances ecosystem services. Citations Grassini et al., Field Crops Research 177 (2015) 49–63 Grassini et al. 2014. In: V. O. Sadras and D. Calderini, (eds): Crop Physiology, p. 15‐42. Academic Press, Oxford Van Bussel et al., Field Crops Research 177 (2015) 98–108 Van Wart et al. Agricultural Forest Meteorol. 208 (2015) 49–58 Tropical Agriculture by 2050 Professor Sir Gordon Conway¹* 1 Imperial College London, 15 Prince's Gardens, South Kensington Campus, UK ________________________________________________________________________________ Where will tropical agriculture be in 2050 –in the developed, ‘emerging’ and developing countries? In a better or worse place than now? Much will depend on global trends – in population growth, dietary change, malnutrition and obesity, on world trade, on the relation between developed, emerging and developing counties, and most importantly on climate change. I expect the dominant paradigm to be sustainable intensification and the future will depend on progress in precision farming and in agroecology, advances in genetics and breeding and in socio‐
economic developments. Equally important will be progress in the role of digital technology in connecting farmers to markets, to sources of data and to each other. I plan to weave into the presentation the findings and comments of the speakers during the week. Page | 32
Invited Abstracts Listed in presentation order Pathways for the sustainable development of agriculture Daniel Rodriguez¹*, Peter deVoil¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sustainable development is at the top of the most challenging tasks facing humanity, and agriculture, being the largest business in the world, has a key role to play. The largest potential for the sustainable development of agriculture exists in parts of the world where most of the population is involved in small scale farming (up to 90%), and where the demand for food and levels of poverty are the largest e.g. Sub Saharan Africa. However, given the large diversity of agro‐ecological, socio‐economic and market conditions smarter approaches are required to guide investments and interventions that bridge the gap between present and achievable levels of farm production. Here we show how data from a household survey (n‰…800) and a whole farm model (APSFarm‐LivSim) could be combined to describe likely pathways of agriculture intensification. Intensification pathways were defined in terms of the effects of increasing on‐farm investments on the reduction of down side risks i.e. the likelihood of not producing enough food as per the household energy requirements; as a function of the household potential for intensification i.e. difference between present and achievable levels of production. Three types of pathways were identified: (i) a low risk pathway; (ii) a high risk pathway; and (iii) and a group of households that are likely to remain food insecure after intensification took place. Implications for on farm investment and practice change are discussed in terms of the socio‐economic and bio‐physical characteristics of the component households from each pathway type. Co‐designing the transitions towards integrated market oriented mixed farming systems in semi‐arid Zimbabwe Sabine Homann‐Kee Tui¹*, Patricia Masikati², Thabani Dube¹, Peter De Voil ³, Daniel Rodriguez³, Andre Van Rooyen¹ 1 ICRISAT, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 2 ICRAF, Lusaka, Zambia 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ In semi‐arid Zimbabwe, multiple constraints impact maize‐based crop‐livestock systems creating a poverty trap. These barriers include low soil fertility, variable climates, weak knowledge support, and lack of markets. Conventional technical options are insufficient to improve smallholder livelihoods. Given the diversity in resource endowments and livelihood sources identifying intensification options that fit circumstances remains problematic. In this paper we demonstrate co‐designing approaches (i.e. with multiple stakeholders) for two sites i.e. Gwanda and Nkayi districts, of contrasting agro‐ecological potential. We engaged low, medium and high resource endowed farmers to (i) co‐design plausible improved scenarios that included incremental changes ‐ testing currently promoted technologies for crop‐livestock intensification and drastic change ‐ assuming that removing barriers will encourage investments towards resilient and profitable Page | 33
farming; and (ii) We quantified benefits and trade offs from alternative integrated actions using an integrated whole farm modelling approach (APSFArm‐LivSim‐TOAMD). At both sites incremental change options improved food security through better‐integrated cereal‐legume‐livestock systems; income effects were however limited. Drastic change options achieved more substantial improvements in productivity, food and income generation: farmers set more land in use, with more diversified forage, food and cash crops and adapted cultivars, organic and mineral fertilizer application, small‐scale mechanization for ploughing and product processing and improved livestock management. Packages tailored to farm situations had larger benefits on food security and income than blanket applications. Recommendations that take into account the socio‐
economic context and policies are key and need to be communicated in more effective ways for enabling more sustainable futures for smallholders in Zimbabwe. Financial and opportunity costs of agricultural labour in Cambodia: implications for rice production technologies Robert Farquharson¹*, Sareth Chea², Brian Cook¹ 1 University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2 CARDI, Phnom Penh, Cambodia __________________________________________________________________________ Smallholder farmers in developing countries are witnessing rapid social and economic change with new opportunities for use of farm‐family resources. Subsistence, and semi‐subsistence, rice production is the mainstay of agriculture in Cambodia. Off‐farm work opportunities now provide alternative and economically appealing uses for family labour, with labour migration and remittances becoming important livelihood options. Traditional scientific Research and Development (R&D) continues to develop new rice technologies, but often without substantial impact. We assessed the incentives to adopt new rice production technologies by accounting for the full financial and opportunity costs of labour. We constructed a representative whole‐farm model of lowland rice production set in a constrained optimisation framework with an economic objective, and developed detailed seasonal labour demand (for alternative crops) and labour supply (from family labour) functions. We assessed a new rice technology in a farm‐focussed analysis and then in a wider farm‐livelihoods analysis when off‐farm work options are included. When the opportunity cost of labour is zero the improved rice technology is ‘best’ for family income. But when off‐farm work options are included, so that the opportunity costs are real, the technology choice is reversed. The implications for R&D funding bodies, and government policy‐
makers and extension services, are that failure to account for economic and social factors operating in ‘target’ farm populations may explain why some adoption of new technologies is less than expected, and that improved scoping and targeting of individual projects may increase returns to R&D investments. The digital frontier and the northern beef industry Ian Atkinson¹*, Ed Charmley², Margret Atkinson¹,³, Greg Bishop‐Hurley², Scott Mills¹, Rachel Hay¹ 1 James Cook University, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia Page | 34
3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The north Australian bush is a vast and harsh landscape that is heavily grazed by the beef industry but is clearly not well served by modern communication infrastructure. Despite these infrastructure limitations the digital tools and services are slowly trickling into the small towns and homesteads of rural Australia. The Digital Homestead Project is capitalizing the latent demand for digital enhancement of the cattle grazing industry in northern Australia. A research partnership between James Cook University, CSIRO, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Queensland University of Technology is developing a Digital Dashboard that has the capacity to integrate information collected electronically from on property, such as walk‐over‐weight data, with off‐farm information, such as market prices. The fusion of these data streams assist in making the right decisions at the right time. Information is the key to profitability and by providing a user‐centred dashboard, producers can gain ready access to a range of critical information. Initial trials were conducted at CSIRO’s Landsdown Research Station near Townsville and are being rolled out on a commercial scale trial at QDAF’s SpyGlass Research Station. Sensors deployed on the property measure weather, tank levels, cattle location, activity and weight. The browser‐based dashboard, combines on farm and external data sources to a real time snapshot of on‐farm and off‐farm statistics. We are currently engaging the rural community to translate this dashboard into real‐world production and better harness the information age for beef cattle production. Micronutrient biofortification of acid and neutral soils for enhanced crop production and improved anthocyanin contents of sweetpotato Anabella Tulin¹,²*, Rosario Canoy¹ 1 PhilRootcrops, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines 2 SAFT, University of South Pacific alafua Campus, Apia, Samoa __________________________________________________________________________ The prevalence of micronutrient malnutrition affecting majority of the world population especially the developing world poses a lot of challenges to scientists in addressing this problem. One way of solving this is through crop fortification of micronutrients by genetic engineering and breeding and agronomic biofortification by adding it in the soil. Pot experiments representing acid and neutral soils were conducted using different levels of micronutrients added to macronutrients fertilizers to study the effects of micronutrient biofortification on the growth, yield and anthocyanin contents of sweetpotato. The results showed that the plant height, and total weight of fresh tubers of purple sweetpotato grown in neutral soil were significantly affected by the different levels of micronutrients while in acid soil only the plant height was significantly affected by micronutrient addition. The addition of varying levels of micronutrients enhanced the anthocyanin contents of sweetpotato. The effect is more pronounced in acid soil as compared to neutral soil. It also improved the soil organic matter, pH, total N, available P and exchangeable K of both acid and neutral soils. Identifying the sensory basis of consumer preference for red and yellow papaya in Australia Heather Smyth¹*, Philippa Tyler², Edith Gomez³, Yan Diczbalis², Terrance Campbell² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia Page | 35
3 Food and Agribusiness, Trade and Investment Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Previous research on papaya, also commonly known in Australia as papaw, has focussed on understanding the extrinsic triggers and barriers to consumption, perceptions towards the fruit including perceived benefits and likely messages that may influence Australians to increase consumption (HAL, 2013). In Australia there are a number of different red and yellow papaya fruits in commercial production that exhibit a broad range of aromas, flavours and textures. To date, consumer taste preferences for these fruits have not been established. The objective of this study was to develop a sensory preference map for key commercial papaya fruits available in Australia. Seven varieties of papaw and papaya were included in this study, namely ‘yellow varietals' 1B Tablelands, 13 Tablelands and 1B Wet Coast, together with ‘red varietals' Skybury long, Skybury round, RB1 and Fiji Red. The fruits were subject to consumer acceptability testing (n=101), descriptive sensory analysis and basic compositional analysis. The resultant data was used in a preference map to determine groups of consumers who like specific varieties and sensory properties of papaya. Three main consumer clusters were identified based on preference and could be generally classified as ‘red papaya fans' (55%), ‘colour blind lovers' (30%) and the ‘dislikers' (15%). With a better handle on the intrinsic sensory properties of the different varietals, paired with a good understanding of which sensory properties consumers prefer, industry will be in a better position to breed and select superior varieties and market their fruit to targeted audiences to increase consumption. Reference Papaya and papaw: the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit, Oct 2013, HAL Progress in the breeding of high oleic, early maturing peanut varieties in Australia Graeme Wright¹*, Dayle Fleischfresser², Lawrie Owens² 1 Peanut Company of Australia, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Dryland peanut production in SE Queensland, Australia has a high frequency (>70%) of severe end‐
of‐season droughts which limit pod yields and leads to high aflatoxin risk. The Australian peanut breeding program has been developing new early maturing types that can escape severe drought stress and aflatoxin risk by maturing up to 30 days quicker compared to the traditionally grown full season varieties of 140+ days duration. Major breeding aims have been high kernel yield and relevant quality traits, including high oleic oil, large kernel size, good blanchability and great taste. We have incorporated high levels of soil borne and foliar disease tolerance to significantly reduce input costs for growers. The program has released 4 early maturing varieties since 2007, including Walter (2007), Tingoora (2010), Redvale (2013) and Taabinga (soon to be released). Substantial genetic improvement has been achieved in the past 8 years, with mean kernel yield performance of the most recent release (Taabinga) being 50% greater than Walter, when averaged over 15 multi‐year/location trials. Kernel size has also been significantly increased, with Taabinga averaging 51% versus 28% jumbo kernel grade compared to Walter. Foliar disease tolerance has also been enhanced with Taabinga being highly resistant to late leaf spot, leaf rust and web blotch relative to the highly susceptible Walter. The most significant advancement has been the lifting of overall kernel yield potential such that our new early maturity lines are now highly competitive with currently grown full season maturity varieties. Page | 36
Use of genomic tools to improve eating quality of northern Australian beef Matthew Kelly³*, Stephen Moore¹, John Thompson² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of New England, Australia 3 AACo Corporate office, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia ________________________________________________________________________________ As global demand increases for meat products there is also an increasing desire for improved quality. In the northern Australian context this meat comes almost exclusively from beef cattle. One of the key problems associated with cattle highly adapted to harsh climates is lower quality of beef. We examined the use of genomics technology for use within the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) beef grading system to value the increase in genetic value that could be obtained through genetic selection on a small panel of SNP markers. It was found that selection on the small panel of markers could lead to an increase of carcass value of approximately $12.5 in the progeny of selected sires. The use of genomics to evaluate the accuracy of the current predictor of bos indicus content (based on a hump height adjusted for carcass weight). While the accuracy of prediction given hump height for predicting bos indicus content was much lower than the genomic estimate, the impact on prediction of eating quality was small. These studies show that there genomic technology has utility within the MSA and is a first small step towards integrating genetic selection for eating quality within northern Australian beef production systems. GM organic crops: the future of food security in the tropics Ian Godwin¹*, Peter Gresshoff¹, Peer Schenk¹, Jimmy Botella¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ According to the Oxford Dictionary, organic means: Relating to, or derived from living matter. We argue that GM crops could not be more organic. GM crops are plants made with naturally occurring enzymes, using natural vectors, involve some very advanced organic biochemistry, and generate fantastic outcomes for the environment while boosting productivity. A major meta‐
analysis recently demonstrated that the use of insect and herbicide resistance in GM crops has, on average, improved yield by 22%, reduced pesticide resistance by 37%, with the multiplying effect of increasing farmer profitability by 68% (Klamper and Qaim, 2014). Worldwide, almost 25% of crop production is now from GMOs, and in the United States alone, over 90% of maize, soybean and cotton production is GM, with considerable benefits to the farmer and the environment. Sadly, GMOs are precluded from certification as ‘organic agriculture’ based on ideological beliefs rather than scientific evidence. We propose that GM crops are the future of organic and sustainable agriculture in the tropics and sub‐tropics. Our research is producing GM cereals, legumes and horticultural crops with enhanced yield, pest and disease resistance, nutrient use efficiency, product quality and bio‐industrial end uses. These advances will lead to more sustainable on‐farm productivity with less reliance on pesticides and fertilisers. These crops have the potential to underpin NextGen Organic agricultural productivity with better environmental and health outcomes for farmers and consumers. Page | 37
Nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture: Innovative solutions for protecting crops and livestock Neena Mitter¹*, Chengzhong (Michael) Yu¹, Zhiping (Gordon) Xu¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want them?'asked Richard Feynman, a well‐known American physicist, in his speech during the meeting of the American Physical Society in 1959. This idea which became known as nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the sustainability of agricultural and food industry. The benefit of nano‐ biotechnology to tropical agriculture will be highlighted with two key applications a) Nanovaccines for animal health delivering the new generation single dose vaccines that can be stored at room temperature and b) BioClay spray on technology for delivery of RNAi as a topical application for crop protection. Nanovaccines: We have developed a novel nano‐carrier delivery system for sub unit vaccines targeting major cattle diseases. The novel silica vesicle delivery platform developed addresses the industry needs for a good antibody and cell mediated response, strong adjuvant effect, potential for reducing dose number and elimination of cold chain requirements making the technology ideal for tropical climates across the globe. BioClay: A Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) clay nanoparticle has been developed that can load double stranded RNA (300‐1000bp) to form a slow release capsule. This protects dsRNA from UV degradation on the leaf surface and affords RNA interference based viral protection for an extended period once sprayed. BioClay offers an affordable, usable and environmentally sustainable management of pests and diseases compared to GM crops or pesticide sprays. Both these applications have progressed with support from philanthropy, industry, academia and government and highlight the amalgamation of science and market driven solutions. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) genotypes contrasting for transpiration sensitivity also differ in their dependence on Aquaporin mediated and apoplastic water transport pathways Tharanya Murugesan¹,²*, Sivasakthi Kaliamoorthy¹,², Gloria Barzana¹, Jana Kholova¹, Thirunalasundari Thiyagarajan², Vincent Vadez¹ 1 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics,Telangana,India 2 Bharathidasan University,Tamilnadu,India __________________________________________________________________________ Water deficit limits pearl millet productivity in semi‐arid tropical environments and transpiration sensitivity to high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) led to increased yield under terminal drought. This trait was interpreted to be related to plant hydraulic characteristics, which differ between water transport pathways (aquaporin‐mediated and apoplast). Therefore we hypothesized that genotypic differences in the transpiration response to VPD might relate to the degree of genotype dependence on either water transport pathways for the support of transpiration. This was tested by comparing the transpiration response upon inhibitors treatments of the aquaporins (1.5mM hydrogen peroxide) and apoplastic pathway ( copper ‐ ferrocyanide precipitation technique) in two pearl millet genotypes contrasting for transpiration response under high VPD H77/833‐2 (VPD insensitive) and PRLT2‐89/33 (VPD sensitive). Inhibitions were done at 1.27kPa and then VPD was raised up to 3.0kPa. When the apoplastic pathway was inhibited, transpiration of VPD‐
sensitive PRLT‐2/89‐33 decreased more than that of VPD insensitive H77/833‐2 and the level of Page | 38
apoplastic inhibition were typically between 40% and 50% (p = 0.05). By contrast, upon aquaporin inhibition transpiration declined more in VPD insensitive H77/833‐2 than in VPD‐sensitive PRLT‐
2/89‐33, although the level of inhibition was limited to 10%‐15% (p = 0.05). Overall, results showed the predominance of the apoplastic pathway in pearl millet, especially under high VPD. VPD‐sensitive PRLT‐2/89‐33 depended more on the apoplast pathway for water transport than the VPD‐insensitive genotype H77/833‐2. Genotypes differing in the transpiration response to VPD also differed in their dependence on aquaporin‐mediated and apoplast water transport pathways. Genomics and tick vaccine development Ala Lew‐Tabor¹,²*, Manuel Rodriguez Valle¹, Matthew Bellgard², Felix Guerrero ³ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Western Australia 3 ARS, US Department of Agriculture, Texas, USA __________________________________________________________________________ Tropical and sub‐tropical cattle industries worldwide are threatened by the Rhipicephalus microplus species complex (cattle ticks) with losses due to infestations estimated at $US2.5b annually. Rising tick acaricide resistance and the variable success of Bm86 gut antigen vaccines has diminished options for tick control. Researchers world‐wide continue to assess new tick antigens which could potentially protect cattle from different tick species from all relevant geographic locations. A seven year research program undertook a bioinformatics genomics approach to identify putative cattle tick vaccine antigens. This was experimental due to the lack of a complete genome sequence with access to an EST sequence database. Protein databases were screened for domains described as secreted, extracellular and/or transmembrane. R. microplus ESTs with these identified domains were selected for further study. Gene discovery (subtraction hybridization, microarray screening) was also undertaken to identify novel transcripts associated with different tick stages including ticks collected from tick resistant breeds of cattle. Approximately 400 ESTs were subsequently selected for further study. After stringent bioinformatics and localisation analysis using quantitative RT‐PCR, the list was reduced to 250 candidates. At this stage, B cell epitope predictions (antibody binding) led to the in vitro screening of over 700 synthetic peptides to identify those recognized by tick resistant cattle. Corresponding antibodies were fed to ticks in vitro to identify 24 antigens producing strong anti‐tick effects. Cattle tick challenge trials have yielded 87% protection using a mixture of antigens with on‐going research identifying individual antigens with strong anti‐tick effects in vivo. Tropical plant diseases: Facing the challenge Andre Drenth¹*, 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Agricultural production is under constant threat from diseases and pests and significant efforts in plant breeding for resistance and plant disease management are constantly needed to safeguard our crop productivity. It is often stated that plant diseases have a higher impact in both tropical highland and lowland crops with many examples of pan tropical disease epidemics in the last century. In order to achieve continuous high levels of crop productivity in a sustainable manner we need to understand the factors behind this before we can achieve effective control of plant Page | 39
diseases in the tropics. An understanding is needed why plant diseases are more prolific in the tropics. We know that most genetic diversity occurs in the tropics and that crop species mainly evolved and originated from here. So we need to address the question if the latitudinal diversity gradient also applies to plant pathogens resulting in simply more pathogens in the tropics. In addition to more pathogens the environmental conditions in the tropics are typical more conducive to development of disease. The availability of crop plants all year round, growing of many perennial plants in large scale plantations, large numbers of potential insect vectors, high levels of humidity and rainfall all make disease management a challenge. In addition to these biological and environmental challenges there are economic and social dimensions to the plant disease problem which need to be understood to be able to implement effective disease management solutions. The challenge of maize production in the tropics: Interaction of temperature, radiation and nitrogen with implications for climate change Samuel Bacon¹*, Florindo Neto², Robert Williams¹, ³, Neil Turner ³ 1 Seeds of Life, Dili, Timor‐Leste 2 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dili, Timor‐Leste 3 The UWA Institute of Agriculture, Western Australia, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Maize (Zea mays), which is a staple crop in many tropical regions, can have very low yields despite adequate rainfall in the growing season. While low ields are linked to shorter growth periods due to warmer temperatures we observe that cooler, high altitude climates in Timor‐Leste experience even lower yields than warmer climates along the coast. This small island country has a wide range of tropical environments due to dramatic changes in elevation over relatively short distances. The APSIM‐Maize model was used to investigate maize yields at four locations ranging in altitude from 20m to 1480m with different growing temperatures over 10 years. A factorial combination of three nitrogen applications of 0, 40, and 80kg N ha‐1 was tested with three levels of soil organic carbon at 1.2, 1.9 and 3.8%. Radiation levels were monitored for both timing and duration of crop and were not found to play a significant role in reducing yields at high altitude. We uncover an important interaction between nitrogen and temperature affecting maize yield. Hotter sites had higher yields when nitrogen was not added to the soil. With increased nitrogen, the cooler sites had higher yields. When temperatures are above 31°C, yields will decrease with increasing temperatures at all levels of nitrogen application. However, global warming will tend to increase yields of low‐input farmers growing at below 31°C. Micro‐dosing with nitrogen will increase yields at all locations with the biggest gains for those farmers at cooler sites. Subtropical grasses can improve out of season production in temperate Western Australia Paul Sanford¹*, Eric Dobbe¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ A range of perennial forages including subtropical grasses were evaluated in two contrasting environments in southern Western Australia. With and without summer rainfall, medium verses high annual rainfall and sandy verses loam soils. Interestingly panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) and setaria (Setaria sphacelata) both ranked in the top ten for yield and grew the most biomass in Page | 40
autumn in comparison to temperate species such as lucerne (Medicago sativa), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and chicory (Cichorium intybus). Not unsurprisingly panic grass performed best in the summer rainfall environment with sandy soils while lucerne and tall fescue were the highest ranked species at the site that experienced cold wet winters. Given that the lack of autumn feed is a large constraint to production and profit in this environment. Panic grass and setaria are potentially a superior autumn feed option than temperate species particularly in coastal climates with mild winters and summer rain. Innovation and technology in the grains industry Jan Edwards¹* 1 Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Level 4 East Building, 4 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 Australia _________________________________________________________________________ The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is one of the world’s leading grains research organisations, responsible for planning, investing in and overseeing research, development and extension (RD&E) to deliver improvements in production, sustainability and profitability across the Australian grains industry. The GRDC’s primary objective is to drive the discovery, development and delivery of world‐class innovation to enhance the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Australian grain growers and benefit the industry and the wider community. The GRDC’s mission is to create value by driving the discovery, development and delivery of world‐class innovation in the Australian grains industry. The GRDC is principally funded by a grower levy and Australian Government contributions. The levy is based on the net farm gate value of the annual production of 25 crops:  wheat 
coarse grains – barley, oats, sorghum, maize, triticale, millets/panicums, cereal rye, canary seed 
pulses – lupins, field peas, chickpeas, faba beans, vetch, peanuts, mung beans, navy beans, pigeon peas, cowpeas, lentils 
oilseeds – canola, sunflower, soybean, safflower, linseed. The Australian Government’s contribution is determined annually, based on the three‐year rolling average of the gross value of production of the 25 leviable crops. The GRDC has played an important role in delivering varieties and farming practices that have transformed the Australian grains industry and helped build grower profitability. Some of the achievements have been: 
increasing total factor productivity increase by 1.5% per annum over the past 36 years (including the past 10 years) 
doubling water use efficiency (kg per mm rainfall) in dryland wheat production over the last 20 years 
Increasing wheat yields by 1.12% per annum over past 17 years (cf 0.62% since turn of last century). Page | 41
Symposium Abstracts Symposium 1: Future of Sugarcane Symposium Synopsis Sugarcane is the largest crop grown worldwide and growing in importance as a preferred feedstock for many applications. According to FAO 1.8 billion metric tons was harvested in 2013 throughout the tropics. However, improvements in yield has been low and in many industries have gone backwards. The focus of this symposium will be on some of the key issues that drives or hampers the full realisation of the potential of the crop. Firstly the broadening of the germplasm base through introgression work, secondly, why the genetic gains made over the past two decades have not been realised, thirdly, a closer look at more and better mechanisation as well as precision technologies and fourthly product diversification options. The symposium will extend beyond the research focus and debate how these advances will contribute to on farm yield improvement, and the future sugarcane production system(s). Dr Frikkie Botha (Sugar Research Australia, 50 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, 4068) Introduction Dr Frikkie Botha¹* 1 Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane is a very productive plant, utilizing the C4 pathway of photosynthesis to support high rates of growth (biomass accumulation) and accumulating carbon in sugar (sucrose) and fibre (cell walls) in the stalk. These attributes make sugarcane an attractive crop for both the production of sugar and biomass as an energy source. Sugarcane has become a major crop in tropical parts of the world with the primary product being sugar. The biomass is also used to generate energy (electricity). More recently, with the development of technologies enabling conversion of cellulose to sugars, sugarcane has become an attractive substrate for production of biofuels and biomaterials. According to FAO 1.8 billion metric tons was harvested in 2013 throughout the tropics. However, improvements in yield has been low and in many industries have gone backwards. This presentation will compare statistics of the major sugarcane producers, in terms of yield and production efficiency. Although the statistics show production trends declining, there are many significant genetic gains that have been made over the past two decades. This symposium will explore some of the key issues that should be considered to further enhance the production efficiency of sugarcane. Broadening the genetic base of sugarcane: Genetic diversity and introgression opportunities George Piperidis¹* 1 Sugar Research Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane cultivars are genetically complex aneu‐polyploids derived from interspecific crosses made over 100 years ago between the sugar‐producing species, Saccharum officinarum, and the Page | 42
wild species, S. spontaneum. While S. spontaneum is a minor component of the genome of modern cultivars (15‐20%) when compared to S officinarum (80‐85%), the major source of genetic variability is attributed to this species. Historically, broadening the genetic base of sugarcane with new, high‐value genes from related species has been a high priority for many breeding programs around the world, and has made a significant contribution to sugarcane industries worldwide. For example, the introgression of S. spontaneum in the early 1900s (commonly referred to as “nobilisation”) resulted in improved productivity, ratoonability, adaptability and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and was instrumental to the expansion of sugarcane production areas worldwide. A second wave of introgression projects began in the 1960s, and resulted in the development of disease‐resistant cultivars and germplasm that continues to be used in today’s breeding programs. Since these early efforts in introgression breeding, many programs have placed limited emphasis on continuing to broaden the genetic base of new varieties. Years of selection pressure using a limited number of parents has led to diminishing returns on variety improvement in recent years. Gains in yield through breeding could be enhanced by increasing the commitment to introgression breeding and the introduction of exotic germplasm containing novel and not‐yet‐explored genetic combinations. Despite early successful introgression events, the genetic diversity available in related wild species, such as S. spontaneum, is virtually untapped, with only a few wild accessions represented in modern‐day cultivars. Integrating underutilized germplasm into current breeding programs to increase existing diversity could enhance future gains through breeding. Failing to capitalize on genetic gains in sugarcane farming systems Prof Mike Bell¹* 1 Qld Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) has been an important crop on the tropical and sub‐tropical east coast of Australia since the middle of the 19th century. However since the mid‐late 1970’s productivity of sugarcane cropping systems in Australia has been relatively constant or even declining – despite improved varieties and agronomic management. The onset of this stagnation in productivity gains coincided with intensification of the sugarcane production system through the elimination of compulsory fallowing/break cropping and the widespread adoption of mechanical harvesting. Research conducted in the Sugar Yield Decline Joint Venture, and subsequently in smaller regional farming systems studies, has demonstrated that intensively managed sugarcane soils are chemically, physically and biologically degraded. The crop root systems in these soils are physically constrained by compacted soil profiles and biologically challenged by a plethora of specific and non‐specific plant pathogens and soil‐borne pests. Collectively, poor soil health and impaired root systems have lead to estimates of lost productivity of >30%, poor recovery and use of applied nutrients, greater inputs of agricultural chemicals and shorter crop cycles. The relative impact of different components of soil health to systems performance has been shown to vary with soil type, age of cropping and environmental conditions, but in all situations there are substantial soil‐
related constraints to crop production. Page | 43
These soil and systems‐related constraints are likely to play a major role in limiting the delivery of advances in productivity from improved crop genetics. This presentation will explore the different constraints observed from a variety of studies and discuss potential agronomic and management solutions. It will strongly advocate a farming systems approach to sugarcane production systems, with a renewed emphasis on increasing species diversity in crop rotations and controlling harvesting traffic to minimize compaction. Adoption of such approaches will allow a much more successful implementation of minimum or zero tillage systems, with clear benefits for a more beneficial soil microbial community and improved root health and function. Collectively, such systems changes will help overcome soil‐related constraints and allow expression of genetic gains that deliver increased productivity. Mechanisation: Challenges and Opportunities Chris Norris¹* 1 NorrisECT, Level 3, 80 Petrie Terrace Brisbane Australia [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________________ The Australian Sugar Industry has been fully mechanised for over four decades, and over this time it has had a very active Industry R&D program which has aimed to maximise productivity and sustainability. Despite this very significant and dynamic input, average crop yields have been relatively stagnant since the introduction of mechanisation. As a range of factors drive the global sugarcane producers towards mechanisation, it is appropriate to review the many ways in which a move into mechanisation can impact on crop production and production sustainability. The successful introduction of machine harvesting, for example, requires much more than “parachuting in” harvesters. The lack of a correctly integrated crop production program tailored for the introduction of machine harvesting typically results in immediate yield losses, reduced cane quality and a strong downwards trend in long term yield. Conversely well implemented machine harvesting, as part of an integrated mechanisation strategy, can immediately increase total product value whilst also facilitating long term productivity gains. A significant reduction in input costs can typically also be achieved. This presentation discusses the many interactions between mechanisation and the crop, and observed impacts of both appropriate and in‐appropriate mechanisation strategies from a number of case studies from around the world. Research findings are used to quantify the magnitude of the contribution of sub‐optimal mechanisation strategies on productivity. The presentation also discusses the potential to increase total product value and enterprise profitability through managing the compromises inherent to mechanised farming, and capitalising on the available synergies within the value chain. Is there a role for Precision Agriculture in sugarcane? Rob Bramley¹* 1 CSIRO, Waite Campus, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________________ Page | 44
Sugarcane production is spatially variable at the within‐block scale. This raises the possibility that the application of Precision Agriculture (PA), a suite of tools which includes yield monitoring and mapping, remote and proximal sensing, global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), may deliver benefit to sugar producers. Sugar industry interest in PA first arose in the mid‐1990s when a prototype yield monitor was developed. However, the subsequent collapse of the sugar price ensured that this sensor did not get commercialised and, for all practical purposes, no further development of sugar PA occurred until after resurgence in industry fortunes in the mid‐2000s. Recent SRA‐funded research has sought to provide a platform to support robust adoption of PA. It has demonstrated: • The value of high resolution electromagnetic soil survey and elevation modelling in understanding drivers of within block yield variation; • The utility of remote sensing for understanding variation in crop performance, given scarce yield data; • The impact of within‐block CCS variation on gross margins and the consequent need for a CCS sensing capability at high spatial resolution; • The inaccuracy of some solid fertilizer application systems, raising questions about the merit of retro‐fitting spreaders with variable rate controllers; • Significant financial benefits through variable rate application of soil amendments; • Strong grower support and industry interest. However, a robust yield monitoring capability is still not readily commercially accessible despite a range of sensors showing potential. The post‐processing of sensor data and minimisation of sensor noise, calibration against tonnages recorded at the mill and associated issues of consignment remain as critical issues. This paper will explore these issues and point towards a more precise future for the Australian sugar industry. Revenue diversification opportunities from sugarcane A/Prof Ian M. O’Hara¹* 1 Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology ___________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane is a major global agricultural crop that produces significant quantities of sugar and biomass in tropical and sub‐tropical regions. Over many centuries, the crop has been grown primarily for its high sugar content which traditionally contributes over 95% of the revenue derived from the crop. While the production of renewable electricity from bagasse and rum from molasses has a long history, in more recent decades significant advances have been made in the production of cogeneration products and fuel ethanol at large scale. There are significant opportunities to increase the value derived from the sugarcane crop and hence diversify the revenue base of the crop. In particular, finding ways to add value to the lowest value (non‐sucrose) components of the crop offers significant new product opportunities. Value‐
adding opportunities exist for the current suite of processing by‐products including bagasse, molasses, mud, ash. In addition, there are opportunities with modification of the sugar production Page | 45
process, to extract higher value components including waxes, phytosterols, minerals, and oligosaccharides. Sugarcane biorefineries producing fuels, green chemicals, biopolymers and bio‐products offer great potential for improving the profitability of sugarcane production. Sugarcane bagasse is one of the best biomass feedstocks for early‐stage adoption and commercialisation of biorefining technologies because of the large scale of the resource and its ready availability at sugar factories. Biochemical and thermochemical processing of bagasse to produce fermentable sugars or bio‐
crudes are a platform for value‐addition. Through subsequent fermentation technologies or chemical synthesis, the sugars and biocrudes can be converted to fuels including ethanol and butanol, oils, organic acids, aromatics and base chemicals. Other biorefinery products can include food and animal feeds, plastics, fibre products and resins. This paper will address the opportunities available for sugarcane biorefineries to contribute to future profitability and sustainability of the sugarcane industry. Symposium 2: Control of Tropical Livestock Parasites into the Future Symposium Synopsis Parasites of livestock cause diseases of major socioeconomic and animal welfare importance worldwide. The annual cost of parasitic disease is >$1b annually to the Australian sheep and beef cattle industries, and >$10b worldwide. Resistance to parasiticides is compromising the efficiency of control programs and global warming is expected to increase the impacts of parasites and arthropod borne diseases. This symposium will explore new technologies and approaches to livestock parasite management. Delivery of the symposium will be through sponsored keynote presenters and local short talks to address issues such as parasite control under a changing climate, ‘One Health’ and zoonotic disease, parasite vaccines, trends in chemical control, genetic manipulation of parasite genomes and novel biocontrols. This symposium aims to forge new partnerships to address the global issue of tropical livestock parasite control. Dr Peter James (Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, the University of Queensland) & A/Prof Ala Lew‐Tabor (Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland). Expansion of tropical animal production in Australia: the One Health implications A/Prof Simon Reid¹* 1 School of Public Health, the University of Queensland ___________________________________________________________________________ Discussion around the planned expansion of agriculture in northern Australia has largely focused on the economic benefits that will accompany an increased capacity for exports from the “food bowl” of the north. This exciting concept aims to increase utilisation of land for tourism and the production of minerals and food for the economic and social betterment of local communities and the Australia as a whole. But, have we thought this through? Do we know the risks? What will Page | 46
happen if we double the number of cattle in the north? How will increasing human populations change the mobility of people and pathogens both within and into Australia? Throughout history human societies have experienced infectious disease pandemics, or plagues that are associated with periods of rapid and profound change. The most important events have been associated with changes in food systems, such as the Black Death and the more recent emergence of SARS. There is an increasing global awareness of the risks posed by changes in ecosystems and their impacts on human health, especially with regards emerging infectious diseases, which are examples of “wicked problems” that are complex and have no obvious solutions. One tool that can help us address this quandary is the paradigm of One Health, which is an emerging international field of research and practice combining human, animal and ecosystem health. The core of One Health is a shift away from reductionist thinking towards a more systems‐
based approach that fosters collaboration, trust and integrated approaches. Whilst it is not possible to predict the future, especially when considering emerging diseases, it is possible to understand the drivers of emergence and better equip society to respond to or prevent threats before they emerge. Parasite resistance and new options for chemical control Dr Andrew Kotze¹* 1 CSIRO Agriculture __________________________________________________________________________ The buffalo fly and cattle tick are serious pests of cattle in Northern Australia, while intestinal parasites also impact on the productivity of dairy cattle. Intestinal worms and the sheep blowfly have significant impacts on sheep production. The management of each of these parasites relies to some extent on the use of synthetic chemicals, however the efficacy of some of these chemicals has been reduced by the emergence of drug resistance; for example, resistance to synthetic pyrethroids by buffalo flies has meant that the efficacy of this group of chemicals is now greatly reduced. Drug resistance in worms has a significant impact on the ability of graziers to control worms in sheep, and is starting to impact on the control of cattle worms. While part of the solution is to manage the use of current chemicals better in order to reduce the impact of resistance, another component is to look forward to developing new chemical control options. The present paper will review the status of resistance in the various parasites, and draw from the area of sheep worms to describe efforts underway to define resistance mechanisms and develop better resistance diagnostics. The paper will also describe efforts to develop new controls based on the sequencing of parasite genomes, specifically the blowfly genome, and how this genome will help our understanding of the basic biology of this parasite. This research aims to provide new options for chemical control. Barbervax: a new technology for livestock helminth control Dr Brown Besier¹* 1 Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of WA ___________________________________________________________________________ The blood‐feeding parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is a major cause of mortalities and ill health in sheep and goats, especially in tropical and summer rainfall environments. Control Page | 47
relies largely on frequent treatments with anthelmintic compounds to prevent or treat damaging H.contortus infections, requiring a significant cost and effort. In addition, the wide prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in this species has seriously reduced the effectiveness of chemical control in many countries, and in some situations few treatment options remain. However, until recently, no vaccine was available against any nematode of small ruminants, or any gut nematode, despite decades of research by many institutes. The release of the “Barbervax” vaccine against Haemonchus contortus in lambs provides a new approach to protection against H.contortus, and an opportunity to reduce the further development of anthelmintic resistance. The vaccine was developed by the Moredun Research Institute (Edinburgh, UK), and is produced in collaboration with Department of Agriculture and Food WA at Albany, Western Australia. The vaccine antigens consist of proteins extracted from H.contortus, recovered from sheep maintained in a commercial feedlot, as recombinant antigen production has not proved feasible. As a “hidden antigen” vaccine, Barbervax is given at relatively short intervals over the period of risk (approximately 6‐
weekly after three priming vaccinations). The continued reduction in pasture contamination with H.contortus eggs is expected to have an epidemiological benefit by maintaining worm larval intake at a low level. Initial results from the major endemic zone of northern NSW indicate that when used to schedule, effective control was obtained over the typical 5‐month H.contortus danger period. The extension of Barbervax use to older classes of sheep offers the prospect of farm‐wide H.contortus control, and a reduction in the requirement for anthelmintics. (See: www. barbervax.com.au) Synthetic Biology pipeline for detection and mitigation of parasites and diseases of farmed animals Prof Kirill Alexandrov¹ 1 Institute of Molecular Biology, the University of Queensland Presented by Dr Wayne Johnston, Institute of Molecular Biology, The University of Queensland ________________________________________________________________________________ Parasites and diseases are a major threat to Australia's livestock, poultry and aquatic farming. While each invasion mechanism is unique they all rely on complex protein: protein interaction networks between host and parasite proteins. Rapid detection and characterisation of such networks provides a starting point for creation of effective diagnostics, vaccines and treatments. We exploited a unique biology of lizard parasite Leishmania tarentolae to create a novel pipeline for rapid in vitro reconstruction interactions among host:parasite proteins. The highly parallelized quantitative analysis based on single molecule spectroscopy and Alpha screen enables analysis of hundreds of protein:protein interactions. This analysis enables identification of key components of the invasion and the immune response evasion machinery of the pathogens. A similar approach can be used for identification of immunogenic parasite proteins. These can be further used for the development of the vaccine candidates and diagnostic applications. The application of the developed pipeline to different classes of pathogens will be discussed. Genomics and parasite vaccines A/Prof Ala Lew‐Tabor¹* Page | 48
1 Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, the University of Queensland _________________________________________________________________________ The field of reverse vaccinology developed as an outcome of the genome sequencing revolution. Following the advent of live vaccinations in the western world by Edward Jenner in 1796 coining the phrase ‘vaccine’, in 1880 Pasteur developed a rational design of vaccines. Pasteur proposed that in order to make a vaccine that one should ‘isolate, inactivate and inject the microorganism’ and these basic rules of vaccinology were largely followed for the next 100 years leading to the elimination of several highly infectious diseases. However, new technologies were needed to conquer many remaining pathogens which could not be addressed using these traditional technologies. Thus increasingly, computers were used to mine genomes to rationally design recombinant vaccines. Several vaccines for bacterial and viral diseases (i.e. meningococcus and HIV) have been developed while the on‐going challenge for parasite vaccines has been due to their comparatively larger genomes. Understanding the immune response is important in reverse vaccinology studies as this knowledge will influence how the genome mining is to be conducted. Vaccine candidates for leishmaniasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and the cattle tick have been identified using reverse vaccinology approaches. Some challenges for parasite vaccine development include the ability to address antigenic variability as well understanding the complex interplay between antibody, mucosal and/or T cell immune responses. To understand parasite interactions with the livestock host, algorithms developed for epitope mining for human hosts cannot always be adapted for bovine use e.g. prediction of peptide binding to major histocompatibility complex motifs. As the number of genomes available for both hosts and parasites increase, the development of new algorithms for genome mining will continue to impact the future of parasite vaccine development. Parasites expanding their range Dr Peter James¹* 1 Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland _________________________________________________________________________ Invasive species introduced into new regions with broad new resource bases and fewer natural regulating influences can become highly destructive and difficult to control. Parasitic diseases are consistently listed amongst the main health problems of the extensive livestock industries in Australia and nearly all can be considered invasive. Most parasites and disease vectors are poikilothermic and their activity and rates of reproduction, development and numbers of generations per season increase as temperatures rise. It is expected that their geographical distribution and abundance will increase with global warming. There is now evidence for a change in the range and impact of a number of tropical and subtropical livestock parasite species and modelling is suggesting that global warming will increase southerly spread in Australia. However, predicting the effects of global warming is difficult as changes in parasitism and disease rates will be also be influenced by factors such as alterations in rainfall patterns, variable impacts of predators and competitors, differences amongst species in genetic capacity to adapt at the edge of their range and changing management practices on livestock enterprises. This presentation will describe historical changes in the distribution and impact of a number of livestock pests and consider factors that are likely to determine future Page | 49
disease spread. Understanding these factors will be important to minimising losses within currently infested areas and to designing strategies to reduce the southerly spread of parasites and disease vectors. Research carried out in tropical and subtropical areas towards better control of livestock pests and parasites is likely to have increasing implications for the livestock industries in more southerly regions of Australia. Symposium 3: Food Safety Issues and Challenges in Global Supply Chains Symposium Synopsis The United Nations estimates that by 2050 the world will have nine billion people and there will be a need to increase food production by 60% with the greatest demand for food in the tropics. Food safety is a multifaceted issue compounded by impacts of climate change on agricultural production and made even more complex by globalized trade. The increasingly globalized supply chain used within the food industry has resulted in a growing realization that analytical technologies, food processing infrastructure, and best practices must evolve to enable more universal quality control against natural and intentional events that compromise food safety. In trying to meet both local and global demand for food, a large number of growers and processors worldwide are producing food for diverse markets. They use varied and complicated processes to meet market needs. They manage complex and extended supply chain networks, and make infinite decisions every day that affect food safety. This symposia will address these critical issues and will be a forum to discuss and plan for the future food safety needs in the supply chain in tropical Australia and beyond. Dr Mary Fletcher, Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland & Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, The University of Queensland & Dr Rao Rachaputi, Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland Global trade and domestic food standards Mr Peter May¹* 1 Food Standards Australia New Zealand _________________________________________________________________________ In Australia, we expect that food that is sold will be safe. Assuring that safety is a function performed primarily by state and territory governments and assisted by the Commonwealth Government. At the state and territory level food safety is assured through the operation of local food laws, enforced by the state or territory government or local government. The Commonwealth Government exercises powers in relation to imported food and coordinates food safety responses. A multi‐jurisdictional arrangement operates to provide food standards, which work to facilitate the basic requirement of safe food. Food standards are developed by FSANZ and approved by ministers from all Australian jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth. New Zealand is also a party to these arrangements. Food standards assist consumers and industry to comply with the food safety requirement by Page | 50
providing objective measures of safety. A food is safe if it complies, but not necessarily unsafe if it does not. When developing standards FSANZ is required to have regard to international standards, which may be developed multilaterally or by trusted regulators in major trading partner countries. Most standards will be consistent with international standards, but there can be a basis for variation. For example, standards for residues of agvet chemicals in food reflect local growing conditions and do not follow international standards directly. However, international standards can be relevant for imported food. FSANZ is currently reviewing a range of standards to achieve greater alignment with international standards. For example, microbiological limits are being reviewed to achieve greater alignment with contemporary international risk management approaches and understanding of relevant pathogens. We are considering a new approach to chemical residues to respond to improved detection techniques. Finally, we are reviewing how we can better incorporate international standards into local law to facilitate trade. Climate change impact on food safety: Mycotoxins as a case study Wayne L. Bryden¹* 1 The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton QLD 4343, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Throughout recorded history there has been tension between climate variability, food availability and the prosperity of human populations. Plant disease in its many forms, modulates the productivity of plant communities and hence the availability of nutrients, especially energy and protein, for animals and humans. The tension is increasing with the rapid growth of the human population and increased global warming and associated severe weather events. Within this context, this presentation provides an overview of the link between agriculture, food safety and public health and how mycotoxins can disturb this link. Climate change will increase the pressure on food supply/quality/sustainability world‐wide. Projected changes in rainfall patterns, drought, temperature (+3‐4°C) and atmospheric CO2 (x2) will all impact on staple food production systems. These changes will increase plant stress and the likelihood of fungal infections. There is no doubt, that this will exacerbate mycotoxin contamination throughout the food and feed chains. To develop strategies to combat this global threat to food safety we need to know the impact of drought stress x CO2 changes on crop physiology and interaction with mycotoxin producing fungi. What effects do cycling of drought/temperature events have on plant/fungus interactions and mycotoxin production? Will climate change alter the profile of mycotoxins produced by different fungal species? Will new toxigenic fungi emerge as agriculture changes in response to climate change? What are the implication for the nutritional quality of crops as the climate changes and there is increased fungal interactions? Food safety, in both developing and developed countries, could be profoundly disturbed by climate change as we endeavour to maintain global food security. Page | 51
Allergens and bioactives in peanut – Impacts on peanut supply chain as a case study N. Alice Lee¹* 1 ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Food Manufacture and School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052 Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Global peanut production exceeds 35 million metric tons per year, with 80% production coming from China, India, United States, Nigeria and Indonesia. Peanuts are an ingredient favoured by many food manufacturers for their distinct taste and high nutritious values ‐ it is high in protein, minerals (e.g., phosphorus, magnesium and manganese) and vitamins (e.g., niacin, folate, and vitamin E). With successful breeding of the new high oleic acid varieties, peanut oil is even healthier than ever. Peanuts, however, are not without dark sides, for they can pose several negative impacts on health. This paper will review the complex relationships between “the good, the bad and the ugly” and how this may impact on peanut supply chain. Dietary antioxidants have been recognised to be an important source of antioxidants for dealing with oxidative stress known to be involved in the pathogenesis of lifestyle‐related diseases. Peanut provides a good source of antioxidants in the forms of phenolic acids, stilbenes, flavonoids and vitamin E. In particular, peanuts have high resveratrol contents which could rival red wine. More recently, we demonstrated for the first time that peanuts contain far more antioxidants in a matrix‐bound form. These matrix bound antioxidants may be readily bio‐accessible in‐vivo, thus making peanuts one of the super functional foods. For some individuals, consuming peanut could be a life‐threatening experience. This is because peanut proteins have been known to elicit allergic reactions; sometimes leading to death. Australia has the highest prevalence of peanut allergy in the world, where 3 in every 100 Australian children is diagnosed with peanut allergy. Only 20% of peanut allergic children will outgrow peanut allergy. Those who live with peanut allergy must diligently follow total avoidance of peanuts and if re‐exposed must be treated with epinephrine. So, are peanuts friends or foes? Food Safety needs for fresh fruits and vegetables – avocado supply chain as a case study Dharini Sivakumar¹* 1 Department of Crop Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria West, South Africa _________________________________________________________________________ Post‐harvest diseases are a major cause of losses during the fresh produce supply chain. Pre‐
harvest and post‐harvest fungicide applications are adopted to control the postharvest diseases during the supply chain. The European Union and the United States of America are the biggest markets for avocado and this entails high fruit quality standards. An increase in consumer concern regarding food safety and demand for organically produced fruit has brought a need for safer methods to control postharvest decay development. In addition to this development of fungicide resistant strains, and growing global pressure on the fruit industry to lower the associated environmental pollution footprint have necessitated the need to search for natural novel products to replace the fungicide application at postharvest stage. Furthermore, the importing countries Page | 52
have enforced stringent regulations regarding the maximum residue limits (MRL). Moreover, low pesticide application and adoption of integrated pest management practices at the farm for safe fruit production will also help to lower application of pre‐harvest fungicide. More frequent handling of fresh fruit increases the likelihood of introducing foodborne pathogens into the supply chain. Incorrect harvesting and handling of fruit, such mechanical damage, will cause breaks in the protective epidermal barrier, which limits shelf‐life of the fruit and provide more entry points for post‐harvest and foodborne pathogens. In the light of the above, this presentation assesses the progress in research on the novel pre‐harvest practices and post‐harvest treatments to reduce the fungicide application and post‐harvest losses due to post‐harvest diseases in avocado and thus ensuring safe food. On‐farm aspects of food safety with relevance to the poultry industry P.J. Blackall¹* 1 Poultry CRC & QAAFI, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland _________________________________________________________________________ This paper seeks to overview the current research and possible future of food safety research in the Australian poultry industries. It is simply not possible to cover the entire depth and breadth of Australian research. Hence, in this review, two key pathogens have been selected (Salmonella and Campylobacter) and has a focus on on farm issues. The review has relied upon peer reviewed publications and available information from the websites of the industries bodies funding food safety research. The review begins with a brief outline of the key facts about Salmonella and Campylobacter, then reviews Australian current/recent research (defined for the purpose of this overview as research from the year 2000 to now) and then has a final section entitled “The Future”. This final section is a personal view of where the future of food safety research may be heading. The review is not intended to be a complete review but focuses on issues and areas that have relevance (in the view of the author) for the poultry industry. Managing Campylobacter through the poultry meat supply chain to improve public health outcomes Phil Pond¹* 1 Safe Food Production Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis represent the two most numerically significant gastrointestinal conditions observed in Queensland, Australia. There have been increasing rates of infection involving these pathogens observed on a local and national scale, with notification rates more than doubling since 1993. This trend has also been reflected internationally, with significantly high rates of Campylobacter being previously reported in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. Safe Food Production Queensland (SFPQ) initially developed a poultry meat supply chain map which resulted in the identification of one processor as the potential contributor to the rise in campylobacteriosis cases. With the cooperation of the processor SFPQ undertook a process to evaluate the effectiveness of the food safety measures currently in operation. As a component of Page | 53
this evaluation, SFPQ committed to undertake a systematic scientific and technical assessment of the chicken meat industry production and processing chain. SFPQ analysis and work with the poultry industry has since been expanded to include all thirteen poultry processors. An independent economic analysis of the new methodology was finalised in 2014 by Synergies Economic Consulting. The report models the costs and benefits of the implementation of the methodology over a ten year period – from 2012 to 2021. The modelling estimates that the benefits from the reduction in cases of Campylobacter will provide a present value benefit of $70.7 million. When costs are factored into the modelling the net benefit to the community is expected to be $40.7 million over 10 years. Novel and innovative approaches to detect food pathogens and other contaminants in real‐time in the supply chain – sensor technologies Stephen Trowell¹* 1 Group Leader, Innovative Biosensors, CSIRO Australia _________________________________________________________________________ As the global supply chain for food and food ingredients diversifies, societal and business tolerance for food risk decreases and competitive pressures for speed and cost efficiency increase. There is a trend towards analysing more food samples in real time at the point where they are collected relative to the number being tested in a central laboratory. In the food industry this trend is at a relatively early point and hard to quantify but it is widely accepted that the trend is real and will grow, as previously seen for point of care tests in clinical medicine, a rapidly growing multibillion dollar market. I will describe a new technology platform (CYBERNOSE®/CYBERTONGUE®), which combines biosensors, optical transduction and microfluidics, with an optional gas‐liquid phase transfer module, that can potentially meet a range of food testing needs. My focus will be slanted towards testing for chemical contaminants rather than pathogen testing. I will briefly summarise current needs in food testing, the origins of variation in foodstuffs, the range of technical approaches currently available with a focus on unmet needs ‐ especially for fast and simple "sample point measurements". As time allows, I will describe elements of the technology, namely: the range of existing and planned "front ends", including olfactory receptors, protease receptors and periplasmic binding proteins; the nature and advantages of the technical approach and the challenges and benefits of implementing it in various food supply chains. Food safety issues and challenges in the tropics Dr Marie Connett¹* 1 Global Good Fund, Washington, DC, United States of America _________________________________________________________________________ Abstract not provided. Page | 54
Symposium 4: Genomics Technologies for Tropical Agriculture Symposium Synopsis The symposium will deliver the impact of new technologies on genomics research and application in the tropical agriculture sector. The speakers will cover the use of short read sequencing, genotype by sequencing, mRNA seq and long read sequencing in tropically adapted plants and animals. The symposium will extend from the methodologies to applications for gene discovery and gene network elucidation, as well as applications for high throughput plant and animal breeding and selection. This symposia will be delivered in a series of short presentations and plenty of time for discussion and panel interactions. Prof Ian Godwin (School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland) & Prof Steve Moore (Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland) How evolving DNA technologies are changing sheep farming systems Graham Alder¹* 1 Beef+Lamb New Zealand Genetics _________________________________________________________________________ The advert of evolving DNA technologies combined with changing land use is impacting sheep farming systems in New Zealand. The growth of dairy farming over the last ten years (31% to 6.75m stock units) has pushed sheep farming to the hills. Sheep farming has become more extensive with a subsequent increase in flock size. Sheep breeders are responding to this change by adopting DNA technologies into their breeding programmes so that they can provide the genetics that are more aligned with their customer needs by running their breeding operations in similar environments. The adoption of SNP chips that provide information for genomic selection is yet to significantly impact breeding programmes. SNP chips have only been used commercially for two seasons and are yet to significantly impact breeding programmes. The technology that is really changing sheep breeding is affordable SNP DNA parentage. The evolution from microsatellites to SNP detection for parentage has significantly impacted the elite breeding programmes. SNP parentage provides far more than improving pedigree errors. It has allowed breeders to change their farming system and scale up, multi‐sire mating in large mobs in hill country. This result in higher conception rates, better feed utilisation, reduced labour costs and focuses selection on index value and less on sire and dam. The advent of SNP detection with fixed Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) for parentage assignment that is more affordable and uses a common tissue sampling system will not only accelerate the adoption of these new breeding systems but potentially open up additional systems for commercial farmers in the future. A hybrid approach to sequencing the sugarcane genome Karen Aitken¹*, Paul Berkman¹, Anne Rae¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane is a complex polyploid with 100‐120 chromosomes and a genome size of 10 Gbp. An international consortium of researchers has commenced work on the generation of the R570 Page | 55
sugarcane genome sequence. A BAC by BAC sequencing approach is being used to generate a mosaic monoploid genome. We present data on sequence generated from over 1000 R570 BAC clones which were selected using a number of approaches and targeted in part to important QTL identified in Australian germplasm. In a parallel approach, we have also generated large amounts of whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequence from variety R570 and used advanced computational methods to assemble this sequence into a number of scaffolds. This WGS data was generated from a range of DNA fragment sizes between 180 bp and 32,000 bp, which has enabled even many complex regions of the genome to be ordered. In addition to this PacBio long read technology has been used to generate 31.7 Gbp of data with an average read length of 7282 bp. These long reads have been used to help resolve repeats and increase scaffold lengths. In total the data covers the complete genome sequence to a level of 73‐fold, representing roughly 1000‐fold monoploid genome coverage, which highlights sequence variation at each locus identifying large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms. In addition we will present data on the physical map of R570 generated using the BioNano technology to facilitate the de novo sequence assembly and scaffolding of the NGS data. Reverse genetic analysis of disease resistance in polyploidy crops Kemal Kazan¹*, Tim Fitzgerald¹, Jonathan Powell¹, Jiri Stiller¹, Zhongyi Li², John Manners² 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Reverse genetic techniques provide substantial insight into gene function in crop plants. However, application of these techniques to the analysis of gene function in polyploids can be technically challenging due to complexities associated with high levels of sequence and functional similarity among homoeologous loci (i.e. loci present in different genomes). For reverse genetic analyses of disease resistance in polyploidy crops, we focussed on the interaction between wheat and the fungal pathogen Fusarium which causes crown rot and head blight disease in many regions of the world. The objective was to improve Fusarium resistance in wheat by deleting candidate disease susceptibility genes. Towards this aim, we first developed a high‐throughput method to identify deletions of homoeologous loci using a heavy ion mutagenized wheat population. We identified multiple homoeologous deletions of three candidate disease susceptibility genes. However, complete knockout lines harbouring homozygous deletions at A, B and D homoeoloci could not be obtained for any of the candidate genes. We therefore investigated if deletion size induced by the mutagen was a possible reason for this phenomenon. Using an amplicon‐sequencing approach, we found that genomic deletions removing the target loci were relatively large, resulting in the loss of multiple genes. Overall our results suggest that while reverse genetic analyses are powerful tools for gene function analyses, additional considerations should be given for exploitation of these techniques in polyploidy crops. The implications of this work to reverse genetic analyses in many polyploid tropical plants will be discussed. This work is partially funded by GRDC. DNA profiling and data management solutions for tropical agriculture research and practice Andrzej Kilian¹* 1 Diversity Arrys Technology Pty Ltd, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 56
DArT PL was set up in 2001 with a vision to spread the benefits of genomics and information technologies across the agricultural sector in an equitable manner and to achieve substantial social and environmental gains in the process. Our initial technology (DArT) enabled utilisation of the whole genome profiling in crop breeding thanks to drastic reduction in the cost and increase in throughput compared to alternative technologies. In the last four years we have launched a new service using DArT complexity reduction methods combined with Next Generation Sequencing platforms. DArTseq technology scans over 100,000 loci for DNA variation targeting primarily genic regions. DArTseq has been broadly adopted for a variety of applications in pre‐
breeding and crop improvement of practically all crops and is rapidly expanding to other organisms, especially farm animals and aquaculture. We offer service for over 200 organisms and processed nearly one million samples for our global customer base. We combine DNA profiling at the density most appropriate for the application with extensive support in data analysis and overall data management. Our support is tailored to specific clients needs thanks to a modular design of our software tools and their integration via web services. We are delivering our integrated services using Open Access model through partnerships with a number of large public institutions on several continents. We will present our core technologies and a few examples of applications relevant to tropical agriculture. From sequence to consequence: integrating technologies for enhancing complex, quantitative traits in sorghum Emma Mace¹*, David Jordan² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government 2 Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Hermitage Research Facility 604 Yangan Rd Warwick QLD 4370 ___________________________________________________________________________ Enhancing complex, quantitative traits remains a major challenge for crop improvement programs. In particular, understanding the genetic factors, and their interactions with the environment, that underlie complex phenotypes is one of the greatest difficulties facing plant breeders today, despite the development and application of new technologies, including high throughput genotyping and next‐generation sequencing. For many complex traits, a strategy involving a combination of top down "phenotype to gene" and bottom up "gene to phenotype" approaches are needed to meet this challenge. This talk will focus on genomics technologies and highlight the utility of integrating across multiple disciplines and technologies, to increase the rate of genetic gain of quantitative traits in sorghum. Examples will be presented from two recent studies aimed at enhancing understanding of underlying trait biology for quantitative disease resistance and nodal root angle, using environmental characterisation, physiological trait dissection, genome wide association mapping, gene evolution and functional determination studies. Polymorphisms in taste receptor and nutrient sensor genes associated with tropically adapted pig breeds Nadia de Jager¹*, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Page | 57
Previously we showed that across 79 pig genomes, representing 14 pig breeds/populations, that bitter taste receptor gene sequences were more variable than non‐bitter taste receptor gene sequences. We therefore concluded that these genes were associated with the adaptation of pigs to diverse environmental conditions including tropical climates. Currently, the underlying mechanism of tropical adaptation in pigs is not entirely clear. Given that our dataset includes both tropically adapted and international pig breeds, the aim of our study is to further uncover the underlying genetic mechanism in terms of non‐synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNP) that are associated with tropically adapted breeds. In total, 110 nsSNP were scrutinized and we identified those uniquely associated with tropical adaptation. For example the Tas2R16 gene on chromosome 18 encoding a receptor that is responsible for detecting bitter compounds, was found to contain eight nsSNP in the coding region. Two of these nsSNP (rs323409960 and rs323772679) were found to have no variant in International breeds compared to 50% frequency of the variant in Brazilian breeds. This work highlights the potential implication of taste receptors in environmental adaptation. Obtaining a clearer understanding of those mutations that are associated with tropically adapted breeds may be useful for developing future gene markers for selecting for the ability to adapt to tropical climates. Transcriptome of reproductive axis tissues pre and post puberty in Bos indicus heifers Marina R. S. Fortes¹,², Angela Canovas³, Matthew Kelly⁴, Laercio R Porto‐Neto⁵, Mayara M. D. C. A Weller⁸, Bronwyn Venus⁴, Lisa Kidd⁶, Joao Paulo A. Rego⁷, Gry Boe‐Hansen⁶, Emily Piper⁶, Alma Islas‐Trejo³, Juan F Medrano³, Sigrid A Lehnert⁵, Stephen S Moore⁴ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 4 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 5 School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 6 Instituto Federal De Educação, Ciência E Tecnologia Do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil 7 Zootecnista, Universidade Federal De Viçosa, Brazil __________________________________________________________________________ Pubertal development is a physiological process, thought to be driven by hormones of the reproductive axis: hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovaries. To better understand the biology underlying puberty, samples of these three tissues were harvested from pre‐ and post‐pubertal Bos indicus heifers (6 case/post‐pubertal and 6 control/pre‐pubertal). All animals were raised together and were of similar weight and age when euthanized. RNA was extracted from each tissue and submitted to RNA‐seq analysis. Differential expression (DE) was ascertained and co‐
expression gene networks were computed for each tissue. Fold changes higher than 2 and significant differential expression (P < 0.01) were observed for 6 genes in hypothalamus, 4 in pituitary gland and 328 in ovaries, when comparing case and control animals. Page | 58
Symposium 5: Redesigning Photosynthesis to meet the Global Productivity Challenge Symposium Synopsis Improvements in photosynthesis are now widely recognised as a new frontier for increasing crop yields. This symposium reviews developments in photosynthesis research to achieve the next revolution in plant productivity. Advances in photosynthesis research, crop bioengineering, plant phenomics, and computational tools to realise increased and sustainable crop yields will be covered. The continuum of co‐ordinated fundamental and applied photosynthesis research required within targeted crop improvement projects will be discussed. Prof Graeme Hammer, Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland. ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University Introduction Prof Murray Badger¹* 1 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translation Photosynthesis, Australian National University ___________________________________________________________________________ Photosynthesis is composed of a series of reactions designed to capture solar energy and to use the captured chemical energy to drive the process of CO2 fixation and biomass production. There are considerable inefficiencies in this integrated process and these result in the fact that only about 4‐6% of incident solar energy is converted into biomass and harvestable yield. This introduction will present an overview of possibilities for improving various processes of photosynthesis by transgenic and non‐transgenic approaches and thus contribute to increased yield potential and food supply. These possibilities will be explored in subsequent talks in the Symposium. Improving the access to CO2 Susanne von Caemmerer¹*, John Evans² 1 Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, ANU ___________________________________________________________________________ The pressing need to dramatically increase crop yields to meet global demand has resulted in several initiatives to improve photosynthetic performance and yield potential through transgenic manipulation. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis at ANU has a research program that is investigating a number of different targets that have the potential to enhance photosynthesis. One such target concerns improving CO2 diffusion within leaves. In C3 species such as wheat, enhancing CO2 diffusion inside leaves between the intercellular air space and chloroplasts is one way to increase CO2 concentration around Rubisco, the primary CO2 fixing enzyme inside the chloroplast. Increasing photosynthesis in this way should also translate to improved water use efficiency. We have pioneered the use of stable isotope discrimination to measure CO2 diffusion processes and have set up tuneable diode laser spectroscopy for rapidly measuring carbon isotope discrimination in combination with leaf gas exchange. This provides a diagnostic tool to examine species and genotypic variation. We will describe the ways in which Page | 59
supply of CO2 to the chloroplast limits photosynthesis and approaches which are being taken to improve supply and increase photosynthesis. Improving light utilization John R Evans²*, Susanne von Caemmerer¹ 1 Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, ANU ___________________________________________________________________________ Agricultural productivity depends on plant growth, either directly when plants provide the grain or harvested product, or indirectly when plants are used to feed animals. Plant growth reflects environmental constraints set by sunlight, temperature, water and nutrients. Greenhouses, irrigation, and fertiliser are used to reduce specific limitations and plant breeding can tailor plants to different environments. A key crop characteristic is the time of flowering which needs to occur when risks associated with frosts, high temperature and water stress are minimised. Most annual crops have been selected to grow during the most favourable part of the year. This defines the amount of sunlight that a leaf canopy can potentially intercept and use for photosynthesis. It is constrained by the time taken after germination to establish a leaf canopy. To increase productivity, either more sunlight needs to be intercepted (e.g. a longer growing season), or the efficiency of conversion of that intercepted sunlight to biomass needs to be improved. This talk focusses on the second opportunity. There are two metabolic pathways for photosynthesis, C3 (e.g. wheat, rice, soybean) and C4 (e.g. sorghum, maize, sugar cane) and they differ in their radiation use efficiency. Above 25C, radiation use efficiency of C4 plants is greater than that for C3 plants because C4 plants concentrate CO2 around the enzyme Rubisco. This enables the enzyme to operate faster and suppresses photorespiration. Thus light utilization could be improved in C3 plants by improving the supply of CO2 to Rubisco. At high light, photosynthetic rate becomes limited by electron transport reactions. A second target is trying to increase the capacity of these reactions. This second approach can benefit both C3 and C4 crops. Building the C4 Photosynthetic Engine in Rice: Progress and Challenges Robert T Furbank¹ ²*, Susanne von Caemmerer1, W Paul Quick¹ ³ 1 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, ANU, Canberra 2 CSIRO Agriculture, Canberra 3 International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines ___________________________________________________________________________ The pressing need to dramatically increase cereal yields to meet global demand has resulted in several initiatives to improve photosynthetic performance and yield potential through transgenic manipulation (Furbank et al 2015). One area of focus has been elevating the CO2 concentration at the site of Rubisco to suppress photorespiration and improve catalytic activity. Introduction of a CO2 concentrating mechanism to C3 plants has been attempted using two approaches; 1. Installation of cyanobacterial or algal inorganic carbon transporters to the chloroplast envelope or 2. Mimicking evolution and introducing the biochemical CO2 concentrating mechanisms present in C4 plants such as maize, sorghum and sugarcane. The introduction of a C4 CO2 concentrating mechanism is an attractive option as this photosynthetic pathway has evolved more than 60 times in nature and results in up to 2 fold higher yields compared to C3 crop species, much greater Page | 60
biomass, and enhanced leaf level N and water use efficiency. The approach has gained momentum over the last 6 years by the investment of more than $25M by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation in the international research effort known as the C4 Rice Consortium. This project required cloning and transformation of genes determining the anatomical and biochemical specialisation necessary to build the CO2 “pump”. So far, the biochemical components have been installed in rice with some evidence of success, as determined by flux into the C4 pathway and progress is being made toward understanding the genes controlling the anatomical specialisation of bundle sheath and mesophyll cells. Furbank RT, Quick WP, Sirault XRR (2015) Field Crops Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2015.04.009 Identifying and exploiting natural variation of photosynthesis in wheat, a C3 crop Anthony G Condon¹ ²*, Viridiana Silva‐Perez¹ ⁴, John R Evans¹ ³, Robert T Furbank¹ ² ³, Matthew T Reynolds⁴, Gemma Molero⁴, Jose Jimenez‐Berni¹ ², David Deery², Scott Chapman¹ ² 1 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, ANU 2 CSIRO Agriculture 3 Research School of Biology, Australian National University 4 CIMMYT, Mexico ___________________________________________________________________________ In Australia and globally, wheat yield gains need to accelerate fast to satisfy the expected ca. 50% greater demand for wheat within 3‐4 decades. An extraordinary effort is focussed on transgenic approaches to improve the biochemistry of photosynthesis. There are also excellent opportunities to exploit natural variation of photosynthesis in wheat to accelerate yield gains. Assimilation of CO2 in photosynthesis can be viewed as two basic processes – a ‘supply’ process and a ‘demand’ process. Improved photosynthesis should result from better supply of CO2 into the leaf, for example through more‐open stomatal pores, and/or from greater demand for CO2, for example through better kinetics of CO2‐fixing biochemistry. Studies with wheat have assessed the utility of stomatal‐aperture related traits (SATs) as indirect selection criteria for high yield potential. Two classes of SATs were assessed: “instantaneous” traits canopy temperature depression (CTD) and leaf porosity (POR), a close surrogate for stomatal conductance; and the “integrative” trait carbon isotope discrimination (CID). The three SATs all showed potential for accelerating yield gains. To be useful in breeding, any indirect trait should be easy, quick and cheap to measure, with high heritability. CTD was the trait with most potential due to its low cost, although it was only moderately heritable when measured with hand‐held IR‐
thermometers. Recent developments in aerial thermal‐imaging should overcome this limitation. Measuring traits relating to photosynthetic biochemistry is time consuming and not well suited to high‐throughput applications, however we and others have recently shown substantial variation for such traits in wheat using CO2 gas exchange techniques. There has also been recent progress in developing effective screens for natural variation in photosynthetic biochemistry traits. These techniques, notably hyperspectral reflectance and chlorophyll fluorescence, show promise for use in breeding higher‐yielding wheats. Examples of the utility of leaf hyperspectral reflectance for high‐ throughput photosynthetic screening are presented. Page | 61
Using Sorghum as a C4 model of identify natural photosynthetic variation David Jordan*, Marie Bouteillé‐ Pallas, Barbara George‐Jaeggli, Andrew Borrell, Emma Mace 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Plant Science, Warwick 2 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, UQ ___________________________________________________________________________ Increasing global food production to meet the demands of the growing and increasingly wealthy world population in the face of resource scarcity is the major challenge facing agriculture in the next 30 years. While large gains have been made in the last century further gains will require new solutions with improving fundamental biological processes such as photosynthesis being essential to meeting the challenge. Sorghum is a high‐yielding C4 cereal, biomass and forage crop closely related to other important food and energy crops including maize, sugar cane and pearl millet. It has broad adaptation and high levels of genetic diversity and, in contrast to its relatives, has a relatively small diploid genome. This coupled with a mature set of genetic and genomic resources make it an ideal system in which to undertake the physiological and genetic dissection of complex traits such as grain yield and some of its components. Photosynthesis is one of the major drivers of yield, and photosynthetic machinery has evolved specifically in C4 plants as opposed to their C3 counterparts. The objective of our research is to identify natural genetic variation in key components of C4 photosynthesis using a combination of gene‐to‐phenotype and phenotype –to‐
gene approaches. For the gene‐to‐phenotype approach, an analysis of the signatures of selection was undertaken between two groups of sorghum lines (wild and weedy ancestors and modern landraces) on 33 genes involved in the C4 pathway. A total of 125 SNPs showed evidence of selection between the two groups of sorghum lines, and among them, the non‐synonymous ones are thought to be involved in the modification of proteins accompanying the C3‐C4 photosynthesis transition. For the phenotype‐to‐gene approach, differences between sorghum genotypes in terms of photosynthesis efficiency, water use, fluorescence, and growth variables were investigated. We then evaluated the relationship with their genomic sequences through association studies, through the whole genome, or in more limited regions in which QTLs were already identified. Strong associations have been found for steady state fluorescence (FT) in diverse sets of germplasm. Our results indicate that substantial exploitable natural variation in photosynthesis exists in sorghum which have the potential to be manipulated to increase productivity in sorghum and contribute to similar increases in other C4 crops. Modelling the effects of improved photosynthesis at crop scale Graeme Hammer¹ ³*, Alex Wu¹ ³, Al Doherty¹ ³, Graham Farquhar² ³ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Plant Science, Brisbane 2 Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 3 ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, ANU ___________________________________________________________________________ The impact of various putative manipulations of photosynthesis at leaf level can be estimated by crop growth models if they can realistically incorporate detail about photosynthetic processes and the interactions associated with scaling from biochemical/leaf to organism/crop scale. Reliable prediction of consequences on yield at the crop level is difficult due to issues with scaling from Page | 62
leaf to crop level. A cross‐scale model linking existing photosynthetic biochemical and crop growth models as a tool for integrated prediction is presented. Scaling to obtain instantaneous crop canopy photosynthesis is achieved by partitioning the canopy into sunlit and shade leave fractions. The resulting canopy photosynthesis is integrated over a day and then converted to daily crop biomass. Daily growth is allocated among competing growing organs via the crop growth and development model in the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM). The crop scale model generates leaf area and nitrogen content and environmental variables to drive the leaf scale model. Simulation of likely consequences on crop growth and yield of changing photosynthetic attributes, such as CO2 specificity of Rubisco, are presented. This cross‐scale model can be utilized to evaluate and potentially direct photosynthesis manipulation. Page | 63
Poster Abstracts Listed in poster board number [CF001] Effect of environment on expression of genes controlling coffee quality Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Bing Cheng¹*, Heather Smyth¹, Agnelo Furtado¹, Stephen Richard², Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Green Cauldron Coffee, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Research on the coffee plant has mostly focused on agronomic management to improve coffee quality with shade, pruning, water arrangement, etc. For coffee breeders, it is especially important to select better disease resistance in Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) plants and to provide higher cup quality in Robusta coffee (C. canephora). Coffee quality results from interaction among numerous factors, such as genotype, environment and processing. Improvement of coffee quality requires an understanding of the mechanisms governing the accumulation of the key compounds which generate coffee aroma and taste. Environmental control of gene expression during coffee bean development has not been studied with Australian coffee. Australia has a pristine environment free from pests and diseases affecting coffee and excellent soil and climates to grow coffee allowing a focus on the production of premium coffee. Coffee in Australian primarily grows in northern New South Wales/subtropical south‐east Queensland and tropical north Queensland, places generating distinctly different flavor profiles from different climate and soil environments. K7, a very important Australia commercial cultivar originally selected from Kenya with high cup quality was chosen to study changes in bean during development (green, yellow, red berries) of plantings in northern New South Wales. We aim to study associations between gene expression during grain development and the content of compounds influencing coffee quality. This research targets an increased understanding of the genetic and environmental factors influencing coffee quality with the aim of providing a solid foundation for establishing new strategies for satisfying the requirements of discerning coffee consumers. [CF002] Understanding in vitro Metabolism of Indospicine in Camels to improve food safety Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Eddie Ti Tjih Tan¹,³*, Rafat A M Al Jassim², Bruce R. D'Arcy¹,², Mary T Fletcher¹ 1 QAAFI‐The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 SAFS‐The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 FAS‐Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia __________________________________________________________________________ Feral camel represent an available but under‐utilised food source in Australia, with only a small portion harvested for pet‐meat or export. The usage of camel meat as pet‐meat has been further restricted as a result of reported dog deaths associated with indospicine‐contaminated camel meat. Indospicine is a non‐proteinogenic amino acid and potential hepatotoxin produced by Page | 64
Indigofera plants, especially I. linnaei which is prevalent in Australia rangelands. As a simple amino acid, it is not unreasonable to expect indospicine should be metabolised like other amino acids in the foregut of camels consuming this plant. However, field evidence suggests that unmetabolised indospicine is being absorbed and deposited in camel soft tissues as a free amino acid. An in vitro study of the degradability of indospicine in I. spicata by camel‐foregut fluid was conducted to investigate this phenomenon. In the first experiment, in vitro dry matter digestibility and indospicine disappearance were evaluated using foregut fluid collected post‐mortem from 15 feral camels. In the second experiment, the time‐dependent degradation of indospicine was studied using composite foregut fluid from three feral camels. Results indicated that 99% of the dietary indospicine was degraded after 48 h of incubation. The time‐dependent degradation study showed rapid degradation during the first 18 h of incubation, followed by a much slower rate between 18‐48 h. Results demonstrated the ability of the camel foregut fluid to degrade indospicine and suggested the presence of a by‐pass mechanism that enables the toxin to escape degradation and reaches the intestine. [CF003] Wild rice pathogens in northern Queensland Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Wanporn Khemmuk¹,²*, Andrew Geering¹, Robert Henry¹, Roger Shivas³ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre, ACT, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Australian native rice (Oryza spp.) species are abundant and widespread in floodplains across northern Australia. Four Oryza species are recognized, one annual (O. meridionalis) and the remainder perennial (O. australiensis, O. rufipogon and O. officinalis), although a taxonomic revision is required and there are likely more unrecognized taxa. All Australian wild rice species except O. australiensis have an AA genome, the same genome as domesticated rice and therefore are potential sources of novel genes for domesticated rice improvement. Furthermore, these wild rice populations may act as reservoirs of pests and pathogens of commercial rice in northern Australia. To provide baseline data on the foliar pathogens that infect native rice, we surveyed populations of wild rice for diseases in northern Queensland over two successive wet seasons. Over 80 fungi have been isolated belonging mostly to seven genera, Pyricularia, Bipolaris, Curvularia, Colletotrichum, Phoma, Nigrospora and Pestalotiopsis. Two known pathogens, Pyricularia oryzae, the cause of rice blast disease, and Bipolaris oryzae associated with brown spot disease, were found. The other fungi will be identified by morphological and molecular methods. A DNA barcoding method to distinguish the various Oryza hosts has been developed. [CF004] A convenient sample preparation protocol for scanning electron microscope examination of mango skin disorders Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Anh Tram San¹,³*, Richard Webb¹, Heather Smyth³, Daryl Joyce¹,², Peter Hofman², Andrew Macnish² Page | 65
1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland, Australia 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Skin disorders are of major concern to the Australian mango industry due to the resultant downgrading of fruit and loss of market confidence. Lenticel damage is recognised as a serious problem because of the adverse effect on fruit appearance and economic value. Some descriptions of the structure of typical lenticels have been reported but to date, the mechanism for lenticel damage is not well understood. More recently, research has shown that superficial differences in lenticel morphology were confounded anatomically. The use of scanning electron micrograph (SEM) technology has proven to be an excellent tool for characterizing the detail of plant structure with a greater depth focus. This paper highlights the need for appropriate sample preparation prior to application of SEMs for the study of mango lenticels and lenticel damage, which can photographically present greater detail than has been possible with light microscopy. Convenient sample preparation protocol for SEM examination was developed in order to avoid the disruption of the fine structure of cuticular wax of mango fruit. Critical point drying, freeze drying, air drying and cryo SEM were used in preparation steps to determine the appropriate preparation technique in an examination of mango peel surface structure especially mango lenticels. With a better handle on the sample processing, paired with a good understanding of which convenient preparation for scanning electron microscope examination prefer, the fine structure of mango skin can be observed with superior characterization. With improvements in laboratory techniques it is possible to work towards a better understanding of the mechanism of mango lenticel damage with view to prevent it's occurrence at a commercial level. [CF005] In vitro digestion models for measuring Indospicine bioaccessibility and stability in Camel meat Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Saira Sultan¹*, Gabi Netzel¹, Simone Osborne², Micheal Netzel¹, Mary Flatecher¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Some leguminous plants from genus Indigofera are high in indospicine ‐ a hepatotoxic analogue of arginine. Indospicine residues persist in tissues of animals feeding on Indigofera plants long after consumption has ceased. Indospicine has been found in Australian camel meat from arid regions of central Australia, with such residues causing fatalities in dogs consuming this meat. Impacts on the human consumer are however unknown. In vitro digestion models mimicking gastric and small intestine digestion, are one of the imperative approaches to measure and observe the matrix release and breakdown of nutrients and toxic compounds. In vitro digestion systems try to simulate in vivo (digestion) conditions including the enzymes and their concentrations, pH, digestion time and several other factors, all of which can be adjusted depending upon sample characteristics and desired nutrients or biomolecules being investigated. The most commonly used enzymes and other biological molecules within in vitro digestion models are trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin, peptidase, pancreatin, lipase, ± amylase and bile salts. Most enzymes employed for simulated digestion studies are extracted from omnivores, i.e. rats, pigs and human volunteers. In current project, all these parameters will be taken into account and optimised along Page | 66
with the effect of various cooking methods on the bioaccessibility and digestive stability of indospicine in contaminated camel meat. Furthermore, in vitro human and dog digestive system models will also be examined and compared to determine the ‘digestive fate’ of indospicine in different digestive environments. Key Words: indospicine, camel meat, In vitro digestion models [CF006] Exploring 26 single origin coffees based on non‐volatile composition Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Wenny Sunarharum¹*, David Edwards², Sharon Pun², Caterina Torrisi², Glen Fox¹, David Williams², Heather Smyth¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Agri‐Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Chemical and physical properties of coffee beans depend on several factors including genetics, geographical growing location, agricultural practices to post harvest treatment and processing. The objective of our study was to investigate 26 commercial single origin coffee beans of Arabica (C. Arabica) and Robusta (C. canephora) as green and roasted for non‐volatile composition. This study is the first to include such a broad range of global regions including two specialty coffees, Luwak and Monsooned. Chemical attributes investigated were caffeine, trigonelline, total chlorogenic acids, total dicaffeoylquinic acid (diCQA), 5‐caffeoylquinic acid (5‐CQA), 3,4‐
Â‐dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,4Â‐‐diCQA), 3,5‐dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5‐diCQA), 4,5‐Â‐dicaffeoylquinic acid (4,5‐diCQA), caffeic acid, and pH while physical colour (CIEL*a*b*) was measured. All data were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed Robusta coffee species were strongly distinguished from Arabica coffee in both green and roasted forms. Indeed, caffeine, total diCQA, diCQA isomers (3,4‐Â‐diCQA, 3,5Â‐‐diCQA and 4,5Â‐‐diCQA), caffeic acid, trigonelline and colour measurements a* and b* were found to discriminate green coffee beans in the 1st PC. Upon roasting, the chemical composition and physical properties were changed significantly. Further research on coffee volatile composition and sensory properties will enhance our ability to control and improve coffee quality. [CF007] The use of natural plant products for inactivation of Aflatoxin producing Aspergillus flavus by Photosensitization Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Benigni Alfred Temba¹*, Mary Fletcher¹, Glen Fox¹, Jagger Harvey², Sheila Okoth³, Yasmina Sultanbawa¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa, Nairobi, Kenya 3 The University of Nairobi, Kenya __________________________________________________________________________ The photoinactivation efficiency of curcumin (extract from turmeric) and Bidens pilosa leaf water extract against Aspergillus flavus (a major aflatoxin producing fungi) spores and hyphae was studied. The spores (suspended in water and inoculated on surface of maize kernels) and hyphae (suspended in water) were subjected into controlled treatment combining photosensitiser Page | 67
product and light of specific intensity and wavelength. The effect of light was tested by varying intensity between 12 J/cm2 and 84 J/cm2 (420 nm wavelength) while dye concentration was in range of 25 ‐ 100 µM for curcumin and 0.25 mg/ml and 0.5 mg/ml for Bidens pilosa extract. The effect of temperature was studied by conducting the experiments between 15oC and 40oC. Reduction of up to 4 logs measured as colony forming units for spores and hyphae in suspension with either curcumin or Bidens pilosa extract was observed. The results also indicated reduction of up to 2 logs of spores on surface of maize kernels with curcumin. The reductions were statistically significant when compared to control groups. Magnitude of spore and hyphae inactivation was influenced by photosensitiser concentration and light intensity as well as temperature. Results from this study indicate the potential of using photosensitization technique utilizing natural photosensitisers derived from locally available herbs to control mycotoxins in foods and feeds especially in tropical developing countries where mycotoxins contamination is a food safety issue of concern. [CF008] Quality of Australian wild rice Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Tiparat Tikapunya¹*, Glen Fox¹, Heather Smyth², Agnelo Furtado², Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Wild rices (Oryza species) are common in northern Australia. The diverse rice germplasm in Australia is a genetic resource that can support global rice improvement. Domestication of these species as novel rice types may also be possible. The quality of wild rice of four different rice taxa including Australian Oryza rufipogon (wild rice taxa A and wild rice taxa B), Oryza meridionalis, and Oryza australiansis from north Queensland has been characterized. The grain physical characteristics were compared with those of domesticated rice. Wild rice taxa A, wild rice taxa B, and O. meridionalis are extra‐long paddy rice and slender in shape. O. australiensis is long paddy rice and medium in shape similar to much domesticated rice. After removing husk, the kernel of wild rice taxa B is long whereas wild rice taxa A and O. meridionalis are medium in length. O. australiensis is short like short grained domesticated rice. However, wild rice taxa A, wild rice taxa B and O. meridionalis are slender, O. australiensis is medium while O. sativa L. nipponbare is bold. The four different wild rice taxa have a red brown grain while grain of domesticated rice is brighter, with less redness and more of yellowness than the others. The chemical composition and structure of the starch in these wild plants is being investigated. Larger quantities of these rice genotypes are being grown in a glasshouse to produce sufficient rice to allow cooking experiments to be conducted. Sensory evaluation will allow the potential of these species for domestication to be evaluated. [CF009] Feasibility of smallholder nursery microenterprises as sustainable germplasm delivery mechanisms in Papua New Guinea Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Leoncio Ugarte‐Guerra¹*, Tony Page² Page | 68
1 James Cook University, QLD, Australia 2 University of Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ As communities transition from tree‐based resources from natural forests to planted stands they are often confronted with constraints in availability of adequate supplies, one of the most conspicuous problems is availability of tree germplasm (seeds or planting stock). The germplasm shortage results both from limited accessible good quality sources (often the result of past selective logging) and from inefficient deliver mechanisms from source to end‐user. In this study we assessed the feasibility of nursery microenterprises as sustainable germplasm supply mechanisms. We examined a range of different organizational nursery models through market and socio‐economic research in East New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea. We interviewed 114 farmers, 5 micro‐nurseries (that produce less than 1000 seedling per year), 3 smallholder nurseries (1‐10,000) and 2 commercial nurseries across the Gazelle Peninsula to determine levels of supply and demand for tree seedlings. Local demand for timber tree (such as Tectona grandis and Eucalyptus sp,) and nut tree (Canarium indica) seedlings were found to be well in excess of current supply. The cost of seedling production for these species within the micro‐nurseries slightly exceeds micro‐nurseries competitor price, although minor changes to production systems can improve the viability of these nurseries. The smallholder and commercial nurseries represent a potential avenue for sustainable delivery of tree germplasm and specific results are presented within. [CF010 & DVCR5] High temperature during kernel development significantly increases Carotenoid concentration of Zeaxanthin‐biofortified and yellow Sweet‐corn Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Paula Calvo¹*, Kent Fanning³, Kinnari Shelat², Tim O'Hare¹ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, University of Queensland 2 Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sweet‐corn is a dietary source of the carotenoid pigments zeaxanthin and lutein, both of which are accumulated in the human macula and believed to be protective against macular degeneration. Zeaxanthin‐biofortified sweet corn has recently been developed with a zeaxanthin concentration (20 µg/gFW) at least 7‐10 times higher than standard yellow sweet‐corn (2‐3 µg/gFW). Although the production of zeaxanthin and lutein is largely regulated by genotype, environmental factors can further modify kernel carotenoid concentration. Zeaxanthin‐
biofortified and standard yellow sweet‐corn were grown under two different seasons, September to December (summer harvest) and February to May (autumn harvest) in Gatton, Queensland. Cobs were harvested at six physiological maturity stages, and zeaxanthin, lutein, and total carotenoid concentration of kernels analysed by high performance liquid chromatography. Kernel colour was objectively measured using hue angle, and moisture content and total soluble solids used as indicators of physiological maturity. Harvest season was found to have a significant impact on carotenoid concentration, such that zeaxanthin concentration at optimum eating‐stage was increased a further 50% to 32 µg/gFW in summer‐harvested kernels of zeaxanthin‐biofortified sweet‐corn. Similarly, in standard yellow sweet‐corn, lutein was increased by 70% to 8 µg/gFW. Page | 69
Increases in zeaxanthin and lutein were reflected in a change in kernel colour, with zeaxanthin‐
biofortified kernels and standard yellow sweet‐corn becoming a deeper orange and yellow, respectively. These results indicate that temperatures experienced during kernel development can significantly influence carotenoid synthesis, and can be used to modify zeaxanthin and lutein concentration in both zeaxanthin‐biofortified and standard yellow sweet‐corn. [DVCR1] Improving farming systems design and management: the role of model assisted participatory crop season planning in Sub‐Saharan Africa Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Nascimento Nhantumbo¹*, John Dimes², Miranda Mortlock(UQ)³, Isaiah Nyagumbo(CIMMYT)⁴, Daniel Rodriguez(QAAFI)⁵ 1 QAAFI‐UQ, Queensland, Australia and DivAG‐ISPM, Mozambique 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 SAFS‐UQ, Queensland, Australia 4 CIMMYT, Harare, Zimbabwe 5 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Identifying the fundamental issues that guide decision making processes and resource allocation strategies among poorly resourced smallholder farmers in Sub‐Saharan Africa, is paramount to identify feasible intensification options. However, finding timely and cost‐effective methods to collect, analyse and provide information back to farmers for them to improve their farming systems is still a challenge. Participatory modelling planning (PMP) workshops can quickly generate new information and provide feedback to farmers that is relevant to their situation. Here we describe results from two focus group discussions held in two communities of Central Mozambique at the start of the 2013‐14 cropping season. In each community, information on current cropping systems, resource allocation maps (RAM’s) and production constraints was collected. The data from the RAM’s was used to parameterize the APSIM model which was then used to simulate current cropping systems and test agreed design and management changes. We found that the PMP proved to be effective at gathering information about local farming practices and farmers were overwhelmed by the idea of improving their management from ‘initially growing their crops in a computer’. The quick feedback turnaround time was identified as the main strength of the approach. However, a post‐season survey of assisted farmers, suggested that despite farmers’ interest, PMP ability to stimulate practice change might only be achieved if the approach is associated with ongoing on site personalized agricultural advisory services. [DVCR2] What's hot in Bos taurus cattle? Validating the utility of thermal imaging from four body sites during viral and bacterial challenge in a climate controlled research facility Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Patricia Eats¹*, Timothy Mahony¹, Kiro Petrovski² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 70
Thermographic imaging translates thermal information recorded by a specialized infra‐red energy sensing camera. Captured thermal images are then interpreted and reported to enable use of information generated. Thermography promises facilitation of improved research‐animal welfare via non‐invasive body temperature recording. However, the scientific validity and precision of images taken depends on some potential factors which may limit its applicability. Possible examples of confounding include light‐source reflection on glossy hair, and moist, shiny surfaces typical of ocular and nasal membranes. Thermal radiation of body heat also results in predictable variation between skin surface and core body temperature. This study sought to identify if infra‐
red images of certain strategically selected body sites of cattle are a more or less accurate, direct or reliable prediction of body temperature, using cross‐referenced rectal temperature observations. Twelve Bos taurus weanling cattle under current enrolment in a respiratory challenge study had images of inner ear, eye, nose and perineum recorded at intervals prior to, during and after the study's treatment events. These events included challenge by viral and then bacterial agents, with four of the twelve animals also receiving a vaccination within the same observation period. Body temperature variability increase was correlated to decrease in imaging precision. Eye and perineum area maximum temperatures were observed to be the closest to recorded rectal temperatures, but further investigation is required in regard to potential extrapolation made from inner ear and nasal image data. Thermography remains a promising potential tool for a wide range of non‐invasive animal research applications. [DVCR3] A non‐transgenic approach for RNAi‐mediated resistance against Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Elizabeth Worrall¹*, Alice Hayward¹, Jager Harvey¹, Bernard Carroll¹, Gordon Xu¹, Neena Mitter¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The closely related potyviruses Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) are major constraints on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production. Crop losses caused by BCMV and BCMNV impact severely not only on commercial‐scale cultivation of this high value crop but also on production by smallholder farmers in the developing world, where bean serves as a key source of dietary protein and mineral nutrition. In many parts of the world, progress has been made in combating BCMV by breeding bean varieties possessing the I gene, a dominant gene conferring resistance to most BCMV strains. However, the related BCMNV virus triggers systemic necrosis (black root disease) in resistant plants possessing the I gene, presenting a serious problem for I gene deployment in BCMNV‐endemic areas, particularly in Central and East Africa. This project aims to create a non‐transgenic approach that protects the plant from BCMV by RNA‐interference (RNAi). Three double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) designed from two Australian isolates of BCMV are being investigated as a topical application. Preliminary bioinformatic data suggest that the two 1000 base pair (bp) dsRNA Nuclease Inclusion b (NIb) and Helper‐Component Protease (HC‐Pro) regions of an Australian BCMV isolate should trigger RNAi in most BCMV strains, while the 500 bp dsRNA designed from the Coat Protein (CP) region should trigger RNAi in most BCMV and BCMNV strains. With today's world quickly running out of food, this project aims to enhance crop production techniques by negating genetically modified crops. [DVCR4] RNAi‐based management for Fusarium of Banana Page | 71
Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Shulang Fei¹*, Elizabeth Czislowski², Myrna Constantin¹, Elizabeth Aitken², Neena Mitter¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Fusarium wilt of banana is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) and has been a source of enormous economic loss worldwide since the 1900s. Foc tropical race 4, the most aggressive race of Foc which infects all cultivars of banana, has been found in Queensland early this year. Effective control methods to combat this disease remain limited due to the soil‐borne character of Foc. This project aims to use an RNAi strategy referred to host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS), to confer durable resistance against Fusarium by transformation and expression of dsRNA targeting Foc genes in plants for silencing of Foc gene expression. Intron hairpin constructs will be engineered to target vital fungal genes which are highly conserved in Fusarium oxysporum and crucial for pathogenicity. The constructs will first be transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana to study the mechanism, with modified constructs to be further applied in a Foc‐banana pathosystem. In addition, to find alternative target regions for HIGS and to better understand the function of small RNA in host‐pathogen interactions, this project will also look at the small RNA profile of banana infected with Foc by sequencing small RNAs from infected plants and aligning them to both the banana and Foc genomes. We will include regions with more aligned reads to Foc genomes than cultured Foc as candidate targets for HIGS. Further study of regulated small RNAs will reveal how they are involved in infection, which will in turn lead to more specific and efficient management of Fusarium invasion. [DVCR5 & CF010] High temperature during kernel development significantly increases Carotenoid concentration of Zeaxanthin‐biofortified and yellow Sweet‐corn Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Paula Calvo¹*, Kent Fanning³, Kinnari Shelat², Tim O'Hare¹ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, University of Queensland 2 Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ *For abstract please refer to CF010 on page ### [P001] Whole of system and value chain analyses reveal research needs in horticulture in Laos and Cambodia Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Colin Birch¹*, Lawrence Bonney¹, Stephen Ives¹, John McPhee¹, Douangboupha Bounneuang², Vang Seng³, Bo Sokun³, Silinthone Sacklokham⁴ Page | 72
1 University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia 2 National Agricultural and Forest Research Institute, Vientiane, Laos 3 Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 4 National University of Laos, Vientiane _________________________________________________________________________ Whole of system and rapid value chain analyses were used to assess biophysical and input constraints to vegetable and fruit production in the Mekong River Valley, Lao PDR and Cambodia. In both countries, the assessment involved visits to vegetable and fruit producing areas, field inspections, interviews with smallholders, research and development institutions and support businesses, collection of field data and review of literature pertaining to resource constraints. Specific themes were distilled from the gathered information, and, whilst soil and water management was the focus, the approach identified other constraints and opportunities for system improvement to enhance production and income at the farm level and along the input value chains. These included pest management, and crop and cultivar phenology and adaptation. It became clear that the capacity for introduction of high technology input systems was constrained by finance, farm scale, regulations and socio‐cultural expectations. Significantly, it revealed that substantial gains could be achieved in the short to medium term by applying low‐
input sustainable solutions to existing production systems. This would involve some purchased inputs including soil ameliorants, soft chemicals, improved cultivars and small‐scale mechanization. However, the analysis also revealed that high‐input systems should be included in research projects to assess their productive potential in the Lao and Cambodian environments. Training of support staff and smallholders was identified as a key to fostering and enhancing adoption of improved production technologies, and that these aspects needed to be underpinned by socio‐cultural research for the development of effective extension strategies. [P002] High yielding, quality cabbages and the challenges of production in the high altitude area of Central Province, Papua New Guinea: An approach to increasing the supply of temperate vegetables into the Port Moresby markets Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Philmah Seta‐Waken¹, Mark Boersma², Colin Birch²* 1 National Agricultural Research Institute, Papua New Guinea 2 Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Tasmania, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Tapini District represents the cooler (temperature maxima 23‐19°C, minima 12‐9°C), higher altitude (1100‐1800 masl) area of Central Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), a tropical country just south of the Equator. Tapini has potential for vegetable production to supply the increasing demand for temperate vegetables in Port Moresby arising from a substantial ex‐patriot population and an emerging middle class. However, being located in a remote part of the Province, it still faces many challenges. The productivity of six cabbage varieties was assessed in field experiments during 2012 and 2013 to determine high yielding, high quality and, pest and disease tolerant varieties in the high altitude environment of Tapini. The findings suggest that KY Cross, Tropical Delight and Eureka varieties appeared to have the most promising yield, quality and, pest and disease tolerance. However these and other varieties of other vegetable crops need to be evaluated further at additional high altitude locations over a longer time frame under varying Page | 73
management practices to develop recommendations on varietal choice and appropriate cropping practices. The importance of off‐farm constraints e.g. input supply chain and output value chain functioning and performance to production and economic outcomes for the local population was highlighted. Key words: Cabbage, high altitude, production challenges, pest and disease tolerance, tropical country, quality, yield Acknowledgement: The financial support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research is gratefully acknowledged. The technical support and advice of the ACIAR Vegetable Project teams of TIAR, Australia and the NARI, PNG are also gratefully acknowledged. [P003] Is it time to vary the 3 rules definition of conservation agriculture package to suit farmers practice? Evidence of stepwise adoption from Malawi Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Grace Chideya‐Phiri¹*, Kingsley Agho¹, Adam Komarek², William Belloti¹ 1 University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia 2 International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, USA __________________________________________________________________________ Conservation agriculture (CA) package dissemination in the sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), rather than following the three components package approach which is a ‘one size fits all’ approach, should be designed by taking into account that smallholder farmers depict different adoption behaviours and adopt CA package in a one step at a time manner. A multinomial probit (MNP) model is applied to the modelling of adoption decision by farmers facing the CA package with several practices which can be adopted in various combinations. We investigated the interactions between decisions to adopt or not to adopt each component from the CA package on farm level household survey data collected from two different agro‐ecological zones in Malawi. Findings indicate that farmers operate under different conditions and reasonably followed step by step adoption behaviour of residual retention, minimum tillage, crop rotation and use of herbicides reflecting the farmers belief on whether it reduces weeding labour but they do not believe CA improves yields. There is also evidence that the adoption of minimum tillage was significantly influenced on whether they could afford to purchase the herbicides which suggests that use of herbicides should be considered as part of the package in either as a loan or subsidize the cost for farmers. [P004] How the governance of Northern Australia can help or hinder agriculture Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Allan Dale¹* 1 The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Investment in the future of agriculture in northern Australia will come from multiple players; from existing farmers looking to intensify, from traditional owners seeking to secure their economic future, right through to international investors looking towards major projects. For all of these potential investors, the health or otherwise of the system of governance in northern Australia will significantly influence both the size and scope of investment possible. This paper first explores Page | 74
some of key governance challenges facing northern Australia. It then delves into those aspects of governance that have the potential to either help or hinder investment. Finally, the paper explores priority reforms in the governance of the north needed to lift investment levels and returns. Key themes include resolving regional scale land use conflict, more integrated facilitation and assessment of major projects, more flexible tenure systems, integrated regulatory effort at farm‐
scale, and a stronger focus on expanding place‐oriented approaches to research and development. [P005] Antimicrobial resistance genes in bacterial respiratory pathogens isolated from Australian pigs Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Denise Dayao¹*, Justine Gibson¹, Patrick Blackall², Conny Turni² 1 The University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Science, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida are among the most commonly identified bacterial species associated with porcine respiratory disease. Although these pathogens can be controlled by antimicrobial therapy, resistance of Australian isolates to commonly used antimicrobials has recently been reported. This study aimed to genetically characterise the underlying cause of resistance to β‐lactams, macrolides and tetracycline. Sixty‐eight A. pleuropneumoniae, 62 H. parasuis and 20 P. multocida isolates exhibiting phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (A. pleuropneumoniae and P. multocida) or elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (H. parasuis) to any of the following antimicrobial agents: ampicillin, erythromycin, penicillin, tetracycline, tilmicosin and tulathromycin ‐ were screened for the presence of 19 associated antimicrobial resistance genes by polymerase chain reaction assay. The gene blaROB‐1 was found in all of the ampicillin and penicillin resistant isolates, while none harboured blaTEM‐1. The tetB gene was found in 49/53 A. pleuropneumoniae, 17/30 H. parasuis and 8/14 P. multocida tetracycline resistant isolates (n=97). One A. pleuropneumoniae isolate harboured the tetH gene, while none of the 97 isolates had tetA, tetC, tetD, tetE, tetL, tetM and tetO. A total of 92 isolates were screened for the presence of macrolide resistance genes: none were found to have ermA, ermB, ermC, erm42, mphE, mefA, msrA and msrE genes. The current study has provided a genetic explanation for the majority of the isolates of Australian porcine respiratory pathogens showing resistance (or a high MIC) to ampicillin, penicillin and tetracycline. However, the macrolide resistance has remained genetically unexplained and further studies are required. [P006] Agricultural dependence on petrochemicals and the threat to biodiversity of post peak agricultural extensification Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Rowan Eisner¹*, Leonie Seabrook¹, Clive McAlpine¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Page | 75
With the oil shock of the mid‐2000s, there was a rapid increase in the deforestation rate impacting on biodiversity throughout the tropics. As the remaining oil reserves become increasingly expensive and energy intensive to extract, agricultural inputs such as nitrogen fertiliser and fuel for transport and irrigation become increasingly unaffordable to the world's most marginal farmers, increasing their tendency to extensify. This study aims to map the potential impact on biodiversity of farmer land‐fertiliser substitution under varying future oil supply and price scenarios and business‐as‐usual farming systems. We found that with a worst‐case quantity scenario of N fertiliser being unavailable, all the remaining potential arable land was not quite sufficient to meet current global food needs, while most remaining biodiversity would be lost. This is because the land requirements for agriculture would more than double and biodiversity requires the same land attributes as agriculture in order to thrive: nutrients, water, warmth and stability. Under a price‐mediated scenario, where oil becomes increasingly expensive, the land required for agriculture expands, but at a lower rate, with the food produced becoming beyond the reach of an ever‐increasing proportion of the population. In both cases, it is marginal commercial farmers who are hardest hit. Possible interventions involve facilitating access to renewable fertilisers to the world's poorest farmers at a minimal financial, land and labour costs. [P007] The toxicity of Indospicine to grazing animals: An under‐recognised hazard Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Mary Fletcher¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Indospicine (L‐6‐amidino‐2‐amino‐hexanoic acid) occurs in a number of Indigofera species with widespread prevalence in grazing pastures across tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Indospicine is unusual in that it is non‐proteinogenic and is cumulatively absorbed as the free amino acid into tissues of grazing livestock. It is a competitive inhibitor of arginine metabolic processes and has been shown experimentally to cause both liver degeneration and abortion. Indospicine hepatoxicity occurs universally across animal species but the magnitude of the effect varies considerably between species, with dogs being particularly sensitive. The magnitude of this canine sensitivity is such that ingestion of naturally indospicine‐contaminated horsemeat and more recently camel meat has resulted in the secondary poisoning of dogs, raising significant industry concern. The impact of indospicine on the health and production of grazing animals per se has been less widely documented. Livestock grazing Indigofera can have a chronic and cumulative exposure to this toxin, with such exposure experimentally shown to induce both hepatotoxicity and embryo‐lethal effects in cattle and sheep. In extensive pasture systems, where animals are not closely and individually monitored, the resultant toxicosis may well occur after prolonged exposure but either not be detected/identified or even if detected not be attributable to a particular cause. The literature would suggest that for cattle or sheep grazing pastures where Indigofera (particularly I. spicata, I. hendecaphylla, and I. linnaei) are prevalent, then indospicine should be considered as a possible cause of animal poor performance, particularly where reduced weight gain or reproductive losses are involved. Page | 76
[P008] Seeding future research: Observations from seed increase efforts with australian wild rices Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Glen Fox¹*, Loraine Watson‐Fox¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Five species of Australian wild rice, Oryza species B (Japan 2 and Japan 11), O. species A (Japan 1), O. meridionalis and O. australiensis which grow naturally in northern Australia, were grown in large feed troughs under glasshouse protection in Toowoomba over the 2014/2015 summer season. The long‐term objective is to identify one species which would be more suited to broad‐
acre production or have potential as a parent for a breeding program. O. species B, A and australiensis are perennials exhibiting out‐crossing behaviour while O. meridionalis is an in‐
crossing annual. Each species produced greater than ten tillers (and panicles per plants) with each panicle producing between 10 and 100 seeds. On average, the seeds had a rough outer seed coat and were black in colour. The dark seed colour of these species fits with other global rice wild species used as a high value grain added in speciality dishes. This preliminary seed increase provided good insight into the potential for growing these species in controlled environments. There is great possibility for the Australian rice species to contribute to food security in the Asia Pacific region through expanded production areas in North Queensland. [P009] Nutrition security ‐ Diverse and evolving targets Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Mike Gidley¹* 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The health and well‐being of individuals and populations is profoundly affected by the cumulative effect of their diet(s). In planning for the future of tropical agriculture, not only the quantity but also the sensorial and nutritional quality of foods derived from agriculture should be taken into account. There is currently a focus on relieving the pressures of under‐nutrition in selected communities across the tropics, with characteristic challenges being the provision of sufficient food energy and protein to support childhood growth, and overcoming deficiencies in micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron and zinc. As under‐nutrition issues steadily become less prevalent, there is a concomitant rise in over‐nutrition challenges, exacerbated by the abundance and affordability of energy‐dense and often nutrient‐poor foods from highly efficient 'refine and recombine' processes. For sustainable health and well‐being, the consensus dietary advice to eat an energy‐appropriate diet rich in whole foods could be translated into choices concerning agricultural development. Two key qualifying factors should be micronutrient density and satiety per kJ, coupled with much better education on the dietary choices that can be made to enhance individual health and well‐being. Page | 77
[P010] A first generation Haplotype map of Sorghum Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Adrian Hathorn¹*, Emma Mace¹, David Jordan¹, Shuaishuai Tai² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Guangdong, China __________________________________________________________________________ The maintenance of genetic diversity in elite sorghum germplasm is a high priority for sorghum breeders and is vital to the long term viability of the sorghum breeding industry. To address this issue, sorghum breeders at QAAFI previously developed a practical breeding method for introgression of new alleles into adapted germplasm. The method involves creating an integrated set of small (50‐100 individuals) back‐cross populations using a single elite line as a recurrent parent and a diverse range of unadapted lines as donor parents. Selection is then imposed on these individual populations for critical agronomic traits. The broader population is referred to as a sorghum back‐cross nested association mapping (BC‐NAM) population, and is a useful resource for both association study and characterising the sorghum genome. Here we report on a first generation Haplotype Map for sorghum. We identified 6 million sequence polymorphisms among a subset of 32 diverse founders of the BC‐NAM population. The genome was characterised by highly divergent haplotypes and showed considerable variation in levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD). We found large pericentromeric regions that were recombinationally suppressed with high levels of LD and considerable residual heterozygosity. This analysis of genetic diversity will help to further elucidate the complex history of the sorghum genome as well as provide a foundation for dissecting complex traits through genome‐wide association studies. [P011] Transforming horticultural production systems: remaining competitive on world markets to help meet global food demands Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Susanne Heisswolf¹*, David Carey¹, Stephen Ginns¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Australian tropical and sub‐tropical horticultural production systems have the potential to make significant contributions towards meeting global food demands especially if targeting the expanding middle class in the major developing countries of Asia and the Middle East. High input costs associated with Australian horticulture supply chains particularly the cost, skill level and availability of labour are serious constraints to Australian horticultural producers profitably accessing these developing markets. Can mechanisation, automation, robotics and sensing (MARS) technologies transform Australian horticultural supply chains and substantially lift productivity so that we can compete effectively on world markets? Are we now on the cusp of transformational changes in how automation, robotics and sensing technologies are deployed on the farm? These are the questions we are exploring with end users ‐ farmers, engineering firms, agronomists, consultants, agribusiness ‐ and MARS researchers & machine developers through a structured industry engagement process. Our hypothesis is that greater involvement of end users early in the innovation cycle is critical for ensuring that future technologies are fit‐for‐purpose: the technology Page | 78
can then be more quickly incorporated into field and packing shed operations. To this end, we are endeavouring to close the gap between researchers and industry through (i) scoping current MARS R&D (ii) grower and industry surveys and (iii) farm visits and industry forums in major vegetable production regions of Queensland. The aim is to negotiate a set of specific industry priorities for each region with farmers, industry and researchers, develop action plans to take priorities forward and build robust feedback loops between R&D providers and potential end users. [P012] The commercialisation of the Achacha tropical fruit Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Bruce Hill¹* 1 Achacha Fruit Plantations, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ A decade ago, the Achacha (achachairº, Garcinia humilis), was little known outside small areas of the Bolivian tropical lowlands where it was traditionally grown in small holdings. It is now growing successfully in a 120ha plantation consisting of 16,000 trees in North Queensland, and the fruit has been exported in limited quantities to the UK, France, the Netherlands and to major locations in the Middle East and South East Asia. So far as is known, there are no other producing large scale facilities elsewhere in the world. Described by taste experts as ‘sweet, tangy, refreshing: like a sorbet’ the egg‐sized Achacha has a mixture of flavours not found in other fruits. Its flesh has a low sugar content which makes it popular with diabetics; its skin makes a nutritious drink; honey from the nectar of its flowers is developing a strong following. Flesh, skin and honey are all reputed to have significant health benefits. This poster will address the issue of increasing food growing options within tropical regions. The initial challenge ‘developing the know‐how to grow a species accustomed to semi‐shade in an open plantation environment’ has been overcome. Special emphasis will be given to the conversion from conventional farming methods to organic and biodynamic systems. The marketing of the fruit will also be addressed with limited budget, low cost methods have been used to introduce the fruit to end consumers. [P013] UDP‐6‐Glucose dehydrogenase: An important catalyst and regulator of carbon partitioning in Sugarcane Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Patrick Mason¹,²,³*, Robert Henry²,³, Frikkie Botha¹, Agnelo Furtado²,³ 1 Sugar Research Australia (SRA) 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ UDP‐Glucuronic acid (UDP‐GlcA) is the precursor for several molecules within the plant cell wall. The importance of UDP‐GlcA in the synthesis of insoluble carbon compounds suggests a central role of UDP‐Glucose dehydrogenase, responsible for the synthesis of Glc A, in the differential partitioning of carbon within sugarcane. Within the proposed study the analysis of the transcriptome in a number of sugarcane varieties will be undertaken in order to investigate the Page | 79
tissue specific expression of UDP‐6‐Glucose dehydrogenase (UGDH) genes. In a related study, UDP‐6‐Glucose‐dehydrogenase was investigated at the genome level in Arabidopsis thaliana. This study identified four different UGDH isomers within Arabidopsis, all having differing affinities for UDP‐Glucose and different catalytic constraints. The difference between each of the four UGDH isomers suggests a regulatory role for the different isomers in the differentiation of carbon into cell wall or sucrose formation. Understanding, which UGDH genes/isomers are present within sugarcane as well as the degree at which each UGDH isomer is expressed, would be an important finding, especially due to the importance of fibre and sucrose to the value of the sugarcane plant. Additionally, due to the polyploid nature of the sugarcane genome, there may be multiple copies of each UGDH gene. This study will also allow for the understanding to what extent each gene copy, is transcriptionally active. [P014] Potential growth response of kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) to applied phosphorous on low PBI soils Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Ronald Master¹* 1 Department of Agriculture and Food, Albany, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Potential growth response of kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) to applied phosphorous on low PBI soils. Master R and Rogers D Considerable research has been conducted on the growth response of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) to varying amounts of phosphorous (P). With the results used widely to predict the required P for varying levels of agricultural production. Kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) based pastures are common in the high rainfall (<550mm) regions of the south coast of Western Australia, however unlike subterranean clover little is known about the response of kikuyu to applied P in WA agricultural systems. Pot and field trials were conducted at various levels of P with both kikuyu and subterranean clover. Preliminary results suggest that kikuyu may require less phosphorous at a given level of production than clover. Pot trials showed that in low phosphorous buffering index soils kikuyu's response was initially strong but quickly leveled off at 50% of the potential clover demand. This has a number of implications for both management and application rates of P fertilisers, impacting on both the cost of production and the off‐site impact of applied P. [P015] An african diamond: From technology transfer, research and development in agriculture in Southern Africa (Botswana Livelihoods‐ 20 years of progress) Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Miranda Mortlock¹*, Pelotshweu Moepeng² 1 School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Vision 2106 Secretariat,Gov Botswana _________________________________________________________________________ Botswana will celebrate 50 years of independence in 2016. This paper looks at the changes in the last 20 years under the Vision 2106 Pillar of a Prosperous, Productive and Innovative nation. This paper tracks progress, in activities and outcomes over the last twenty years and focuses on Page | 80
impact. Some lessons for policy are described. The two facets of commercial and small holder farming exist successfully. How are livelihoods supported in the agricultural sector? What are Botswana Government policies and research outcomes supporting drought? How has the country fared in the face of changing climate? What are future innovations and linkages are planned between agriculture and other sectors of the economy? [P016] Eyes wide open: Planning a resilient future for North Australian agriculture, come hell or high water Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Keith Noble¹* 1 James Cook University, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Keith is a Tully FNQ tropical fruit grower and Industry Director for Terrain NRM: the Wet Tropics NRM representative body. In 2011, Cyclone Yasi blew out all the fruit trees Keith had replanted after Cyclone Larry, along with the economic base of the emerging tropical fruit industry; whereas the banana industry nine months later was again facing chronic over‐supply and depressed prices. The incidence of such disasters is predicted to increase as a consequence of climate change, yet an expansion of North Australian agriculture is being actively promoted. Agriculture is a risky business, and natural disasters are only one of the variables farmers have always had to plan for, yet producers ‘hang in there’. The Commonwealth Government Green Paper on Developing Northern Australia describes exciting challenges and possibilities, particularly for agriculture, but in what appears increasingly to be a new geological era ‐ the Anthropocene ‐ will these opportunities translate into tangible outcomes for existing industries, individuals and communities? This is not the first time grand plans have been espoused for North Australia, based on the premise of underutilised land, abundant water, and proximity to Asia, so: what lessons might history save us having to learn again; what are the opportunities for community NRM governance to transcend top‐down (or should that be south‐north?) government‐imposed environmental decision making; and how might policy be better aligned to deliver real benefits to existing and future industry participants? Through his PhD research and industry experience, Keith is attempting to answer these questions and understand why some North Australian agricultural producers thrive. [P017] How ready is Sub‐Saharan Africa to adopt Biotech Crops? Lessons from Kenya Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Joel Ochieng ¹*, Vivian Tuei², Trizah Milugo³, Richard Oduor⁴ 1 The University of Nairobi 2 University of Eldoret 3 Mount Kenya University 4 Kenyatta University __________________________________________________________________________ Current controversy surrounding the adoption of genetically engineered crops is reminiscent of events that occurred during the Green Revolution about half a century ago. Many countries in Sub Page | 81
Saharan Africa (SSA) are currently developing legal frameworks to regulate genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their products. However, the happenings in Kenya, a regional leader in technology and governance and a pioneer African country to develop a Biosafety law, have unmasked architectural complexities of biotech adoption. Despite putting in place legal, structural and other regulatory frameworks including human capacity to manage GMOs by 2009, the country has consistently resisted biotech foods and imposed a ban in 2012 pursuant to a publication linking GM products to tumors, later retracted in 2013. Data collected nationally show the feeling that the technology is foreign to be stronger than safety concerns, a serious affront to technology transfer. It becomes apparent that legal frameworks alone are insufficient to guarantee an enabling policy environment for investment in remunerative agriculture through biotech crops in SSA. Enacting a biosafety law is only a spanner within the biotechnology and food security toolbox. Other tools such as nuts for tightening and anchoring biosafety laws within the constitution, as well as vigorous public education will be required to ensure the wheel of progress does not come off along the road to GM commercialization. We discuss efficient approaches to public education, technology transfer and commercialization of GM crops in SSA to guarantee the anticipated benefits of modern farming systems. [P018] The challenge of reviving the demand for traditional vegetables in the face of increasing urbanisation in Papua New Guinea: A case study Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Tania Paul¹*, Philmah Seta‐Waken², Clifton Gwabu², Dickson Benny², Norah Omot², Gomathy Palaniappan³, Claire Webb¹ 1 Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory, Australia 2 National Agriculture Research Institute, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 3 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The supply of traditional vegetables into the urban markets around Port Moresby is relatively limited, despite a consistently high demand from consumers. The diversity of vegetables available is also lower compared to rural markets. With increasing rates of urbanisation, people are losing access to traditional lands and customary foods with a shift towards lower quality diets high in starch and salt with tinned meat and noodles, and there is an increasing rate of consumption of these foods with increasing rates of related health problems in the population, yet our work indicates a strong connection and preference for traditional vegetables amongst urban dwellers. Traditional vegetables and foods represent a connection back to homelands and celebrate culture through food. They provide a way to increase food security for urban communities with low incomes and limited land availability, generally have higher nutritional values than introduced vegetables, and are cheap and easy to grow. This case study reports on research into the challenges in reviving the demand from urban consumers across income sectors for traditional vegetables, and the challenges for smallholder peri‐urban growers in supplying these markets including the ability to supply consistent quality and volumes, land availability, water supply, food safety issues. [P019] Increasing productivity of mungbean under subsistence farming in Eastern Indonesia Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Page | 82
Agustina Asri Rahmianna¹*, Medo Kote², Rao C.N Rachaputi³, Yohanes L. Seran², Damianus Adar⁴ 1 Indonesian Legumes and Tuber Crops Research Institute, Malang, Indonesia 2 Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology of East Nusa Tenggara, Kupang, 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 4 Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Nusa Cendana, Kupang, Indonesia _________________________________________________________________________ Mungbean is one of the major food legume and cash crop grown and consumed by small holder farmers under rain‐fed conditions in Eastern Indonesia. However, the mungbean productivity has been low, less than 1 ton/ha due to a range of reasons including poor awareness about new varieties and skills of crop management. The multi‐locational evaluation resulted in identification of cultivars with high productivity with single harvest, shorter maturity, compared the local cultivars which were characterized by lower productivity, multiple harvests and longer maturity. The selected cultivars in combination with minimum inputs showed a reliable pathway to increase productivity of mungbean at small holder level. This paper describes results from varietal and agronomic management trials demonstrating the impact of the technologies on mungbean productivity at small holder level and identifies future needs to sustain food productivity in remote regions on Eastern Indonesia. [P021] Indigenous knowledge on natural resource management and coping mechanisms of people living in climate change vulnerable marginal uplands Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Anabella Tulin¹*, Jedess Miladel Salomon², Janice Marie Monderondo³ 1 PhilRootcrops, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines 2 Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture and Food Technology 3 National Abaca Research Center, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte __________________________________________________________________________ This study documented the various indigenous knowledge and coping mechanisms of people living in climate change vulnerable marginal uplands in Barangay Linao, Inopacan, Leyte, Philippines. Through focus group discussions, household interviews and establishment of field trials, it attempts to understand how these resource poor farmers make use of their intimate knowledge of their surroundings to make a livelihood. Their agricultural practices were based on traditional beliefs and years of observation and experience on when to plant, how to ensure a sustainable harvest, managing infertile soil and indigenous ways of controlling pest and diseases. Crops which are drought‐ resistant and require no chemicals were preferred. They also classify their soils based on color and texture. This was their guide in planting certain crops in each type of soil. A farmer‐
scientist participatory field trial was established in the area to teach them the latest innovation in improving the fertility and productivity of marginal uplands that will ensure higher crop yields thereby increasing their farm income. This study illustrates the importance of indigenous knowledge to agriculture by providing farmers and farm households with adaptive strategies to climate change. Page | 83
[P022] Haemophilus parasuis ‐ Research in Australia Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Reema Singh¹, Patrick Blackall¹, Conny Turni¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Haemophilus parasuis, the causative agent of Glasser’s disease is a major problem for the pig industry worldwide. There are 15 known serovars of H. parasuis with an increasing number of non‐typable isolates being recorded worldwide. Additionally, the correlation between pathogenic and non‐pathogenic isolates based on serovar, as established by Kielstein et al. (1992), has been challenged. This has prompted research into virulence genes and genotyping to find correlation of types with virulence and/or links between virulence genes and serovars. Seventy‐six field isolates with known serovar were examined for the following virulence genes: fhuA (ferric hydroxamate receptor), vtaA (virulence‐associated trimeric autotransporter), hhdAB (putative hemolysin operon), lsgB (lipopolysaccharide sialytransferase gene) and capD (polysaccharide biosynthesis protein) and were examined by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC)‐PCR and Multi‐Locus Sequence Typing (MLST). The best correlation between pathogenic organisms, both highly and moderately virulent (according to the serovar classification), was with the presence of vtaA and hhdAB. However, these genes by themselves or in combination were not adequate to confidently distinguish between pathogenic and non‐pathogenic strains. The dendogram based on ERIC PCR revealed six main clusters. Interestingly, one cluster had mainly non‐pathogenic strains that all lacked any of the virulence genes, while another cluster had only pathogenic strains that all contained vtaA and hhdA genes. Of the 27 isolates so far examined by MLST, a total of 26 different STs were recognised, which means that almost all H. parasuis isolates were genetically distinct from each other representing a marked genetic diversity. [P023] Adaptation through crop diversification Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge K. Waha¹*, E Stephenson¹, M. Herrero¹, P Thornton¹,², S Fritz³, L See³, M Rufino⁴ 1 CSIRO Agriculture, Brisbane, Australia 2 CCAFS, ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya 3 IIASA, Laxenburg, Vienna 4 CIFOR, Nairobi, Kenya ___________________________________________________________________________ In developing countries household incomes correlate positively with a greater diversity of household activities and crops grown. As such, it is important to assess the validity of crop diversification as an adaptation strategy for farmers to meet food demand in developing countries. Diversifying crops is particularly important in tropical and subtropical regions where annual rainfall may decrease in light of changing climate, in turn increasing the risk of drought and food insecurity. A recent study has quantified this by suggesting food insecurity is common in East African households with an annual rainfall of 800mm or less. This study aims to identify the relationship between annual rainfall and crop diversity to determine available adaptation options for cropping farms in sub‐Saharan Africa. Rainfall climatology was obtained from WorldClim for Page | 84
1950‐2000. This data was aggregated to 30 arc minutes (~50km) resolution and reclassified into groups of 100mm rainfall width. Cropland data for 25 crops was obtained from M3‐Crop for 1998‐
2002 and Map‐SPAM for 1999‐2001, also aggregated to 30 arc minutes resolution (~50km). The results suggest that many crops are grown at annual rainfall peaks between 900‐1200mm, while the peaks are lower for crops like wheat, pulses, forage and sorghum/millet, and higher for rice and potato/sugarbeet. Rainfall peaks are identical in both crop datasets for half the crops. Where they are not the same the peaks only differ by 100mm, and only for soybean, potato/sugarbeet and fibers crops they differ by more than 100mm. For several crops more than one peak exists which can be explained by different production systems. [P024] Projected impacts of climate change on drought stresses in Australian wheat Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Jim Watson¹*, Bangyou Zheng², Scott Chapman², Karine Chenu¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Wheat is one of the primary staple foods. Due to a rising population and improved living standards, demand for this crop continues to increase. Much of the wheat produced in Australia is grown in water‐limited environments. Climate models project increases in both temperature and rainfall variability for this century, raising potential challenges for the Australian wheat industry. Given the lead times involved in adapting wheat production to changed environmental conditions, the provision of timely, realistic assessments of the likely impacts of climate change is of key importance. Such assessments must account for the complex interactions between environmental conditions, crop genotype, and management practices. In this study we used the APSIM‐Wheat model to capture these interactions at 60 representative sites across the Australian wheatbelt. The weather data for these sites was used as the basis to construct a range of future climate scenarios from the projections of 33 distinct climate models. While we found significant variations in simulated drought impact across the different climate models, consensus among these models was also identified with strong regional trends. The Western regions of the wheatbelt were projected to experience an increase in drought conditions in the coming decades. In contrast, reduced occurrence of severe drought was predicted for Eastern regions, primarily due to shorter crop cycles and accelerated development arising from increased temperatures. Overall, Australian wheat will continue to be significantly impacted by drought in the coming decades. [P025] Quantifying the potential for the Flinders and Gilbert catchments in northern Australia to increase food production through irrigated cropping Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Tony Webster¹*, Perry Poulton¹, Cuan Petheram², Peter Stone³, John Hornbuckle⁴, Ian Watson¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, ACT, Australia 3 CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Queensland, Australia Page | 85
4 Deakin University, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Global food demand is expected to almost double by 2050 as the world's population, and affluence, increases. With much of this anticipated increase in demand coming from Asia, there have been calls for Australia to respond by making northern Australia ‘the food bowl' of Asia. In light of this, we assessed the potential agricultural productivity for a range of crops in the Flinders and Gilbert catchments in northern Queensland. The Flinders and Gilbert catchments currently have negligible irrigated cropping, being dominated by extensive dryland grazing for beef production. With a paucity of data to draw on in these catchments, we used the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) crop model to estimate potential crop productivity and irrigation water requirements. APSIM was parameterised using climate locations from the Flinders and Gilbert catchments, and modelled soils that represent the most common soils found in the two catchments. APSIM was run using unlimited water for irrigation, and by using estimates of the potential water available annually for irrigation in each catchment, we were able to make production estimates for a range of crops. Modelled potential productivity for a number of crops, particularly summer cereals, fodder crops (grasses and legumes), some pulses and peanuts are promising, with modelled yields that are comparable with other areas of Australia. There is potential for irrigated cropping in the Flinders and Gilbert catchments to increase Australia's food production; however this increase would be small compared to the global challenge awaiting. [P026] Advances and search for robust biological fertility indicators for sustainable soil health management in Perennial tree crops Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Femi Akinsanmi¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Increasing human populations coupled with decreasing resources, and environmental degradation of agricultural soils pose serious threats to food production. The major challenge for increasing crop production within sustainable soil management system is maintenance of the soil structure, nutrient cycles, and regulation of pests and diseases. Soilborne pathogens, existing in high density, composition and diversity, often modify soil functions and processes of other soil microbiota. Soil microbes are sensitive to changes in their environment including changes induced by organic soil amendments. The ability to identify and describe soils with well‐developed biological fertility is valuable to move beyond agricultural production systems based on external inputs such as fertilizer, and pesticides. The development of reliable biological indicators will aid the assessment of the health of a soil, and also help to model the impact of different practices on soil health, hence, assist in the implementation of sustainable crop production system within the climate change context. In the past three years, in order to examine the influence of soil amendments of various organic materials and compositions on soil microbiota, we estalished extensive large‐scale field trials in commercial tree crop production systems. This paper will discuss the dynamics and multitrophic interactions that occur in soil microbiota, specifically, in relation to a significant soilborne pathogen of tree crops. Page | 86
[P027] Utilising high output forages for profitable beef production in the subtropics Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Maree Bowen¹*, Stuart Buck¹, Fred Chudleigh¹, Kylie Hopkins¹, Timothy Emery¹, Byrony Daniels¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Northern beef producers are under pressure to find strategies to increase income and profitability. Targeted use of high quality forages has the potential to improve the profitability of northern beef enterprises through increasing enterprise turnover and productivity. However, in order to achieve a profitable outcome, an understanding of best practice forage agronomy and cattle management, expected forage and beef production, and the likely financial implications for the business, must be combined. This study benchmarked six alternative forage production systems at 24 sites across 12 commercial beef cattle properties in the Fitzroy River catchment of Queensland over 2011‐2014 (31 individual data sets in total). The objective was to improve the understanding of expected forage, animal and economic performance, and the key drivers of profitability, for major annual and perennial forage systems under commercial management conditions. High output forages substantially increased beef output compared to perennial grass‐
only pastures but this did not always translate to a more profitable gross margin outcome at the paddock level. Forage establishment and management costs as well as cattle price margin were also critical. Key management issues that commonly limited optimal biological and financial performance were identified. Under current market and cost conditions, perennial legume‐grass pastures, particularly leucaena‐grass, had a substantial advantage over perennial grass‐only pasture and annual forage crops in terms of profitability at the whole farm level. Annual forage crops generally did not add economic value to beef enterprises due to their higher average growing costs when compared to perennial forages. [P028] Diverse Leifsonia genotypes are associated with sugarcane in Australia Theme: 1. Defining the Challenge Anthony Young¹*, Cathy Nock² 1 Centre For Crop Health, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia 2 Southern Cross Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Ratoon stunting disease (RSD), caused by the xylem‐limited bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli, affects sugarcane crops all over the world. While there has been no genetic diversity recorded for this bacterium, there is the possibility that other Leifsonia species may be causing previously unidentified diseases in sugarcane. During survey work with the novel LSB‐PCR diagnostic platform and Leifsonia‐generic primers, we discovered a range of previously unidentified Leifsonia and other Microbacteriaceal species associated with sugarcane crops throughout Australia, including Tablelands, Burdekin, Mackay, Isis, Maryborough and NSW. Within the diversity of Leifsonia discovered, identical genotypes have been found in different varieties in different regions sampled in different years, while some of these have been confirmed to be present in expressed xylem sap, indicating that, like L. xyli subsp. xyli, some of these strains may occupy the xylem vessels. There is also evidence of cross‐reactivity with ELISA antibodies and morphological similarities to L. xyli Page | 87
subsp. xyli that may impact on existing RSD immunological diagnostic platforms. While the epidemiological significance of these novel strains is unknown, it is possible that they may have relevance to unexplained growth abnormalities of sugarcane, including yellow canopy syndrome (YCS). [P029] Can winter cereals be developed into a major industry for tropical Australia? Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Phillip Banks¹, Douglas Lush², Lee Hickey¹, Jack Christopher¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Leslie Research Facility, QLD 4350, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Tropical Australian livestock industries provide a huge potential market for locally produced grain which would, for example, enable increased onshore beef cattle finishing for Asian markets, supplementary feeding of dairy cattle, and a local source of grain during poor grazing periods. Northern Queensland alone has vast areas of suitable soils, including over 10 million hectares of vertisols, often collocated with substantial, underutilised water resources. Field trials in northern inland and coastal Queensland were grown on a wide range of soils to determine adaptation, optimum sowing time and to monitor pests and diseases. Results indicate that hexaploid wheat, triticale and forage oats can all be successfully grown while barley and durum would require improved disease resistance. For wheat, CIMMYT derived varieties were the highest yielding, partly due to greater spot blotch resistance. Results also suggested that direct transfer of current southern Queensland cultivars may not provide the optimal solution. Early sowing dates from late April to mid‐May were optimal, wheat yields often exceeding 5 tha‐1. Peanut and maize parasitic nematode numbers declined where wheat was grown. Thus, wheat could fit well into rotations with peanuts, maize, soybean, potatoes, forage and grain sorghum, plus spring sown sugar cane. In the short term, further study to identify the most suitable current wheat lines and to optimize management would accelerate adoption of winter cereals. The latest breeding technologies, currently being developed at QAAFI, could be used to rapidly develop specifically adapted cultivars potentially underpinning a major feed grain industry for tropical Australia. [P030] Growing of Microalgae for the production of Biofuels in Queensland, Australia: Ensuring energy production and farming in tropical and subtropical areas Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Diego F. Correa¹*, Hawthorne Beyer², Skye R Thomas‐Hall¹, Hugh Possingham², Peer M Schenk¹ 1 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia 2 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The fulfilment of future energy demands depends on the development of efficient production alternatives for fuel and electricity, while minimising environmental impacts and ensuring global food security. Microalgae production systems can help in achieving global energy demands through biofuel production for the transport sector, based on their high yield potential and the possibility to grow them in dry areas. As microalgae cultivation does not need to compete for Page | 88
arable land or biodiverse landscapes, they could have lower environmental impacts by interfering less with native ecosystems and food production. Here, we show the potentially most suitable areas in Queensland, Australia, in order to fulfil 30% of transport energy demand in the state. Our results can help in the understanding of the potential environmental benefits of novel biofuel production alternatives in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. [P031] Grain Sorghum genetic determination of perenniality Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Alan Cruickshank¹*, Xuemin Wang², David Jordan² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ We aimed to investigate genetic variation, combining ability and mapping of perenniality in grain sorghum. We compared a broad sample of the diversity in grain sorghum to see if there was variation for capacity to ratoon after winter and the propensity to produce multiple stems when ratooning. We compared inbreds and hybrids for capacity to ratoon to determine the nature of combining ability for this trait. We have used nested association mapping to determine loci that influence perenniality in grain sorghum. Unlike many of the annual temperate cereals, Sorghum bicolor is a perennial species farmed as an annual. Although a small number of Australia’s grain sorghum growers deliberately grow a single ratoon from early‐sown crops, the practice of allowing a crop to ratoon after overwintering is rare and opportunistic. It is expected that a perennial plant community would nurture beneficial soil biota and make more conservative use of soil and water resources. Potential negatives are the perpetuation of pest species and inefficient water use. We discovered there is substantial genetic variation in capacity to ratoon after overwintering. Some commercial hybrids have a relatively high capacity to ratoon. There is variation in early vigour and in propensity to produce few or many stems per stool. [P032] The influence of tillage on crop productivity for no‐till systems in sub‐tropical to semi‐
arid climates of Australia Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Mark Crawford¹, Shreevatsa Kodur¹, Kerry Bell², Yash Dang³*, Anna Balzer⁴ 1 Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM), Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Queensland, Australia 3 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Queensland, Australia 4 Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI), Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Strategic tillage (ST) is already being utilized by many landholders practicing no till (NT) in the Northern Grains Region (NGR) of Australia to manage constraints of NT farming systems. But the ramification of ST on crop productivity and soil health, both short and long term, has been largely understudied. This paper focuses on productivity impacts of the application of ST in NT farming systems. Yield data from 14 ST experiments over 3 years/seasons (2012‐2014) throughout NGR, together with APSIM modelling (1972‐2014 period) for selected locations, was used to determine Page | 89
the likely impacts of ST on crop yield. Field results showed that overall productivity was statistically similar for all sites, except at Condamine for the 2012 season where ST significantly increased yield due to decreased weed population. However, the following year depicted a reversed trend with a significant increase in African turnip weed (Sisymbrium thellungii). APSIM modelling showed similar results, with comparable or possibly marginally lower yield under ST than NT at all the three simulated sites (Biloela, Dalby and Moree). The modelling results suggest that the difference in yield between ST and NT was generally lower during years with rainfall higher than the long‐term mean and for soils with lower plant available water capacity (PAWC). The APSIM study will have wider implication for improved farm management via minimising the potential negative effects of tillage on moisture storage in the soil, while the field results demonstrate that some flexibility can be achieved in NT systems without impacting productivity. [P033] TR4 in north Queensland ‐ What now? Meeting the productivity challenge in Bananas Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Jeff Daniells¹* 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The 4th of March 2015 represents a turning point in the Australian banana industry with the announcement that day that the much dreaded tropical race 4 (TR4) strain of Fusarium wilt had been found for the first time in Australia's major banana producing region on the wet tropical coast of north Queensland. TR4 is a fungal disease lethal to our most popular banana variety: Cavendish. Bananas are Australia's number one fruit crop worth $600 million/year to the economy so there is a lot at stake. Quite simply it is no longer business as usual in the industry as biosecurity measures to slow its further spread have been implemented. But there are currently no ready‐to‐go solutions once the disease is found on a property. And all this at a time of special opportunity for tropical agriculture in Australia with emerging export markets in Asia. How will the industry respond? Will science come to the rescue? In this paper we describe the massive R&D effort which is much needed to tackle this giant with special focus on the part new technologies will play, the scenarios that will likely ensue and the opportunities that avail themselves in such a time of crisis to advance the banana industry into new frontiers in tropical Australia. [P034] Variability of food fodder traits in grain legume genotypes in Ethiopia: 1. Seed and residue yields, morphological characteristics and straw quality in common bean Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Mesfin Dejene Ejigu¹, Robert Dixon¹*, Alan J Duncan³, David McNeill², Kerry Walsh⁴, Endalkachew Woldemeskel³ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 4 Central Queensland University, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 90
Crop residue (CR) left after grain or pod harvest contributes substantially to the supply of nutrients for animals in mixed farms in most tropical and sub‐tropical developing countries. In spite of its widespread use, little emphasis has been given to improving the nutritive value of CR for ruminants through plant breeding and selection especially in grain legumes. The current study assessed natural genotypic variation in nutritive value traits to assess potential for improvement. Two independent trials comprising nine and six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties commonly grown in Ethiopia were conducted at Shalla and Bako respectively using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications during the 2013/14 cropping season to assess the magnitude of genetic variation available among the existing popular common bean varieties for seed and CR yields, the nutritive value of the CR, the harvest and potential utility indices (PUI) and their relationship with seed yield by a range of agronomic, morphological and laboratory trials. There were highly significant (P<0.01) differences among genotypes at Shalla in morphological fractions, seed, CR, and total biomass yields, harvest index (HI), laboratory quality traits, and PUI. A positive relationship was also observed between grain and straw yields (r=0.84 at Shalla and r=0.93 at Bako). Straw quality was not negatively correlated with grain or straw yield and the relationship in most cases was also weak. These results confirmed the possibility for simultaneous selection of higher straw‐producing common bean genotypes with equivalent or higher HI and with desirable straw quality to tackle the overriding problem of feed shortage for ruminants in crop‐livestock systems in East Africa. [P035] Maize yield determination in Northern Region: Hybrid by environment by management interactions Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Ariel Ferrante¹*, Karine Chenu¹, Peter de Voil¹, Joseph Eyre¹, Barbara George‐Jaeggli², James McLean¹, Greg McLean², Daniel Rodriguez¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland, Australa ___________________________________________________________________________ In Maize as with most cereals, grain yield is highly correlated to total grain number per unit area, which is strongly related to the rate of crop growth during the critical period around silking (i.e. +‐
30 days). Management practises such as plant density or nitrogen fertilization can affect the growth rate during this period, and consequently final grain yield. In the Northern Region, rainfed maize is grown under large range of plant populations across environments having high year‐to‐
year variability in rainfall. Clear guidelines on how to select hybrids and management practises for different environment would allow growers to increase yield and profits. The objective of this research was to understand yield determination in recently released maize hybrids, managements and environments to derive simple agronomic rules of thumb and better practical recommendations for farmers. This study reports results from experiments carried out under field conditions. A detailed experiment at Gatton Research Station with a split‐plot design investigated the effects of (i) hybrids types, (ii) different level of plant population and (iii) N fertilization (subplots) depending on water availability (rainfed and irrigated plots). All in all, resulting in two contrasted levels of productivity, with low (rainfed and low N fertilization) and high availability of resources (high N fertilization under irrigated conditions). Another trial was performed at the Cecil Plains (Qld) to look at on‐farm results for a factorial combination of (i) different hybrids by (ii) contrasting levels of plant population under irrigated conditions. Page | 91
[P036] Anaerobic digestion of microalgae via closed‐loop nutrient recycling: A sustainable integrated system to produce bioenergy for farms Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Lina Maria Gonzalez¹*, Sergi Astals², Paul Jensen², Steven Pratt³, Peer Schenk¹ 1 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia 2 Advanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland, Australia 3 School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Integrated farming systems are an excellent way to develop sustainable agriculture by increasing production while reducing costs and environmental damage. The development of an integrated system of biomass production is taking place in our algae demonstration farm at Pinjarra Hills, Queensland, Australia. The scope of the project is to develop an economical and eco‐friendly system of biomass production by nutrient recycling and biogas production through anaerobic digestion of microalgae. In order to reduce production costs due to fertilizer demand, an anaerobic digester is being implemented in the farm which enables closed‐loop nutrient recycling. The anaerobic digestion process not only produces biogas but also allows the production of a natural fertiliser to provide nutrients for repeat algae cultivation. In this project we evaluated the digestibility and biogas production potential of microalgae as well as the nutrient recovery of the process. The results show that microalgae are a highly efficient substrate for anaerobic digestion since they produce a high yield of bio‐methane (220 L methane/kg dry biomass) compared to other biomass feedstocks used for anaerobic digestion. Nitrogen recovery was highly efficient and nitrogen conversion to ammonium occurred. However, phosphorous recovery still requires optimisation, as some of it becomes immobilised. Current research is underway to recover the remaining immobilised nutrients (precipitates and organic solids) by applying pH changes and in‐
pond aerobic digestion. [P037] Intra‐cultivar potential of Desmanthus spp. as a greenhouse gas mitigation strategy for tropical livestock pastoral systems Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Sophie Vandermeulen¹,², Carlos A Rame‐rez‐Restrepo¹*, Sultan Singh¹,³, Rob Kinley¹, Chris P Gardiner⁴, Joseph A.M Holtum⁵, Jereme Bindelle², Iain Hannah⁶ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Integrated Agriculture System, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Liage, Gembloux Agro‐BioTech, Namur, Belgium 3 Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, UP, India 4 James Cook University, School of Veterinary, Queensland, Australia 5 James Cook University, Terrestrial Ecosystems and Climate Change, Queensland, Australia 6 Agrimix Pty. Ltd., Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Improved agricultural efficiency and reduction in the impacts of tropical livestock farming on habitat degradation require global approaches that enhance ruminant farming functionality in terms of feed use efficiency, emissions and food security. This study evaluated the in vitro mitigation potential of the prostrate to erect, herbaceous Desmanthus spp. pasture legume Page | 92
adapted to semiarid clay soil land types in northern Australia. D. bicornutus, D. leptophyllus and D. virgatus were seasonally harvested from commercial plots by Agrimix Pty. Ltd. Samples of the legumes and the control Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) using ruminal fluid from grazing Brahman (Bos indicus) steers were incubated in vitro (Ankom RF1 Technology) for 24, 48 and 72 h. Overall, the in vitro organic matter degradability (OMD) and methane production between Desmanthus species differed (P < 0.001). Compared to the control (0.656 ± 0.027 proportion of total OM) at 48 h of incubation, D. leptophyllus showed lower OMD (0.479 ± 0.016), while D. bicornutus (0.688 ± 0.016) and D. virgatus (0.619 ± 0.015) were different from each other, but similar to the control. Methane production (ml/g OM) was 15.7 ± 1.54, 3.7 ± 0.89, 12.0 ± 0.95 and 11.7 ± 0.95, respectively. It is suggested that the impact of these attributes may benefit household farmers in developing economies to expand productivity, improve livelihoods and meet the growing food consumption. Further analyses of the intra‐cultivar characteristics of Desmanthus spp. will complement the design of sustainable and efficient interventions across tropical pastoral feeding systems, with a particular emphasis on large‐scale grazing operations. [P038] Achacha ‐ a fresh start for an exotic tropical fruit Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Bruce Hill¹* 1 Achacha Fruit Plantations, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ A decade ago, the Achacha (achachairº, Garcinia humilis), was little known outside small areas of the Bolivian tropical lowlands where it was traditionally grown in small holdings. Since 2002, a plantation of 16,000 trees has been developed successfully on a 120ha former cane plantation in North Queensland, where it is the first and only known large‐scale plantation of this fruit. While the trees successfully fruited, the quality of the fruit grown under conventional systems did not meet expectations. The chemical‐based system was seen to have many negatives: not in line with management’s approach to food; increasingly expensive inputs; trees becoming vulnerable to fungal diseases; and the plantation’s proximity to a wetland of national significance. The conventional method was transitioned into an organic and biodynamic approach. This involved making fertilisers and other inputs on site, and creating a new farming philosophy based on sustainability. While suffering some initial decline in productivity, yield has returned to former levels with significantly lower waste, soil and fruit quality have improved significantly, costs have been reduced, staff are very happy with the new environment, and the paper‐work required by overseas importers is minimal! This presentation will consider numerous innovative experiences. The Achacha will be presented as a viable crop for tropical areas, with an overview of its commercial development. Then the rationale for shifting to organic biodynamic methods will be explained, including financial, operational and ethical reasons for the change. [P039] Soil Organic Matter inputs under tropical agricultural cropping systems: Where do they come from? What are they made of? Why does this matter? Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Stuart Irvine‐Brown¹*, Solomon Jamal Hassen¹, Joe Eyre¹, Job Kihara², Haekoo Kim³ Page | 93
1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CIAT, Nairobi, Kenya 3 CIMMYT, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia __________________________________________________________________________ Tropical maize legume cropping systems are currently challenged to use enhanced seed and fertilizer resources to increase yields from tropical soils exacerbated by weathering and under pressures of a changing climate typically characterized by more uncertain yet intense precipitation, temperature, and associated evapotranspiration regimes. The capacity of these soils to continue providing resources and services that augment existing agronomic seed and fertilizer advances is limited without appropriate levels of soil organic matter (SOM). Current agronomic development offers potential to supply productivity demands, yet not without investment in soil organic matter (SOM) inputs which are absolutely vital to return, maintain, and perpetuate an acceptable level of soil health and facilitate yield gains. Increases in SOM boost soil water infiltration and retention, soil structure and resilience, soil cation exchange capacity, and nutrient supply to microbes, plants, and animals integral to tropical agricultural production systems. The origin of various SOM inputs, and the mass, diversity and nutrient provision of the suite of organic matter components available provides information towards assisting farmers determine optimum crop nutrition strategies based on potential SOM mineralization processes and availability of fertilizer. In managing the efficiency of farm organic matter energy flows and the chosen end uses relative to crop / livestock returns effective balances can be established between SOM inputs for soil health sustenance and other competing farm end uses at various spatial and temporal scales. [P040] Protected cropping of vegetables in the Australian tropics Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Elio Jovicich*, Heidi Wiggenhauser __________________________________________________________________________ Climatic variability and extreme weather events make it difficult for Australian vegetable growers to plan for and ensure consistent harvests of high marketable yields that meet the increasingly stringent quality standards of the retail market. Protected cropping, traditionally confined to temperate zones near large populated areas, could be adapted and extended to tropical and subtropical regions. It presents a set of complimentary‐to‐field, cost‐effective, climate‐adaptive technologies to supply high‐value commodities. Structure designs should focus on alleviating extremes in solar radiation and air temperature, reducing wind speed, and avoiding rainfall. Exclusion of insect pests and use of environment‐adapted biological control agents will also support access to markets. Protected cropping in the tropics does not depend on fossil fuel for heating, while acceptable cooling can be achieved with specific structural designs and crop management. Retractable roof structures and high passively‐ventilated greenhouses are quite different from the technology‐intensive structures and equipment designed to maintain environments to a near optimal for maximum crop growth and production (e.g. glasshouses with high investment and operating costs). The protection provided by these lower cost systems leads to benefits such as: improved establishment of crops; prolonged harvesting season; reduced unmarketable produce; improved produce quality; increased yield per m2; reduced loss of yield from pests and viruses; reduced pesticide use; reduced uncertainty of forecasted production; and increased water and nutrient use efficiency. Initial trials in North Queensland demonstrated that Page | 94
high‐value capsicum and specialty melons can yield seven and three times greater, respectively, than in the traditional field‐grown crops. [P041] Farmers' perceptions of and responses to environmental change in coastal Bangladesh Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Md Jahangir Kabir¹*, Rob Cramb¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Coastal Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change. Agriculture, aquaculture, and biodiversity have already been affected and will experience substantial adverse impacts in coming decades. Hence adaptation at the farm level is a high priority. This study draws on interviews with farmers in two villages in the coastal district of Khulna to explore the dynamics of adaptation to environmental change. Increases in temperature, extreme weather events, soil toxicity, erratic rainfall, and scarcity of water for dry‐season crops were widely perceived phenomena, increasing the yield risk facing farmers. On‐farm adaptation strategies included adjustment in time of planting, excavating trenches in paddies, adopting more suitable crops, stress mitigation methods, resource‐conserving technologies, improving livestock rearing and home‐yard cropping. Non‐farm strategies included undertaking wage work, short‐term migration, self‐employment, selling assets, drawing on institutional support (relief, credit), and educating children. These strategies were perceived to increase farm productivity and reduce yield risk. Factors facilitating adaptation were farm and non‐farm income, arable land, skills, specific training, and credit. Factors impeding adaptation were lack of access to freshwater reserves, tidal water, markets, capital, quality inputs, and extension services. The dominant view was that cropping and aquaculture may not be greatly affected in the near future because of planned adaptation strategies. Farmers suggested that policy should support dissemination of stress‐tolerant cultivars, access to irrigation, stabilisation of crop prices, crop insurance, information dissemination, quality inputs, and concessional credit. The paper analyses these various adaptive responses in terms of their private and public good characteristics and the transaction costs involved in implementing them. [P042] Global change and sustainability in linked social‐environmental systems: An application of systems dynamics approach within the Volta River Basin agri‐food systems in Ghana, West Africa Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Julius Kotir¹*, Ron Johnstone¹, Greg Brown¹, Nadine Marshall² 1 School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Australia 2 CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Most major river basins and agricultural systems in particular are changing in many ways as a result of the dynamic and complex interactions of a range of environmental and socio‐economic drivers. Thus, understanding the complex interaction among the range of environmental and socio‐economic drivers of change is important for providing long term sustainable solutions to agriculture‐dominated social‐environmental systems. In this study, an expert judgement Page | 95
elicitation technique is used to explore and identify the key environmental and socio‐economic drivers of change within the Volta River basin in Ghana, West Africa. System dynamics modelling approach (i.e., casual loop diagrams, dynamic and simulation modelling) is then used to develop a system dynamic model that captures the interconnections and feedback effects among these key drivers and other environmental, technical, market dynamics, health and demographic trends. This allowed us to see the overall system structure and determine the behaviour of the system over time from a system dynamic point of view. The results and the developed model also allowed for the identification of leverage points and exploration of management options and pathways for sustainable water and agri‐food systems management within the river basin system. The project main contribution is the development of an integrated and system dynamics model that can be used for the sustainable and integrated management of complex water and agri‐food systems the context of increasing uncertainties and growing environmental and socio‐economic changes. [P043] Robusta coffee model: An integrated model for coffee production at farm and regional scale Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Louis Kouadio¹*, Roger Stone¹, Philippe Tixier²,³, Shahbaz Mushtaq¹, Torben Marcussen¹ 1 ICACS, University of Southern Queensland, Australia 2 Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), France 3 CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica __________________________________________________________________________ The Vietnamese coffee industry is the world's second largest producer of coffee beans. The industry is significantly influenced by seasonal climate variations, water shortages, and extreme climatic events, especially drought. Given a 15% expected increase in global coffee demand and the potential adverse effects of projected climate variability, the success of the Vietnamese coffee industry depends heavily on minimising the risks along the supply chain and capitalising on potential opportunities. Advances in seasonal climate forecasts, when integrated with crop production systems, can greatly improve industry preparedness and productivity. We present the progress on the development of a ‘Robusta variety' coffee production model, an integrated forecasting system, which aims to provide coffee production estimate based on simulating coffee growth biophysical processes and seasonal climate forecast systems. The model uses daily values (such as daily minimum and maximum temperatures, solar radiation, and rainfall) and simulates the growth of the coffee tree (e.g. biomass) and the production of green beans. The initial simulated results are encouraging, however, while the model successfully picks up the climatic variability, the precision is not yet outstanding. Further refinement and improvement of the parametrization are ongoing to provide more reliable and comprehensive outputs at different lead times. While additional work is yet to be done the preliminary results look promising and show that seasonal climate and crop forecasting offers substantial benefits to coffee growers and industry through increased profitability, better logistical arrangements and preparedness for extreme events such as floods and droughts. [P044] Use of proximal sensing in the monitoring of agronomic experiments Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems James McLean¹*, Daniel Rodriguez¹, Joseph Eyre¹, Andries Potgieter¹ Page | 96
1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Monitoring of large on‐farm agronomic experimentation is usually constrained by lack of time in labour intensive data collection activities. Currently the determination of crop characteristics, e.g. above ground biomass, leaf area, and nitrogen contents involves taking and managing large samples of vegetal material that require processing and costly analyses. Due to these constraints only small areas, of each plot in field trials that are considered representative, are usually evaluated at any point in time. The accuracy of this methodology can be reduced due to the spatial variability within a plot, sample size, and assessment frequency. These factors also constrain the number of large multifactorial agronomic experiments that can be performed in any one season. Here we present results from the use of multispectral crop canopy sensors to derive vegetation indices in the red, near infrared and red edge sections of the light spectra that could be used to predict crop characteristics of interest, and treatments effects. Destructively harvested biomass samples were taken concurrently with crop reflectance in agronomic trials. Treatments included low and high input systems. Relationships between proximal sensed indices and crop characteristics were developed and are presented. [P046] Sugarbush ‐ A break‐crop for sustaining sugarcane productivity in the tropics Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Stephen Ockerby*, Chris Gardiner, Aholiab Aoetpah, Iain Hannah, Nick Kempe 1 AgSight Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia 2 James Cook University, Queensland, Australia 3 James Cook University, Queensland, Australia 4 Agrimix Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Many crops fail to achieve the biological maximum yield despite ideal growing conditions and surplus agronomic inputs. It is an ongoing issue in sugarcane in Queensland, for which break crops are recommended to improve yield and correct poor soil condition. In recent years, we have grown seed crops of Sugarbush, selected genotypes of the legume Desmanthus spp., during the plough‐out period between sugarcane crops in the Burdekin River and Mareeba regions. Demanthus is well‐adapted to Queensland's extensive grazing regions where it benefits animal production and the edaphic environment. Our observations suggest that a break‐crop of Sugarbush with crop residues returned to the soil will increase both sugarcane yield and crop nitrogen use, and may lessen off‐site nitrate pollution from sugarcane farming. We submit our technical rationale: 1.The vegetative growing‐periods of the selected Desmanthus genotypes are well‐suited to summer break‐crop conditions 2.Desmanthus is a legume so will fix atmospheric N 3.The plant has a large, woody and deep tap root which may: recover N that has leached below the roots of the sugarcane crop; form resilient root pathways and improve soil structure; and contribute to soil C 4.The crop produces a large above‐ground biomass (more than 12 tonnes DW per hectare) and residues will contribute labile C to the soil Page | 97
5.The residues of Desmanthus are a preferred mix of low C:N leaf (similar to soybean and rapidly mineralized) and high C:N stem that will slow the rate of C and N mineralization in the soil. [P047] Stocking strategies for sustainable and profitable beef production in a variable and unpredictable climate Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Peter O'Reagain¹*, John Bushell¹, Joe Scanlan¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Whatever technological advances occur, beef production in northern Australia will remain dependent upon native rangelands to sustain production. Sustainable management of these rangelands is thus critical to avoid loss of productive capacity and improve efficiency. Extreme rainfall variability is however a major challenge to sustainable management and may increase with climate change. To assist in developing guidelines to manage for rainfall variability, five stocking strategies were tested over 18 years in a large, replicated grazing trial. Results showed that aside from initial wet years, heavy stocking rates were unprofitable and resulted in pasture degradation; this in turn reduced resilience to drought. In the longer term, moderate stocking was far more profitable due to lower costs and increased product quality and also maintained land condition. Varying stocking rates between years with forage availability (with or without the use of climate forecasts) was also far more profitable than heavy stocking but caused some pasture degradation when droughts abruptly followed good years. Bio‐economic modelling was used to extrapolate results upwards to the enterprise level with breeding animals over a range of climate windows. Modelling confirmed that profitability and pasture condition were maximised at moderate stocking rates under either constant or low flexibility strategies. However the optimum stocking rate varied with the climate window used emphasising the need to adjust stocking rates as rainfall changes. These results indicate that profitability will be maximised and land condition maintained by adjusting stocking rates as rainfall varies in a risk averse fashion around long term carrying capacity. [P048] Achieving reliable yields of legume break crops is the key for sustainable integrated farming systems Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Rao (RCN) Rachaputi¹*, Kerry Mechenzie², Nikki Seymour², Rebecca Raymond², Doug Sands², Yashvir Chauhan² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The global challenge of meeting future food demand and protecting environmental quality will largely depend on sustainability of cereal‐based cropping systems. Given cereal mono‐cropping tend to cause economic and environmental problems associated with increased costs of energy‐
based inputs, decreased soil health and farm incomes. Increasingly research suggests that the health of cropping systems is largely dependent on the level of legume rotations present. Page | 98
Integrating legumes in to farming systems performs a variety of ecological services beyond the production of food, including recycling of nutrients, regulation of soil health and suppression of undesirable organisms. Despite the potential environmental and economic benefits, the adoption of grain legumes crops in Australia is much less than what is required to keep grain cropping systems profitable in the long term. The low adoption of grain legumes in cropping systems is mainly attributed to factors including risks associated with unreliable seasons, yield, grain quality and inconsistent market price. This paper investigates G x E x M interactions for productivity of two winter and two summer grain legumes as well as their N contributions to dry land cereal‐
based cropping systems in Queensland. In presenting results from 50 on‐farm trials, it is argued that achieving synchrony between soil water uptake and canopy development is the key to optimizing yield, profits and N benefits from legume crops. The knowledge on how these varietal and management practices interact to achieve yields in diverse environments is critical before we can design fully integrated farming systems that are energy‐efficient and profitable. [P049] What do farmers want? Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Daniel Rodriguez¹*, Michael Burgis² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Michael Burgis Consulting __________________________________________________________________________ The privatization of Australia's agricultural R&D investment has parallel a decline in funding that threatens our capacity to address the challenges faced by the agricultural sector (www.futuredirections.org.au). Reductions in public R&D investment have already been associated to reductions in total factor productivity (Mullen and Keogh, 2013). This is why more than ever before there is need for carefully targeting of R&D investments. Here we present the results from a survey (n=64) with grain growers, agribusinesses and researchers from Queensland, which aimed to understand current priorities for farming systems research in summer cropping. Eighty percent of the participants were grain growers. The survey was conducted during the months of February and March by telephone and using SurveyMokey. Results highlighted a number of priorities for investment: ‐ Identifying triggers for sowing opportunities, as well as the influence of crop rotations, fallow management, and how these decisions should be modified contingent to prevailing weather patterns. ‐ Identification of hybrids that are better adapted to withstand weather extremes, i.e. high temperatures. ‐Weed management was identified as a high priority in sorghum. ‐ In maize, the relationship between hybrid selection, row spacing and plant populations appears to continue to be a conundrum for farmers. ‐ Crop nutrition continues to be highlighted as a problem, particularly how to identify optimum combinations of N and P fertilizers. ‐ The accuracy of 15 ‐30 day weather forecasting was highlighted as key management issue that could dramatically improve the management of fertilizers, weeds and pests. ‐ Interestingly most farmers identified input suppliers and neighbors as the main sources of technical information. Page | 99
[P050] A GxExM approach to evaluate the suitability of prolific maize cropping systems in Queensland Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Joseph Eyre¹,²*, Peter de Voil¹, Arial Ferrante¹, Daniel Rodriguez¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CIMMYT, Harare, Zimbabwe __________________________________________________________________________ Recent maize yield increases have been achieved with crowding tolerant hybrids planted at much higher plant populations (c.a. 8 p/m2) than those used in rainfed maize in Queensland (2‐4 p/m2). When planted at low plant populations some of these materials produce more than one cob per plant i.e. prolific phenotype. Prolific hybrids are commercially available in Australia. However the capacity of prolific phenotypes to compensate for reductions in plant stands in Queensland environments is not known. We (i) quantified the capacity of commercially available hybrids to yield at low plant populations in a field trial at Gatton Research Station; and (ii) used a cropping systems simulator (APSIM) to extrapolate the results and determine the geographical suitability of available prolificity types across Queensland environments. Results showed that prolific maize phenotypes can yield up to 10 t/ha at low plant population (2.2 p/m2) under optimal conditions. [P051] Algae energy farms for food, feed and fuel Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Peer Schenk¹* 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Microalgae are highly efficient producers of biomass for food, animal feed or biofuels. Importantly, they can be farmed in large‐scale without competing for arable land or biodiverse landscapes and are able to use polluted water, brackish or seawater. However, current costs of algal feed and biofuel production are relatively high, mainly because of expensive harvesting and extraction procedures. To overcome this hurdle, we have developed low‐cost cultivation, harvesting and product extraction technology to sustainably produce biodiesel, protein‐rich animal feed and nutraceuticals. Using next generation sequencing and chemical engineering, we have improved local microalgal strains, and established low‐cost algae cultivation and harvesting systems by applying new technologies for every step of algae farming, harvesting and processing. A 1 hectar demonstration Algae Energy Farm has been constructed adjacent to the Brisbane River in Pinjarra Hills, Australia, to provide a cost‐ & energy‐effective biodiesel and animal feed production module. This 250,000 L algae farm is independent of external electricity and fully utilises microalga’s potential as a zero‐waste biorefinery concept, producing not only bioenergy, but also cattle feed supplement for Northern Australia as well as omega‐3 fatty acids, carotenoids and phytosterols. Research is underway to combine biodiesel from microalgae with biogas production that will allow recycling of fertiliser to provide fully sustainable energy farms. An additional project will be introduced that focuses on carbon capture from transport coupled to stationary microalgae production Page | 100
[P052] Optimizing genotype x environment x management interactions in Maize to increase rainfed yield in eastern and southern Africa Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Solomon Seyoum¹*, Rao Rachaputi¹, Yash Chauhan², Solomon Fekybelu³, Boddupalli Prasanna⁴, Motlock Miranda⁵ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 4 Pacific Seeds Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia 5 International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya 6 School of Agriculture and Food Science, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Maize (Zea mays L.) grown in eastern and southern Africa experiences abiotic stresses. This contributes to high genotype (G) x environment (E) interactions. The ability to simultaneously identify favourable combinations of genotype and management (M) systems that optimise resource capture in cropping systems helps to improve reliability and productivity of maize. Ten different genotypes representing early and medium maturity types were evaluated at five planting densities such as 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9 plants/m2 across seven environments in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons to quantify GxExM interactions and identify traits underpinning optimum combinations of management by genotype for iso‐environment. The main effects and GxE, GxM and MxE interactions, were significant for most of the traits assessed. Management and environment accounted for the highest amount of variation for grains per plant (33 and 44%), harvest index (36 and 27%), thousand grain weight (80, 2%) and grain yield (50, 36%), respectively. Increasing density from 2 to 9 plants/m2 increased yield for early more than medium maturity genotypes in dry areas and growing medium maturity genotypes at more than 5 plants/m2 at dry environments was risky. However, growing medium maturity genotypes at 7 plants/m2 in high rainfall areas increased yield and reduced risk. These results in combination with the APSIM maize model enabled understanding of GxExM in wider maize growing environments in eastern and southern Africa and identified risks and opportunities for increasing maize yield in the region. [P053] Improved food security of smalholder farmers through integrated maize‐livestock system in dryland and semi‐arid in eastern Indonesia Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Ahmad Suriadi¹*, Moh Nazam¹, Anny Mulyani² 1 Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, West Nusa Tenggara (BPTP NTB) 2 Centre for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development, Indonesia __________________________________________________________________________ Scarcity of water resources and land degradation are a major causes of low productivity of dryland in semiarid climate type. Development of integrated dryland farming systems for maize‐livestock may be expected to improve the productivity of dryland farming in semiarid climates. The aim of the research was to implement an integrated model of dryland agricultural development for maize‐livestock model in a semi arid climate type to improve food security of poor farmers. Land Page | 101
characteristic of Jeringo Village, Sub‐district of Suela, East Lombok District of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, Indonesia was classified through land survey. Sprinkler irrigation network was installed to cultivate maize and develop seed production system, and cows were monthly weighed. Data were analyzed using statistical approach. The physiography of the site was dominated by mountainous area (36%), hilly area (34%) and wavy area (30%) which surface land was dominated by rocks. Some of the water resources have been utilized for the village area using pipeline system. Participatory seed production system to produce seed during dry season and planted in wet season was established. Biomass of seed production was used for feeding Bali cattle. Live‐weights of cooperator cattle were higher than non‐ cooperator due to availability of fresh feed from maize biomass. Composite maize carrying capacity to feed Bali cattle in the site exceeded the amount of cattle own by farmers. Applications of integrated agricultural system for maize‐livestock model may be expanded to other locations in the similar agroecology. [P054] Improving soybean productivity in Eastern Indonesia Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Abdullah Taufiq¹*, Rao C.N Rachaputi², Ahmad Suriyadi³, Muchlish Adie¹, Agustina Asri Ramianna¹ 1 Indonesian Legume and Tuber Crops Research Institute, Malang, Indonesia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technologies (BPTP) Mataram, Indonesia __________________________________________________________________________ Current agriculture yields need to be at least doubled in the next few decades to feed the future human population growth. Since the demand for food and feed will be mostly from tropics, the on‐farm yields of commercially relevant commodity crops, such as soybean, must increase by adopting new varieties and appropriate management practices. Although being a rising consumer of soybeans, Indonesia currently only produces one third of the soybeans it consumes. As a rising staple commodity for the world's fourth most populous country, the cultural significance of soybean and its importance for food security in Indonesia cannot be overstated. The Indonesian Legumes and Tuber Crops Research Institute has been successfully developing ultra‐short duration soybean varieties adapted to tropical climates with a yield potential of up to 3 tons/ha and 85‐90 maturity. However, their on‐farm yields are low (less than 1.3 ton/ha) due to several factors such as seasonal rainfall, soil health issues, timely access to supplies including quality seed and irrigation water, and inconsistent market price. This paper discusses the key breeding strategies followed in developing tropical soybean varieties.The paper also discusses varietal and agronomic factors that underpin yield enhancement of soybean on farmers’ fields. [P055] Sources of efficiency, productivity and output growth in Botswana agriculture Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Omphile Temoso¹*, David Hadley¹, Renato Villano¹ 1 UNE Business School, University of New England, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Like in many other developing countries, agriculture plays an important role in Botswana, providing food, income, employment and investment opportunities for majority of the rural Page | 102
population. However, in recent times agricultural productivity in Botswana has declined, leading to a progressive increase in food imports including staple foods. Therefore, this paper attempts to examine the trends and the sources of productivity growth in Botswana agriculture. Using a panel data from six regions of Botswana (covering the period 1979 to 2012), we apply a stochastic distance frontier approach that decomposes productivity growth into technical efficiency change, technical change, and changes in scale effect. Scale effect and technical change are found to be the main sources of productivity growth. The region with the fastest productivity and output growth is the Central region, whilst Gaborone experienced the least growth. The decomposition of productivity growth provides some useful insights on the role of government support programs in agricultural productivity growth. Similarly, measuring differences in agricultural productivity across regions might help in assessing efficiency growth and technology performance and for evaluating the impact of different policies on the competitiveness of the agriculture sector. [P056] Agricultural development for the northern Australian tropics Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Ian Watson¹*, Cuan Petheram², Peter Stone¹ 1 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Extensive cattle grazing is the predominant agricultural pursuit in the tropics of northern Australia. However, both government and the private sector have long held the view that there is considerable potential for more intensive agriculture, especially irrigated cropping. A major impediment to green‐field agricultural development is that data for most areas of northern Australia are at insufficient resolution to support development at the scale with which it is likely to occur. Better information is required for a range of factors including biodiversity, land suitability, water resource availability, ecological connectivity, water storage options, farm‐scale and regional economics, human capacity and other social and cultural issues. The Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessment (FGARA) is presented here as an example of a project designed to address some of these data gaps with a view to lowering the barriers to investment. The aim of FGARA was to determine the scale of the opportunity for irrigated agriculture in the Flinders and Gilbert catchments of Queensland, Australia. These two catchments cover 155,000 km2 and providing high resolution data, of appropriate reliability, required the development, or field scale implementation, of several novel techniques and well targeted resource allocation. The techniques and approaches used in FGARA can be applied elsewhere across northern Australia and internationally. There are opportunities, but there are also risks to the development of these lands. Australia needs a broad range of good information in order to identify and weigh up the opportunities and the risks that attend these opportunities. [P057] Innovation systems, food security and gender realities in a Senegalese livestock‐crop system Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Ian Watson¹*, Jocelyn Davies², Andrew Hall³, Fafa Sow⁴, Souleymane Ouedraogo⁵, Kumuda Dorai⁶ Page | 103
1 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, NT, Australia 3 CSIRO, ACT, Australia 4 ISRA, Linguere, Senegal 5 INERA, Houet, Burkina Faso 6 LINK, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Failure of traditional research and technology delivery arrangements to make a substantial difference to food security in west Africa has led to approaches that take a systems view of innovation. Innovation emerges, not just from research, but through a continuous process of sharing, combining and making use of ideas and information that come from many different actors. This example, from the village of Thiel in Senegal, used an Innovation Platform (IP) to promote innovation in an extensive livestock production system. The IP was formed with a focus on increased milk production, made possible by the recent introduction of a forage cowpea along with extension support from the national agricultural research institute (ISRA). Hay made from the cowpea was shown to increase milk production in the dry season. It was also shown to be effective in fattening cattle for sale. These two competing uses for cowpea hay produced a tension within the community. Women, and consequently children, benefited directly from the production and sale of milk, which is seen largely as the domain of women. Increased income from the sale of fattened livestock entered the family via the men and was therefore potentially less available to the women and children. Interviews with farmers, discussion with the IP and whole farm modelling showed that cattle fattening provided a greater financial return than milk production. However, the IP re‐affirmed its commitment to milk production, partly in order to redress the gender imbalance in access to cash income. [P058] Adapting mungbean to irrigated farming systems in the semi‐arid tropics Theme: 2. Solutions through Integrated Farming Systems Stephen Yeates¹*, Merrill Ryan², Michael Hewitt², Jane Auer², Kerry Stockdale², Steven Rodges³, Paul Villis⁴ 1 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland, Australa 3 Blue Ribbon Seeds, Queensland, Australia 4 Primary Producer, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The introduction of mungbean (Vigna radiata) to irrigated farming systems in the semi‐arid tropics of Queensland is addressing key farming system constraints while also meeting market demand from nearby Asia. In the Burdekin delta sugar cane yields have stagnated or declined due in part to insufficient crop rotation. Mungbean is being grown as a high value rotation crop in this irrigated farming system due to a combination of a very favourable climate, sowing date flexibility, improved varieties, the establishment of processing facilities and expanding markets. While in‐
land from the Burdekin, mungbean may have a place in developing green field irrigation areas that aim to diversify current beef production systems. However economic sustainability will require an evolution of the low input dryland production system practiced in temperate Australian to a high yielding higher input irrigated system adapted to the tropics. Climate analysis and field experiments have identified barriers to yield advances. These are: 1) genetic due mainly to sink limitations in current cultivars; 2) the transfer of production practices from dryland systems in Page | 104
southern Australia; 3) the interaction between genotype, management and climate. Described is progress in a joint venture between farmers, researchers, consultants, processors and marketers that is addressing these challenges. [P059] Farmer groups play a key role in improving productivity and profitability of mungbean in West Timor, Indonesia Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Damianus Adar¹*, Fredrik L Benu¹, Rao Rachaputi², Medo Kote³, Tony Basuki³, Yohanes Lekiseran³ 1 The University of Nusa Cendana, Kupang, NTT, Indonesia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Assessment Institute of Agricultural Technologies, Kupang, NTT Indonesia __________________________________________________________________________ Farmer groups play a key role in improving productivity and profitability of mungbean in West Timor, Indonesia ABSTRACT Developing community‐level management skills and human capacity is critical to realise potential benefits of new technologies and improve food productivity at small holderslevel. In this study we investigated a framework that links collective power of researchers, growers and commercial agencies to enhance productivity of mungbean through varietal and management technologies on small holders mungbean farms.In addition to providing access to improved seed and management technologies, we assessed effectiveness of farmer groups in accessing crop loans from private banks, adopting improved technologies to improve productivity and profitability and engaging with markets for trading mungbean. A survey method using questionaires and group interviews was used to assess social‐economic limitations for adoption of improved technologies by small holders. Crop‐economic viability indicators such as gross margin, break‐even point for productivity and price, net return to cost ratio, capital and marketing efficiency were applied for data analysis and impact assessments. Results showed that mungbean farmer grouping strategy increased productivity and profitability of mungbean by 108% and 959% respectively since 2009. The small holder farmers as groups in addition to gaining skills in improved technologies were also able to access crop loans and acquire marketing bargaining power, which in turn improved their economic returns by 507% since the year 2009. Statiscally, Farmer groups also have positive significant effect on increasing productivity by 5.7% in the target production region. [P060] Pabel Method Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Patricia De Jesus Beltran Alarcon¹* 1 INIGER, Morelia Michoacan, Mexico __________________________________________________________________________ How many crop losses are generated annually by climate disasters? What is the impact on the supply chain of agri‐business?. The PABEL METHOD aims to generate risk indicators and to minimize the impact and losses that the climatological disasters could bring to the entire supply chain of agrifood companies. It is based on the Modal Failure Effects Analysis method (MFEA), which depends on data analysis corresponding to geographical zones and products (fruits or Page | 105
vegetables). It combines a series of variables and factors, laid out on probability matrixes of frequency and damage. This is done in order to minimize losses, risks and effects at each step of the supply chain. The starting point is raw material recollection ‘ directly affected by climate events’ and it ends in the sales process. Food safety is achieved only after analyzing a myriad of scenarios. This careful process of decision‐making also leads to better practices implementation and risk minimizing. The PABEL METHOD requires customization for each company that wishes to apply it to its supply chain. It requires the input of different variables. Companies that are interested in this method, are offered a pilot project; the goal is to help SMEs companies, creating a synergy to face claims and contribute to food security. The PABEL METHOD constitutes the know‐how and the basis of risk minimization that ultimately leads to food safety. It is applicable by small and mid‐sized agroalimentary companies that lack the technological resources to face unusual climate events. [P061] Effects of bitter compounds on growth performance and carcass traits in finishing pigs Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Minghai Fu¹, Cherie Collins², Dave Henman², Eugeni Roura¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Rivalea Australia, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Finishing pigs are known to be voracious animals that consume feed well above their requirement for optimal growth, which results in excess fat in carcasses and losses in feed efficiency. Recent findings of the physiological mechanisms around bitter taste perception (e.g. aversion and rejection responses and satiety hormones secretion) have shown the potential of bitter compounds to impact feed intake. This study aimed to manipulate feed intake and fat deposition in fattening pigs using non‐toxic and generally regarded as safe (GRAS) bitter compounds. 175 immune‐castrated male pigs (72.0±5.7kg) were selected to test six bitter compounds mixed in the standard feed: caffeine (0.05%) and the 5 distillation extracts rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.), brassica (Sinapis alba L.), gentian (Gentiana lutea L.), quassia (Quassia amara L.) and artemisia (Artemisia absinthium L.) at 0.1%. The results showed that pigs fed diet with 0.05% caffeine significantly decreased (P<0.01) average daily feed intake and carcass back fat (P<0.05) and tended to decrease average daily gain (P=0.087) in overall five weeks period. Average daily gain was significantly increased (P<0.05) in 0.1% gentian and artemisa group and tended to increase (P<0.1) in 0.1% quassia and rhubarb group. In addition, feed conversion rate had decreased (P<0.05) in 0.1% rhubarb, quassia and gentian groups. Furthermore, pigs fed 0.1% quassia diet tended to improve loin muscle depth (P<0.1) than pigs in control diet. In summary, dietary bitterness have the potential to reduce feed intake and fat deposition and improved feed efficiency and growth performances in finishing pigs. [P063] Increasing the profitability of Indonesian smallholder cattle enterprises by purchasing high quality by‐product feeds Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Frances Cowley¹*, Dianne Mayberry², Theo Mahiseta³, Dian Ratnawati⁴, Dicky Pamungkas⁴, Dennis Poppi⁵ Page | 106
1 University of New England, NSW, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 3 IPB, Central Java, Indonesia 4 BCRI, East Java, Indonesia 5 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ For Indonesian smallholders to improve their cattle productivity, profitable feeding systems for fattening cattle based on locally‐available, high‐quality feeds need to be developed. Intake, liveweight gain (LWG), daily feed cost and income over feed cost (IOFC) were measured for Ongole bulls in on‐station and village experiments. On‐station, control group bulls were fed Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) ad libitum (EG). This was compared to two concentrate‐
based diets formulated with differing proportions of tapioca waste (onggok), palm kernel cake and copra (40:20:20 (SF); or 70:15:15 (HO)), fed at 20 g DM/ kg W.day, with elephant grass ad libitum. Similar intakes and LWG were recorded for EG and HO (5.1 kg DMI/day and 0.23 kg LWG/day). Bulls fed SF had higher intake and LWG (7.4 kg DMI/day and 1.0 kg LWG/day). Total daily feed cost was nil for EG, which was harvested free of charge, IDR 9720/bull.day for SF and IDR 5748/bull.day for HO. However, IOFC was greatest for SF, earning a profit of IDR 27512/bull.day, in comparison to IDR 8563/bull.day for EG and IDR 2816/bull.day for HO. Feeding SF to bulls in a village resulted in LWG of 0.82 kg LWG/day and IOFC of IDR 24182/day compared to 0.52 kg LWG/day and IDR 15774/day IOFC from traditionally fed control bulls. In both experiments, the substantially higher LWG for SF was the source of improved profitability. Feeding purchased high quality by‐product feeds can be profitable for smallholders as long as LWG is improved to an extent where revenue exceeds the additional feed costs. [P064] New pasture plants to improve beef cattle performance in seasonally dry zones of northern and central Queensland Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Kendrick Cox¹*, Craig Lemin¹, Mark Keating¹, Emma Hegarty¹, Kiri Broad¹, Joe Rolfe¹, Bern English¹, Steven Dayes¹, Stewart Buck¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Decreasing real prices for beef and increasing production costs currently threaten the economic viability of beef breeding and growing enterprises in seasonally dry areas of northern and central Queensland. The use of sown tropical grasses and legumes can significantly increase the productivity of beef growing and breeding enterprises in north Queensland. However, many areas have few or no well‐adapted grasses or legumes. Moreover, recently developed cultivars and promising lines have not been comparatively assessed across a range of land types. DAF researchers have begun a five‐year program to compare the persistence and productivity, under grazing, of new pasture plants with older cultivars on a range of soil types and rainfall environments in northern and central Queensland, targeting improved nutrition of younger livestock. We seek to appraise the use of relatively small areas of moderately‐ intensively managed grass/legume pastures to improve the nutrition of key stock classes. The value‐
proposition of using sown pastures in the seasonally dry tropics in this way will be scrutinised. Key genera include: (legumes) Centrosema, Clitoria, Desmanthus, Leucaena, Macroptilium, Page | 107
Stylosanthes; (grasses) Bothriochloa, Brachiaria, Chloris, Dichanthium, Digitaria, Heteropogon, Panicum and Urochloa. Thirteen research sites have been sown with up to 29 legumes and 30 grasses sown in replicated small plots at each site. Measurements of plant performance have begun. Here we describe our approach and initial research findings. [P065] In‐harvester spectroscopy for better feed grain quality Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Alan Cruickshank¹*, Tony McCosker¹, Mat Clancy², David Jordan³, Emma Mace¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 Next Instruments, New South Wales, Australia 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ We set out to develop an in‐harvester spectroscopic system that works with a plot harvester which threshes and weighs a unit plot of grain sorghum in approximately 30 seconds. The task of this system is to build a body of spectroscopic and photographic data on grain sorghum multi‐
environment trials. Together with genomic and agronomic data this will accelerate genetic improvement in the crop which is the most important grain both in Northern Australia and among millions of the world’s most resource‐poor farmers. The QAAFI/DAFF/GRDC sorghum breeding program is a pre‐breeding program that develops and licenses germplasm with improved trait combinations including resistances to biotic stress, abiotic stress, yield potential and feed grain quality. All germplasm is evaluated as testcross hybrids because the value of germplasm to client breeding programs lies in combining ability not inbred performance. A pre‐breeding program sowing 15‐25000 hybrid plots per year has limited capacity to retain grain samples from those plots. The most attractive option is to gather as much spectroscopic and photographic data in the few seconds that the grain sample is held before it is discharged into a bulk bin. In the 2014‐15 summer we have acquired our first full multi‐site set of spectroscopic data and will present a pedigree analysis of traits predicted from the data. [P066] Market‐based approaches to food safety and animal health interventions: lessons from smallholder pig value chains in Viet Nam Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Karl Rich¹,³, Duong Nam Ha²*, Nguyen Thi Duong Nga², Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen², Kanar Hamza³, Lucy Lapar⁴ 1 Lab 863 Ltd., Edgware, United Kingdom 2 Viet Nam University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Viet Nam 3 University of New England, NSW, Australia 4 International Livestock Research Institute, Hanoi, Viet Nam __________________________________________________________________________ Food safety and animal health issues are increasingly important constraints to smallholder pig production in Viet Nam. Recent studies have highlighted the significant prevalence of animal disease and food‐borne pathogens inherent within the Vietnamese pig sector. These in turn have important negative livelihoods effects on smallholder pig producers and other value chain actors, Page | 108
as well as important public health impacts. An important research gap is in identifying ex‐ante appropriate market‐based policy responses that take into account the tradeoffs between improved animal health and food safety outcomes and their associated costs for different value chain actors as a means of developing chain‐level solutions for their control. In this paper, we constructed a system dynamics model of the pig value chain that combines a detailed model of herd production and marketing with modules on short‐ and long‐term investment in pig capacity, and decisions by value chain actors to adopt different innovations. The model further highlights the feedbacks between different actors in the chain to identify both the potential entry points for upgrading food safety and animal health as well as potential areas of tension within the chain that may undermine uptake. Model results demonstrate that interventions at nodal levels (e.g. only at farm or slaughterhouse level) are less cost‐effective and sustainable than those that jointly enhance incentives for control across the value chain, as weak links downstream undermine the ability of producers to sustain good health practices. [P067] Understanding bread‐making in wheat using transcriptome analysis Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Agnelo Furtado¹*, Robert Henry¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Wheat is one of the major food crops and, unlike other cereals, has unique proteins that allow the production of bread. The requirement for unique and complex qualities required for bread making has limited the rate of genetic gain in wheat breeding. Although a number of proteins influencing the physical properties of wheat dough have been characterized, the key determinants of genetic variation in bread making quality have not been identified. Thus, ongoing genetic improvements in wheat productivity are critical for food security. We have used advanced genomic technology to increase our understanding of the molecular basis of bread making which may allow more rapid development of high performing genotypes with acceptable end use properties. We have analysed the transcriptome of developing seeds of a diverse set of wheats known to differ in their bread making quality. Our study is aimed to identify differentially expressed genes which may explain key differences in bread making quality. Candidate genes identified based on their differential gene expression will be functionally annotated to identify their possible role. The utility of using this genetic information in the early selection of breeding lines for superior bread making will be discussed. [P068] Market attributes of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) and its prospects in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Clifton Gwabu¹*, Belinda Yawanies¹, Dickson Benny¹ 1 National Agricultural Research Institute, Papua New Guinea __________________________________________________________________________ Sweet Potato (Ipomea Batatus) is the top tropical traditional food of Papua New Guinea (PNG). It has a vibrant market in major cities of PNG, with Port Moresby being the predominant and longest Page | 109
chain market. Market study of the sweet potato was carried out over a 12 months period in Port Moresby to determine the demand attributes, supply and price trends. The study found out that there are two market chains, one to the open fresh produce market and the other to the supermarkets. The open market price has an average of PGK2.34 with increasing rate of 5% per annum. On segmented packages of the open market sweet potato were sold PGK 2 per heap, PGK5 per heap and PGK10 per heap with average weight per heap of 0.9kg, 2.1kg, and 4.2 kg respectively. Quality assessment showed that the smaller the heap the less quality is the sweet potato, whist generally smaller the heap more cheap it is. In comparison, the supermarkets outlets have higher prices than the fresh produce markets, hence most consumers get their sweet potato supplies from the open markets. The study is very important for PNG sweet potato producers to help align their produces towards markets requirements. [P069] Smallholder dairy producers in rural Tanzania: a value chain approach Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Kanar Diyzee¹*, Hikuepi Katjiuongua², Amos Omore³ 1 University of New England, NSW, Australia 2 International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya 3 International Livestock Research Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania __________________________________________________________________________ About 5.4% of Tanzania's GDP is based on livestock products. The dairy sector accounts for 30% of livestock's contribution to agricultural GDP. However, poor market access and low dairy cow productivity are major constraints that negatively affect smallholder milk producer livelihoods in rural Tanzania. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate different scenarios to reduce poverty and vulnerability among dairy producers in rural area in Tanzania. We used a system dynamics modelling approach to design quantitative models of two targeted value chains in Kilosa and Lushoto districts in Tanzania. A number of different scenarios to enhance demand‐led strategies in the dairy value chain were evaluated. Preliminary results show that improved production practices (artificial insemination and improved animal health) and marketing (cooperative hubs) could improve producer access to local and regional markets, which in turn improves producer livelihoods and reduces vulnerability. However, these interventions need to be combined in a package to maximize their cost‐effectiveness. Indeed, no significant gains were realized when interventions were applied separately at individual nodes of the value chain. [P070] Smallholder market competitiveness for beef production in Botswana: A quantitative value chain approach Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Kanar Diyzee¹*, Karl M Rich², A Derek Baker¹, Sirak Bahta³, Hikuepi Katjiuongua⁴ 1 University of New England, NSW, Australia 2 Lab 863 Ltd and University of New England, NSW, Australia 3 International Livestock Research Institute, Gaborone. Botswana 4 International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya ___________________________________________________________________________ Page | 110
International market access in the beef sector in Botswana has been strongly influenced by a combination of animal disease shocks and government policy interventions. Outbreaks of foot‐
and‐mouth disease have periodically compromised market access to lucrative European markets, while export marketing is controlled by the monopsony power of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), a government parastatal, whose actions have reduced producer incentives to sell cattle for export. This paper evaluates the impact of alternative policies that could improve market access for beef exports from Botswana. We used quantitative system dynamics tools to develop a value chain model of Botswana's beef industry. We focused on policies that (i) reduce the monopsony power that the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) enjoys in the purchase of cattle for export, and the associated prohibition on the export of live weaners, and (ii) reduce the incidence of animal diseases. The results of the model showed that removing BMC's monopsony without addressing animal disease control generated no significant benefits to value chain actors. However, implementing market liberalization policy reforms combined with animal disease control led to significant gains for all value chain actors, particularly for producers, because better animal disease control maintained access to the export markets. The cost‐effectiveness of each policy is also explored. Further research into the means and costs by which BMC's monopsony can be reformed is needed, especially in light of BMC's redistributive role to decide what percentage of the price per cattle received by BMC to be transferred to producers. [P072] Science along wont solve agricultural productivity Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions John Hine¹* 1 John Hine and Associates Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The contribution of science to agricultural production is substantial and, as seen at this conference, the potential is there to make an even greater contribution. However, it is suggested that science alone will not be enough to drive the productivity we need. A key limit to agricultural production is that much of the existing science and technology has not necessarily been applied. The reasons for this lack of application are many and complex. Additional collaborations that the science community will need to develop, to obtain funding, do the relevant science and have it adopted, in order to achieve the targeted agricultural production, are likely to include, at least: ‐ Groups addressing political and commercial corruption, such as Transparency International. ‐ The large number of international companies and pension funds now investing in agriculture in developing countries such as Africa. ‐Farmer cooperatives. ‐Organisations promoting ethical supply chains, including Solidaridad. The consumer pressure for ethical food production, in its broadest sense, is growing and likely to be even more significant. Forward planning for science needs to take into account the issues as above, and more, for the relevant science to be done and for the science done to be applied. Scientists developing complex projects may find they have a greater chance of success in obtaining funding, and having the science applied, if they build such networks as part of before funding submissions. Page | 111
[P073] Quality characteristics and storage for floating rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: a preliminary study Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Binh Ho¹*, Khang Tran¹ 1 An Giang University, An Giang, Vietnam __________________________________________________________________________ As an important rice variety in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, floating rice (Oryza sativa L.) is planned for future agricultural sustainable farming system in the region due to its strong characteristics on flood adaptation and pest resistance. The rice grain has been popular for its natural characteristics and health benefits. This preliminary study was carried out to examine the quality characteristics, nutritional compositions, pesticide residues and storage of rough and milled rice grown in Tri Ton district, An Giang Province, Vietnam. Milled grain kernels were determined as short type (5,8±2,6 mm). Floating rice is high in protein vitamin B1, Vitamin E, anthocyanin and amylose as compared to ordinary commercial rice. Rough rice contains higher in Vitamin B1, fibre and anthocyanin contents than milled rice. In the current study, residual pesticides, which were widely used in rice production in the Mekong Delta, were not found in the floating rice. Storage of rough rice and milled rice in vacuum and PET package showed significantly lower acidity index after 2 weeks compared to paper bag storage. Vitamin B1 content in both rough and milled rice significantly reduced after 7 weeks of storage at all package types. [P074] Socio‐economic factors influencing household productivity and farm investment decisions on labour mobilisation among coffee households in Bena, EHP, Papua New Guinea Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Susan M Inu¹, George Curry², Gina Koczberski², Tom Kukhang¹* 1 Coffee Industry Corporation Ltd, Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea 2 Department of Geography, Curtin University, WA, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The paper examines the socio‐economic factors influencing household farm investment decisions on labour mobilisation among coffee smallholder farmers in Eastern Highland Province (EHP), Papua New Guinea (PNG). Through the prism of coffee production and the adoption of large‐scale commercial production of pineapple and broccoli, the paper examines the socioeconomic changes that influence and challenge the traditional labour value systems as farmers adopted new farming systems to diversify their livelihood. A mixed methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative surveys, focus groups were used in two phases of fieldwork in the villages of Sogomi and Safanaga, EHP. The study revealed that coffee is becoming an optional cash crop in areas with high market access as households started to diversify their production strategies as demand for cash increases. These changes the traditional labour values that are based on kinship and exchange culture which affects household productivity as more households become individual units of production. The introduction of large‐scale commercial cultivation of pineapple and broccoli has created new possibilities for increasing women's participation and status in the market compared with coffee production. While seasonal labour demands are fixed for some crops (coffee and pineapple), other crops like broccoli can be planted at any time of year. This Page | 112
means that production of broccoli can be timed to avoid peak labour demands for coffee and pineapple [P075] Self‐adaptive rotation schedule of vegetable production cooperative considering uncertainty demand Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Jing Li¹* 1 School of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China _________________________________________________________________________ Many Chinese vegetable production cooperatives supply their members (small farmers with their own land) with inputs for vegetable production, including seeds, fertilizers, fuel, machinery services, unified brand, and rotation schedule. Rotation schedule is drawn up by the discussion of members at the beginning of per year. The cooperative makes supplying plan according to the proposed rotation schedule. Due to the fluctuations of supply and demand, the prices of vegetable were not stable in Chinese market. The maximal profit of production cooperative cannot be proposed by the stable rotation schedule. This paper builds a mathematical model to analyze the rotation schedule for the purpose of maximal profits. Different from former works, the model considers the fluctuation of vegetable demand and the constraint of similar profits for all members. Based on the mathematical model, an agent based model is proposed to study the self‐adaptive rotation schedule. Each member is simulated as an agent and these agents have their own attitudes about different vegetables’ demands. Unpredicted fluctuations of vegetable market are defined as the trigger of self‐adaptive adjustment in the simulation model. Inspired by the unpredicted fluctuation, these agents apply many rules to discuss the adjustment of rotation schedule autonomously. The results show that adaptive strategies are suggested by the model to respond to the fluctuations of vegetable market. Virtual members can get more profits than the ones without self‐adaptive adjustment. The work will provide a decision tool for managers of Chinese vegetable production cooperatives to satisfy market demand better. [P076] Value adding Papaya with plant extracts Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Dianna Liu¹*, Andrew Cusack¹, Margaret Currie¹, Sharon Pun¹, David Edwards¹, Yasmina Sultanbawa² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The interest of using natural compounds with antimicrobial activity has increased in response to consumers' desire to reduce or eliminate chemically synthesised additives in foods. The following concentrations of plant extracts were used on fresh‐cut papaya: water extract of vanillin at 0.5% and 0.8% (w/v), cinnamon essential oil at 0.05% and 0.1% (w/v) and grapefruit essential oil at 0.3% and 0.8% (w/v). Papaya fruits were sanitised, processed, packaged in polystyrene trays sealed with high barrier film and stored at 4C. Headspace, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), colour, vitamin C, total plate count, yeast and mould counts were evaluated during storage period of 18 days. The Page | 113
percentage of O2 in the headspace decreased while that of CO2 increased significantly over time for all packaged fresh‐cut papaya samples during cold storage. The fresh‐cut papaya changed to a more red/yellow colour over time which was seen to a lesser extent for the samples treated with plant extracts. The pH, TSS, and vitamin C values of the fresh‐cut papaya were relatively stable over time. There was a significant drop (> log 4 cfu/g) in total viable count in the 0.8% and 0.5% vanillin extract in comparison to the control, to extend shelf‐life for more than 8 days. The least effective extracts were 0.05% cinnamon and 0.3% grapefruit extract. The combination of plant extracts and cold storage demonstrated the potential of these natural antimicrobial plant extracts to extend the shelf‐life of fresh‐cut papaya without the use of chemicals. [P077] Smallholders' perceptions of the completed goat improvement projects implemented by a local NGO in Chillan river watershed, Peru Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Natalia Lozano¹*, Helen Ross¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Goat farming is an important activity in the livelihood strategies of smallholders in Peru. However, goat has been often neglected in the design of pro‐poor development projects and the few goat improvement initiatives implemented in Peru have not been documented. A study was developed in order to improve the understanding of the viewpoints of goat small‐scale farmers from Middle and Lower Chillan Watershed, regarding the implementation and results of two goat improvement projects undertaken by a local NGO. Five domains of change were defined using the Most Significant Change evaluation technique. These were changes in the quality of people´s lives, changes in the nature of people´s participation or attitude in development activities, changes in productivity and profitability of goat raising, changes in on‐farm practice, and negative changes. A strongly positive change in farmers’ self‐esteem and quality of life, a more open attitude to change that enhances the adoption of innovations, a marked improvement in goat farming productivity and profitability, the improvement in the production infrastructure and the introduction of Saanen breed in the watershed were recognized as the most important impacts of the projects in the community. No negative changes were reported as a result of the projects. However, the projects have faced a lack of new Saanen sires to complete the crossbreeding process. Cost‐benefit analysis and further research on the socio‐cultural and biological sustainability of small‐scale goat farming in Chillan watershed are recommended to complement the findings of this study. [P078] Moving from commodity to value added beef product Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Angus McKerrow¹*, Eric Ng¹, Ximing Sun¹ 1 University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ There has been a gradual shift in Australia from the produce and sell mentality of agricultural commodity businesses to a value added business model. This emerging model first determines the attributes consumers want in their food products, and subsequently creating and delivering Page | 114
products with those attributes. As the international market for value added products grows in recent years, there are increasing opportunities for agribusinesses to transform their produce from a generic commodity to a differentiated product. This paper begins with a brief discussion on the trend towards moving from selling a commodity to offering a product that meet the needs of the targeted consumers in the agribusiness, beef sector. The paper will also seek to explore the key issues and challenges faced by agribusinesses when exporting beef as a value added packaged product into China. The various challenges, opportunities and risks involved in exporting Queensland beef as a value added product will be examined. [P079] More energy in sorghum grain: manipulating starch accumulation genes Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Stephen Mudge¹*, Emma Mace², David Jordan³, Bradley Campbell¹, Jimmy Botella¹, Ian Godwin¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland, Australia 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sorghum bicolor is an important grain crop and staple food crop in many semi‐arid tropical regions and an important source of animal feed in developed countries. Sorghum has advantages over other grain crops due to its drought and heat resistance and ability to tolerate relatively poor soils. However, sorghum produces smaller grain than other cereals, limiting its yield and end‐use quality. The recent development of an efficient transformation system has opened up the possibility of improving sorghum using transgenic approaches. Most of the accessible energy stored within grain is in the form of starch, and therefore increasing the amount of starch per grain will directly increase the value. Grain size is primarily determined by the amount of stored starch, so increases in starch content will lead to increased grain size. Our approach to increase starch levels targets (i) the most rate‐limiting step of starch biosynthesis, which is the production of ADP‐glucose by the enzyme ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase); and (ii) the subsequent transport of ADP‐glucose into the amyloplast. Genes encoding the two subunits of AGPase (homologues of maize Shrunken2 and Brittle2) and the ADP‐glucose transporter (homologue of maize Brittle1) have been identified in S. bicolor, and constructs to overexpress these genes under the control of constitutive and endosperm‐specific promoters have been prepared. Production of transgenic sorghum plants expressing these constructs individually or in combination are currently being generated and preliminary analysis of these transgenic lines will be presented. [P080] Assessment of the bioactivity of sorghum syrup, a by‐product from the bio‐fuel industry Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Marta Navarro¹*, Francesca Sonni¹, Gabi Netzel¹, Smita Chaliha¹, Roger Stanley², Yasmina Sultanbawa¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 115
Large amounts of distillers dried grain solubles (DDGS) are generated every year from the sorghum bioethanol industry in Queensland. This industrial process converts the grain starch to ethanol through Saccharomyces fermentation. Sorghum grain contains a large number of bioactive substances, flavonoids and phenolic acids that could be found intact or metabolized by the yeast. Four different solvents (acetone, ethanol, hexane and methanol) and distilled water were used to extract and quantify the active compounds from the sorghum syrup and assess bioactivity. Sorghum syrup showed the highest level of phenolic compounds (16 mg GAE/g), antioxidant (522 ¼M Trolox/g) and antimicrobial activity (MIC 1% against Campylobacter spp.) compared to its extracts. The water and the methanol extracts showed high levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (11.6. and 9.2 mg GAE/g and 349 and 409 ¼M Trolox/g respectively), followed by ethanol and acetone extractions (7.5 and 6.6 mg GAE/g; 337 and 346 μM Trolox/g respectively). No significant activity was found in hexane extract. Positive correlation between total phenol and antioxidant activity was found. Ultrafiltrated water extraction fractions with smaller compounds of 3kDa showed good antimicrobial activity, suggesting antimicrobial peptide presence. The main phenolic compounds found in the extracts were protocatechuic acid, 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid, taxifolin, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid and p‐coumaric acid. This study indicates the potential of using sorghum syrup as a functional ingredient for other food and feed applications. [P081] Carotenoids in unexploited tropical fruits grown in Queensland, Australia Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Michael Netzel¹*, Anna Bobrich¹,²,³, Kent Fanning³, Michael Rychlik², Yan Diczbalis³ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Freising, Germany 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Tropical fruits are a popular target for health‐conscious consumers worldwide. The phytochemical composition, in particular carotenoids and polyphenols, of these ‘Exotics’ is of emerging interest due to the potential health benefits of these compounds. The carotenoid composition in four unexploited tropical fruits grown in North Queensland was determined in the present study. Hog plum (Spondias mombin), Peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia argentea), Chupa‐Chupa (Martisia cordata) and Kwai muk (Artocarpus hypargyreus) extracts were analysed for carotenoids by HPLC‐
PDA‐ESI‐MS. Additionally, the release/bioaccessibility of the identified carotenoids as an initial measure to predict their potential bioavailability was assessed using an in vitro digestion procedure. Lycopene was identified as the main carotenoid in Peanut butter fruit (214 µg/g fresh weight (FW)), whereas β‐carotene was predominant in Chupa‐Chupa (58 µg/g FW), Kwai muk (17 µg/g FW) and Hog plum (2 µg/g FW). Lutein, zeaxanthin, β‐cryptoxanthin and α‐carotene were found in lower amounts. The lycopene content in Peanut butter fruit was considerable and even higher than that reported for tomatoes. Between 4‐6% of carotenoids were released from the fruit matrix after the gastric and small intestinal digestion procedure. The observed low release of carotenoids from unprocessed fruits is in the same range as reported for unprocessed carrots. However, processing and the addition of lipids can significantly increase the release/bioaccessibility of these lipophilic compounds. The present study clearly identified Peanut butter fruit as a promising candidate for follow‐up studies evaluating its potential value as a novel dietary source of lycopene. Page | 116
[P082] Identification of candidate genes which may control milling quality of wheat Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Ravi Nirmal¹*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Efficient conversion of wheat grains into flour through the process of milling is a craft which relies on science and technology. The main aim of the wheat milling process is to extract high amounts of white flour as it receives premium payments compared to any other fractions of milling. From a millers perspective some of the characteristics of wheats with good milling quality are easy separation of starchy endosperm from germ and bran with less contamination, easy manipulation of water absorption level of the flour through starch damage during flour reduction and low ash content. In the milling industry paramount importance is given to the delivery of consistent quality of wheat flour as per customer requirements because downstream processing of flour is mostly automated. However, this task is made difficult by variation in grain quality, received by the mill each harvesting season, due to the environmental factors, soil, farm management practices, fertilization and genotype. These various factors and milling techniques interdependently control the milling quality. Due to these complex interactions it has been very challenging to establish links between milling quality and genes controlling it. The Main objective of this study is to identify candidate genes which may control milling quality of wheat. This will be achieved through study of differentially expressed genes within a group of good and poor milling wheats, determined by milling quality test results. For this study transcriptome data generated by RNA‐
sequencing, at 14 and 30 days post anthesis, from 32 worldwide wheat genotypes was used. [P083] How tomato carotenoids and cooking influence the anti‐proliferative effect of tomatoes on in vitro PC3 prostate cancer cells Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Adam O'Donoghue¹*, Bing Zhang², Kent Fanning², Tim O'Hare¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Prostate cancer (PCa) is a disease of growing global incidence, and due to significant disease diagnosis and treatment risks, PCa prevention is a world health priority. Because consumption of tomato‐containing foods is significantly associated with reduced PCa incidence, an understanding of how tomatoes may contribute to risk‐reduction is important, together with establishing how different tomato types influence risk reduction and how cooking may modify these effects. Previously, it has been thought that the red tomato carotenoid, all‐trans‐lycopene, was the principal bioactive agent, and that cooking enhances its bioavailability. Recent research however, suggests that whole‐tomato phytochemical interactions are important, and that cooking may produce bioactive metabolites. Consequently, an experiment was conducted to understand how individual tomato carotenoids contribute to preventing PCa, and how cooking modifies their effectiveness. Tomato fruit differing in their principal carotenoid (all‐trans‐lycopene, tetra‐cis‐
lycopene, or β‐carotene) were processed into fresh homogenates, and the homogenate cooked by Page | 117
oven‐baking, or frying in vegetable oil. Uncooked and cooked homogenates were then freeze‐
dried, and analysed for carotenoid and carotenoid metabolite profiles using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS). Tomato powders were subsequently dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and applied as extracts to in vitro human prostate cancer cells (PC3). Cell growth inhibition was assessed using a 3‐(4,5‐
dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell proliferation assay. The importance of tomato carotenoids and cooking towards the PCa inhibitory effect of tomatoes is discussed. [P084] Why take a supplement: Zeaxanthin‐Biofortified sweet‐corn for macular degeneration Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Tim O'Hare¹*, Kent Fanning² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Agri‐science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland __________________________________________________________________________ Zeaxanthin along with its isomer lutein, are the major carotenoids contributing to the characteristic colour of yellow sweet‐corn. From a human health perspective, these two carotenoids are also specifically accumulated in the human macula, and are thought to protect the photoreceptor cells of the eye from blue light oxidative damage, leading to macular degeneration (AMD). As humans cannot synthesise these compounds, they must be accumulated from dietary sources or supplements. Although sweet‐corn is one of the best sources of dietary zeaxanthin, one would have to consume 4‐11 cobs per day to attain a 2 mg zeaxanthin intake equivalent to that used in typical clinical AMD trials. We have recently bred a zeaxanthin‐biofortified sweet‐corn with a zeaxanthin concentration of 2 mg/100g FW, at least 7‐10 times higher than standard yellow sweet‐corn (0.2 mg/100g FW). This means that an adult (or child) eating a small cob of sweet‐corn can now consume 2 mg zeaxanthin as part of a normal meal. In addition, zeaxanthin‐biofortified sweet‐corn is a deeper golden colour than standard yellow sweet‐corn, with colour closely correlated with zeaxanthin concentration. Although this is largely controlled by genotype, further colour modification can be induced by cooking or freezing. Cooking increases the intensity of the kernel colour, while freezing changes the colour to a more orange hue. The mechanisms for these changes appear to be independent of each other. The unique colour of zeaxanthin‐biofortified sweet‐corn differentiates it in the marketplace, while still being acceptable to consumers. It is hoped that this product will contribute to a lower global incidence of AMD. [P085] Consumer psychology of flavour: What consumers see in a coffee? Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Usha Pappu¹,²*, Heather Smyth¹, Len Coote² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 UQBS, The University of Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Comprehending the motivations that drive consumer coffee choices is a major challenge for sensory and marketing practitioners. Existing coffee sensory and marketing models are stand‐
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alone models that do not correspond with each other. Coffee research on consumer‐sensory perspective is scant particularly in integrating and measuring both intrinsic (aroma, taste, texture, trigeminal sensations) and extrinsic (branding, pricing, packaging) sensory qualities in a single process. The paper demonstrates how linking intrinsic and extrinsic sensory data affects our overall understanding of the physiological, psychological and actual mechanisms underlying consumer evaluation of coffee qualities and sets up appropriate sensory expectations in the mind of the consumer which can increase their multisensory experience and their intentions to purchase coffee. The study measures consumer‐emotional responses to different coffee flavours. Six varieties of specialty coffee covering a spectrum of flavours from different geographical regions were tested. Selected coffees were processed via natural, washed and pulped techniques and were brewed using French Press method. Preference map and a hierarchical cluster analysis were employed to analyze clusters of consumers with similar preference and emotional patterns. Factor analysis was applied which used regression modelling techniques to test hypotheses producing error terms. The study provides the industry with an inclusive analysis of inherent and acquired characteristics of coffee quality, a comprehension of which coffee attributes consumers prefer, and an economic value for each coffee trait. This in turn enhances product positioning and purchase behaviour and also helps creating functionally useful, commercially attractive, psychologically meaningful and culturally relevant coffee flavours for the benefit of the coffee industry. [P086] Game‐changing technology for production of oils in tropical biomass species Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions James Petrie¹*, Thomas Vanhercke¹, Surinder Singh¹, Allan Green¹ 1 CSIRO Food, Nutrition and Bio‐based Products Flagship __________________________________________________________________________ Supply of plant oil as a bulk commodity faces growing pressure. Global demand is expected to double in the next two decades due to increasing world population. Increasing limitations on arable land and agricultural inputs mean it will be difficult to meet this additional demand with current production systems. The concept of producing oil in the leaves and stems of high biomass species has attracted attention as a way to achieve a step‐change intensification of oil production when compared with traditional oilseed crops. CSIRO has overcome this technical challenge by engineering in leaf and stem oil synthesis and accumulation pathways which are usually active only in the seed. Combinatorial engineering has resulted in increased fatty acid biosynthesis (Push) by overexpression of the WRI1 transcription factor, increased TAG assembly (Pull) by expressing DGAT1, and increased oil body formation (Packaging) by expressing oleosin in plant leaves. This has resulted in the accumulation of seed‐like levels (~40%) of oil in leaf tissue. In this presentation, we will describe the implications that this technology has for global plant oil production from a yield and intensification perspective, as well as the technical challenges that remain for integration into the current industry. We will also describe the findings of a techno‐
economic analysis which describes the leading opportunities for new plant oil production platforms in tropical species. Page | 119
[P087] Knowledge to support risk assessment of weediness of GM sugarcane: limits to vegetative propagation Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Farheen Bhatti², Johann Pierre¹, Anne Rae¹*, Jai Perroux¹, Graham Bonnett¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan __________________________________________________________________________ Before GM sugarcane varieties can be grown, they will need approval from several regulatory authorities, depending on the nature of the modification and the jurisdiction. In Australia, scientific evidence will be used by The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) to assess risks to the environment and human health. As part of the assessment, GM varieties will be compared to the baseline knowledge of conventional sugarcane varieties to determine whether they are more likely to spread and establish outside cultivation. Recently we have studied the stages of sugarcane reproductive biology from flowering to seedling establishment to measure the production of seed and their fate in the environment (Pierre et al. 2014). Since most sugarcane plants are vegetatively propagated, similar baseline information will be needed for vegetative growth. We are now conducting a series of experiments to define the limits to bud germination (sprouting) and establishment. We have tested a new method for measuring the rate of sprouting in sugarcane exposed to a range of environmental conditions. Short sections of stalk containing a node (single‐eye setts) were maintained in trays containing Perlite and surrounded by solutions with defined water potentials. The rate of bud emergence in relation to moisture availability was recorded. The method was able to detect varietal differences in the response to water potential and can be used in the future to test whether GM varieties differ from the baseline. This will be important as cultivars with altered abiotic stress resistance are being developed. [P088] Minimizing aflatoxin contamination in peanut supply chain using tolerant cultivar Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Agustina Asri Rahmianna¹*, Joko Purnomo¹, Rao C.N Rachaputi², Eriyanto Yusnawan¹, Didik Harnowo¹ 1 Indonesian Legumes and Tuber Crops Research Institute, Malang, Indonesia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic, immune suppressing and anti‐nutritional natural contaminant produced in peanut kernels infected by Aspergillus flavus or A. parasiticus under specific moisture and temperature regimes. High humidity, elevated temperature and droughts during crop growth as well as postharvest storage in tropical countries including Indonesia provide a favorable environment for growth of fungus and toxin production in peanut kernel. One of the effective ways to minimize aflatoxin contamination is to develop varieties that resist Aspergillus invasion and/or aflatoxin production in peanut kernel. The Indonesian Legumes and Tuber Crops Research Institute (ILETRI) has successfully developed a peanut variety which is tolerant to drought stress during seed maturity period, Aspergillus flavus infection as well as aflatoxin contamination. The level of aflatoxin recorded in the new cultivar (named Litbang Garuda‐5) was 5.05 ppb compared Page | 120
to the local check of Tuban cultivar with 21.6 ppb in high aflatoxin risk environments. This paper presents an evidence for genotypic tolerance to aflatoxin contamination in peanut grown in drought‐prone environments in Indonesia. [P089] Deep transcriptome sequencing of wheat seeds at different development stages reveals a dynamic gene expression pattern and regulatory network Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Parimalan Rangan¹,²*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR‐National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, __________________________________________________________________________ Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the three major cereals ‘maize, wheat and rice’ that feeds nearly 30% of the world population. Wheat is unique being allohexaploid in nature, constituting of three genomes (A, B, and D) with a huge genome size of 17Gb and has a seed composition very different from other cereals. Although starch is the major constituent of the endosperm, it is the protein component ‘gluten proteins’ that contributes unique characteristic features that make wheat the major ingredient for diverse food products ‐ bread, noodles, cakes, and pasta. Morphologically, wheat seed ontogeny undergoes three major developmental stages viz., grain formation and enlargement (Zadok’s scale: Z60‐Z71, 0‐14DPA ‐ days‐post‐anthesis); grain filling (Z73‐Z89, 15‐35DPA); and grain physiological maturity (Z90‐Z94, 35‐60DPA). RNA‐Seq based transcriptome profiling for wheat seeds at 14DPA and 30DPA across 32 diverse genotypes were performed to identify the differentially expressed genes that are distinct for the different stages of wheat seed ontogeny. Statistical significance corrected for false discovery rate (FDR) was used to identify the genes that are differentially regulated. These genes were subjected to BLAST2GO analysis to determine their role. This research will assist in targeting key genes playing a significant role during seed ontogeny for manipulation through breeding or biotechnological means. [P090] Influence of photo‐selective shade netting to improve fruit quality at harvest and during post‐harvest storage Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Peter Tinyani¹, Mfuzi Makwakawa¹, Dharini Sivakumar¹*, Puffy Soundy¹ 1 Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa ___________________________________________________________________________ Increasing summer temperatures, wind and hail damage can affect avocado quality at the pack house and during marketing. Exposure to higher temperature and solar radiation can cause sunburn damage to the fruit surface. Higher temperatures during growth result in morphological, anatomical, physiological and biochemical changes in plant tissues. Fruits exposed to higher temperatures were reported to show variability in post‐harvest responses such as slow ripening patterns and greater fruit firmness and can affect the present ready to eat programme. Commercially used nets help to provide shading, and protection against pests; these nets do not alter the light spectral composition. The photo‐selective nets include coloured nets (red, yellow, Page | 121
green and blue) as well as neutral‐colour nets (pearl, white and grey). A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of photo‐selective coloured shade nets (red leno and pearl leno) on fruit size (diameter), marketable yield, sunburn and wind damage, incidence of diseases and pest on cv. Hass. Open field, white Knittex net were included for comparison. The results from the first year data (2015) indicated that the shade nets improved the marketable yield by reducing the sun‐
scald damage and improved the fruit quality during ripening. [P091] Volatile and sensory characterisation of Australian dry white wines from Cv. Verdelho produced in the Queensland Granite Belt Region Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Francesca Sonni¹,²*, Evan Moore³, Fabio Chinnici², Claudio Riponi², Heather Smyth¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, Italy 3 School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Queenland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Verdelho is a white‐grape‐vine, which grows well in the Granite Belt region of the Australian state of Queensland. Despite its commercial diffusion as one of the main grape varietals traditionally used in Madeira wine production in Portugal, there is scant literature available on the aroma and sensory characteristics of this variety as a dry white wine. In this work, for the first time, a complete volatile composition characterisation of Verdelho wines from the 2012 vintage produced in the Granite Belt region has been undertaken, with the volatile compounds being isolated by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), and identified and quantified using Gas Chromatography‐
Mass Spectrometry analysis (GC‐MS). At the same time, a corresponding sensory characterisation of this distinctive Australian wine style has been investigated, by subjecting the most characteristic wines to a sensory descriptive analysis. The study has revealed that these Verdelho wines have a complex chemical profile with a rich aromatic composition. The key volatile compounds that mostly contributed to the Verdelho wine flavour were related to fruity sweet notes (ethyl esters and acetates), grassy notes (3‐hexenol), floral aromas (2‐phenylethanol and β‐
linalool) and cheesy aromas (fatty acids). The sensory analysis confirmed that all the Verdelho wines analysed were characterised by fruity aroma attributes, especially ‘tree‐fruit’ and ‘rockmelon’, together with ‘herbaceous’, while some significant differences in the other sensory attributes were found between samples. [P092] Extracting value from food waste by recycling Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Yasmina Sultanbawa¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Feeding an increasing world population which is predicted to reach 9 billion in 2050 is a challenging global issue. However, a significant issue in global supply chains facing both growers and processors of food is the problem of food waste. It is estimated that globally around 30% of harvestable food is wasted at the farm level. In addition, according to FAO estimates, the amount Page | 122
of annual consumer food waste in industrialized nations is equal to an entire years food production in sub‐Saharan Africa. Food waste has significant social, environmental and economic effects and therefore has to be managed to minimize negative impacts. Extracting value by considering food waste as a bio resource is one strategy. Waste streams from the food industry are a rich source of bioactive compounds that can be extracted and reintroduced as functional ingredients to the food, feed and nutraceutical industries. These waste streams can be sources of enzymes, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flavor and nutritional additives. Innovative technologies that are safe and consumer friendly for the extraction of bioactives and unique delivery methods will be presented. Case studies of bioactive extracts from food waste streams and value addition in the horticultural, cereal and seafood industries will be discussed, with examples of successful commercial applications. Recycling and value addition to food waste streams has the potential to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits. [P093] Experience of mass hormonal Oestrus synchronization and insemination of cattle to improve supply of dairy genetics under smallholder conditions in Ethiopia Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Azage Tegegne¹*, Dirk Hoekstra¹, Berhanu Gebremedhin¹, Solomon Gizaw¹ 1 Livestock and Irrigated Agriculture Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIV __________________________________________________________________________ Ethiopia has over 50 million indigenous cattle, and about 10 million are breeder cows. Annual calving rate is lower than 45%. As a result, the national annual number of calves born is only 4.5 million. The remaining 5.5 million cows have to be fed and managed without producing either milk or calves. Pre‐weaning calf mortality is about 20%, resulting in annual loss of 800,000 calves. Average daily milk production from local cows is 1.54 liters. Per capita milk consumption is low and stands at 19 kg/year. The current human population of about 90 million will double by 2030; further increasing the demand for milk and milk products. Although there is a huge potential for dairy development due to the large human and livestock population and suitable agro‐ecologies, the number of crossbred dairy type animals is insignificant. The production system is constrained by a number of factors such as subsistence oriented production system, shortage of feed, diseases and poor market infrastructure. One of the major problems hindering smallholder farmers from participating in milk production and marketing is lack of access to and high price of improved dairy type animals. The objective of this work is to test a simple hormonal oestrus synchronization regime and mass insemination under smallholder on‐farm condition in four Regional States in Ethiopia to improve access to improved dairy genetics. This paper documents experiences in testing this innovative approach and developing the dairy value chain in selected milk sheds. [P094] Variation of physical characters of green bean in coffee (coffea arabica) germplasm Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Hue TM Tran¹,²*, Carlos Alberto Cordero Vargas³, Slade Lee¹,⁴, Agnelo Furtado¹, Heather Smyth¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Western Highlands Agriculture & Forestry Science Institute (WASI), Vietnam Page | 123
3 Centro Agronómico Tropical De Investigación Y Enseñanza (CATIE), Turrialba, Costa Rica 4 Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Genotypes with improved quality is a primary target of coffee breeding programs. Selection can be done through an association genetics approach linking phenotypes of biochemical components in the coffee bean determining coffee quality with genotypic data. One important consideration for an association study is the choice of germplasm representing diversity. Commercial Arabica coffee has a narrow genetic base due to a genetic bottle neck in domestication and self‐
pollination. Molecular genetic diversity is low for cultivars and varieties, higher in introgressed lines and hybrids, and highest in sub/spontaneous accessions. Our selection of germplasm for an association study of coffee quality has focused on a core collection, wild types from Ethiopia and known quality accessions from 1800 genotypes from Costa Rica. A total of 284 genotypes were selected comprising of 281 genotypes of C. arabica, two genotypes of C. canephora (robusta) and one of C. brevipes, representing samples from 26 countries with 97 cultivars/varieties/selections, 38 hybrids and 146 wild types. Green beans and leaf material from the selected genotypes were collected for chemical and genetic analysis, respectively. Measurement of bean morphology showed variation in bean physical quality (weight of 100 beans, ranging from 10.40 to 23.33 g and bean density, ranging from 462 to 694 g/l) and bean morphology (the ratio of bean length to width, from 1.11 to 1.75 mm and bean thickness, from 3.27 to 5.18 mm). This indicates the diversity of the germplasm collected for this study of association of genetics for arabica coffee quality improvement. [P095] Establishing the underlying causes of pleurisy Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Conny Turni¹*, Tamsin Barnes², Joanne Meers², Kit Parke², Pat Blackall¹, John Al‐Alawneh² 1 UQ, QAAFI, Ecoscience Precinct, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Vet school, Gatton, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Establishing the underlying causes of pleurisy Conny Turni, Tamsin Barnes, Joanne Meers, John Al‐
Alawneh, Kit Parke and Pat Blackall Pleurisy (pleuritis) has a considerable economic impact on pig production. Firstly, it leads to a reduction in growth performance and feed efficiency, with affected pigs requiring an additional 8 to 12 days to reach the desired slaughter weight. Secondly, it results in increased processing effort at the abattoir, with extra time required for trimming the carcass and hence a slower production line speed. It also results in more waste and a compromise in carcass weights and grades. Pleurisy has been reported to be on the increase with rises from 3.8 to 62% of pigs reported as affected depending on the country and the lung lesion scoring system used. An increase in pleurisy has been noted in abattoirs in Australia, yet knowledge of the bacterial species associated with pleurisy or the possible involvement of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial species involved in pleurisy and to look at the role of PCV2. Data were also collected on the gross lesions in the lung (lung score), the antimicrobial sensitivity of the isolated bacteria, farm management, farm vaccination programs and farm health status to help to identify risk factors for this major problem. Page | 124
[P096] A more systems driven approach to monitoring, evaluation and learning in agricultural research for development projects Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Andrew Hall¹, Jocelyn Davies², Ian Watson³* 1 CSIRO, ACT, Australia 2 CSIRO, NT, Australia 3 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems are a critical component of effective management of agricultural research and agricultural development interventions. However all too often M&E systems are inappropriately designed, poorly implemented and fail to adequately balance accountability, learning or intervention management. Agricultural research for development (AR4D) projects seek to catalyse change at different scales, and at different places along the supply chain, from farm to policy. Many of the changes that occur are unpredictable and not easily accommodated using traditional, mostly quantitative, M&E systems. We worked with a number of Innovation Platforms (IPs) in a large scale AR4D program in multiple countries in central and west Africa. The originally designed M&E system was unable to adequately account for many of the observed changes and provided little opportunity for learning by the IP members, the project teams, the research institutions involved or the donor organisation. The new framework used six key domains of system change, directly linked to impact. It also provided a protocol for collecting, sharing, reflecting and reporting upon most significant change stories. The approach holds much promise and provided a rich vein of information from which to synthesise program outcomes. It is not without challenges however. Documenting reflections in meaningful ways requires more than simply writing a narrative and donors need to agree from the outset that traditional quantitative evaluation statistics do not always provide outcome information relevant to a systemic change agenda. [P097] Expanding supply of improved seed to farmers in northern Ghana to increase food security Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Tony Webster¹*, Ibrahim Atokple², Prince Etwire², Dogood Alhessan², Peter Carberry³ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, CSIR, Ghana 3 ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India __________________________________________________________________________ The global problem of food security is particularly acute in many parts of west Africa, where food production needs to increase to meet growing demand. The ‘Green Revolution', where improved crop varieties are matched with improved management practices (particularly fertilisers), has been very successful in increasing food production in many parts of the world. However, in much of west Africa farmers have not adopted improved crop varieties. There are many reasons behind this lack of implementation, such as access to finance, access to improved varieties, access to market and government policy constraints. One major roadblock to adoption of improved Page | 125
varieties identified in Savelugu, northern Ghana, was a lack of sufficient improved cowpea seed (an important cash crop). In northern Ghana there are very few certified seed producers, mainly due to the highly regulated certification process. More than 90% of seed is traded between farmers in an ‘informal' seed market. In trials conducted in the Savelugu region improved, certified, cowpea varieties consistently outperformed farmer varieties and at field days farmers showed a strong preference for improved varieties. In the Savelugu region we worked with an Innovation Platform on a pilot system where one seed producer contracted ‘out‐growers' to produce certified seed, while the seed producer performed the certification processes and provide the required inputs and technical support. These out‐growers were situated in villages around Savelugu, where they were able to use the informal supply chain to deliver 20 additional tonnes of certified seed to farmers in the first year of operation. [P098] Reduction of dietary sodium by substituting NaCl with monosodium glutamate (MSG) maintains the hedonic value in a rice soup application Theme: 3. Market Driven Solutions Anja Winkelbach¹*, Bernard Tarca¹, Katrina Campbell², Michael Stowasser³, Walter Thomas⁴, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 3 Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, UQ School of Medicine, Queensland, Australia 4 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia with dietary sodium (NaCl) being a main risk factor. Thus, Na+ reduction in the food is important for public health, but is often associated with a loss of taste intensity, even more for hypertensive (than normotensive) people, who have a reduced sensitivity to NaCl. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) offers an umami taste, believed to maintain hedonic value of salt reduced food and inosine monophosphate (IMP) is reported to enhance this effect. The current study explored the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and taste thresholds and studied the effect of substituting NaCl by MSG or MSG + IMP on food hedonics. The threshold for NaCl, MSG and MSG + IMP in water and a rice soup matrix were assessed with 25 panellists. For both water and rice soup samples, detection thresholds were significantly lower (p < 0.001) for MSG and MSG + IMP than for NaCl, irrespective of the BP. Hedonic pleasantness for MSG + IMP flavoured samples were significantly decreased (p = 0.046) compared to NaCl. However, MSG alone did not result in a significant difference in pleasantness rates compared to NaCl showing high potential in meeting consumer hedonic acceptance and helping maintain dietary Na low. Future research will investigate different NaCl substitution levels by MSG and will assess the reward brain responses by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). [P099] MicroRNAs control of vegetative phase transition in tropical/subtropical horticultural crops Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Muhammad Umair Ahsan¹*, Alice Hayward¹, John Wilkie², Christine Beveridge¹, Neena Mitter¹ Page | 126
1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The plant life cycle can be differentiated into three growth phases; juvenile, adult and reproductive. A long juvenile phase in plants, especially in woody fruit crops, is an impediment to crop selection and improvement because productivity traits are dependent on attaining reproductive status. A number of important horticultural crops to Queensland, including avocado, macadamia and mango, are those negatively affected by a long juvenile phase. It is therefore important to understand the factors that affect the duration and timing of juvenile phase length and its transition in order to optimise commercial productivity. Various endogenous and exogenous stimuli regulate juvenile‐adult phase transition, among them a class of small RNAs known as microRNAs play a key role. This project aims to investigate the expression of phase‐
change associated miRNAs in avocado, macadamia and mango at different time‐points during their life cycle. The expression patterns of miR156, miR172 and their putative target genes, known to be involved in phase‐change in other plants, will be quantified for the first time in these crop species and correlated to developmental phase. As these horticultural crops are grown as grafted plants, an experiment is also planned to analyse root‐to‐shoot signalling in miRNA and phase‐change regulation using grafted plants. This critical information will help us to understand the developmental phase transition, and the role of the rootstock and scion, in horticultural trees. [P100] A hybrid approach to sequencing the sugarcane genome Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Karen Aitken¹*, Paul Berkman¹, Anne Rae¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane is a complex polyploid with 100‐120 chromosomes and a genome size of 10 Gbp. An international consortium of researchers has commenced work on the generation of the R570 sugarcane genome sequence. A BAC by BAC sequencing approach is being used to generate a mosaic monoploid genome. We present data on sequence generated from over 1000 R570 BAC clones which were selected using a number of approaches and targeted in part to important QTL identified in Australian germplasm. In a parallel approach, we have also generated large amounts of whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequence from variety R570 and used advanced computational methods to assemble this sequence into a number of scaffolds. This WGS data was generated from a range of DNA fragment sizes between 180 bp and 32,000 bp, which has enabled even many complex regions of the genome to be ordered. In addition to this PacBio long read technology has been used to generate 31.7 Gbp of data with an average read length of 7282 bp. These long reads have been used to help resolve repeats and increase scaffold lengths. In total the data covers the complete genome sequence to a level of 73‐fold, representing roughly 1000‐fold monoploid genome coverage, which highlights sequence variation at each locus identifying large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms. In addition we will present data on the physical map of R570 generated using the BioNano technology to facilitate the de novo sequence assembly and scaffolding of the NGS data. Page | 127
[P101] Generation of a 345K sugarcane SNP chip Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Karen Aitken¹*, Andrew Farmer², Paul Berkman¹, Phillip Jackson¹, Xianming Wei³, Emily Deomano³, Cedric Muller⁴, Mike Dietrich⁵, Bob Dietrich⁵, Raja Kota⁵ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 National Center for Genome Research, New Mexico, USA 3 Sugar Research Australia, Queensland, Australia 4 Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, Saint‐Sauveur, France 5 Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, North Carolina, USA __________________________________________________________________________ DNA markers can enhance rates of genetic gain in breeding programs and are currently being applied in many animal and crop species. The very large sugarcane genome means that many current ‘best bet’ markers associated with agronomic traits of interest are probably not in very close linkage with underlying causal genes. This will limit gains from future applications of markers in sugarcane breeding. The development of single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs) in sugarcane can overcome the current limitations as large numbers throughout the genome can be easily screened across many genotypes. To generate a SNP chip for sugarcane with large enough numbers of polymorphic single dose markers 16 lines were selected based on their contribution to the breeding program. A reduced representation method (RRS) was used to generate sequencing libraries and two samples per lane were run on an Illumina Hi‐seq to generate an expected coverage of at least 50x of a given genomic region. Sequences were aligned to a de novo reference contig assembly generated previously. SNPs were selected using categories designed to maximise low dose (single/double) and polymorphic SNPs across all the sixteen lines. To determine genome‐wide distribution, the selected SNPs were aligned to the sorghum genome. Affymetrix Axiom technology was identified as the most appropriate technology to use for sugarcane SNP screening. A 345K SNP chip was developed and used to screen a large association mapping population. We will present preliminary data of this analysis and implications for application of this technology in sugarcane breeding. [P102] Variability in the sweet taste sensitivity to sucrose, maltose and glucose in humans Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Galih Kusuma Aji¹*, Fred Warren¹, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Taste has evolved as a nutrient sensing mechanism in the oral cavity. However, the inter‐subject variation in taste perception is very high. For example, the perceived sweetness of foods affects the hedonic value i.e. liking and wanting which, in turn, contributes to determining food intake. Therefore, in order to help in the control of food intake, it is essential to study sweet taste sensitivity. This study will determine the best estimate threshold (BET) and investigate the correlation of sweet taste intensity among three sweet compounds (sucrose, maltose and glucose). Twenty‐nine voluntary panellists (nine males and twenty females, age 31.28 ± 1.26, Body Mass Index (BMI) 23.46 ± 0.83) were recruited and attended 6 sensory sessions aimed at assessing Page | 128
sweet taste sensitivity and intensity ratings.It was shown that BETs for sweet taste sensitivity were 8.013 mM, 33.436 mM, and 31.130 mM for sucrose, maltose and glucose, respectively. We also observed that there was no difference (p > 0.05) between test sessions (test vs. re‐test). The sweet taste intensity was measured using LMS (Labelled Magnitude Scale). The results demonstrated a significant correlation (p < 0.01) of the sweet intensity of the three different compounds. We conclude that maltose and glucose have similar sweetness thresholds much higher than sucrose and that their intensity is highly correlated potentially indicating that they may share one common perception mechanism. [P103] Use of non‐coding RNA to confer disease resistantance against plant viruses Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Anahid Al‐Amery¹*, Lara Simone Pretorius¹, Jessica Dalton‐Morgan², Lilia C Carvalhais², Richard Moyle¹, Peer M. Schenk¹ 1 The School of Agriculture and Food Science, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Use of non‐coding RNA to confer disease resistance against plant viruses Anahid Al‐Amery, Lara Simone Pretorius, Jessica Dalton‐Morgan, Lilia C Carvalhais , Richard Moyle, Peer M. Schenk Nexgen Plants Pty Ltd, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia Plant viruses cause serious damage to tropical and subtropical crops worldwide and till today there is no effective way to treat infected plants, some of which are infected by several viruses simultaneously. Many studies have been conducted to develop new resistance strategies against plant viral infection, however little is known about the fundamental mechanisms associated with these viruses. Plant viral genomes of three local isolates of Turnip mosaic virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus and Cucumber mosaic virus have been sequenced. These viruses cause major crop losses worldwide every year. The discovery of differentially expressed non‐coding RNAs in the plant’s genome indicates their involvement in plant defence. Mutants of one of these non‐coding RNAs interfered with viral replication and showed resistance in Arabidopsis. Following the discovery of non‐coding RNAs involved in plant defence against viruses, their targets genes will be identified by transient gene expression assays and further confirmed with stable plant transformation. These genes may present new resistance genes that need to be tested in crop plants. Better understanding of interactions between noncoding RNA from plant genomes that are expressed during virus infection and target plant genes will shed light into new approaches to increase plant resistance to viral interactions. [P104] Bioactive properties of Australian native herb extracts Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Fahad Alderees¹*, David Williams², Andrew Cusack², Margaret Currie², Ram Mereddy², Zhi Ping Xu³, Yasmina Sultanbawa¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia Page | 129
3 Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology __________________________________________________________________________ Consumers are more aware of the detrimental health effects of chemical preservatives and are increasingly demanding food that is fresh, less processed, with reduced additives and acceptable shelf‐life. Food regulations are pressuring food industries to limit the use of chemical preservatives. Natural preservatives are acceptable to consumers as they are both biodegradable and non‐pollutants and can be used to control food spoilage microorganisms. The objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial, antioxidant and total phenolic content (TPC) of three native Australian herbs; Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), Anise myrtle (Syzygium anisatum) and Tasmanian pepper leaf (TPL) (Tasmannia lanceolata). Antimicrobial properties of the three herb extracts were examined against two bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), five yeasts (Candida albicans, C. krusei, Rhodotorula glutinis, R. mucilaginosa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and three moulds (Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Rhizopus stolonifer). TPL was found to be the most effective against all the tested microorganisms with a zone of inhibition ranging from 13.25 to 37.58 mm. TPC was determined using the Folin‐
Ciocalteu assay and was in the range of 140 to 500 Gallic Acid Equivalents/g DW for the three herbs. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay measured the antioxidant capacity of the hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction of the herbs. The total ORAC activity ranged from 7.67 to 10.47 mol Trolox Equivalents/g DW. These native herb extracts show promise as functional ingredients for the food industry. [P105] Synthetic biology pipeline for detection and mitigation of parasites and diseases of farmed animals Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Kirill Alexandrov¹* 1 Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Parasites and diseases are a major threat to Australia's livestock, poultry and aquatic farming. While each invasion mechanism is unique they all rely on complex protein:protein interaction networks between host and parasite proteins. Rapid detection and characterisation of such networks provides a starting point for creation of effective diagnostics, vaccines and treatments. We exploited a unique biology of lizard parasite Leishmania tarentolae to create a novel pipeline for rapid in vitro reconstruction interactions among host:parasite proteins. The highly parallelized quantitative analysis based on single molecule spectroscopy and Alpha screen enables analysis of hundreds of protein:protein interactions. This analysis enables identification of key components of the invasion and the immune response evasion machinery of the pathogens. A similar approach can be used for identification of immunogenic parasite proteins. These can be further used for the development of the vaccine candidates and diagnostic applications. The application of the developed pipeline to different classes of pathogens will be discussed. [P106] Quantification of direct and indirect cost of frost for Australian wheatbelt Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 130
Duc‐Anh An‐Vo¹*, Shahbaz Mushtaq², Bangyou Zheng³, Karine Chenu⁴, Jack Christopher⁴, Scott Chapman³ 1 Computational Engineering and Science Research Centre, University of Southern Queensland, Australia 2 International Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, Queensland, Australia 4 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ A single post head‐emergence frosts (PHEF) event has the potential to devastate individual wheat crops by damaging stems and killing whole heads. Wheat crops are most sensitive after head emergence and hence management of crop phenology to avoid PHEF is very important in regions where frost risk is high. The opportunity costs due to direct yield losses and delayed sowing (indirect frost effect) were evaluated with careful consideration of extreme‐temperature events, sowing dates and flowering times. To evaluate such opportunity costs, APSIM‐Wheat (7.6) simulations were integrated with economic modelling. The APSIM‐Wheat model adapted to account for frost (Zheng et al., J Exp Bot, in press) was used to simulate wheat crops sown at one day intervals within a fixed sowing window from 1st April to 30th June for selected 60 sites across the Australian wheatbelt. Economic results highlighted a strong influence of sowing dates and cultivar maturity types on the direct cost of frost. For example, for mid‐season flowering cultivar in eastern wheatbelt, the direct damage of early sowing can range from AU$ 60 to AU$ 500 per ha. When estimating costs for direct plus indirect frost impacts, loss can range from AU$ 70 to AU$ 680. Overall, regional direct plus indirect losses were substantial across the entire wheatbelt. For an agro‐ecological zone like New South Wale Central, direct plus indirect lost were estimated at AU$ 480m. Breeding for improved reproductive frost tolerance thus appears as a potential avenue to provide significant economic benefits to the Australia wheat industry. [P107] Genotyping by Sequencing in Rice Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Hayba Badro¹*, Agnelo Furtado², Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Recently, advances in DNA sequencing and genotyping have resulted in a convergence of these technologies and have developed a new approach that is known as Genotyping by Se‐quencing (GBS). GBS has high suitability for addressing a broad range of research questions in biological issues, especially with continuous improvement of the sequencing technology in terms of costs. Accordingly, numerous studies focus on developing cost effective tools for multiplexing large numbers of samples for sequencing thus make this approach more attrac‐tive. Therefore, sequencing technology has replaced the conventional genotyping approaches that were based on genetic markers. GBS has been successfully used in implementing a wide range of applications that include, plant identification, analysis of the purity of seed lots, germplasm characterisation, determination of plant parentage and relationships and selection in breeding. In this study, some of these potential applications of GBS approach will be eval‐uated using rice. Rice was selected not Page | 131
only because it is a vital crop but also because it is a model species due to it has a relatively small and very well‐characterised genome. [P108] Improved soil test diagnostics and fertilizer management strategies to address multiple nutrient constraints in rainfed cropping systems reliant on stored soil moisture Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Mike Bell¹*, David Lester², Doug Sands³, Lawrence Smith², Peter Want⁴, Gary Harch⁴ 1 QAAFI/SAFS, Univversity of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture & Forestry, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Emerald, Queensland, Australia 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Increasing crop productivity arising from advances in agronomic management and improved crop genetics has increased rates of nutrient removal in grains cropping systems. When combined with economic pressures that have encouraged negative nutrient budgets and mining of native fertility, nutrient limitations are increasingly limiting efficient use of available moisture in grains systems. In regions like central Qld, productivity risks are high due to large seasonal rainfall variability so accurate diagnosis and cost‐effective amelioration of nutrient constraints is particularly important especially in subsoil layers given the reliance on subsoil moisture and nutrient availability for successful production. Research has developed new soil sampling strategies for key nutrients (especially phosphorus [P], potassium [K] and sulphur [S]), modified diagnostic tests to better predict bioavailable nutrient tools and developed fertilizer application strategies to achieve efficient crop recovery and use. A particular challenge has been to effectively identify and respond to multiple nutrient constraints (e.g. P and K, or P, K and S), with issues such as product combinations, band placement and timing of application key success factors. Different critical soil nutrient requirements and responses to deep banded applications between crop species are leading to an approach to nutrient management across the crop rotation, rather than on a crop‐
by‐crop basis. The strong residual benefits of nutrients like P and K shown in our research have aided this approach, allowing an occasional strategic tillage approach to subsoil nutrient amendment that minimizes impacts on system water capture while targeting crop species that deliver strong yield responses. [P110] Yield of the Australian native bush mango (Buchanania obovata) is affected by fire regime and regional variation Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Rod Baker¹*, Sean Bellairs¹*, Julian Gorman¹ 1 RIEL, Charles Darwin University, NT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Bush mango (Buchanania obovata Engl.) grows in northern Australian savanna and has a small sweet fruit favoured by many local and Indigenous Australians. Variation in habit and leaf characteristics has been described in several ecological studies. This study investigated differences in vegetative and fruit characteristics between plants in the Darwin and East Arnhem Land Page | 132
regions. We also investigated the response of Buchanania obovata to fire regimes ranging from annual burning to five year burning and unburnt regimes. Variables measured included tree density per ha, tree height, tree diameter, leaf size, fruit set, fruit size and fruit yield. Fire was necessary to promote the maintenance of large trees (> 50 cm diameter) whereas late fires top killed most adult trees. Late fires promoted coppicing in adult trees. One year after a late fire, burnt stands were dominated by young resprouting trees less than 1 m tall. These were among the highest yielding stands. The proportion of trees that set fruit and the number of fruits per inflorescence was higher for the trees at the East Arnhem Land sites than for the Darwin region sites. Appropriate fire management is necessary to optimise fruit yield and to maintain the stands. With appropriate fire management and site selection yields indicate that there is potential for local commercialisation of the species. [P111] Sward structure and foraging behaviour of cattle grazing reproductive tropical pastures Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Marcelo Benvenutti¹*, Dennis Poppi¹, Iain Gordon² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 James Hutton Institute, UK __________________________________________________________________________ This study assessed the effect of stem characteristics and the age of cattle on their foraging behavior and rate of nutrient intake when grazing tropical pastures. Steers were offered artificial microswards of Panicum maximum (0.24 m2) consisting of leaves (20cm long; 800 m‐2) and stems (25 cm long). The treatments consisted of a factorial combination of two cattle ages (1 and 3‐year‐
old steers of 324 and 605 kg LW respectively) and four levels of stem tensile resistance at 400 stems m‐2 in Experiment 1 or four densities of stems of high tensile resistance in Experiment 2 (0, 100, 200 and 400 stems m‐2). The experiments had a randomized complete block design with three steers per age. The steers were allowed to take eight bites from the swards. All animals became more selective, avoiding the stems, as the tensile resistance and density of stems increased. This had a positive effect on diet quality for both animal age groups, however, it had a strong negative effect on bite mass, instantaneous intake rate and digestible DM intake rate particularly in mature animals (P<0.001). We conclude that the foraging behaviour of older/larger steers was more strongly affected by increases in the physical strength and density of the stems in tropical swards than was for younger/smaller animals. This indicates that younger animals would have a nutritional advantage over the older animals when grazing reproductive tropical pastures containing a high density of stems of high tensile resistance. [P112] Development of nematode resistant sugarcane variety through introgression breeding in Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Shamsul Bhuiyan¹*, Barry Croft¹, Phil Jackson², Graham Stirling³, Mike Cox¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia (SRA), Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia Page | 133
3 Biological Crop Protection, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Root knot Meloidogyne javanica (RKN) and root lesion Pratylenchus zeae (RLN) nematodes are the most important pathogens of sugarcane in Australia, cause A$82 million losses to the Australian sugar industry annually. No Australian commercial varieties are resistant to nematodes. Over 400 lines of sugarcane (Saccharum spp) and wild relatives, and their crosses were evaluated for RKN and RLN resistance over 4 years in a glasshouse at Sugar Research Australia, Woodford pathology farm, Queensland. Wild relatives includes, Erianthus arundinaceus, Saccharum spontaneum, and S. robustam. One true sugarcane line Saccharum officinarum was included in the experiment. Number of nematodes (RLN)/number of eggs (RKN) per g of roots were used to measure the resistance levels of test clones. S. officinarum supported the highest number of RKN, > 172%, relative to commercial standards, but showed moderately resistance towards RLN. Significantly (P<0.05) less number nematodes (13‐21%) or eggs (5‐14%) were observed in basic E. arundinaceus and S. spontaneum lines respectively compared to commercial standards indicating good resistance. Average levels of resistance tended to decrease with successive backcross between the wild species and the commercial sugarcane. However, backcross‐three(BC3) population of E. arundinaceus showed moderate resistance, approximately 60% low number RKN and RLN relative to commercial standards. Forty‐eight and 52% less RLN and RKN respectively were observed in backcross‐two(BC2) S. spontaneum population relative to commercial standards. These findings have significant implications in development of nematode resistant sugarcane variety. Individual nematode‐resistant lines will be field‐tested to verify the glasshouse tests, and may prove to be a useful source of resistance to nematodes for commercial production or as parents for further breeding. [P113] Gallibacterium elongation factor‐Tu possesses amyloid‐like protein characteristics and forms filaments that participate in cell adhesion and biofilm formation Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions J Lopez‐Ochoa¹, J Montes‐Garci‐a², C Va¡zquez³, P Sa¡nchez⁴, V.M. Perez‐Ma¡rquez⁵, E Soriano‐
Vargas⁶, P.J Blackall⁷*, S Vaca⁸, E Negrete‐Abascal⁹ 1 Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico 2 UNAM, Estado de Mexico, Mexico 3 Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico 4 Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico 5 Biotecnolog‐a Veterinaria, Puebla, Mexico 6 Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Mexico 7 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 8 UNAM, Estado de Mexico, Mexico 9 UNAM, Estado de Mexico, Mexico __________________________________________________________________________ The aim of this work was to obtain, identify and characterize an amyloid protein expressed within biofilms by Gallibacterium strains and determine the relationship of this protein with curli protein, an amyloid protein commonly expressed by Enterobacteriaceae members. Outer membrane proteins samples from three G. anatis strains and one strain of Gallibacterium genomospecies 2 were evaluated for the presence of amyloid proteins by boiling with formic acid, Congo red dye Page | 134
binding ability and cross‐reactivity with anti‐curli polyclonal serum. Protein identification was performed by mass spectrometric analysis and in silico analysis. The presence of csgA and csgB genes was determined by PCR and Southern blot assays. A protein resisting boiling and denaturing by formic acid, and identified as elongation factor‐Tu, was obtained from the G. anatis F149 strain. This protein bound Congo red dye, crossed reacted with anti‐curli polyclonal serum, had polymerizing properties and was present in biofilms. No csgA or csgB genes, both associated with curli proteins, were found by PCR or Southern blot assays using DNA from G. anatis F149 or 12656‐
12 strains. EF‐Tu from G. anatis F149 presents amyloid characteristics and forms part of biofilms. This protein could be relevant for G. anatis pathogenesis. [P114] The stay‐green drought adaptation trait enhances sorghum production in subtropical Australia, central‐western India and sub‐saharan Africa Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrew Borrell¹*, Barbara George‐Jaeggli¹, Erik van Oosterom¹, Graeme Hammer¹, Emma Mace², Vincent Vadez³, Jana Kholova³, Harvinder Talwar⁴, Santosh Deshpande⁴, Sidi Coulibaly⁵, Niaba Teme⁵, Clarisse Barro‐Kondombo⁶, Soumana Souley⁷, Alemu Tirfessa⁸, Asfaw Adugna⁸, Clement Kamau⁹, Abdalla Mohamed¹⁰, David Jordan¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics, Patancheru, In 4 Indian Institute for Millet Research, Hyderabad, India 5 Institut d'Economie Rurale, Mali 6 Institut De L'Environnement Et De Recherches Agricoles of Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso 7 Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique Du Niger, Niger 8 Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Adama, Ethiopia 9 Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Katumani, Kenya 10 ARC, Mad Mwedani, Sudan __________________________________________________________________________ Drought during grain filling is a common challenge for sorghum production in north‐eastern Australia, central‐western India, and sub‐Saharan Africa. We show that the stay‐green drought adaptation trait enhances sorghum grain yield under post‐anthesis drought in these three regions. A positive relationship between stay‐green and yield was generally found in breeding trials in north‐eastern Australia that sampled 1668 unique hybrid combinations and 23 environments. Physiological studies in Australia also found that introgressing four individual stay‐green (Stg1‐4) quantitative trait loci (QTLs) into a senescent background reduced water demand before flowering and hence increased water supply during grain filling, resulting in higher grain yield relative to the senescent control. Studies in India found that various Stg QTLs affected both transpiration and transpiration efficiency, although these effects depended on the interaction between genetic background (S35 and R16) and individual QTLs. The yield variation unexplained by harvest index was related to transpiration efficiency in S35 (R2 = 0.29) and R16 (R2 = 0.72), and was related to total water extracted in S35 (R2 = 0.41) but not in R16. Finally, sixty‐eight stay‐green enriched lines were evaluated in six countries in sub‐Saharan Africa during the 2013/14 season. Analysis of the data from Kenya indicates that stay‐green and grain size were positively correlated at two sites: Kiboko (high yielding, r2=0.25) and Masongaleni (low yielding, r2=0.37). Together, these Page | 135
studies suggest that stay‐green is a beneficial trait for sorghum production in the semi‐arid tropics and is a consequence of traits altering the plant water budget. [P115] Establishment and spring vigour of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala ssp. glabrata) cultivars in northern inland New South Wales, Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Suzanne Boschma¹*, Carol Harris¹, Cathy Waters¹, Ian Toole¹, Mark Brennan¹, Karen Lowien¹ 1 NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala ssp. glabrata) is a perennial shrub legume widely grown throughout Queensland, Australia. Experiments in New South Wales (NSW), Australia evaluating four cultivars and a pre‐breeding line of leucaena were established at Bingara and Manilla in January 2013 and Trangie in October 2013, representing the possible geographic range for this tropical legume in inland NSW. Plant numbers and individual plant heights were measured 2‐3 months after transplanting in the paddock and again in spring the following year to determine establishment success and vigour of the individual cultivars. There was successful plant establishment at the Bingara and Manilla sites with 98‐100% survival. Establishment rate was lower at Trangie (44‐68%) possibly due to reduced seedling vigour at transplanting and lower overnight temperatures. Following transplanting, plants were tallest at the Bingara site, which were 3 months old and shortest at the Trangie and Manilla sites which were 2‐2.5 months old. There were no significant height differences between the cultivars across sites. Height differences between cultivars in year 2 are also reported, highlighting the potential of perennial shrub legumes within pasture mixes for northern and central NSW. Requirements for successful establishment of leucaena were discussed. Herbage production and persistence of the leucaena cultivars and lines in these experiments will be recorded for 3 years. [P116] Using genome‐wide association study for improving sorghum photosynthesis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Marie Bouteille‐Pallas¹*, Barbara George‐Jaeggli², Colleen Hunt², Adrian Hathorn¹, Emma Mace², David Jordan¹,² 1 Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Warwick, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAF), Warwick, QLD, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Determining the genetic architecture of photosynthesis efficiency components and plant growth in crops is crucial to find potential sources of variation to allow improvement by breeding. To date genetic variation in these components has rarely been explored in detail, due to the difficulty and expense of measuring these traits on very large numbers of individuals, and the complexity of their relationship and contribution to yield. Here we used a diversity panel consisting of 526 non‐
photoperiod sensitive sorghum accessions, spanning the diversity of the species, to dissect the architecture of a range of photosynthetic traits using genome‐wide association mapping. Many of the lines in the panel form part of other association mapping panels or are parents of our nested association mapping populations Leaf fluorescence, leaf greenness (SPAD), specific leaf weight, Page | 136
leaf appearance rate, leaf area, carbon dioxide assimilation and plant growth were measured in two field experiments in autumn and in summer. A genome‐wide association study was conducted using a mixed linear model that involves both relative kinship and population structure. This study identified multiple new loci and refined chromosomal regions of loci known to be associated to growth or photosynthesis related traits in sorghum and in other species, includingmaize and rice. The loci and trait‐associated SNPs identified in this study can be further used for sorghum genetic improvement. The candidate genes may serve as promising targets for studies of molecular mechanisms underlying photosynthesis‐related traits in sorghum. [P117] Using comparative genomics for improving sorghum photosynthesis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Marie Bouteille‐Pallas¹*, Barbara George‐Jaeggli², Emma Mace², David Jordan¹,² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAF), Warwick, QLD, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Genetic variation in light interception, photosynthetic capacity and efficiency occurs in a range of cereal crops and model species. To‐date these traits have not been directly targeted for improvement by plant breeders, predominantly due to the difficulty and expense of measuring these traits on large numbers of individuals. Here we used existing genetic and genomics resources available in sorghum to identify sequence variations in candidate genes of the photosynthesis pathway. Using the resequencing data of 47 genomes of sorghum (Mace et al 2013), we were able to explore allelic diversity, identify putative mutations, and signatures of selection in candidate genes previously identified to play important roles in the photosynthesis pathway in sorghum. The 47 resequenced genotypes belong to three groups: Wild and weedy (ancestors), Landraces, and Improved Inbreds (modern cultivars). Our analysis allowed us to observe a large variation in the diversity patterns below and above the genome wide average. A number of genes had signatures of balancing selection, with a high level of diversity maintained between ancestral and descendant groups of genotypes. We were also able to observe contrasting sequence diversity within the structure of the target genes, with the exon regions being less diverse than the introns. Such analyses allows us to identify candidate genes for further analysis such as GWAS. [P118] Reference genomes of novel wild rice populations from Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Marta Brozynska¹*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Wild relatives of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) carry a vast genetic diversity and represent a significant resource for rice improvement. Recent advances in both, molecular breeding and next‐
generation sequencing, have potential for application to genetic enhancement of elite rice lines with valuable traits from wild rice species. Two distinct taxa within Australian perennial wild rice populations were recently identified in Tropical Queensland and have been subjected to genomic Page | 137
analysis in our study. To uncover the genomic nature of the two novel Australian wild rices we generated draft genomes for those taxa. We created assemblies employing two distinct massive parallel sequencing technologies, Illumina HiSeq2000 (paired‐end and mate pair short reads) and Pacific Biosciences RS II (long reads). Also we adapted various approaches to assemble genomes of interest including Illumina and PacBio only assemblies and hybrid assembly comprising of data from both platforms. We assessed all of the assemblies’ quality using summary statistics (i.e. number of scaffolds, N50, NG50) and evaluation tools including core gene space assessment in the sequences. The resulting metrics were compared with each other showing a dramatic improvement in the assembly quality using the PacBio platform. Furthermore, these draft genomes were used for whole genome characterization studies including structural descriptions, gene annotation and repeat content exploration. These studies contribute to evaluation of the potential of the Australian wild rice populations as a novel source of genes providing breeders with unique disease resistances, environmental stress tolerances and possibly yield and grain quality traits. [P119] Leaving the rice paddy behind; identification of mechanisms of cold tolerance and the pursuit of water use efficiency Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Bradley Campbell¹*, Jaquie Mitchell¹, Ian Godwin¹, Peter Snell², Shu Fukai¹ 1 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Primary Industries NSW, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Rice is a key crop for world food security and an important segment of Australia’s cereal production system, which produces enough rice to feed 20 million people annually. A significant yield constraint facing the industry nationally and internationally, is the occurrence of low temperature (15‐19oC) events during the reproductive stage (booting and flowering), leading to reduced fertility and yield. The current management practice to ameliorate the effects of cold temperatures is flood irrigation which relies on the temperature buffering capacities of water to reduce cold damage. However, in a water constrained farming system such as Australia’s, the need to achieve maximal water use efficiencies is a high priority and has seen the research focus for rice plant breeding programs center on the introgression of low temperature tolerance genes available in international germplasm into high yielding Australian developed rice cultivars. Low temperature stress is a notoriously hard trait to consistently phenotype and has led to the identification of cold tolerance QTL on almost every chromosome of the rice genome, with little success in identifying any universal cold tolerance QTLs that operate outside of a specific genetic background. This project has sought to apply a high throughput controlled environment phenotyping system, to identify genetic mechanisms of cold temperature tolerance in a Kyeema//Kyeema/NorinPL8 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. Utilising DArTseq, a genotype by sequencing system for high resolution mapping, we hope to untangle the genetic complexity of low temperature resistance mechanisms and identify reliable QTLs to improve the breeding efficiency for cold tolerance. Page | 138
[P120] Exploring the metabolomic constituents and bioactive potential of Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) a native plant of Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Mridusmita Chaliha¹*, Panagiotis Chrysanthopoulos², Mark Hodson², David Williams³, Heather Smyth¹, Sharon Pun³, David Edwards³, Yasmina Sultanbawa¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Kakadu plum (KP, Terminalia ferdinandiana) is a traditional food that has been consumed for its nutritional and therapeutic value by indigenous Australians for thousands of years. Presence of high levels of ellagic acid (EA) and ascorbic acid (AA) makes it a rich source of antioxidants. Non‐
targeted metabolomic profiling of polar extracts of the KP fruit, seeds and leaves identified 158 metabolites including amino acids, organic acids, phenolic acids, esters and sugars. In addition to detecting AA and gallic acid, previously unreported metabolites such as galacturonic acid, rhamnose, xylitol, xylulose, maltose, myo‐inositol and palatinose were tentatively identified. Preliminary experiments were carried out to extract and characterize pectin from KP. The extracted pectin (yield 85%) had an equivalent weight of 351 g, 6 % methoxyl content and 40 % degree of esterification. To obtain enhanced release and recovery of active compounds attached to the cells, enzymatic digestion of KP tissue was carried out with pectinase. The resultant extract showed high concentration of EA ranging from 100‐4400 mg/100 ml and AA ranging from 313‐521 mg/100 ml at acidic and alkaline pH. The antioxidant activity and protective effects of this extract containing KP bioactive compounds was investigated with the help of Caco‐2 cells where oxidative stress was experimentally induced with hydrogen peroxide. Understanding the KP metabolites and the molecular pathways via which it exerts anti‐oxidant activity in vitro, will help in identifying new sources of therapeutics that target the debilitating oxidative and inflammatory cascade which is the hallmark of many chronic degenerative disorders. [P121] Modification of temperate fruit tree species for growth in the subtropics: Peach as a model Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jose Chaparro¹* 1 Horticultural Sciences Department University of Florida, Florida, USA __________________________________________________________________________ The breeding of temperate tree species adapted to subtropical climates requires the modification of multiple traits to ensure appropriate growth and development of the target species. The University of Florida initiated a peach breeding program in 1952 with the purpose of developing commercial quality peach cultivars adapted to low chill climates. The initial objective was to develop cultivars adapted to regions with a chill requirement ranging from 250 to 450 chill hours and the program has been highly successful with the selection and release of numerous peach cultivars. Commercial competition in the production of peaches and the potential impact of global climate change has provided an incentive for the initiation of an ultra‐low chill (75 chill hours) Page | 139
peach breeding effort at the University of Florida. The objective of this effort is to provide growers with a portfolio of peach cultivars capable of cropping under conditions of limited cold exposure. Information on problems encountered, traits targeted and how molecular markers are being used to determine the genetic structure of traits relevant to production under subtropical conditions will be presented. [P122] Phenotyping canopy characteristics of sugarcane and sorghum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Scott Chapman¹*, Torsten Merz², Andries Potgieter³, Prakash Lakshmanan⁴, Jaya Basnayake⁴, Phillip Jackson¹, Paul Hutchinson¹, David Deery¹, David Jordan³ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Digital Productivity Flagship, Queensland, Australia 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Plant breeding trials are extensive and are difficult and expensive to monitor by conventional means, especially where measurements are time‐sensitive, and where access is difficult in crops like sugarcane and sorghum. A high aerial position allows rapid measurement of large numbers of plots, if altitude is low (10 to 40m) and flight control is sufficiently precise to collect high‐
resolution images. This paper outlines the implementation of a customized robotic helicopter with autonomous flight control, and software to plan flights over experiments that were 0.5 to 3ha in area. With a payload of 1.5kg for 30 minute flights (about double the weight and duration of commercial electric platforms in this size class), the system successfully completed >150 flights for a duration totalling 40 hours. Example applications included estimation of variation in ground cover in sorghum (early season) and canopy temperature and canopy height in sugarcane (mid season). Wireless infrared thermometers were also installed above the sugarcane crop. These allow the continuous (every 5 mins) monitoring of leaf temperature and provide an indication of varietal differences in response to drought. This paper outlines how these continuous sensors can provide a time‐series of responses, and be used in conjunction with small robotic craft to allow high resolution spatial characterisation. [P123] Possible strategies for weed management in Australian grain cropping systems Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Bhagirath Chauhan¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Weeds continue to remain a major issue for many growers and advisers in Australia. Herbicides are heavily used to manage weeds; however, the heavy reliance on herbicides has already led to the evolution of resistance in several weeds throughout the Australian grain cropping systems. In addition, new broad‐spectrum herbicides are not available. These concerns have increased the interest of weed scientists, growers, and advisers in improving weed management using non‐
chemical strategies. Such weed management strategies aim to reduce the effects of weeds on crops by either making weeds less competitive or by making the crops more competitive. Some of Page | 140
the tactics are the use of narrow crop row spacing, the use of high planting density, the use of an optimum crop row orientation, the use of weed‐competitive cultivars, the use of targeted tillage, and integration of these strategies with judicious use of herbicides. These strategies may help developing an effective integrated weed management program in different cropping systems. [P124] Characterisation of spatial and temporal patterns of water and thermal regimes to assist chickpea improvement for variable production environments Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Yash Chauhan¹*, Rex Williams¹, Brett Williams², Sagadevan Mundree² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Kingaroy and Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia 2 Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ To identify higher yielding and better adapted chickpeas various breeding programs currently use a limited number of multilocation trials as a surrogate for future target production environments (TPEs). Characterisation of drought and thermal regimes to identify such TPEs using a modelling approach could provide an improved framework for breeding chickpeas. We applied this approach to characterise the northern grains region of Australia using APSIM. APSIM was first evaluated for its ability to simulate growth and yield of three commercially‐relevant chickpea varieties, and then applied to simulate yield of these from 1900 to 2014 at 45 locations spread between 22.8 and 32.2 oS latitudes, and between 147.6 and 152.1 oE longitudes. Based on multivariate analysis of seasonal percentile ranks of yield, seven homogenous agro‐ecoregions of chickpea production were identified. In these agro‐ecoregions chickpea experienced four major moisture patterns, three of which reflected a degree of drought in 60% of the seasons. In addition, crops experienced one or more of the five distinct maximum and minimum temperature regimes. All locations within each agro‐ecoregion tended to possess somewhat similar frequencies of drought and thermal regimes. Therefore, locations of a given agro‐ecoregion having stronger associations with any of the four of the drought patterns and five of the thermal regimes could be selected to adequately cover all possible moisture and temperature regimes to evaluate chickpea varieties. Environmental characterisation in Australia and elsewhere using above method could assist breeding for tolerance to drought and heat stress in tropical and subtropical environments. [P125] Targeting a resistance gene associated with Fusarium wilt in Banana Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andy Chen¹*, Elizabeth Czislowski¹, Sam F Smith¹, Jessica Dalton‐Morgan¹, Pradeep Ruperao¹, David Edwards², Sharon Hamill³, Mike K Smith³, Jacqueline Batley², Elizabeth Aitken¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Fusarium wilt is one of the major diseases threatening banana production worldwide. The causal agent is the soil‐borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum sp. cubense (Foc) which enters the roots and then the vascular tissues resulting in a lethal wilt. We have identified Foc resistance in the wild Page | 141
banana Musa acuminata subsp malaccensis (Malaccensis). F2 progeny testing showed segregation of a single dominant gene conferring resistance to all 3 races of Foc, including race 1, sub‐tropical race 4 (SR4) and tropical race 4 (TR4). In order to identify the QTL locations, we used a skim based Genotyping‐By‐Sequencing (GBS) method (Illumina Hi‐Seq at 10x coverage) to sequence entire genomes of bulks consisting of resistant or susceptible individuals. Using the complete Musa genome draft sequence as a reference, genome wide association (GWS) study identified significant levels of SNP association with regions on chromosomes 3, 6, 9 and 10. Clusters of genes that possess disease resistance gene structures are being identified in the QTL regions. Some of these candidates are being analysed for gene expression in the roots of Foc infected plants. Transcriptional differences will be correlated with resistance. High density SNP data is being used to generate PCR markers to fine map the QTL. We are expanding the mapping population that will increase the map resolution. The ultimate aim of this project is to clone the resistance gene(s) to facilitate the study of the mechanisms of resistance at the molecular level. The markers closely linked to resistance will be used in breeding programs. [P126] Development of monoclonal antibody as a therapeutic tool for tick paralysis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Beibei Chen¹*, Manuel Rodriguez‐Valle¹, Alicja Lew‐Tabor¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The Ixodes holocyclus tick causes paralysis in up to 10,000 companion and domestic animals each year in Australia. It has been detected that Holocyclotoxin (HT) is the crucial antigen secreted from tick's salivary gland during feeding. Full sequence of the HT‐1, one of the isoforms of HT, has been released which contributes to the production of the synthetic HT‐1. Current treatment of tick paralysis relies on the anti‐paralysis tick serum obtained from hyperimmunized dogs which is a combination of polyclonal antibodies and only effective in the early stages of the disease. Our research is mainly focus on development of an alternative treatment using monoclonal antibodies. Recently, several monoclonal antibodies have been produced using hybriboma technology. Through indirect ELISA screening, two monoclonal antibodies possessed high capture ability for synthetic HT‐1. BIAcore analysis has comfirned of their effectiveness and also provides valuable data on the kinetic parameters of binding. Current direction is the development of reliable mAb based enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the well‐performing mAb for evaluation of antibody levels against the HT‐1 in commercial anti‐tick dog sera. [P128] Breeding for the future: How to adapt to frost, drought and heat impacts in Australian wheat? Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Karine Chenu¹*, Bangyou Zheng², James Watson¹, Scott Chapman² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 142
While extreme climatic events (frost, heat and drought) can already severely limit wheat production, the expected future increase in extreme temperatures and rainfall variability will further challenge improvement in crop productivity. In addition, warming climate accelerates crop development, thus leading to potential mismatches between key sensitive growth stages and extreme climate events. Current combinations of management practices and genotypes might need to change in future environments to maximise utilisation of seasonal resources (e.g. radiation, CO2, and nutrients) and to minimize stress risks. We analysed the patterns of frost, drought and heat events over the last decades across the Australian wheatbelt (Zheng et al 2012 and 2015; Chenu et al 2013) and simulated crop development and drought patterns for future scenarios 2030‐2070. The results highlighted substantial changes in temporal and spatial distributions of frost, heat and drought events for future climate scenarios. Given the expected reduction in crop‐cycle duration and thus in the available time for the crop to acquire resources to set and fill grains, we also considered whether the Australian wheat‐germplasm pool has sufficient genetic variability to maintain the duration of the growing season at its current level. Daily mean temperature and the occurrence of extreme climates (temperature and drought) have already tended to increase in latest years in Australia (Chenu et al 2013; Zheng et al 2015). As 5 to 15 years are required to breed new wheat varieties, it becomes urgent to consider adaptation of varieties to the future. References Chenu et al. 2013. NewPhytol 198:801‐820. Zheng et al. 2012. GCB 18:2899‐2914. Zheng et al. 2015. JExpBot doi:10.1093/jxb/erv163 [P129] Feather eating behaviour in laying hens is related to tissues requiring keratin synthesis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Sungbo Cho¹*, Junmo Kim¹, Emily Sanchez¹, Santiago Ramirez‐Cuevas², Shini Shaniko¹, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Food Science Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Feather pecking has been described as a form of foraging behaviour potentially driven by marginal nutritional deficiencies. Ultimately resulting in feather eating. Thus, feather eating has been reported as an indicator of the incidence of feather pecking. This study assessed several phenotypic traits and their correlations with feather eating using a group of 67 laying hens reared in cage and free‐range systems. Feather density (feathers/cm2) and open skin areas were measured to determine feather coverage condition. Also, beak length, shank length, and body weight were considered as potential indicators of feather eating birds. Necropsy was carried out to see feather consumption in their digestive system. We found feathers in crop, gizzard. The feather eating birds showed less feather density in the neck and breast than the group of birds not consuming feathers (p<0.05). In addition, feather eating birds showed a shorter beak length (p<0.05). All birds had been de‐beaked at the first day of hatchery, thus a shorter beak indicates a lower beak growth rate in birds showing feather appetite. Our findings show that feather eating in laying hens is associated to poor feather coverage and low beak growth. A potential relationship of feather appetite with keratin synthesis (the main protein in feathers and beaks) should be granted further attention. Page | 143
[P130] Prioritizing investment in preparedness for exotic pests and pathogens in the Australian wheat and barley industries Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Mandy Christopher¹,³*, Ben White²,⁴, Cheryl Day²,⁴, Rieks Van Klinken³,⁴ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Australia 2 University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia 3 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 4 Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre __________________________________________________________________________ Through its geographic isolation and quarantine measures, Australia has so far avoided some major pests and pathogens which impact severely on wheat and barley industries in other parts of the world. Examples of these exotic pests and pathogens include exotic wheat stem rusts (such as Ug99), Russian wheat aphid, sunn pest, barley stripe rust, Hessian fly and Karnal bunt. Australia's pest‐free status for these pests and pathogens saves millions of dollars in yield and quality losses, and control measures, and allows access to certain markets.The impact of an incursion of one of these exotic pests or pathogens could be devastating to the industry. One tool available for reducing the impact of such an incursion is to pre‐emptively develop wheat and barley breeding lines which are genetically resistant to these pests and diseases. Funding for this research is limited, because it competes with research addressing existing production limitations. To help prioritise which exotic pests and pathogens to target for pre‐breeding of resistance, a cost‐benefit study was undertaken, taking into account risk of incursion and establishment, potential impact of an incursion and the cost of alternate control measures. Results will inform investment decisions and methodologies developed could be more broadly applied to other situations with competing investment priorities and to other crops. [P131] Cryopreservation of Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) using Somatic Embryos Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Chris O'Brien¹, Myrna Constantin²*, Amitoj Walia², Neena Mitter² 1 Agri‐Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queenslland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Presently avocado genetic resources are maintained in the form of field repositories these are generally costly as well as land and labour intensive. Field repositories are also at the risk of natural disasters, pest and diseases. Cryopreservation of regenerable material such as somatic embryos offers a necessary, complimentary method for germplasm conservation that is safe, cost‐
effective and long‐term. However, long‐term maintenance and regeneration of plantlets from avocado somatic embryos has been a major barrier for cryopreservation methods and the development of new avocado varieties. In this study somatic embryos of avocado were used with two vitrification‐based protocols for cryopreservation. Globular somatic embryos of four avocado cultivars were tested, revealing cultivar‐dependent differences in desiccation tolerance and subsequent freezing resistance, possibly attributed to their size and culture age. A two‐step Page | 144
regeneration system, involving an intermediate liquid phase step between subcultures in solid medium, significantly enhanced shoot development from somatic embryo tissue. This work will add considerable value towards cryopreservation of avocado somatic embryos for germplasm conservation and the generation of new and improved avocado varieties. [P132] Host delivered RNA silencing of P.cinnamomi essential genes using Arabidopsis thaliana as model species for biotechnology applications Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Myrna Constantin¹*, Bernard Carroll², Neena Mitter 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ RNA silencing, a cytoplasmic RNA degradation mechanism, which is highly conserved in all eukaryotes, processes double‐stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that guide degradation and/or translational repression of complementary target RNAs. Transgene‐
induced RNA silencing is triggered by sequence‐specific dsRNA, which can be derived from sense, antisense or hairpin transgenes. To date, the host‐mediated delivery of RNA silencing has been mainly exploited for the management of viruses infecting crop plants. Here, we have generated transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing dsRNA targeting essential genes in Phytophthora cinnamomi, an oomycete pathogen that poses a threat to forestry, ornamental and fruit industries, and infects over 900 woody perennial species. siRNAs (21‐24nt) specific to the targeted pathogen genes were detected in transgenic A. thaliana lines. Proof of concept for host delivered RNA silencing based resistance to P.cinnamomi was demonstrated by increased root length and growth of the transgenic plants compared to control plants in plant infection assays. To better understand the molecular mechanisms generating the silencing signal that may be involved, we have stably expressed the dsRNA encoding hairpin constructs in A. thaliana dcl2 dcl3 dcl4 triple mutants, which are defective in processing the dsRNA into siRNAs. Currently, P. cinnamomi resistance screening and molecular analysis of transformed plants is underway to determine the mechanism of action. This strategy may also have broader applications for control of other fungal diseases using host delivered RNA silencing and specifically for Phytophthora root rot of avocado. [P133] New strategies to improve reproduction in tropically adapted beef breeds Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nicholas Corbet¹*, Jack Allen², Brian Burns¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 ABRI, New South Wales, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Attributes of reproductive capability were recorded on 3336 heifers and 2355 bulls in 6 herds representing Brahman, Droughtmaster and Santa Gertrudis beef cattle breeds. The female trait was incidence of ovarian corpus luteum (CL) discerned by real‐time ultrasound inspection of the reproductive tract at around 600d of age. The male trait was percentage of morphologically normal sperm present in the ejaculate collected from young bulls also at 600d. On average the Page | 145
heifers weighed 330kg and 28% had detectable CL. The bulls averaged 460kg and 65% normal sperm. Results show that the effects of herd and sire within herd were responsible for considerable variation in both traits. The herd variation reflects differences in climate and management at each site; however preliminary estimates of heritability of CL% (0.20 to 0.54) and normal sperm % (0.10 to 0.45) in the herds suggest that a significant proportion of the trait variation is due to additive gene action. Substantial opportunity exists for genetic improvement of the traits by selection of superior breeding animals. [P134] The development of small‐plant bioassay for screening Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Elizabeth Czislowski¹*, Kevin Pieper², Aitken Aitken¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 HAS University of Applied Sciences, 's Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands __________________________________________________________________________ One of the most serious threats to the cultivation of banana is the disease Fusarium wilt caused by the fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc). Currently, Fusarium wilt is of significant concern to banana growers as there are no commercial cultivars resistant to an incredibly virulent lineage of Foc, named tropical race 4. Many countries seek to limit the spread of this soilborne disease through the use of clean banana planting material produced through the sterile, disease‐free process of micropropagation. However, the transferring of plantlets from the conditions of micropropagation to the field requires a 12‐18 week acclimation period. For the purposes of screening new, elite cultivars of banana for resistance to Foc, it can take many months or years before any results are available. As a consequence, the screening of banana plants is a labourious and expensive process. In this project, we sought to determine if the development of Fusarium wilt was similar in banana plantlets with a reduced acclimation period when compared to plantlets acclimated for the usual 12 week period. Following micropropagation, plantlets will be acclimated for 2 weeks or 12 weeks and subsequently challenged with Foc. The progression of disease in the plantlets will be visually monitored using a disease rating scale over 8‐10 weeks. Furthermore, the defense response of the banana plantlets will be assessed using real‐time PCR to analyse the expression of host defence genes. The ability to rapidly screen banana cultivars for resistance to Foc is a critical aspect for the future of banana cultivation. [P135] Multi‐location avocado rootstock evaluation in Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Elizabeth Dann²*, Anthony Whiley¹, Joanne de Faveri³, Craig Hardner² 1 Sunshine Horticultural Services, Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Field trials evaluating several parameters of growth, fruit yield and quality of Hass and Shepard avocado grafted to 22 seedling or clonal rootstocks were established in 2004‐2005 in four Page | 146
different growing regions in Australia. Detailed multi‐environment repeated measures data analyses are underway, for yield, yield efficiency and fruit size. Preliminary analysis shows that highest yielding rootstocks were from the West Indian and Guatemalan horticultural races, and Mexican x Guatemalan hybrids the second most successful group. There was no single rootstock that was superior across all production regions. Orchards in tropical and subtropical areas (Queensland) had higher yields than the orchard in temperate south‐west Western Australia. Severity of Phytophthora root rot and postharvest fruit diseases were significantly different amongst rootstocks. [P136] Polymorphisms in taste receptor and nutrient sensor genes associated with tropically adapted pig breeds Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nadia de Jager¹*, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Previously we showed that across 79 pig genomes, representing 14 pig breeds/populations, that bitter taste receptor gene sequences were more variable than non‐bitter taste receptor gene sequences. We therefore concluded that these genes were associated with the adaptation of pigs to diverse environmental conditions including tropical climates. Currently, the underlying mechanism of tropical adaptation in pigs is not entirely clear. Given that our dataset includes both tropically adapted and international pig breeds, the aim of our study is to further uncover the underlying genetic mechanism in terms of non‐synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNP) that are associated with tropically adapted breeds. In total, 110 nsSNP were scrutinized and we identified those uniquely associated with tropical adaptation. For example the Tas2R16 gene on chromosome 18 encoding a receptor that is responsible for detecting bitter compounds, was found to contain eight nsSNP in the coding region. Two of these nsSNP (rs323409960 and rs323772679) were found to have no variant in International breeds compared to 50% frequency of the variant in Brazilian breeds. This work highlights the potential implication of taste receptors in environmental adaptation. Obtaining a clearer understanding of those mutations that are associated with tropically adapted breeds may be useful for developing future gene markers for selecting for the ability to adapt to tropical climates. [P137] Banana: Nutritional aspects and value additions Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Sushil Dhital¹*, Ze Q Zheng¹, Roger Stanley¹, Micheal J Gidley² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Tasmania , Tasmania, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Bananas are Australia's largest fresh horticulture crop and are important both in terms of human nutrition and the economy of tropical Australia. In order to investigate nutritional aspects, banana from five different ripening stage (from raw to fully ripe) were subjected to compositional analysis in terms of total starch, total reducing sugar, fructose, sucrose and Page | 147
glucose, along with rate of digestion using alpha‐amylase as a digestive enzyme. It was found that the simple sugars rise linearly with the ripening stage due to degradation of starch and cell wall materials. Starch in raw banana is less rapidly hydrolysed compared to starch in partially ripened banana suggesting structural changes in starch during ripening. To add value to visually blemished or other waste from banana cultivation, pasta was made from the raw banana flour and investigated for its nutritional and structural aspects. It was found that the banana flour pasta was less susceptible to alpha‐amylase digestion compared to the control, a conventional wheat (durum) flour pasta, suggesting the potential of the banana flour pasta as a gluten free and less glycemic alternative to conventional pasta. The structure of green banana pasta, inner and outer surfaces were observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy and the viscosity of flour mixtures was measured by rapid viscoanalysis. The digestibility of pasta was found to be related to not only the properties of the starch granules but also the protein network as the matrix. The effects of gums and proteins on pasta formation and digestibility are further discussed. [P138] Mango Genomics Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Natalie Dillon¹*, David Kuhn², David Innes¹, Ian Bally¹, Rajeev Varshney³ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 USDA‐ARS, Subtropical Horticultural Research Station, Florida, USA 3 ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India _________________________________________________________________________ Mango (Mangifera indica) is regarded among the five most important fruit commodities traded worldwide, along with bananas, apples, grapes and oranges, with over 40M tonnes produced annually worldwide. The genus Mangifera is believed to contain up to 70 species, with origins in the North‐Eastern Indian subcontinent and South East Asia. Despite this, there is a relatively poor understanding of the pedigree, genetic relatedness and the history of domestication of many M. indica cultivars and related species worldwide. The development of molecular tools for mango is extremely limited, thus its genes, genetics and genomics remain largely unidentified. Whole genome sequencing and the development of genetic maps of these species are important components in marker assisted breeding and genetic improvement. An international genomics program is being undertaken to build these genetic resources including the development of large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular genetic markers, the development of a genetic map for mango, association of phenotypic traits to the genetic map to identify useful individual markers for breeding, assessment of the genetic diversity in mango germplasm collections, and sequencing, assembly and annotation of the mango genome. These genetic resources will facilitate identification of genetic components with useful agronomic traits for breeding material. The goal of whole genome sequencing of mango is accelerated progress in the breeding of mango cultivars with improved agronomic traits (eg reduced vigour, disease resistance, fruit colour) that could not be accomplished by traditional methods. [P139] Estimating phosphorus intake from faeces in cattle grazing tropical pastures Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Rob Dixon¹*, David Reid², David Coates³ Page | 148
1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Since phosphorus (P) is deficient in the diet of grazing cattle in many tropical rangelands the estimation of the P concentration in the diet of grazing cattle is important. A study examined measurements in faeces to predict diet P concentration. Faeces (n 390) from cattle ingesting forage diets (n 135) in pens were analysed for total and acid insoluble fractions of P and Ca, and by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Diet total P concentration (Diet‐TP) in diet was related to total P concentration in faeces (F‐TP) as follows: [Diet TP] = 0.50 [F‐TP] + 0.24 (n = 391; R^2 = 0.68). Multiple regression models incorporating additional faecal measurements as independent predictors were also examined. The model with the highest R^2 to predict diet total P concentration was: [Diet TP] = 0.64 + 0.37[F‐TP] ‐ 0.22[F‐AIP] + 0.073[D‐TN] ‐ 0.042[F‐TCa] (n = 391; R^2 = 0.82; units g/kg DM) where the independent variables were (i) total P concentration in faeces [F‐TP], (ii) acid insoluble P concentration in faeces [F‐AIP], (iii) diet total N [D‐TN], (iv) total calcium concentration in faeces [F‐TCa]. The total N concentration in the diet can be predicted from established faecal NIRS calibrations, and the other variables from laboratory measurements of faeces. In conclusion the concentration of P in the diet of cattle grazing tropical pastures can be estimated from measurements of faeces with accuracy acceptable to inform management decisions. [P140] Screening of sorghum condensed distillers solubles for in‐vitro antifungal activity against fungal pathogens isolated from mango and avocado Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Trung Kien Do¹,²*, Elizabeth K. Dann¹* 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Gialam, Hanoi, Vietnam _________________________________________________________________________ Sorghum condensed distillers solubles (SCDS) is a by‐product of ethanol production from sorghum grain, and is currently added to livestock feed. Sorghum seed coat is known to contain antifungal phytochemicals, therefore this study tested the potential inhibitory effects of SCDS obtained from Dalby Biorefinery Ltd, Dalby QLD, on growth of five common fungal pathogens including Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Cg) and Lasiodipodia theobromae (Lt) from mango, and Colletotrichum acutatum (Ca), Calonectria ilicicola (Ci) and Cg from avocado. SCDS was found to have significant antifungal activities against all fungal pathogens tested. EC50,(the effective concentration at which mycelial growth is inhibited by 50%) ranged between 5 and 24% v/v of crude SCDS, with some variation in sensitivity among isolates, and between batches of SCDS. We are investigating the potential of SCDS as field or postharvest treatments to reduce disease caused by fungi in horticultural fruit crops. [P141] Effects of drought stress on mungbean ‐ integrating morphology, physiology and transcriptome analysis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 149
Michael Dodt¹*, Brett Williams¹, Yash Chauhan², Rex Willliams², Sagadevan Mundree¹ 1 Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Research into making agricultural systems more water efficient is gaining attention in recent years as the majority of climate change scenarios paint a deteriorating picture of fresh water availability. Agriculture accounts for in‐excess of 70% of the worlds' freshwater usage and this figure is set to increase by another 19% by 2050. Lack of freshwater availability has been described as the single biggest problem in meeting the ever‐increasing global food requirement. Vigna radiata (mungbean) is one of the most important pulse crops in the world. It is a rich source of protein (24%), contains high levels of dietary fibre, essential amino acids including methionine and lysine, vitamins, minerals and contain only a small amount of oil. It is thought annual mungbean production would see drastic increases if we are able to improve abiotic stress tolerance ‐ particularly drought. The present study investigates physiological and morphological responses of different varieties of mungbean under regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) with a particular focus on root systems architecture. Seed pre‐treatment with a novel chemical referred to as ATW1124 is being investigated for its putative ability to enhance root systems architecture (RSA) and improve adaptability to water limiting conditions. Finally, transcriptome analysis using RNA‐Seq will be used to reveal molecular mechanisms underpinning these responses. The results of this study will provide a valuable resource for studies of crop modelling, determine whether a novel chemical has commercial viability to the mungbean industry and ultimately take another step toward increasing mungbean production in Australia. [P142] The International Mungbean Research Network. Building capacity and productivity in tropical agriculture Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Col Douglas¹*, Eric Huttner², Ramakrishnan Nair³, Roland Schafleitner⁴ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Queensland, Australia 2 Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra, ACT 3 World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), India 4 World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), Taiwan _________________________________________________________________________ Mungbean (Vigna radiata), is the main summer broadleaf crop in Australian mechanised tropical farming systems and an important food and cash crop in the rice based farming of South and South‐East Asia. Flexibility, short crop duration, rotation benefits and high global demand make mungbean a vital part of these contrasting production systems. The National Mungbean Improvement Program has made 20% yield gains and doubled industry production to 70,000 tonnes over the past twelve years. In order to increase efficiency, unlock future yield gains and adaptation to broader tropical environments the program needs a wider investment base and collaborative access to new breeding technologies. The International Mungbean Research Network and its outcomes will help to unlock the potential of mungbean to improve productivity of tropical agriculture in Australia and Asia. The project is an initiative of ACIAR, DAF and AVRDC, and will initially partner with Bangladesh India and Myanmar. The objectives of the project are to Page | 150
develop coordinated pre‐breeding capability; distribute and characterise a core mungbean germplasm resource; screen for resistance to key biotic and abiotic stresses and support these activities with genomic technologies and an integrated plant breeding information system. Activities already completed are the mapping of powdery mildew resistance; identification and assaying of new sources of resistance to the stored grain pest bruchid and to halo blight, the main foliar pathogen of mungbean in Australia. [P145] Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Ipomoea pes‐caprae subsp. brasiliensis from the Northern Territory Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions W.C. Fernando¹*, N.P Nirmal¹, A Causak², M Currie², Y Sultanbawa¹ 1 CNFS, QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Ipomoea pes‐caprae subsp. brasiliencis, belongs to the family Convolyulacea, is a perennial prostrate shrub found along the coastal line of Australia and other parts of the world. Indigenous Australians use the leaves of this plant as a pain relief for ray fish and stone fish stings. Many studies from other countries show antiinflamatory and antimicrobial activity of different parts of this plant. As a preliminary investigation of this plant's medicinal value, in the present study crude ethanol extract of the leaves of the plant, collected from the Northern Territory coast line, was tested against two gram positive and two gram negative strains of bacteria and three fungal cultures, using agar disc diffusion method. The Bacillus cereus (ATTCC 10876), and Staphyloccocus aureus (ATCC 9144) showed significant inhibition zones with diameters of 23.93 ± 0.5 mm and 16.48 ± 0.0 mm, respectively. The total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity of the leaf extract were 27.54 ± 0.96 (mg GAE/g powder) and 24.88 ± 3.19 (% Inhibition/mg powder) respectively. Further investigations using different extraction solvents are in progress. [P146] Eureka™ Genotyping Solution – Customizable, affordable and scalable genotyping for agrigenomics Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Heather Koshinsky¹, Maria Shin¹, Vineet Joshi¹, Adam McCoy¹, John Curry¹, Thao Fisher¹* 1 Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA __________________________________________________________________________ The utility of high sample throughput of mid‐ to low‐ SNP‐plex genotyping has been tempered by both the expense and time requirements of existing technologies, particularly for large scale projects. Many fields in agriculture need an affordable high throughput method to provide customizable genotyping for interrogation of tens to thousands of SNPs per sample. Eureka™ genotyping solution utilizes next generation sequencing to enable genotyping of thousands of DNA samples for tens to thousands of loci. The Eureka genotyping assay is a ligation‐dependent PCR reaction, which uses interrogation site bar codes contained within the ligation probes, as well as sample index bar codes added during the amplification step. Next generation sequencing libraries can be created for thousands of DNA samples within 24 hours. Short cycle sequence data Page | 151
is generated from the prepared libraries and software is used to tabulate the number of reads that contain each combination of sample, locus and allele bar code (as appropriate). The genotype of each sample for each locus is inferred from statistical analysis of the tabulated reads. The Eureka genotyping assay has been used to interrogate simple and poly allelic SNPs, small to large INDELs, tetra‐ploids and for the detection of low percent contamination in a large background of non‐
target DNA . The Eureka genotyping solution is flexible, accurate, specific, affordable and robust. Custom Eureka genotyping panels that have been created to date include barley, corn, soy, cattle and sheep. [P147] The effect of soluble dietary fibre on the metabolite profile of pig intestinal tissue Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Bernadine Flanagan¹,²,³,⁴*, Barbara Williams¹,²,³,⁴, Michael Gidley¹,²,³,⁴ 1 ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant cell Walls 2 Centre for Nutrition and Food Science 3 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 4 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The intake of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) is known to confer positive health effects including; increased satiety, lowering of dietary cholesterol and reduced insulin response. These health effects may be attributed to the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) when the SDF is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine. Although it has been shown that there is an increase in SCFA levels in the large intestine of pigs feed an arabinoxylan‐rich diet, it is not known whether this increase is observed in the surrounding tissue. Tissues were obtained from a cohort of 40 pigs on 4 diets, low meat with and without arabinoxylan (LM, LMAX) and high meat with and without arabinoxylan (HM, HMAX). The large intestine was divided into four sections; caecum, proximal colon, mid colon and distal colon and the extracted SCFAs were analysed using NMR spectroscopy. The NMR analysis revealed that pigs fed diets containing arabinoxylan had increased levels of propionate and acetate in their large intestinal tissue compared with pigs on diets without arabinoxylan. Increases in these SCFAs were also observed for the corresponding digesta samples. [P148] How Australian wheat varieties have changed over the last decades: lessons to learn? Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrew Fletcher¹*, Karine Chenu¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Wheat productivity is commonly limited by a lack of water in rain‐fed farming systems. Although wheat breeders have historically bred for increased yield, grain quality and disease resistance, other traits are expected to have been indirectly selected for. A set of 15 elite wheat varieties with wide adoption and narrow phenological range was chosen to study breeding progress achieved in Australia between 1973 and 2012. Performed in irrigated pots at normal field density, this study revealed changes in transpiration efficiency, biomass partitioning and senescence rate in varieties released over the last four decades. While plant biomass did not change significantly across Page | 152
cultivars, differences in partitioning were observed, with modern cultivars having greater biomass allocation to the heads and stems, but reduced allocation to the leaves. Interestingly, a significant increase in whole‐plant transpiration efficiency was observed with the year of cultivar release, giving promising results for future wheat improvement. Given the range of genetic variability observed in transpiration efficiency across a wider range of lines and the relatively high heritability of this trait reported in the literature, we believe that additional progress can be made to improve wheat transpiration efficiency. Combining rapid phenotyping methods with speed breeding technologies could assist breeders to prepare for the future with the development of lines that produce more crop per drop. [P149] What's the right question? Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Geoffry Fordyce¹*, Michael McGowan¹, Dave Smith², Tim Moravek², Mellissa Holzwart² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Assessing the opportunity to improve the performance of an agricultural business can be a complex question. It is further complicated by farmers and advisers being focused on unit performance rather than units of production; the former may or may not have strong relationships with business success. Though there are agricultural sectors conducting business analyses in very effective but complex ways, for the majority in animal industries, three issues stand out: the wrong questions often asked; the lack of practical methods for business analyses; and, the lack of recognised achievable levels. Through a large recent project in which we monitored ~78,000 cows over 2‐4 years on >70 beef businesses across northern Australia, we have developed simplified methods to (i) conduct a business analysis to measure current net production, earnings before interest and tax, and unit performance and assess against what is achievable in the specific situation, (ii) using objective outputs from the business analysis, conduct economic analyses to assess the relative merits of alternate management options. This approach provides beef business with a sound framework to answer the right questions in the right order. This principle can be applied across similar industries in a range of situations, eg, smallholders in SE Asia. [P150] Cophylogenetic relationships between gall forming rust fungi (Uromycladium) on Acacia species and allied host genera Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrew Geering¹*, Chanintorn Doungsa‐ard¹, Alistair McTaggart², Roger Shivas³ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Gauteng, South Africa 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Foreign invaders such as lantana are rightfully infamous in Australia but it would come as a surprise to many that some of the worst woody weeds overseas originate from Australia. For Page | 153
example, A. saligna from Western Australia has caused ecosystem change in the South African fynbos. In an endeavour to control this weed, the gall‐rust fungus, Uromycladium tepperianum, has been introduced to South Africa as a biological control agent. However, a concern of weed biocontrol is that the pathogen or pest will jump from the target to a non‐target plant species. To explore this hypothesis, we have investigated the co‐evolution of gall‐forming Uromycladium on Acacia and the allied genera, Falcataria and Paraserianthes. DNA sequence data from the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of Uromycladium, and that from the chloroplast genome to reconstruct the phylogeny of the host plants. Our results indicate that co‐speciation is common throughout the evolutionary history of the fungus, although there are examples of major host jumps, the largest concerning the ancestor of Uromycladium falcatarium, which switched between hosts in two different tribes of the subfamily Mimosoideae. These results may have major implications for the use of Uromycladium species as biological control agents. Genetic variation among Uromycladium isolates was also detected between subspecies of Acacia, indicating population genetic studies are needed to ensure the correct strain of Uromycladium is chosen for the genotype of the host in question. [P151] Correlation and heritability of traits related to photosynthesis and growth in the model cereal sorghum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Barbara George‐Jaeggli¹*, Marie Bouteille‐Pallas¹, Colleen Hunt¹, Andrew Borrell¹, David Jordan¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Increases in crop yield have so far mainly been achieved by selectively improving harvest index and plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses and intensified agronomic practices, such as increased fertiliser and water inputs. While many crops have approached a biological limit to harvest index, further yield improvements from greater inputs are also less likely in future due to resource constraints. Crops will need to use available resources such as light and water more efficiently. Increased photosynthetic efficiency generally leads to greater resource use efficiency, but artificial selection is difficult. We used the model cereal sorghum to identify traits associated with photosynthetic capacity that can be measured in the field with a high throughput and show enough genetic variation and heritability to allow for selection. Here we present genetic correlations between traits such as leaf fluorescence, leaf greenness (SPAD), specific leaf weight, leaf appearance rate, leaf area, carbon dioxide assimilation and plant growth. We measured various traits in large field experiments from diverse germplasm lines to breeding populations and found heritabilities ranging from 20 to 40% for traits such as SPAD, steady state fluorescence (Ft) and maximum quantum yield in the dark (Fv/Fm). [P152] Adapting rain‐fed sorghum agronomy to breeding progress: Cropping system model parameterisation Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Barbara George‐Jaeggli¹*, Jason Brider¹, Ian Broad¹, Karine Chenu², Joseph Eyre², Ariel Ferrante², Greg McLean¹, James McLean², Andrew Skerman¹, Daniel Rodriguez² Page | 154
1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Over the last decades, there has been considerable investment from the private and public sector in genetic improvement of sorghum hybrids, but the high yield potential of these new genotypes is not always achieved in farmers fields. Matching these new genotypes to seasonally optimised crop management has the potential to increase productivity. To provide long‐term consistent information, the crop model system APSIM (www.apsim.info) will be used to develop productivity‐
investment‐risk profiles for promising combinations of genotype and crop management practices for sorghum across the Queensland cropping zones. A clear synthesis of benefits and trade‐offs between productivity, investment and risks will be developed to support farmers decisions on closing the yield gap. Here we present data on the plant growth and development characteristics of one previous and eleven new sorghum hybrids in specially‐designed experiments with five different planting times. This information will be used to develop generic ‘hybrid types’ for APSIM simulations based on stay‐green, maturity and tillering habit. Results presented will include i) range of thermal time targets to flowering/maturity among cultivars, ii) differences in canopy development between hybrids and planting times and iii) data to show whether the generic hybrid types adequately simulate field observations. [P153] An analysis of ShSUT1 in transgenic sugarcane plants; Changes to Allele expression profiles as a result of RNAi Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Donna Glassop¹*, Anne Rae¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ One of the key aims of sugarcane researchers is to increase the amount of sucrose stored within the plant. Consequently the role of sucrose transporters has been investigated to determine their role in sucrose accumulation and to test whether they can be manipulated to increase sucrose concentrations. Expression of Saccharum hybrid sucrose transporter 1 (ShSUT1) in the mature leaves and internodes 5‐6 it was purported that it may be involved in sucrose transition from tissue that exports sucrose, mature leaves, to storage tissue within the internodes. In‐situ hybridisation and antibody immunolabelling results localised ShSUT1 expression in mature leaves to the vascular parenchyma and inner bundle sheath; and within internode 5 to sclerenchymatous cells that surround vascular bundles (Rae, Perroux et al. 2005). These results further suggested roles for ShSUT1 in efflux of sucrose from the symplasm to the apoplasm and the supply of sugars to cells that are undergoing rapid wall thickening. To confirm the role of ShSUT1, RNAi technology was employed to produce transgenic sugarcane with reduced expression of ShSUT1. Transgenic plants were produced with reduced expression ranging from 2‐10 fold less than control plants. These plants were assessed, with no single phenotype consistent between transgenic lines. ShSUT1 allele expression profiles in the transgenic plants were investigated to determine whether differential suppression of alleles could explain the observed phenotypes. MiSeq analysis of the ShSUT1 alleles within the transgenic lines and controls show a variation in allele expression; which may explain the range of phenotypes. Page | 155
[P154] Biopesticides for house fly control: Development of commercial fungal formulations Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Rosamond Godwin¹*, Diana Leemon², Steven Rice², Peter James¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Agri‐Science Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The House fly (Musca domestica) is a cosmopolitan and ubiquitous pest of intensive animal production facilities such as cattle feedlots. Uncontrolled fly populations are of concern to agriculture and public health through their nuisance value and the fact that they act as vectors for a wide variety of pathogens. The challenge to control house flies is great as they have developed resistance to almost every class of insecticide used against them. Non‐chemical control methods are preferred to reduce occupational exposure of workers to chemicals and because of public concerns over the build‐up of chemical residues in our food and the environment. Previous studies conducted by Agri‐Science Queensland attained proof of concept that fungal biopesticides based on the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae have potential as house fly control agents in cattle feedlots. The goal of our current project is to develop formulations that are commercially acceptable. Successful formulations must be economical, practical and effective for use in the field. Extensive laboratory work has allowed us to identify promising isolates, optimise production systems and develop an oil‐based spray formulation for ultra‐low volume field applications. Initial testing in laboratory assays, semi‐controlled field cage experiments and in preliminary field applications at commercial feedlots, indicates that the current low volume formulation maintains fungal pathogenicity with enhanced infection levels and increased fly mortality through direct and indirect uptake. Monitoring across a number of feedlots will provide data on temporal and spatial variation in fly populations to develop a regime for the efficacious application of the formulations. [P155] Microscopic analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) infections by Ganoderma boninense Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Emmanuel Gorea¹*, Carmel Pilotti², Ian Godwin¹, Agnieszka Mudge¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 PNG OPRA, Milne Bay Province, PNG _________________________________________________________________________ Oil palm is economically the most important crop in both Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands (SI) and in some places it is the only source of income other than garden produce. The economic viability of oil palm cultivation is threatened by susceptibility to basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma. Although BSR has been known for 100 years, control measures have been unsuccessful in managing the disease due to gaps in our knowledge of the oil palm ‐ Ganoderma interaction. The use of histological studies will help to elucidate key routes of infection and host responses. To facilitate preparation of samples for microscopy, palm seedlings will be infected with various Ganoderma preparations. A contained laboratory based assay has been developed for in‐containment pathological test. Young seedlings are grown in sterile soil and various inoculation methods are trialled in order to establish fastest infection. Microscopy will be done using light, confocal and electron techniques. An understanding of the oil palm‐Ganoderma Page | 156
interaction is essential for developing strategies to control BSR infections, which are on the increase. [P156] A pork‐rich breakfast elicits sensory specific satiety measured by fMRI and decreases appetite for savoury, salty and fatty foods Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Pengfei Han¹*, Marcus Gray², David Reutens³, Eugeni Roura³ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia 2 Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 3 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sensory specific satiety (SSS) has been defined as the relative decrease in pleasantness for eaten food and is indicated by decreased activation in brain reward regions. We examined the neural underpinnings of pork SSS during visual cue or during visual and congruent olfactory cues via functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Eighteen participants (11 female) were scanned twice (both before and one hour after a pork‐based breakfast) while images of pork and three other food categories (cake, fruits and vegetable) were displayed, The post‐breakfast scan additionally presented combined images and odours to probe SSS. A randomised repeated measures design was employed, additionally testing the influence of a pork‐flavored or a placebo pre‐breakfast chewing gum treatment on SSS, separated by 1 week washout. Liking ratings for food cues were collected during scanning. Behavioural results showed established SSS after breakfast under flavored chewing gum treatment in response to visual cues (p < 0.05). SSS score was reinforced by the addition of the congruent odor cues (p = 0.01). fMRI results showed activation in brain reward regions reflecting the pork SSS effect. Under the combined visual and olfactory stimuli, subjective SSS scores were correlated to brain response in bilateral mOFC (left mOFC, r = 0.541, p = 0.001; right mOFC, r = 0.428, p = 0.009). In addition, subjective specific appetites for savory, salty and fatty foods were decreased while no change was observed for the appetite for sweet food. We conclude that pork SSS was detectable under both visual and combined visual and olfactory cues paradigm at behavioural and neural level and affect subsequent specific appetite for foods [P157] Back‐yard macadamias in Brisbane as a reservoir of genetic diversity for future breeding Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Craig Hardner¹*, Jacqueline Batley², Catherine Nock³, Ainnatul Adawiyah Ahmad Termizi¹, Cameron Peace⁴, Satomi Hayashi¹, Juan Montenegro¹, David Edwards² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Western Australia, WA, Australia 3 Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia 4 Washington state university, WA, USA __________________________________________________________________________ Macadamia F. Muell is an iconic Australian plant genus: several species produce highly valued edible kernels, it the only member of the Australian flora that has been developed as an Page | 157
international food crop, and it is one of the few rain‐forest remnants of the ancient gondwanic family Proteaceae. As the genus is endemic to the lowland sub‐tropical rain‐forests of South east Queensland and Northern NSW, Australian has a responsibility for the conservation of this genus. However, macadamia was developed as a commercial crop in Hawaii and it is estimated that 70% of the current world production is from cultivars developed in Hawaii from M. integrifolia Maiden & Betche. Recently, chloroplast sequencing of 50 M. integrifolia individuals from 31 remnant natural populations revealed 346 SNPs with 42% located within coding regions. SNP variation was significantly related to geographic distribution. SNP profiles of nine Hawaiian cultivars also included in the survey were invariant and identical to a sample from Mooloo, south‐west of Gympie. SNP genotypes of the first domesticated macadamia, planted in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens in 1858, and of a backyard tree in Yeronga, did not closely match any of the wild populations. These results suggest the genetic base of the current cultivars used in commercial production is narrow, some of the genetic variation in the wild has been lost, and trees growing in the backyard of Queensland homes may provide a novel source of genetic variation for ongoing genetic improvement. [P158] Using a genomic relationship matrix to examine patterns in genotype‐by‐environment interaction in perennial horticultural tree crops Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Craig Hardner¹*, Satish Kumar², Marco CAM Bink³, Zhuwi Zhang⁴, Cameron Peace⁴ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, NZ 3 Wageningen university and Research Centre, NL 4 Washington State University, WA, USA __________________________________________________________________________ Horticultural tree crops are a valuable and significant agricultural industry and genetic improvement has been contributed to the profitability of these crops. However, breeding is a costly exercise due to long juvenile phase and high cost of individual experimental units, and most breeding programs for these crops are small and isolated. Local industries may also be attracted to exotic germplasm, however, there is limited quantitative information on GxE patterns that can be used to target specific germplasm for introduction. Here we present an approach that uses high density SNP markers to estimate relatedness among individuals within and among breeding programs so that phenotypic data can be combined into a single meta‐analysis to predict performance of genetic material across a range of environments. These results can be used to improve the accuracy of selecting exotic germplasm adapted to particular production environments, and support the marketing of indigenous germplasm in new production environments. The approach is demonstrated using data assembled from apple breeding programs in the US and Europe, and opportunities to expand the analysis to include Australia are discussed. [P159] Microrna regulation of avocado adventitious rooting for clonal rootstock propagation Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Madeleine Gleeson¹, Neena Mittter¹, Alice Hayward¹*, Bernard Carroll², Christine Beveridge² Page | 158
1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Persea americana, common name avocado, contributes $540 million at retail to the Australian economy. Additionally, nearly 80% of the rapidly growing avocado industry is based in Queensland. Avocado is a woody tree species that is commercially grafted for obtainment of both desirable fruiting and rootstock resilience qualities. Clonal propagation of rootstocks has been reported by industry to yield three times higher than sexually reproduced however, the difficulty of adventitious root generation from avocado stem cuttings makes propagation a significant challenge. The Frolich and Platt protocol is the standard practice for rootstock propagation and whilst industry reports an un‐interrupted etiolation step is crucial for rooting phenotypes, it is not yet understood why this is so. To address this issue, we looked at miR160, a proven adventitious rooting promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana and miR167, a rooting inhibitor, expression in avocado scions grafted for root clonal propagation. Previous work has determined that etiolation supports a spatiotemporal accumulation of miR160 in basal tissue compared to apical, a trend that was not identified in non‐etiolated equivalent scions. As this initial experiment only sampled tissue at the completion of the etiolation step, a time course assay sampling throughout the etiolation and de‐
etiolation steps has been performed to determine when key molecular changes are occurring, the results for which will be discussed. Understanding the molecular regulation of adventitious rooting in avocado will allow informed and calculated decisions for improving clonal rootstock propagation and may lead to the enhanced rooting efficiency for farmers in the future. [P160] High‐throughput assessment of eucalypt biomass for next‐generation biofuel production Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Adam Healey¹*, Jason Lupoi², David Lee³,⁴, Robert Sykes⁵,⁶, Steve Decker⁵, Seema Singh⁷,⁸, Blake Simmons⁷,⁸, Robert Henry¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Sage Analytics, CO, USA 3 University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 5 BioEnergy Science Center, TN, USA 6 National Bioenergy Center, CO, USA 7 Joint BioEnergy Institute, CA, USA 8 Biological and Materials Science Center, CA, USA __________________________________________________________________________ Australia, being heavily dependent on foreign oil for fuel production, must find a renewable, domestic option that does not further contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels are a viable option to alleviate these concerns; however, energy derived from edible feedstocks creates competition between food and fuel resources, both for the feedstock itself and the land on which it is grown. The ideal biofuel crop should be grown domestically and not interfere with agriculture. Eucalypts, a global forestry resource, are an excellent candidate for biofuel production because of their fast growth rate and adaptation to dry conditions and low‐quality soils. Eucalypt cell walls are principally composed of structural polysaccharides, a rich source of carbon for fermentation into fuel. Access to these sugars however, is limited by the complexity of the cell wall and the Page | 159
presence of lignin, a phenolic polymer that resists degradation. As such, wood biomass is pre‐
treated to expose polysaccharides for saccharification into their monosaccharide subunits. To discover which eucalypt species are naturally less resistant to pretreatment and saccharification, and to determine the effects of lignin on sugar release, we exposed 18 tree species (representing Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Acacia) to enzymatic saccharification, with and without pretreatment. Our study shows significant differences among species, as well as the role of lignin composition during sugar release. High‐throughput assessment of eucalypt biomass for biofuel production will help promote the selection and breeding of renewable biofuel crops in Australia, and help mitigate the challenges future generations will face regarding food and energy resources. [P161] Plant genetic resources from Queensland for agriculture and food production in the tropics and sub‐tropics Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Robert Henry¹* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Agriculture in Queensland is conducted in tropical and sub‐tropical environments with many crop genotypes especially selected for their adaptation to these environments. Wild crop relatives from Queensland provide a source of specifically adapted genetic resources. Genome analysis is being used to identify the genetic basis of crop performance in these environments. Prime Hard Wheat is a premium wheat and noodle wheat of the northern grain region. Analysis of the transcriptome of developing wheat grains has identified a novel gene expressed in these wheat varieties that may explain their superior bread quality. Application of this discovery may accelerate the development of high yielding premium wheat for production in Queensland and similar environments globally. Wild rice populations in far north Queensland has been found to include genetically diverse taxa that include major new sources of genetic diversity for rice breeding. Genome sequencing aims to define the potential contribution of Queensland germplasm to increasing stress tolerance, resistance to pests and diseases and the functional and nutritional qualities of rice and will be a critical tool in developing a rice industry in Northern Australia. Other local domesticated and wild plant targets for genome analysis include sugarcane, macadamia, mango, peanut, coffee and Eucalypts. [P162] Combining breeding technologies to accelerate genetic gain and adapt winter cereal crops to future environments Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Lee Hickey¹*, Jessica Rutkoski², Amy Watson¹, Cecile Richard¹, Hannah Robinson¹, Karine Chenu¹, Jack Christopher¹, David Jordan¹, Graeme Hammer¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Cornell University, NY, USA __________________________________________________________________________ The Green Revolution resulted in dramatic gains in winter cereal crop productivity over the last 60 years, however genetic gain for yield is beginning to plateau. The current annual rate of progress Page | 160
for farm yield under water‐limited conditions is about 1%. In the face of a rapidly changing environment and a growing human population, greater improvements in crop breeding are required to enhance performance of wheat and barley, in particular where rainfall is limited. Clearly, new approaches are needed to accelerate genetic gain. Over the past 10 years, numerous breeding technologies have been developed, such as genomic selection, high‐throughput phenotyping platforms, crop modeling tools and ‘speed breeding’ a new technology for rapid generation advance that enables up to 6 plant generations annually. When applied in isolation, such technologies are expected to assist the development of improved cultivars; however, effectively combining these technologies could provide the next major boost in genetic gain and give rise to cultivars with dramatic yield advantages. For instance, 30‐50% improvements in genetic gain are anticipated by application of speed breeding alone by halving the time required for development of inbred lines. An integrated approach encompassing all four breeding technologies could double the rate of genetic gain. Such an approach targeting yield under drought and heat stress, will enable rapid development of cultivars with better performance despite climate change and expand production of winter cereals in tropical and sub‐tropical regions particularly in Australia, but also around the world. [P163] Synergistic effect of Gibberellin and Cytokinin for a rapid nodal multiplication system of Avacado Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jayeni Hiti Bandaralage¹*, Alice Hayward¹, Neena Mitter¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Conventional avocado rootstock propagation relies on a 40 year old method that does not facilitate adequate supply of clonal rootstocks for the rapidly developing needs of the industry. An alternative tissue‐culture based clonal propagation system could provide efficient, cost effective, high volume and sterile production of clonal rootstocks. Avocado, being a woody plant species, is not highly amenable to tissue culture, with most attempts confined to nodal culture methods. Thus far, nodal cultures of avocado show very slow growth and produce stunted shoots, limiting rapid multiplication of shoots. The current study aimed at developing a system to multiply nodal avocado shoots using gibberellins and cytokinins to produce taller shoots with a higher number of nodes for continuous culturing. Cytokinins, the most important plant growth regulator in shoot regeneration, and Gibberellins, which promote internode elongation, can synergistically improve the quality of shoots for rapid nodal multiplication. The effect of different combinations of the natural aromatic cytokinin, metatopolin, and the active gibberellin, GA3, on bud breaking time, shoot height, number of open leaves, overall shoot quality, vitrification and callus production in continuous culture of avocado nodes was assessed. The results reveal optimal hormone combinations for improved nodal multiplication for the avocado tissue culture pipeline. [P164] Sugarcane genome analysis for biofuel traits Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nam Hoang¹*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Frikkie Botha¹,², Robert Henry¹ Page | 161
1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Sugar Research Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is among the most important industrial crops in tropical and subtropical regions. More recently, sugarcane has been selected as one of major feedstocks for biofuel production due to its rapid growth, high fiber content and a favorable energy input/output ratio. The composition of sugarcane biomass for efficient conversion to biofuel can be optimized by understanding the genetics of its key traits. However, the development of a dissecting method for these traits is hindered by the genomic complexity, high level of polyploid of the genome and the limited availability of a reference genome. We have focused on developing an understanding of variation in biomass composition of sugarcane and the options for genetic improvement for bioenergy uses. There is a range of available biomass analysis methods which allow a rapid screening for feedstock assessment. Also, advancement in whole genome and whole transcriptome sequencing technology is being used to determine the genetic basis of critical differences in biomass composition and establish targets for genetic improvement of sugarcane for biofuel production. The aim of this project is to carry out a genome‐wide association study by using these analytical and genomic approaches to identify the links between genotype (genes/markers) and biofuel key traits in sugarcane. This will suggest the targets for genetic improvement of sugarcane biomass composition. [P165] Endemic Oryza species in Australia as breeding resources to improve grain size Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ryuji Ishikawa¹*, Noriko Tamura¹, R Henry², Katsuyuki Ichitani³ 1 Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagosihma, Japan __________________________________________________________________________ Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the major crops feeding Tropical and sub‐tropical areas. Recent climate change has resulted in heat stress and frequent heavy damage to rice cultivations including unexpected diseases and insects which have not previously been experienced in many places.. Landraces and wild resources may have great potential to improve modern varieties. We have previously reported two endemic Oryza species in Australia in addition to the Asian species belonging to the AA genome (Henry et al. 2010). One of them is referred as O. meridionalis, and another has not been officially termed but is referred to as Jpn2. Jpn2 shares perenniality with Asian O. rufipogon in Australia, compared to the annual endemic species, O. meridionalis. Nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes showed that Jpn2 has higher similarity to O. meridionalis, but significant morphological difference (Waters et al. 2012, Sotowa et al. 2013, Bronzynska et al. 2014). As Jpn2 showed significant sterility against other species, we presume that Jpn2 type species is a new species belonging to Oryza. The most significant morphological appearance of Jpn2 is a larger spikelet size than any other Australian Oryza species including O. meridionalis. Curiously anther size in Jpn2 is short as in O. meridionalis. Both morphological characteristics are valuable traits for modern varieties to improve grain traits and inhibit outcrossing. These traits have been substituted into the genetic background of the cultivar, Taichung 65. Segregation of these traits in the progeny inferred simple Mendelian control of both traits. We will establish a cultivated line Page | 162
carrying these novel traits and clone the genes to help understand the evolutionary process in the endemic species in the Australian continent. REFERENCES Henry RJ, Rice N, Waters DLE, Kasem S, Ishikawa R, Hao Y, Dillon S, Crayn D, Wing R, Vaughan D (2010) Oryza: Utility and Conservation. Rice 3:235‐241. Brozynska M., E. Syafika, OA. Furtado, D. Crayn, B. Simon, R. Ishikawa, RJ. Henry (2014) Chloroplast Genome of Novel Rice Germplasm Identified in Northern Australia. Tropical Plant Biol. (2014) 7:111‐120. Sotowa, M., K. Ootsuka, Y. Kobayashi, Y. Hao, K. Tanaka, K. Ichitani, JM. Flowers, M D .Purugganan, I. Nakamura, Y‐I. Sato, T. Sato, D. Crayn, B. Simon, D. LE. Waters, R. J. Henry and R. Ishikawa (2013)?Molecular relationships between Australian annual wild rice, Oryza meridionalis, and two related perennial forms. Rice 2013, 6:26 doi:10.1186/1939‐8433‐6 Waters, D. L. E., CJ. Nock, R. Ishikawa, N. Rice, and RJ. Henry (2012) Chloroplast genome sequence confirms distinctness of Australian and Asian wild rice. Ecology and Evolution 2:211‐217 [P166] Improving adaptation and profitability of legumes in the tropics Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrew James¹* 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship __________________________________________________________________________ The integration of legumes into existing or new cropping systems in the tropics is constrained by many challenges. This paper summarises work to overcome or reduce constraints to crop growth imposed by daylenth and temperature responses, inadequate grain yields, weed and insect pests, grain quality and distance to markets. The tropical Australian and Asian experience with soybean cropping is used as an example and the challenges contrasted with the great successes of Brazilian soybean cropping in the tropics. [P167] Buffalo flies: a significant tropical cattle pest with expanding range in Australia and an impending threat to southern beef and dairy production Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Peter James¹*, Robert Dobson², Jim Rothwell¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Murdoch University, WA, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Buffalo flies: a significant tropical cattle pest with expanding range in Australia and an impending threat to southern beef and dairy production. Buffalo flies (Haematobia exigua) have significant economic impacts on tropical and subtropical beef and dairy production in Australia. Both buffalo flies (BF) and closely related horn flies (Haematobia irritans) (HF) have proven to be extremely invasive species. HF entered the US from Europe 1886 and spread north to Canada and south into Venezuela by 1977. HF was first found in Brazil in 1990 and has since dispersed to most cattle production areas in South America, causing an estimated $US3.6b loss to the Brazilian beef Page | 163
industry alone BF entered mainland Australia near Darwin in 1838, spread to the east cost of Queensland by 1928 and reached a southerly limit between Bundaberg and Gympie by 1946. Further southward spread did not occur until 1974. However, since this time southerly extension of the range of BF in Australia has continued with BF now reported as far south as Maitland in NSW. Biological and management factors contributing to the spread of BF in Australia will be discussed. The results of CLIMEX modelling suggesting an expanding range with climate change and the possible establishment of persisting BF populations as far south as South Australia and south western Western Australia by 2030 will be presented. [P168] Chemical prevention and treatment of Old World screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana) infestations for exotic incursions in Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Peter James¹*, April Wardhana², Geoff Brown³, Rudolf Urech¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Indonesian Centre for Veterinary Science, Bogor, Indonesia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Chemical prevention and treatment of Old World screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana) infestations for exotic incursions in Australia. The Old World screw‐worm, Chrysomya bezziana (OWS) is one of the most serious exotic pests threatening Australia's livestock industries. Screwworm flies infest skin lesions on most warm blooded mammals, the larvae burrowing deeply into subcutaneous tissues and causing severe trauma to animals, production loss and potentially death. Incursion and establishment of OWS in Australia's extensive livestock industries, particularly the northern beef industry where frequent monitoring of animals is difficult, would have major economic and welfare impacts. Australia's Screw‐worm Fly Disease Strategy indicates a plan consisting of containment with chemical treatments and eradication using sterile insect release in the event of an incursion. However, there is currently no operational OWS sterile insect production facility anywhere in the world and most chemicals previously shown to be effective against OWS are no longer registered for animal use in Australia. This study tested the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of Australian‐registered chemical formulations against OWS. A capsule formulation of ivermectin and spray‐on formulation of dicyclanil gave complete protection against the establishment of new strikes for at least 12 weeks, significantly longer than previously available formulations. Topical ivermectin, spinosad and chlorfenvinphos/cypermethrin combination were 100% effective in curing OWS strikes. Action is urgently needed to enable the rapid deployment of these formulations for use on cattle in the event of an OWS incursion, particularly in light of the significant delay before a sterile insect eradication program could be instituted. [P169] Tea tree oil formulations for cattle tick (Rhipicephalus australis) control Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jason Yim¹, Bhesh Bhandari¹, Louise Jackson², Peter James¹* Page | 164
1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Biosecurity Queensland, Qld, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Tea tree oil formulations for cattle tick (Rhipicephalus australis) control Cattle ticks, Rhipicephalus australis, are one‐host ticks responsible for major economic loss in tropical and subtropical cattle enterprises. Control is based principally on chemical acaricides but resistance has developed to most registered chemical groups. Tea tree oil (TTO) from the terpinen‐4‐ol chemotype of Australian native plant Melaleuca alternifolia is produced commercially in Australia and has the significant advantage of consistency of composition, as defined in international standard ISO4730. TTO has toxic and repellent effects against a range of insects and arachnids and offers a possible ‘natural' control for cattle ticks. Fumigant action of TTO emulsion was tested in sealed vials with treated cattle hair spatially separated from cattle tick larvae. Concentrations of 3% TTO and above gave greater than 95% mortality after 24 hours. Concentrations of 4% TTO and above completely repelled ascending tick larvae for 24 hours but the repellent effect was markedly reduced at 48 hours. Two β‐cyclodextrin microencapsulated formulations of TTO, a crystalline and an amorphous form, were developed to extend the period of repellency. The amorphous formulation provided more than 80% repellency up to 7 days after application and 49% repellency at 15 days. The crystalline formulation gave a lower release rate of TTO and lower repellency than the amorphous formulation but release extended longer. Our results suggest that TTO formulations may be able to prevent initial attachment of cattle tick larvae through toxic and repellent effects. Appropriately designed microencapsulated formulations can extend the period of repellency, but further studies are needed to develop optimal formulations. [P170] Improving reproductive perfromance using genomic selection in tropical beef breeds Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions David J. Johnston¹*, Tim P. Grant², Tim J Schatz³, Brian M Burns⁴, Russell E Lyons⁵ 1 Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, University of New England, NSW, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 NT Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, NT, Australia 4 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 5 Animal Genetics Laboratory, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Reproduction is a key profit driver in beef cattle systems around the world. However, genetic improvement in female reproduction traits has generally been very slow compared to progress achieved in other livestock species, and in growth and carcase traits in beef cattle. Application of ultrasound technology to accurately measure female reproduction traits, coupled with whole genome scans using high density bovine SNP chips, is creating opportunities to improve reproduction by genomic selection. A large breeding project is underway in northern Australia that will be pivotal in the development of new age genetic evaluation procedures, and enable genomic selection for female reproduction in three major tropical beef breeds. Large numbers of females will be ovarian ultrasound scanned to determine age at puberty and first‐rebreed lactation anoestrous interval, along with calf output traits. All females and sires will be genotyped, allowing the construction of genomic relationship matrices which will be used in combination with the improved reproduction phenotypes in the new genomic evaluations. The result will be increased accuracy of female reproduction estimated breeding values (EBVs), particularly for Page | 165
young bulls, and for a wider cross‐section of breeding animals in these tropical breeds. The benefits of this research will be further enhanced through strategic links to industry seedstock herds. Higher accuracy EBVs will enable better breeding decisions by commercial cattle producers, and importantly, the potential to achieve significantly faster rates of genetic progress in the seedstock sector, with the net result of lifting the future reproductive performance of the northern Australia beef herd. [P171] An integrated approach to sorghum crop improvement in a variable water limited environment Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions David Jordan¹*, Emma Mace¹,², Andrew Borrell¹, Alan Cruickshank², Scott Chapman¹,³, Erik van Oosterom¹, Andries Potgieter¹, Graeme Hammer¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Improving sorghum production in water limited environments in the face of significant climate variability presents major challenges to plant breeders, crop physiologists, and agronomists. In Australia, grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is grown almost exclusively as a rainfed crop in a region that is characterised by highly variable rainfall patterns and soil types, leading to a high incidence of post‐flowering drought. Despite these challenges, productivity gains adjusted for climatic variation have been high over the last two decades, averaging 3.9% per annum. These gains have been generated through a combination of changes in genetics and agronomic practices. While commercial plant breeders have made a major contribution to the genetic component of this improvement, their work has been complemented by the pre‐breeding program led by the Queensland Government and the University of Queensland, with all commercial hybrids grown in Australia having genetics from this program. In recent years, technological developments such as high throughput genotyping and phenotyping, genome resequencing, and crop modelling have provided exciting opportunities for future productivity gains. In this paper we provide a description of our current approaches to sorghum productivity improvement that make use of an integrated combination of new technologies. [P172] Protocols for transgenic event generation in sugarcane Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Priya Joyce¹*, Anthony O'Connell¹, Yue Sun¹, Gerard Scalia¹, Annelie Marquardt¹, Namie Patterson¹, Clair Bolton¹, Lihan Zhao¹, Frikkie Botha¹, Prakash Lakshmanan¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Future genetic improvement of sugarcane depends on the ability to produce varieties with new or improved traits. A transgenic approach offers a solution to introduce a specific trait into an otherwise elite variety. In order for this to be successful, the selected variety must be amenable to both the tissue culture and transformation technologies. However, the production of transgenic Page | 166
sugarcane for commercial purposes is still variety‐dependant, despite an array of technologies for sugarcane transformation existing in the literature. This paper describes protocols developed in our laboratory to generate and further characterise transgenic events in several elite sugarcane varieties using vectors carrying multiple genes in tandem. We have optimised methods to produce low copy events using biolistics. A number of variables, including the type of vector, target tissue, shooting conditions as well as post‐shooting selection regime have been assessed. Molecular tools have been developed and implemented for the identification of low copy events using high throughput quantitative PCR. Methods for the simultaneous quantitation of multiple transgene expression and characterisation of transgene insertion site and intactness have also been established for routine use. These technological advancements will be discussed in the context of developing transgenic sugarcane for commercial use. [P173] Development of a yeast surface display library cell line to examine tick:host interactions Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Thomas Karbanowicz*, Ala Lew‐Tabor, Manuel Rodriguez‐Valle 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Ixodes holocyclus, the Australian paralysis tick, is of veterinary and agricultural importance due to its ability to transmit infectious pathogens and the production of a potent neurotoxin, Holocyclotoxin‐1 (HT‐1). I. holocyclus is limited to Australia and has a three host life cycle. Its primary hosts are native bandicoot species with secondary hosts including companion animals and livestock, which often succumb to paralysis symptoms. Current strategies for treatment of companion animals involve either the avoidance of attachment by acaricides or the use of hyper‐
immune dog serum post infection. Cell surface display libraries (CSDLs) are a powerful tool for screening peptides, expressed single‐chain variables or fragment antigens exposed upon the cell surface of Escherichia coli or yeast. Current technologies rely upon phage display libraries however significant limitations in affinity maturation and unpredictable expression bias are difficult to overcome. Eukaryotic display libraries utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae possess protein folding and secretory machines homologous to mammalian cells. In this research, a novel S. cerevisiae cell line, IMTV014, was developed to extracellularly display HT‐1. FACS and fluorescence was used to detect the expression of HT‐1 using Mouse HT1‐specific antibodies. Not only are the IMTV014/EBY100 cell lines useful for CSDL, they can also be used to screen the proteins secreted by salivary glands of I. holocyclus during host‐parasite interaction to identify proteins essential in this interaction, and highlight potential vaccine candidates and other molecules involved. This is the first display library report established using a tick parasite species [P174] Reverse genetic analysis of disease resistance in polyploid crops Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Kemal Kazan¹*, Tim Fitzgerald¹, Jonathan Powell¹, Jiri Stiller¹, Zhongyi Li², John Manners² Page | 167
1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Reverse genetic techniques provide substantial insight into gene function in crop plants. However, application of these techniques to the analysis of gene function in polyploids can be technically challenging due to complexities associated with high levels of sequence and functional similarity among homoeologous loci (i.e. loci present in different genomes). For reverse genetic analyses of disease resistance in polyploidy crops, we focussed on the interaction between wheat and the fungal pathogen Fusarium which causes crown rot and head blight disease in many regions of the world. The objective was to improve Fusarium resistance in wheat by deleting candidate disease susceptibility genes. Towards this aim, we first developed a high‐throughput method to identify deletions of homoeologous loci using a heavy ion mutagenized wheat population. We identified multiple homoeologous deletions of three candidate disease susceptibility genes. However, complete knockout lines harbouring homozygous deletions at A, B and D homoeoloci could not be obtained for any of the candidate genes. We therefore investigated if deletion size induced by the mutagen was a possible reason for this phenomenon. Using an amplicon‐sequencing approach, we found that genomic deletions removing the target loci were relatively large, resulting in the loss of multiple genes. Overall our results suggest that while reverse genetic analyses are powerful tools for gene function analyses, additional considerations should be given for exploitation of these techniques in polyploidy crops. The implications of this work to reverse genetic analyses in many polyploid tropical plants will be discussed. This work is partially funded by GRDC. [P175] Understanding the genome of Australian Brahman beef cattle Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Stephen Moore¹, Matthew Kelly¹*, Jack Allen², Brian Burns¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Agricultural Business Research Unit __________________________________________________________________________ Two subspecies of cattle are used in modern agriculture. Both were domesticated from wild auroch around 5,000 years ago. The wild ancestors themselves splitting 330,000 years ago. Bos taurus cattle were domesticated in the fertile crescent (modern day Iraq) and through migration of the domestic animals found their way into Europe, Africa and Asia, including Korea and Japan. Bos indicus cattle were domesticated in the Indus Valley in South Asia from a more tropically adapted wild ancestor and have recently formed the basis of commercial cattle populations in tropical regions of Australia, the USA, South America and Asia. The very traits evolved in the wild ancestors of indicine animals and that allow them to survive in harsh tropical environments are, in many cases, detrimental to productivity in modern commercial cattle enterprises. Bos indicus cattle have lower fertility and slower growth, both attributable to adaptation to a harsh tropical environment. A DNA resource of approximately 200 of the most influential sires in the Brahman breed, born between 1909 through to 2007, has been compiled and the most influential of these sequenced. An analysis of the traditional pedigree revealed that the five sires sequenced represent approximately 2.5% of the genetic diversity of the current generation of animals. A strategy using traditional pedigree information and lower cost genotyping will be used to select the next most important founding animals to be sequenced. This information will allow more Page | 168
informed selection decisions on economically important traits such as fertility, growth and carcass traits. [P176] Degradation of the phytoalexin benzoxazolinones is important for virulence in Fusarium pathogens infecting wheat Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrew Kettle¹,²*, Jacqueline Batley²,³, Jason Carere¹, John Manners⁴, Kemal Kazan¹, Donald Gardiner¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 University of Western Australia, School of Plant Biology, Western Australia, Australia 4 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Black Mountain, Canberra, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Fusarium‐incited diseases of cereal crops, which include Fusarium head blight, Fusarium crown rot and Fusarium root rot, adversely affect food and feed production and threatens food security. A significant causal agent of these diseases is Fusarium pseudograminearum. Benzoxazolinones, naturally occurring hydroxamic compounds, have been shown to have allelopathic, fungicidal, insecticidal and mutagenic activities. Outside the key role of these hydroxamic acids in cereal defence, fungal resistance to wheat defence chemicals are largely unknown. In our research, we identified and functionally characterized members of the Fusarium detoxification of Benzoxazolinone (FDB) gene cluster that encode the enzymes for the pathway in the wheat pathogen F. pseudograminearum. Analyses of gene knockouts show that this gene cluster is essential for the detoxification of benzoxazolinones, aminophenols and phenoxazinones and contributes to pathogen virulence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that benzoxazolinone detoxification ability significantly contributes to the virulence of F. pseudograminearum specifically towards cereal hosts known to produce these defence compounds. [P178] Relay cropping of malt barley in cotton for quality and productivity Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Anil Kumar Khippal¹*, Dinesh Kumar¹, Jogendra Singh¹, R.P.S Verma², Jasbir Singh³, Lokendra Kumar¹, Rajender Sheokand³, Ashwani Kumar⁴, Rekha Malik¹, Indu Sharma¹ 1 ICAR‐ Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India 2 ICARDA, Rabat Morocco 3 CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kaithal, India 4 ICAR‐Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal, India __________________________________________________________________________ Cotton‐Barley is one of the prominent cropping systems in drier plains of north‐west India. However, system productivity is lower due to late sowing of barley, as picking of cotton continues till end of December. Cotton being the most important cash crop of India and its early picking for timely sowing of barley seems very difficult. This clearly emphasizes the need for a solution of the above problem. Delay in sowing of barley without disturbing cotton crop can be avoided by Page | 169
relaying barley crop in standing cotton. Research to maximize the productivity and quality of malt barley was carried out with farmers’ participatory research mode at Amrik Farm, Hajwana (Kaithal, Haryana, India) during rabi 2013‐14 and 2014‐15 with four dates of planting (12‐18 November (D1), 26 Nov‐02 December (D2), 10‐16 December (D3) and after harvesting of cotton i.e. D4) in main plots and three seed rate (100,125 and 150 kg/ha) in sub plots to standardize date of planting and seed rate of barley as relay crop in cotton. Variety DWRUB 52 was used for timely planting whereas; DWRB 73 was used for late planting. Yield reduction of barley on mean basis during 2013‐14 was 17.1 and 19 percent respectively when planting was delayed by 15 and 30 days after D2 whereas; yield reduction during 2014‐15 was lesser. Yield were significantly higher using seed rate150 kg/ha in November planting. Hectoliter weight, bold grain %, thousand grains weight, speed of germination and vigour indices were significantly better in November planting. [P179] DNA profiling and data management solutions for tropical agriculture research and practice Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andrzej Kilian¹* 1 Diversity Arrys Technology Pty Ltd, ACT, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ DArT PL was set up in 2001 with a vision to spread the benefits of genomics and information technologies across the agricultural sector in an equitable manner and to achieve substantial social and environmental gains in the process. Our initial technology (DArT) enabled utilisation of the whole genome profiling in crop breeding thanks to drastic reduction in the cost and increase in throughput compared to alternative technologies. In the last four years we have launched a new service using DArT complexity reduction methods combined with Next Generation Sequencing platforms. DArTseq technology scans over 100,000 loci for DNA variation targeting primarily genic regions. DArTseq has been broadly adopted for a variety of applications in pre‐
breeding and crop improvement of practically all crops and is rapidly expanding to other organisms, especially farm animals and aquaculture. We offer service for over 200 organisms and processed nearly one million samples for our global customer base. We combine DNA profiling at the density most appropriate for the application with extensive support in data analysis and overall data management. Our support is tailored to specific clients needs thanks to a modular design of our software tools and their integration via web services. We are delivering our integrated services using Open Access model through partnerships with a number of large public institutions on several continents. We will present our core technologies and a few examples of applications relevant to tropical agriculture. [P180] Gene expression profiling for taste and nutrient sensors in the oral cavity in chickens Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jun‐Mo Kim¹*, Eugeni Roura¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 170
Taste sensing in the oral cavity has evolved to detect nutrients and assess the quality of edible foods. However, avian species have been generally identified with low taste acuity compared to mammals based on a relatively small number of taste buds and taste receptor genes. This study was focused on the characterization of taste and nutrient sensory genes together with their gene expression patterns in three oral cavity tissues (upper palate, base of the tongue and lower palate) in ten individual broiler chickens. Chicken taste buds are mainly spread on the upper palate and only a small number appear in the tongue. The targeted taste and nutrient sensory genes were: Tas1r1, Tas1r3, Tas2r1, Tas2r2, Tas2r7, FFAR2, FFAR3, GPR92, GPRC6A, GRM1 and GRM4. The relative expression levels of the genes were identified by quantitative PCR. Our results showed that all the taste and nutrient receptor genes were expressed in the three different oral cavity tissues. The total amount of taste receptor gene expressions in the tongue tissue was significantly higher than in the other tissues (P = 0.0014). The interaction between the genes and the tissues was highly significant (P < 0.0001), while there was no significant difference between genes. [P181] Improving productivity in intensive horticulture: the opportunities and challenges of turning precision into decision Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ian Layden¹*, Julie O'Halloran¹, Sarah Limpus¹ 1 Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Improved spatial management of horticultural production systems using a range of contemporary technologies (e.g. crop sensing, soil mapping, yield monitoring, variable rate applications) offers producers new ways in which to manage crop production and biophysical constraints to production. Given the current and future challenges associated with intensive vegetable production in tropical and sub‐tropical settings (e.g. climate change, biosecurity, labour) producers can potentially gain from adopting technology that improves both the detection and management of variable soils, pest and diseases and irrigation issues. Despite recent advances in technology targeting the agricultural sector and the prospect of these technologies to improve the detection and management of crop or block variability; the adoption of precision technology beyond machine guidance (auto‐steer) remains poor. Through the establishment of commercial trial farms across the major vegetable growing regions (e.g. tomato, carrot, green bean, sweet corn, potatoes)in Queensland, Australia; the authors have optimised and validated a range of precision management tools (e.g. biomass sensors, yield monitors, variable rate applicators). Soil and crop variability has been identified and importantly quantified. This work has led to several critical findings could have a profound impact on the future adoption of technology and any productivity gains that could accrue from these technologies. The relative remoteness of Queenslands regional production areas coupled with the need for technology optimisation requires investment and delivery models that seek to build the capacity of producers, private agronomists and equipment dealers in contemporary approaches to managing the inherent variability of vegetable production in tropical and sub‐tropical environments. [P182] In vitro interactions between Pythium oligandrum, a potential biocontrol agent, and Pythium myriotylum, a pathogen of soft rot disease of ginger Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 171
Duy Le¹*, Mike Smith², Elizabeth Aitken³ 1 School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Maroochy Research Station, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Pythium soft rot (PSR) induced by many Pythium spp. is responsible for serious losses to ginger crops worldwide. In Australia, PSR outbreaks associated with P. myriotylum were recorded in 2009. P. myriotylum is an aggressive pathogen with a wide host range, while P. oligandum is known as an effective biocontrol agent. In this study, we investigated in vitro parasitism of indigenous P. oligandrum isolated from soil around ginger against P. myriotylum recovered from PSR ginger. P. oligandrum was assessed for its volatiles, non‐volatiles, mycoparasitism and growth competition against P. myriotylum. Results indicated that secreted volatiles and non‐volatiles from P. oligandrum did not have a significant negative effect on growth of P. myriotylum. However, P. oligandrum was a moderate mycoparasite and a strong growth competitor against P. myriotylum under in vitro conditions. In vitro pathogenicity tests on dual culture plates showed that disease indices (0 = healthy seedlings and to 1 = seeds dead before germination) recorded on millet, rye and wheat were reduced by up to 0.8, 0.6 and 0.7, respectively. Though P. myriotylum has not been shown to be susceptible to P. oligandrum in the literature, our results indicated that the indigenous P. oligandrum strongly inhibited P. myriotylum in vitro pathogenicity tests. To fully explore the potential of P. oligandrum as a biocontrol agent for PSR, pot and field trials on ginger are warranted for further investigations. [P183] Innovative approaches to controlling a threat to bees in the sub‐tropics Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Diana Leemon¹*, Brogan Amos¹, Steven Rice¹, Andrew Hayes² 1 Agri‐Science Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native stingless bees (Tetragonula spp.) are critical pollinators for tropical and sub‐tropical crops. These bees are now under threat from the exotic small hive beetle (Aethina tumida). This beetle is a scavenger and minor pest of weakened and stressed honeybees in its native sub‐Saharan range. The larval beetles feed on hive products which they contaminate with a yeast, Kodamaea ohmeri, that is responsible for the fermentation and destruction of these products. Under the warm, moist conditions in Queensland, the small hive beetle has become a serious apiary pest responsible for losses in excess of $8 million over three seasons. Current control options are only appropriate for some managed honeybee colonies. There is a critical need for a trap that can be deployed for beetle monitoring and control in both managed and unmanaged honeybee and native bee colonies. We are developing an external trap to attract and kill the small hive beetle. The beetles are attracted to a range of hive odours, especially the odours of fermenting hive products. We are investigating the use of these fermentation odours along with beetle pheromones to develop an economical synthetic lure for use in a small hive beetle specific trap. Preliminary field trials using a crude fermentation product trapped beetles both near Page | 172
apiaries and away from apiaries. Using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays key attractive volatiles have been identified. Combinations of these key volatiles have been tested in the laboratory and further field testing will commence soon. [P184] Diagnosis of bovine venereal diseases – update Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ala Lew‐Tabor¹*, Lea Indjein¹, Bronwyn Venus¹, Sharon de Wet², Ameera Koya¹, Yusralumina Nordin¹, Jessica Morgan¹, Ristan Greer 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The ability to diagnose bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) has plagued diagnostic laboratories for decades. The causative agent Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis is carried by asymptomatic bulls causing infertility and foetal losses in mated heifers. Extensively grazed cattle in tropical and sub‐tropical regions of the world can suffer from poor reproductive rates due to pathogens. Diagnostic methods are well defined for most pathogens however the methods used for the diagnosis of BGC lack sensitivity and/or specificity. An Australian culture collection of Campylobacter‐like bacteria from the bull prepuce (n=54) was examined by using current OIE phenotyping methods (gold standard) as well as several molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to identify C. fetus venerealis. This also included screening samples from the bull prepuce directly (boiled lysates) in PCR which is commonly used for the diagnosis of bovine trichomoniasis (also a venereal disease). A lack of specificity was identified for all methods, with the use of a very low cut off for real time PCR assays improving specificity but decreasing sensitivity. Real time PCR results of lysates collected directly from the bull prepuce were not specific. The use of DNA templates isolated from pure cultures was essential for PCR specificity. Culture phenotypic methods identified 14 non‐specific positives and one non‐specific negative. Veterinary diagnosticians need to be cautioned when applying published methods for the diagnosis of BGC. Preliminary genomic data suggests that the Campylobacter like bacteria in the bull prepuce share genes previously selected for specific BGC diagnostic development. [P185] Proximal and remote sensing in trellis tomatoes: disease detection in a tropical setting Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Sarah Limpus¹*, Ian Layden¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Bowen, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Pest and disease management is important in tropical production systems where warm, humid weather conditions are typically coupled with accelerated growing seasons. Field tomatoes are a major contributor to economies in the Queensland Dry Tropics Region (ca. $165M/pa), in addition this region supplies up to 85% of the national fresh tomato crop from June to November. Yield, quality and chemical application programs are strongly affected by diseases such as bacterial wilts. Remote and/or proximal crop sensing technology has the potential to provide producers with the ability to identify disease presence and severity prior to the development of economic losses. Both Page | 173
remote and proximal crop sensing platforms were employed to identify spatial variability and incidence of disease in trellised field tomatoes in Bowen, Queensland. Normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) using high‐resolution (0.8m/pixel) satellite was compared to a proximal ground based sensing platform (Greenseeker mounted on ground vehicle). The remote platform results were highly influenced by inter‐row weed cover and bare soil and were unable to distinguish crop stress. The proximal sensor which altered the sensor angle to eliminate the influence of non‐target objects was more sensitive to crop biomass responses to disease. Ground‐
truthing documented the health of the crop and early physical symptoms of disease. Firstly, this has implications for crop sensing approaches in trellis supported crops; and secondly the validation of inexpensive proximal sensors will help growers implement technologies to target areas where diseases are emerging before physical symptoms result in yield losses. [P186] Development of marker genes for jasmonic acid signaling in shoots and roots of wheat Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Hongwei Liu¹*, Lilia Carvalhais¹, Paul Dennis¹, Peer Schenk¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Plant Industry, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The jasmonic acid (JA) pathway plays key roles in a diverse array of plant development, reproduction, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most of our understanding of the JA pathway derives from the dicot model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, while corresponding knowledge in wheat is somewhat limited. In this study, the expression of 41 genes implicated in the JA pathway has been examined on 10 day‐old bread wheat seedlings, 24, 48, and 72 h after methyl‐
jasmonate (MeJA) treatment using quantitative real‐time PCR. The examined genes have been previously reported to be involved in JA biosynthesis and catabolism, JA perception and signaling, and pathogen defense in wheat shoots and roots. This study provides evidence to suggest that the effect of MeJA treatment is more prominent in shoots than roots of wheat seedlings, and substantial regulation of the JA pathway‐dependent defense genes occurred at 72 h after MeJA treatment. Results show that the expression of 22 genes was significantly affected by MeJA treatment in wheat shoots. However, only PR1.1 and PR3 were significantly induced in wheat roots, both at 24 h post‐MeJA treatment. While providing marker genes on JA signaling in wheat, future work may focus on elucidating the regulatory function of JA‐modulated transcription factors, some of which have well‐studied potential orthologs in Arabidopsis. [P187] Evaluation of yeast extract (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in fattening rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Natalia Lozano¹*, Victor Vergara² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 La Molina National Agrarian University, Lima, Peru __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 174
A study was developed to assess the effect of the incorporation of three levels of yeast extract in the diet on the productive behaviour of fattening rabbits, which was measured through weight, weight gain, food intake, and food conversion, incidence of gastrointestinal disorders, mortality, carcass yield, and food economic benefits. A total of 96 rabbits (48 males and 48 females) weaned at 35 days of birth were used. The treatments were: diet with 0% yeast extract (Treatment 1, T1), diet with 2% yeast extract (Treatment 2, T2), and diet 4 % yeast extract (Treatment 3, T3). The experimental period lasted 44 days, divided into two phases: Growing (1‐21 post‐weaning days) and Finishing (22‐44 post‐weaning days). A diet was formulated for each phase. With regard to the parameters of weight gain, food intake, food conversion, incidence of gastrointestinal disorders and mortality, there were not any significant differences between animals consuming the diet without the inclusion of yeast extract (T1) and those receiving the diet with 2 % yeast extract (T2). In contrast, animals consuming the diet with 4% yeast extract (T3) showed significantly lower weight gain during the growing phase, the lower cumulative feed intake, worse food conversion in the growing phase but a better one in the finished phase, higher incidence of gastrointestinal disorders and mortality in the finishing and accumulated phases. There were not any significant differences between treatments when measuring carcass yield. The greatest economic benefits per kilogram of body weight was reached by the control group. [P188] Identification of nodal root angle QTL alleles that can increase sorghum yields under drought Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Emma Mace¹*, Adrian Hathorn², Vijaya Singh², Dinesh Joshi², Erik van Oosterom², Graeme Hammer², David Jordan² 1 DAF, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Root architecture is known to play an important role in crop performance, particularly under drought conditions. In sorghum, the nodal root angle influences spatial root distribution in the soil profile, and hence the extent and timing of access to water and nutrients, with impacts on both drought adaptation and grain yield. However root traits have had limited use to‐date in cereal crop improvement programs as selection targets for indirectly improving grain yield. Measuring roots on a sufficiently large number of plants has been a major limiting factor in screening root traits, however a high‐through put root angle phenotyping protocol has been recently established and has been applied to a large nested association mapping (NAM) population in sorghum. This study builds upon previous work investigating the nature of the genetic control of nodal root angle in sorghum through the identification of multiple root trait alleles encompassed by the wide spectrum of diversity included in the sorghum NAM resource. Integration with grain yield and stay‐green measurements across multiple environments provides new opportunities for identifying the nodal root angle QTL alleles that contribute to enhanced performance in specific environments. [P189] Fertility restoration: investigating the genomic tension behind pollen fertility in sorghum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 175
David Jordan¹, Ian Small², Joanna Melonek², Robert Klein³, Colleen Hunt⁴, Sylvia Malory⁴, Alan Cruickshank⁴, Emma Mace⁵* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Western Australia, WA, Australia 3 USDA‐ARS, TX, USA 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ In many crop plants, plant breeders exploit the phenomenon of male sterility for hybrid seed production in order to harness yield gains associated with hybrid vigour (heterosis). In sorghum, male sterility is caused by both mitochondrial genes coupled with nuclear genes (cytoplasmic male sterility; CMS), resulting in normally hermaphroditic flowers failing to produce functional microspores or pollen grains. In such genetic systems, fertility restoration (Rf) genes rapidly evolve in the nuclear genome to suppress the expression or function of CMS genes The critical elements of the commercial use of the CMS system in sorghum are the capacity to develop male parent lines (restorer or R lines) that completely restore fertility in hybrid combination and the capacity to develop lines that have high levels of male sterility under a wide range of conditions. We report on the quantification and genetic mapping of male sterility across a range of environmental conditions in a set of over 700 diverse sorghum lines, in order to facilitate the dissection of the relationship between temperature and sterility and to develop a predictive model for specific genotypes. The complexity of the genetic control of partial fertility is analysed using association mapping, revealing multiple QTL regions, a number of which were found to be associated with QTL previously identified for pollen production under cool temperatures and are likely to have broader utility within sorghum improvement programs. [P190] Live multivalent recombinant vaccines for bovine respiration disease Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Tim Mahony¹*, Jennifer Gravel², Patricia Eats¹, Margaret Commins², Rebecca Ambrose¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most important cause of morbidly and mortality in intensively finished cattle in the world. The total economic losses attributed to BRD have been estimated to exceed US$1 billion annually. The disease has a complex aetiology with exposure to any of four viral and four bacterial species, animal factors and environmental conditions all contributing to BRD development. It has been demonstrated that prior exposure to specific pathogens can reduce the risk of cattle developing BRD, suggesting that vaccines could reduce the impacts of this disease. However the range of pathogens implicated in BRD presents significant challenges in the development of effective vaccines. The development of multivalent recombinant vaccines offers one solution to effectively immunise cattle in a cost effective manner. While the assessment of vaccine efficacy is likely to require more complex challenge trials that give better indications of vaccine performance in the field. Progress towards achieving these goals will be presented and future developments discussed. Page | 176
[P191] Metabolic changes associated with the development of yellow canopy syndrome in sugarcane Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Annelie Marquardt¹*, Gerard Scalia¹, Kate Wathen‐Dunn¹, Priya Joyce¹, Frederik Botha¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia Limited, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Yellow Canopy Syndrome (YCS) was first observed in 2012 and is still an un‐diagnosed condition affecting the Central and Northern cane‐growing regions in Australia. The development of YCS is distinctly different from that of Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) and other known biotic and abiotic stresses. The data that we present are derived from material collected from three different geographical areas and three different varieties. Currently we have identified and assessed more than 200 metabolites of a total of more than 1500. The most striking differences seen relate to increased sugars in the leaves. There is also a significant suppression of leaf photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, and a change in certain hormones such as abscisic acid, gibberellins and cytokinins. This disturbance in leaf metabolism is evident throughout the canopy even in the absence of visual yellowing. Additionally, there are significant levels of mannitol, kestose and lactose in the samples prepared from YCS expressing tissues. These are indicative of microorganisms (Leuconostoc) that normally associate with injured tissue, especially where there are significant available carbohydrates. We are undertaking further comprehensive metabolome and transcriptome analyses to reconstitute metabolic pathways in sugarcane leaf and sink tissues during the development of YCS, with the goal to pinpoint the specific reactions that lead to the expression of YCS. The initial transcriptome sequencing results suggest there is a wide impact on primary, secondary and regulatory metabolism. To date, our findings indicate there should not be any doubt of yield loss occurring when YCS symptoms appear. [P192] Genome editing can boost yield and quality in rice Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ardashir Masouleh¹*, Robert Henry¹, Daniel Waters², Russel Reinke³ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Southern Cross Plant Centre, Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia 3 International Rice Research Institute, National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) __________________________________________________________________________ Rice is a major crop providing food for half of the world population. Food security for the growing human populations relies on continuing increases in production of crops such as rice and wheat. However, the rate of genetic gain for rice is not keeping up with that required to satisfy projected demand. Recent developments in gene editing technology provide a new option for accelerated genetic improvement of this critical food crop. The clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system has recently been developed for targeted genome engineering. This system is very appealing to geneticists due to its simplicity and ability to target different genes simultaneously. Advances in genomics is identifying many gene targets that have potential to be efficiently manipulated by gene editing to deliver better adapted and more nutritious cereals. Recent research has described a stepwise protocol for design, construction and Page | 177
application of sequence specific CRISPR/CAS to a number of target genes in wheat and rice. In this paper, we focus on initial application of this system and explore how it might be used to manipulate some important target genes of rice such as histone H4 acetyltransferase (OsglHAT1) and Glucose 6‐phosphate translocator (GPT1) which boost grain yield and quality of rice, respectively. [P193] Tropical plant protection by using bacteriocin gene transformation Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Hooman Mirzaee¹*, Hongwei Liu¹, Ahmad Bin Rosli¹, Thorya Fallath¹, Lara Pretorius¹, Anahid Al‐
Amery¹, Paul Dennis¹, Peer M. Schenk¹, Lilia C. Carvalhais¹ 1 Plant‐Microbe Interactions Laboratory, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences __________________________________________________________________________ Bacteriocins are a group of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) produced by bacteria and archaea. They are active against other bacteria, either of the same species or different genera. Other AMPs from plants and animals have already been successfully applied to protect plants against pests and diseases. Previously, a number of different AMPs like defensins, thionins, and snakins genes were used for genetic transformation to increase plants resistant against pathogens. Microbial‐derived bacteriocins have so far only been applied for food preservation and until now, there are no reports about bacteriocin expression in plants. In this study, we plan to transform several different classes of bacteriocins to tropical and subtropical plants, including tomato as well as the model plant Arabidopsis. For this purpose, bacteriocin genes were synthesised and cloned into suitable binary vectors for plant transformation. To confer multiple disease resistance, transgenic plants will be challenged with several pathogens. The results could be applied in generating crops in tropical and subtropical regions that are often challenged by several pathogens simultaneously. [P194] Improving avocado, macadamia and mango productivity in Australia: Integration of field trials and functional structural plant modelling Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Inigo Auzmendi¹, Neil White¹,², Anahita Mizani¹*, Ben D Toft¹, Helen Hofman², Paula Ibell², Ian Bally¹,², John Wilkie², Jim Hanan¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Avocado, macadamia and mango are less intensely farmed than apple trees. Their productivity has shown little improvement over the last three decades while apple orchard productivity has increased. Our aim is to intensify Australian tropical and subtropical fruit and nut tree horticultural practices following some of the underlying principles developed in apple. We focus on four components: vigour management, architecture, canopy light relations and crop load. A combination of field trials and modelling will help us to improve and focus our research questions and to obtain scientific results in a shorter time than experiments based only on field trials. We planted avocado and macadamia trees in Bundaberg and mango trees in Mareeba. Our trials combined different densities, training systems and crop load management strategies. We digitized Page | 178
plant architecture and measured light interception and organ growth. L‐systems were used to prototype three‐dimensional functional structural plant models (FSPM) for avocado, macadamia and mango. Integration of models of photosynthesis, organ growth, respiration and storage as well as carbon allocation will allow us to study the effects of crop load, training, pruning and rootstock on architecture, flowering and fruiting. These models will be used to carry out simulation experiments on our plants to better understand the mechanisms underlying the outcomes of our field trials. [P195] Rice genetic resources of Cape York Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ali Mohammad Moner¹*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Domesticated rice, Oryza sativa (Asia) and O. glaberrima (Africa), have wild relatives distributed throughout the tropical world. Wild rice populations from the AA genome clade that includes domesticated rice are widespread in northern Australia with several species found on Cape York and islands of Torres Strait. The annual O. meridionalis and perennials that have been considered to be O. rufipogon are found across northern Australia. Recent analysis has suggested that Australian perennial AA genome species might include two distinct taxa one morphologically similar to the annual, O. meridionalis and the other closer to Asian, O. rufipogon in appearance. We have collected from populations from Cairns north to Torres Strait to allow molecular analysis of their genetic diversity. Using Next Generation Sequencing of the whole genome will allow deep comparison between these populations and determine the genetic relationships between them and their evolutionary history. This will help answering these questions; are there different species and can we link genetic variations to specific environmental conditions and discover new abiotic or biotic stress genes? The results of this research will support efforts to understand the taxonomy of these plants and improve understanding of their importance as genetic resources for rice. [P196] The effect of maize stover mulch on maize and sunflower yields in a no till farming system in North West Cambodia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Stephanie Montgomery¹*, Matthew Tighe¹, Chris Guppy¹, Graeme Wright¹, Sophanara Phan², Sophoeun Im², Robert Martin¹ 1 University of New England, NSW, Australia 2 Maddox Jolie‐Pitt Foundation, Pailin, Cambodia __________________________________________________________________________ Upland farming in northwest Cambodia is dominated by tractor tillage, which results in soil loss and erosion annually due to undulating topography, tropical rainfall intensity and volume. Soil fertility and crop yields are declining and farmers lack knowledge to adopt more sustainable farming practices. An experiment was conducted at two sites, one in Samlout District, Battambang Province and one in neighbouring Pailin Province, to investigate effects of maize Page | 179
stover mulch on yields of maize and sunflower using no tillage farming practices. Five rates of mulch were soil surface applied (nil, 2.5, 5, 10, 20t/ha) as main plots in a split plot design with crop species as sub‐plots and four replicates. The Pailin pre‐monsoonal maize experiment illustrated that the 5t/ha mulch treatment attained the highest yield of 7t/ha, which was 52% and 61% higher than the no mulch and 20t/ha treatments, respectively. These results suggest that if farmers retain their crop residues (~5t/ha) they increase their chances of successful crop establishment and reduce probability of crop failure during this hot, variable rainfall period. The post monsoon period at Pailin resulted in increasing maize yield of 0.4t/ha with every 2.5 tonnes of mulch applied (R2=0.87). Not applying mulch equated to commercial crop failure. Post monsoon sunflowers failed to respond to mulch treatments at either site, with mean yields of 0.9t/ha at Pailin and 1.9t/ha at Samlout. This lack of response was probably due to mild seasonal conditions and adequate stored soil water resulting in low plant stress negating the requirement for mulching. [P197] Transcriptome of reproductive axis tissues pre and post puberty in Bos indicus heifers Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Marina R. S. Fortes¹,², Angela Canovas³, Matthew Kelly⁴, Laercio R Porto‐Neto⁵, Mayara M. D. C. A Weller⁸, Bronwyn Venus⁴, Lisa Kidd⁶, Joao Paulo A. Rego⁷, Gry Boe‐Hansen⁶, Emily Piper⁶, Alma Islas‐Trejo³, Juan F Medrano³, Sigrid A Lehnert⁵, Stephen S Moore⁴* 1 School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology UQ
2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America 4 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 5 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 6 School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 7 Instituto Federal De Educação, Ciência E Tecnologia Do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil 8 Zootecnista, Universidade Federal De Viçosa, Brazil __________________________________________________________________________ Pubertal development is a physiological process, thought to be driven by hormones of the reproductive axis: hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovaries. To better understand the biology underlying puberty, samples of these three tissues were harvested from pre‐ and post‐pubertal Bos indicus heifers (6 case/post‐pubertal and 6 control/pre‐pubertal). All animals were raised together and were of similar weight and age when euthanized. RNA was extracted from each tissue and submitted to RNA‐seq analysis. Differential expression (DE) was ascertained and co‐
expression gene networks were computed for each tissue. Fold changes higher than 2 and significant differential expression (P < 0.01) were observed for 6 genes in hypothalamus, 4 in pituitary gland and 328 in ovaries, when comparing case and control animals. [P198] Genetic characterization of Australian Eimeria, the causal agent of coccidiosis in chickens Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jess Morgan¹*, Rosamond Godwin¹ Page | 180
1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Poultry coccidiosis is caused by infection with ubiquitous intestinal protozoa of the genus Eimeria. The disease impairs growth and is a serious problem under intensive farming conditions where heavy infections can result in death. A nationwide survey of faecal samples from 125 commercial flocks was conducted over 3 years. Samples were screened using a one tube PCR based assay capable of detecting all 10 species of Eimeria, including undescribed taxonomic units X, Y and Z. All ten species were detected in the survey with 98% of samples overall infected, and most were mixed‐species infections (80%). The most common species found were E. acervulina and E. maxima. Closer scrutiny was made of the population genetic structure of Australian E. acervulina (from 35 flocks) and E. maxima (from 30 flocks) using nuclear DNA microsatellites. Ten microsatellites per species provided sufficient resolving power to differentiate all of the E. maxima isolates and all except one of the E. acervulina samples. The genetic structure of E. acervulina and E. maxima did not to correlate to geographic origin indicating that the movement of infective oocysts has likely spread genotypes. Both species displayed a marked deficiency of heterozygotes across all loci suggesting that the parasite is probably reproducing predominantly via inbreeding. [P199] Stored soil water: a growth limiting factor for tropical legumes and tropical grasses in northern New South Wales, Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Sean Murphy¹*, Suzanne Boschma¹, Mark Brennan¹ 1 NSW Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Tropical grass pastures are an important component of the forage base for livestock in the summer dominant rainfall zone of northern inland New South Wales, because they are productive, persistent and resilient. Both stored soil water and nitrogen fertility are essential to maintain performance and with increasing cost of fertiliser, legumes are viewed as a sustainable and cost effective nitrogen source. A range of companion tropical legume species has recently been evaluated and now a field experiment has been established at Tamworth to gather data on soil water dynamics, plant root depth, plant dry matter production, and persistence of these legumes as both pure swards and in mixtures with digit grass (Digitaria eriantha ssp. eriantha cv. Premier). Plots (6 x 9 m) of digit grass, two tropical legumes (Desmanthus virgatus cv. Marc, Leucaena leucocephala cv. Tarramba) and lucerne (Medicago sativa cv. Venus) were sown in November 2014 at recommended rates as pure swards and legume‐grass mixtures. Soil water content was measured with a neutron probe throughout establishment commencing in November 2014 and concluding in April 2015. Pure swards of desmanthus (181 mm) extracted more soil water and to a greater depth (1.8 m) compared with leucaena (123 mm, 1.6 m), lucerne (120 mm, 1.4 m) and digit grass (76 mm, 1.2 m). The legume‐grass mixtures extracted less soil water and to a shallower depth. Measurements will continue until May 2018 to quantify soil water extraction patterns and impacts on dry matter production in this environment. [P200] Deciphering aroma accumulation and gene expression analysis at developmental and mature stages in basmati and non‐basmati scented rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 181
Altafhusain Nadaf¹*, Vidya Hinge¹,², Hemant Patil² 1 Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra , India 2 Vilasrao Deshmukh College of Agricultural Biotechnology, Maharashtra, India __________________________________________________________________________ The diversity of scented rice of India is highest in the world. Scented rice has high premium value in international market owing to unique aroma and quality. Aroma volatiles are the principle sensory qualities of rice and rated as the major criteria for preference. Among the several volatiles contributing in aroma, 2‐acetyl‐1‐pyrroline (2AP) is regarded as principle aroma compound. The expression of 2AP is linked with a recessive gene badh2 (betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2). However, no data are available on accumulation of 2AP and expression of badh2 during developmental stages. Therefore, 2AP content and badh2 expression were analyzed at vegetative, reproductive and maturity stages in Basmati‐370, Ambemohar‐157(non‐basmati scented) and IR‐
64 (non‐scented) rice cultivars. 2AP accumulation was significantly highest in mature grains of Ambemohar‐157 (0.662 ± 0.023 mg/kg) and Basmati‐370 (0.451 ± 0.024 mg/kg) and in dough grains of Ambemohar‐157 (0.586 ± 0.052 mg/kg). Among developmental stages, in both scented rice cultivars, significantly higher amount of 2AP was recorded at reproductive stages. Badh2 expression was found significantly reduced in mature as well as developing stages of Ambemohar‐
157 and Basmati‐370. The badh2 expression was found significantly higher in IR‐64 in all the developmental stages. The negative correlation between 2AP content and badh2 expression at all the developmental stages in both scented rice cultivars confirms the recessive nature of badh2 and its role in 2AP accumulation. Since aroma is an important quality character, the study suggest that, precise down regulation of badh2 during maturity stages may enhance the aroma content in rice grain. [P201] Evaluating macadamia rootstocks Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jodi Neal¹*, Alison Kelly¹, Craig Hardner², Cameron McConchie³, Bruce Topp² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Northern Territory, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Rootstock has been observed to influence many traits in various horticultural industries, including tree size, disease susceptibility and precocity. In macadamia, rootstock choice has largely been driven by ease of propagation. Relatively little is known about macadamia rootstock effects on tree performance. Twelve cultivars were propagated as open‐pollinated seedling and cutting (clonal) rootstocks, and own‐rooted cuttings. The same cultivars were also used as scions and grafted to rootstocks in an unbalanced, circular design. Trees were planted at four trial locations in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Scion cultivar accounted for more of the variation in all the measured traits (yield, total kernel recovery, tree height and tree canopy width) than did rootstock cultivar. Rootstock contributed significantly to yield, tree height and tree canopy width, but not total kernel recovery. Rootstock type (seedling, cuttings, own roots) accounted for only a small amount of the variation in yield and canopy width. For these traits the values for own roots were significantly lower than for cuttings or seedlings. The existing Australian industry standard Page | 182
rootstock, 'H2' seedling, performed well across all traits. 'Beaumont' cutting rootstock produced the highest yields, with 13% higher yield than 'H2' seedling. 'Beaumont' cuttings produced similar sized trees as 'H2' seedling. Clonal 'Beaumont' rootstock is already the industry standard in South Africa. Adoption in Australia may provide a small productivity increase and greater uniformity in performance than the genetically diverse open‐pollinated 'H2' seedlings currently in use. [P202] Bananas and Mangoes: Fertiliser and ground cover management to benefit production, soil and the environment Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Paul Nelson¹*, Geoff Dickinson², Tony Pattison², Bronwyn Masters³, John Armour³, Matt Weinert⁴ 1 James Cook University, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland, Australia 4 Department of Primary Industries, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Bananas are the number one selling item in Australia’s supermarkets, and had a farm‐gate value of $600 million in 2014. Mangoes, another important crop for domestic markets and for export, had a farm‐gate value of $140 million in 2014. In both industries, fertiliser management, especially nitrogen, is critical for production, but there is little information on optimum rates and application practices. Furthermore, there are concerns that current management practices negatively impact on soil health and the Great Barrier Reef due to losses of nutrients to the environment. Here we report on current grower participatory field evaluations of new fertiliser and ground cover management practices and their effects on crop productivity, soil condition (physical, chemical and biological) and greenhouse gas emissions. For bananas, current farmer nutrient management is being compared with a reduced nitrogen rate, with and without the nitrification inhibitor ENTEC (3,4‐dimethylpyrazole phosphate). For mangoes, current farmer nutrient management is being compared with ENTEC‐treated and polymer‐coated nitrogen fertiliser, all at the same rate. In all cases the nitrogen fertiliser is urea.The ground cover treatments compare the dominant current practice (bare soil) with added mulch in mangoes or living ground cover in bananas. In the first season of the trials, growth of bananas did not differ significantly between the fertiliser treatments, although reduced nitrogen rate led to a reduction in leaf chlorophyll at bunch emergence. Living mulch did not reduce banana growth. Under mangoes, added mulch influenced the soil water balance and greenhouse gas emissions (N2O and CO2). [P203] Screening Queensland grown sorghum for health promoting compounds Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Michael Netzel¹*, Jane Lim¹, Gabi Netzel¹, Alan Cruickshank², Glen Fox¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Increased intake of whole‐grain foods, resulting in increased consumption of bioactive phytochemicals, dietary fibre and slowly digestible macronutrients, has been suggested as one Page | 183
approach to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Sorghum is one of Queensland’s major grain crops. While most of this crop is used to provide feed grains for the cattle, pig and poultry industries, sorghum has qualities which could prove beneficial to human health. Depending on the genotype, sorghum represents an excellent source of health‐promoting phytochemicals, particularly polyphenols. Eighteen different sorghum genotypes and field selections (from pale to dark) grown in Queensland were analysed for free and bound phenolic compounds, and carotenoids by UPLC. Additionally, starch digestion experiments were carried out to measure the release kinetics of glucose. The highest polyphenolic content observed was in Shawaya Black (1371 µg/g dry weight (dw)), with luteolinidin as the predominant free phenolic compound. Karper 669 was the richest source of carotenoids (2.2 µg/g dw), with lutein as the main carotenoid. Furthermore, starch digestion was slowest for Shawaya Black, resulting in a significantly (p<0.05) lower glucose release compared to all other tested sorghum genotypes. Shawaya Black, a dark‐purple sorghum genotype, was identified as the most promising candidate in terms of health promoting polyphenols. However, the actual nutritional significance of these in vitro results (high polyphenol content and low glucose release) needs to be investigated and confirmed in human studies using different sorghum food preparations. [P204] Bergamot and lemongrass essential oils against food spoilage microorganisms: Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nilesh Nirmal¹*, Mehraj Ahmad² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand __________________________________________________________________________ The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of bergamot (BO) and lemongrass essential oils (LO) and their mixture (BO‐LO, 1:1) against food spoilage microorganisms. LO and BO‐LO strongly inhibited the Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using disc diffusion susceptibility test and broth dilution methods. BO was active only against the Gram‐positive bacteria (L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and B. subtilis). Both BO and LO inhibited the growth of microbes in a concentration dependent manner. Based on GC/MS analysis, phenols and terpenes were the major antimicrobial compounds in BO and LO. The dominant active components of BO and LO were alcohols, esters and terpenes and ketones. The checkerboard method determined the antimicrobial efficacy of BO, LO and BO‐LO by means of the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Based on an overall consideration of antimicrobial activity, organoleptic impact and cost, the essential oils and their mixture were selected and their MIC values were listed as follows: BO‐LO (0.156‐ 0.247 μl/ml), LO (0.215 ‐ 0.365 μl/ml) and BO (0.317 ‐ 0.456 μl/ml). Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the mechanism of antimicrobial action of all essential oils against the tested microorganisms. All the essential oils affected the cell membrane integrity by causing the damage to cells and the significant increase of the cell constituents' release was observed. Therefore, BO‐LO could effectively act against food spoilage microorganisms at combined concentrations. Keywords: Essential oils; Antimicrobial activity; Food‐spoilage microorganisms; Action mechanisms Page | 184
[P205] Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of three Australian indigenous teas Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nilesh Nirmal¹*, Ram Mereddy², Naomi Wilfred³, Samara Billy³, Laura Egan⁴, Yasmina Sultanbawa¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 Traditional Owner of Alawa Country, Northern Territory, Australia 4 Enterprise Learning Projects, Northern Territory, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts of Australian indigenous teas namely Gulban (Melaleuca Citrolens), anise myrtle (Syzygium anisatum) and lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) with the green tea (Camellia sinensis). Tea powders were extracted twice with boiled water (1g: 40 ml) for 10 min of incubation. Samples were subjected to biochemical analyses. All experiments were carried out in triplicate. Total phenolic content were higher in green tea (170.17 mg GAE/ g Tea powder) as compared to indigenous teas (130.55‐156.19 mg GAE/ g Tea powder). However, total flavonoid content was found to be higher in Australian indigenous tea (3073.92 ‐ 3353.99 µg QE/ g Tea powder) in comparison to green tea (2059.61 µg QE/ g Tea powder). The antioxidant properties of samples were determined by using radical scavenging activity and reducing power assay. Antioxidant activities of green tea and Gulban tea were comparable (P > 0.05). Anise and lemon myrtle showed lower antioxidant activity in comparison with Gulban or green tea. Consumer acceptability studies have shown promising results for Gulban as a tea. Australian indigenous Gulban tea could be a potential commercial herbal beverage. Keyword: Green tea, Gulban Tea, Anise myrtle, Lemon myrtle, Polyphenol, Antioxidant [P206] Development of the Mungbean Nested Association Mapping (NAM) Resource: transformation from opportunity crop into Queensland’s most dynamic pulse Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Tom Noble¹*, Col Douglas², Rex Williams², Sagadevan Mundree¹ 1 Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Mungbean (Vigna radiata), is established as the key rotation in tropical Australia’s cereal‐based cropping systems. It has a short duration, wide sowing window, a range of rotation benefits and is established as a high value product for discerning international markets. New varieties released by the National Mungbean Improvement Program have doubled production to 70,000 tonnes since 2003. Further industry growth, expansion into new tropical production environments, and progress towards a new industry target of 170,000 tonnes annual production requires the adoption of new breeding technologies and an understanding of traits and the physiological processes determining yield and response to biotic and abiotic stress. This project is delivering new genetic knowledge that will directly assist the breeding of better mungbean varieties for Australian growers. The NAM framework has been used to introduce genetic diversity including disease resistance and new adaptive traits into elite mungbean germplasm using biparental and Page | 185
backcross breeding. Five hundred and sixty mungbean and black gram accessions have been genotyped as part of a genetic diversity study completed on cultivated and wild Australian germplasm. Thirty‐one crosses have been made up to the summer of 2015, including five inter specific cross to Vigna var. sublobata. For each population sixty, F2 derived recombinant inbreed lines will be fast tracked to the F5 generation by July 2016 using controlled environment and field increases. This population is being developed as a global resource to aid in the study of complex traits such as disease resistance, phenology, drought and heat stress at flowering. [P207] Elevated CO2 alters fitness of Fusarium pathogens Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Friday Obanor¹*, Rosalie Sabburg¹ 1 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) is expected to reach 550 µmol/mol by the end of this century. Concomitantly, global temperature is predicted to rise by an average of 1.5‐2.0°C with more frequent occurrences of extreme climatic events. Changes in these environmental conditions are most likely to directly or indirectly impact on plant pathogens, and as a consequence, it is of particular importance to determine how pathogen fitness will be influenced in the future. Crown rot and head blight are two major diseases of wheat caused by the same Fusarium species. Beside yield losses, these pathogens produce mycotoxins, including nivalenol and deoxynivalenol (DON) in infected wheat that are harmful to animal and human health. To better understand their biology under a changing climate, this study has examined the fitness of three dominant species, F. graminearum, F. pseudograminearum and F. culmorum using both pathogenic and saprophytic fitness measures, including aggressiveness for the two diseases, saprophytic growth, fecundity and DON under ambient and elevated CO2. At both CO2 levels, pathogenic fitness was generally linked to DON production in infected tissues. On average, all the fitness measures were significantly (P<0.05) higher at elevated CO2 than ambient CO2 for the three species. Furthermore, the impact of elevated CO2 on the overall fitness of F. graminearum was more pronounced compared to the other two species. These results suggest that the risks posed by grain DON contamination will increase under future climate change. [P208] Integration of rapid phenotyping and genotyping tools for peanut genetic improvement Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Daniel OConnor¹*, Rao Rachaputi¹, Rob Henry¹, Agnelo Furtado¹, Graeme Wright² 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Peanut Company of Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Blanchability, propensity of the testa to be removed from the kernel following rapid heat treatment, is a key breeding trait for the cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Blanchability is an ideal candidate for marker assisted selection (MAS) as it is difficult to phenotype, highly heritable, genotype specific and has a low genotype by environment interaction. Currently, due to the existing phenotyping technique, many undesirable lines are well progressed in a breeding Page | 186
program, only to be discarded after exhibiting poor blanchability at the F5 or F6 generation. Progress of MAS in the cultivated peanut has been slow due to its large genome size, 2800Gbp, complex nature, it is an alleotetraploid, and low genetic diversity in the domesticated species. The reference genome for the cultivated peanut is still in development but annotated references have been released for the two diploid progenitators, Arachis duranesis and Arachis ipaensis. 9 lines from the US peanut minicore collection have been phenotyped for blanchability with significant variability identified, between 95% and 45%. A pooled DNA sample from a selection of excellent and poor blanching accessions has been developed. These two DNA pools have been enriched using probes developed from the annotated diploid reference, in collaboration with Roche Nimblegen. The enriched DNA has then been next generation sequenced using the Illumina platform in order to develop functional DNA markers for the trait. It is expected this novel protocol will increase the efficiency of peanut breeding programs to select for other difficult to phenotype breeding traits. [P209] Yield monitoring in sub‐tropical carrots. Unlocking productivity through understanding block performance Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Julie O'Halloran¹*, Ian Layden¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Queensland sub‐tropical and tropical vegetable growers have the opportunity to improve productivity and meet increasing production requirements through understanding spatial and temporal yield variability. While within block biomass and yield variability can be inferred from crop sensing data, it is ideal to measure yield itself. The measurement of yield variability is currently being trialled in carrot production in south‐east Queensland. A load cell based, geo‐
referenced yield monitor was retrofitted to a carrot harvester in mid‐2014. Preliminary yield mapping data from the 2014 season has revealed significant spatial yield variability within blocks. While average block yields may look quite good, by spatially mapping yield, producers are able to identify which areas are underperforming so that management activities can be targeted to improve the overall yield average of individual blocks. Groundtruthing the underlying causal factors of yield variability has proven to be essential for making informed management decisions to improve block uniformity. This has involved EM38 soil mapping to understand any inherent soil variability, mapping of cut and fill areas, crop sensing imagery, strategic soil sampling programs and monitoring pest, diseases, irrigation and drainage. The ability to quantify any yield variability has several implications for crop management. Primarily, it provides growers with a quantitative dataset of the spatial and temporal nature of yield variances and the cost of lost yield potential. Additionally, it allows growers to undertake cost benefit analyses of potential management interventions to improve underperforming areas and make decisions as to whether these are likely to be cost effective. [P210] Replacement of soybean meal with leucaena meal in concentrate diets in growing goats fed a basal diet of Pangola Hay Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 187
Siwaporn Paengkoum¹*, Sirinthip Traiyakun², Pramote Paengkoum² 1 Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 2 Suranaree University of Technology, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand __________________________________________________________________________ The aim of this study was to examine the effects of utilization of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) meal in concentrate diets on feed intake, nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation in goats fed with pangola hay based diets. Eight goats of 11‐12 months old and an average body weight (BW) of 20±5.0 kg were used in double 4x4 Latin square design. The treatments were assigned into the four levels of leucaena meal replacement for soybean meal in concentrates at 0, 25, 50 and 75% of crude protein. The results showed that roughage intake (%BW and g/kgBW0.75) increased linearly (P<0.01) with increasing levels of leucaena meal while total intake was not significantly different among dietary treatments. Similarly, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and ruminal ammonia nitrogen (NH3‐N) were not significantly different among dietary treatments. However, crude protein (CP) digestibility, ruminal pH (6 hr after feeding), nitrogen (N) intake, N absorption, N retention and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) increased quadratically (P <0.05) with the increasing levels of leucaena meals. It could be concluded that protein from leucaena meal can replace soybean meal up to 75% without negative effect on ruminal ecology or productive performance. [P211] Effects of supplementation of purple Turi (Sesbania grandiflora) leaf or flower on blood antioxidant activity in crossbred goats Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Pramote Paengkoum¹*, Siwaporn Paengkoum² 1 Suranaree University of Technology, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 2 Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand __________________________________________________________________________ Twenty‐four crossbred (Thai native x Anglo‐Nubian) goats were chosen from a commercial farm on the basis of similar bodyweight (17.5 + 2.5 kg). The goats were randomly allocated to three treatments in randomized complete block design (RCBD). Each goat was given corn silage as roughage plus the respective treatment diets. The diets were iso‐nitrogenous and iso‐energetic containing cassava pulp, molasses, urea and commercial mineral and vitamin mix. The experimental treatments were (i) soybean meal (SBM), (ii) partial substitution of SBM with purple Turi flowers or (iii) partial substitution of SBM with purple Turi flowers. Nutrients intakes, ruminal characteristics (pH, ammonia nitrogen and volatile fatty acids), nitrogen balances, plasma urea nitrogen were not significantly different among treatments. The present results indicate that protein foliages locally grown fodders can substitute imported feedstuffs concentrate (e.g. SBM) as protein supplement for goat production. Our results indicated the the leaf and flower of purple Turi possessed excellent antioxidant activity, which could lead to increased application of these natural food colorants by the food or feed industry. [P212] Investigating Soilborne Nectriaceous Fungi associated with Black Root Rot in Avocado Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 188
Louisamarie Parkinson¹*, Alistair McTaggart², Roger Shivas², Elizabeth Dann¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Black root rot, associated with a complex of nectriaceous fungi (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) Calonectria, Ilyonectria, Cylindrocladiella and Gliocladiopsis spp., is considered to be a severe disease of young avocado trees. Symptoms include black necrotic roots, tree stunting, and leaf drop prior to tree death. Infected nursery avocado transplants have been reported to die within 1‐
5 years, causing significant commercial loss. This research aims to catalogue nectriaceous fungi found in avocado trees in Australia and to identify species pathogenic to avocado. More than 120 isolates of nectriaceous fungi have been isolated from symptomatic avocado roots and other host species from across Australia, of which 30 isolates have been identified using gene sequences of ITS, β‐tubulin and histone 3 loci. Molecular phylogenetic analysis may facilitate the potential classification of others as new species. Glasshouse pathogenicity tests with cv. Reed seedlings confirmed that two isolates of Calonectria ilicicola were severely pathogenic, causing wilting or seedling death in 63% of seedlings 5 weeks after inoculation. Seedling height and leaf, stem and root mass were also reduced significantly (P<0.001) by Ca. ilicicola. Cylindrocladiella and Gliocladiopsis were confirmed as non‐pathogenic. This was repeated in cross‐pathogenicity tests with Ca. ilicicola isolated from papaya, peanut, and custard apple, Ca. pauciramosa isolated from blueberry and Ilyonectria liriodendri isolated from grapevine. Raw data collection demonstrates Ca. ilicicola from all hosts is pathogenic to avocado, suggesting a broad host range. [P213] Genotypic variation for tolerance to high temperature stress during reproductive phase in Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L. Wilczek) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nia Patriyawaty¹*, Rao Rachaputi¹*, Doug George²*, Col Douglas³* 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 School of Agriculture & Food Sciences (SAFS), The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Higher growing season temperatures can have dramatic impacts on agricultural productivity, farm incomes, and food security. It is critical to improve heat tolerance in food crops including legumes such as mungbean (Vigna radiata), which is an economically and nutritionally important food and feed legume crop in south, east and Southeast Asia. The crop is cultivated over 6 million ha in tropics and subtropics where it is often exposed to seasonal temperatures of up to more than 45oC. High temperature stress affects both vegetative and reproductive growth and development of mungbean, although reproductive stage is highly sensitive to high temperature as it directly impacts on pollen viability, abortion of flowers and pods. Although there is some information about genotypic variation in mungbean for tolerance to elevated temperatures in the field, the little information about the mechanisms underpinning genotypic variation to heat stress in mungbean is scanty. This aim of the study is to understand of physiological factors underpinning the genotypic variation and develop a simple screening tool for high temperature tolerance in mungbean. This project will utilise 30 diverse mungbean germplasm to investigate the genetic Page | 189
diversity in mungbean for tolerance to and recovery from high temperature stress at reproductive phase. The genotypic variation will be quantified by assessing a range of physiological traits such as chlorophyll recovery index, cell membrane integrity, pollen viability in addition to reproductive growth and development including flower to pod ratio, seed to pod ratio, seed size and seed vigour and viability. [P214] Soil health, the competition for soil carbon Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Anthony Pattison¹*, Tegan Kukulies¹, Elio Jovicich¹, Brian Muirhead², Trevor Parker² 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 Northern Gulf Resource Management Group, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Soils in tropical horticultural production systems are driven by biological interactions, resulting in organic matter decomposition, nutrient recycling, soil structure maintenance, greenhouse gas regulation and disease suppression. Carbon compounds are the energy source driving the biological interactions in soil, which can be contained within the detritus, roots or other soil organisms. Soil nematodes and their community structure are good indicators of soil biological interactions as they are abundant, with different trophic levels within the soil ecosystem; feeding on fungi, bacteria, roots and other soil organisms. A high proportion of bacterivores indicates rapid decomposition of detritus, with increased atmospheric losses of soil carbon. Ecological indicators using soil nematode community structures have been used to determine the interaction of soil organisms and level of disturbance in agro‐ecosystems. However, many of the indices do not account for herbivores (plant‐parasites), which acquire their carbon from plant roots as part of the soil ecosystem. Changes in soil management practices in perennial (bananas, avocado, papaya and mango) and annual (capsicum and zucchini) tropical horticultural systems were used to investigate changes in the trophic composition of the soil nematode community. Inclusion of living and dried organic ground covers in perennial systems and reduced tillage in annual systems reduced the proportion of herbivores and increased predatory nematodes. Those soil management practices, which increase predatory nematodes and reduce herbivores, were correlated with increased soil carbon. Therefore, an understanding of the competition for soil carbon between soil organisms allows a more efficient design of horticultural production systems. [P215] Developing cytogenetic/genomic novel approaches to study introgression sugarcane clones: A way to introduce new disease resistance genes? Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nathalie Piperidis¹*, Karen Aitken², George Piperidis¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia Ltd, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Cytogenetics applied to sugarcane has led to significant additions to our fundamental understanding of the sugarcane genome. Despite the high number of chromosomes in cultivated sugarcane (2n~ 100‐130), researchers have demonstrated the narrow genetic base within Page | 190
cultivated sugarcane clones, caused by the limited number of wild species clones used during early breeding crosses. To counteract this low diversity breeders have invested heavily in new selection breeding programs and introduced new interspecific/intergeneric wild relatives. Intergeneric hybrids between Saccharum and Erianthus are the newest exotic addition to the Australian sugarcane breeding program. The wild species Erianthus arundinaceus has been an important candidate in enlarging the gene pool of the Australian parent populations as it contains numerous traits of agronomic importance, especially pest and disease resistance. Combining genomic in situ hybridisation (GISH) results and molecular marker technology, we have developed an easy polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to trace exotic chromosomes through succeeding generations. Five generations of fertile hybrids were studied by GISH and showed a reduction in the number of Erianthus chromosomes through generations and the formation of recombinant chromosomes between chromosomes of both genera. Intergeneric clones with fewer than the basic chromosome number of Erianthus were used to develop a simple method based on PCR molecular markers that allow identification of individual Erianthus chromosomes in the backcross hybrids. If important traits, such as pest and disease resistance, can be linked to Erianthus specific chromosomes, then this method could become a valuable tool for sugarcane breeders as an effective selection screening method. [P216] The use of in‐situ proximal sensing technologies to determine crop characteristics in Sorghum crop breeding Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Andries Potgieter¹*, David Jordan¹, Graeme Hammer¹, Scott Chapman², Kenneth Laws³, Greg McLean³, Robert Armstrong¹, Wei Guo⁴ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 4 Institute for Sustainable Agro‐ecosystem Services, Graduate School of Agriculture __________________________________________________________________________ Sorghum is one of the main summer crops for north‐eastern Australia with a farm gate value of close to $350M. Globally as well as nationally, food production is being exposed to increased climate variability and change as well as highly volatile markets. The trend in sorghum yield in Australia has been consistent and positive over the last 30 years, while yield trends globally for other cereals like wheat, maize and rice have slowed down or decreased. Crop breeding will continue to play a significant role in generating the step change in productivity at the plant/field and farm level needed to ensure global crop production is keeping up with the increasing demand for food. Here we explore the application and ability of proximal sensing technologies to enhance plant‐breeding research outcomes. Specifically, the use of visible band images from a GoPro Hero4 camera on‐board an IRIS+ drone. Images from breeding trials were mosaicked, extracted and classified to determine percentage crop cover, % greenness, and tiller or head counts of sorghum plants. Preliminary results showed high correlations (R2 = 0.88) in predicting number of sorghum plant heads across 20 plots. Automated digital classification approaches are also tested. Application of these technologies across breeding plots will enhance phenotyping capabilities and hence the ability to discriminate among responses of genotypes. Phenotyping of breeding plots using hyperspectral, distance and thermal sensors are also discussed. Page | 191
[P217] Transcriptomic Analysis of Biotic Stress Response in Hexaploid Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Jonathan Powell¹,²*, Timothy Fitzgerald¹, Jiri Stiller¹, Paul Berkman¹, Donald Gardiner¹, John Manners³, Robert Henry², Kemal Kazan¹,² 1 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Queensland, Australia. 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, ACT, Australia _________________________________________________________________________ Many tropical crops including sugarcane, coffee, banana and eucalypts possess complex polyploid genomes. Crops with higher ploidy levels often display increased growth vigour and increased abiotic/biotic stress tolerance relative to progenitor species. Developing a better understanding of how polyploid plants utilise their genome in response to stresses will be essential for the improvement of these crops. This study utilised an RNAseq approach to estimate global gene expression patterns in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), which is an economically important polyploid plant, during infection by the fungal pathogen Fusarium pseudograminearum, the causative agent of the crown rot disease. A soil‐less infection assay was performed with wheat seedlings inoculated with F. pseudograminearum with samples taken at 3 days post inoculation. The bread wheat genome chromosomal survey sequence was then utilised as a reference for read alignment to allow estimation of gene expression in a subgenome specific manner. In total, 2755 differentially expressed genes were identified between mock and Fusarium treated samples with 1867/888 genes induced/repressed. A disproportionately high number of differentially expressed were contributed from the ‘B’ and ‘D’ subgenomes relative to the ‘A’ subgenome, suggesting that B and D genomes play more significant roles during biotic stress than the A genome. Patterns of homoeologue expression bias were observed for 75 percent of homoeologue triplets during infection. Utilising transcriptomic approaches to observe global responses to stress in polyploid species will help identify candidate genes affecting important traits and advance our understanding of the evolution of polyploidy in crop plants. [P218] NAM: a new breeding technology to improve and expand sub‐tropical and tropical wheat cropping Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Cecile Richard¹*, Jack T Christopher², Karine Chenu¹, Andrew K Borrell³, Mandy J Christopher⁴, Lee T Hickey¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 UQ QAAFI, Leslie Research Facility, Toowoomba, Australia 3 UQ QAAFI, Hermitage Research Facility, Warwick, Australia 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Yield, grain quality, tolerance to abiotic stress and disease resistance are important, yet challenging targets for breeders aiming to improve wheat productivity. Such attributes, often quantitative traits, interact with both the environment and farm management practices. To Page | 192
unravel the genetics of these complex traits, we have rapidly developed a series of inter‐related nested‐association mapping (NAM) populations. Here, we describe a multi‐parent reference NAM, highlighting the potential and implications of this innovative genetic resource for wheat improvement. Three NAM populations were developed by nesting 12 diverse founders within three common parents adapted to the western, southern and northern cropping regions of Australia. Founders were selected based on key target traits involved in drought and heat adaptation including stay‐green root architecture, heat tolerance, and transpiration efficiency, disease resistance including crown rot and rust, and acid soil tolerance including to manganese and aluminium. Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were derived using an incomplete factorial design crossing scheme, producing over 1,000 F4‐derived lines consisting of 22 families. This NAM population was genotyped using the DArT‐seq genotype‐by‐sequencing platform, generating over 25,000 polymorphic markers. Each year, new founders are being added to increase the NAM population size and genetic diversity. This evolving population represents an unprecedented public genetic resource available to wheat geneticists, physiologists, pathologists, and breeders to unlock the genetic potential of wheat in Australia. In addition to increasing productivity, improved tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses can lead to expansion of wheat production areas, such as in sub‐tropical and tropical environments in Australia and world‐wide. [P219] A major QTL for narrow root angle provides a yield advantage in barley Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Hannah Robinson¹*, Glen Fox², Cecile Richard¹, Alison Kelly²,³, Andrew Borrell⁴, Jerome Franckowiak⁵, Lee Hickey¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 UQ QAAFI, Leslie Research Facility, Toowoomba, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 4 UQ QAAFI, Hermitage Research Facility, Warwick, Australia 5 Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA ___________________________________________________________________________ In sub‐tropical northern Australia, crops rely on summer rainfall stored deep in the clay soils as a nutrient source during the drier winter season. Certain wheat cultivars with narrower lateral root distribution and higher proportion of roots at depth have the ability to extract more soil moisture and are associated with narrower seminal root angle and increased root number in seedlings. Here we performed the first QTL mapping for seminal root traits in barley using a doubled haploid (DH) population, validated the newly identified key genomic regions using an elite breeding population and investigated the effect of a major QTL on yield in the northern grain growing region. The ND24260 x Flagship DH population and an elite breeding population, were phenotyped for seminal root angle and number using a high‐throughput method based on transparent pots. Yield effects associated with a major root angle QTL identified in this study were investigated through gene assignment in the breeding population. Predicted values for yield were calculated for lines carrying the narrow and wide allele at this major QTL across 20 environments spanning three years. This major root angle QTL was detected in both populations, positioned on chromosome 5HL. Breeding lines carrying the narrow allele for the 5HL QTL displayed a significant yield advantage up to 11% in 16 of 20 environments. Phenotypic selection for seminal root traits or marker‐assisted selection for the 5HL QTL may enrich barley breeding populations with desirable genes for drought adaptation in the sub‐tropical production regions of Australia. Page | 193
[P220] Immunisation using microspheres of poly glycidyl methacrylate functionalized with MSA‐
2 peptide to protect cattle from babesiosis Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Manuel Rodriguez Valle¹*, Monica Florin‐Christensen², Miriem Santander Borrego³, Bronwyn Venus¹, Ezequiel Balmori¹, Peter Rolls⁴, Nancy Phillips⁴, Ala Lew‐Tabor¹,⁵ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Instituto Nacional de Tecnologa‐a Agropecuaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina 3 Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Queensland, Australia 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 5 Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Babesia bovis is a protozoan parasite transmitted by Rhipicephalus microplus ticks causing significant economic losses and limits cattle production in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Vaccination with live attenuated parasites is an effective control method that protects susceptible cattle preventing babesiosis outbreaks in areas of enzootic instability, and protects animals raised in tick free zones when transferred into endemic areas. These live Babesia vaccines are usually effective but have a numerous disadvantages including reversion to virulence if transmitted by ticks. Additionally, vaccination is only safe in young bovines (~ 1 year old). The present study developed microspheres with ~1 µM size of poly glycidyl methacrylate (poly‐GMA) that were functionalized by Click chemistry methodologies with highly immunogenic and protective B cell epitopes from the B. bovis merozoite surface antigen MSA‐2. The peptide‐
functionalized microspheres were utilized in mouse inmmunisation experiment. Mouse anti‐
peptide antibodies recognized B. bovis merozoite extracts in ELISA screening. In addition, sera against the peptides inhibited erythrocyte invasion by cultured B. bovis merozoites in vitro. However, cattle immunized with the MSA‐2 peptide‐microparticles were not protected against challenge with the virulent B. bovis strain (Calliungal). Finally, further studies should be conducted in order to improve the development of a new generation of vaccine(s) against this apicomplexan protozoan parasite. [P221] Biodiscovery of compounds from plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria and their role in stimulating pseudo‐chemical responses in Phytophthora cinnamomi Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ahmad Rosli¹*, Lilia Carvalhais¹, Zeinab Khalil², Hooman Mirzaee¹, Hongwei Liu¹, Thorya Fallath¹, Vivian Florez¹, Lara‐Simone Pretorius¹, Rob Capon², Peer Schenk¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Several advances have been made in our understanding of how soil‐borne pathogens interact with plants and of how we may provide resistance in natural systems, but our ability to control these diseases, especially in tropical areas, is still very much limited. Phytophthora cinnamomi continues to cause devastating disease in major agricultural crops and native vegetation worldwide and consequently threatens global biodiversity. Here, we screened 300 bacterial isolates from Page | 194
rhizosphere soils and identified 28 isolates with biocontrol activity against P. cinnamomi and/or their ability to promote plant growth. Following chemical extractions from six bacterial isolates with high anti‐oomycete activity we discovered three bioactive diketopiperazines (DKP). One of the DKPs stimulated production of specific radicals in P. cinnamomi. This may suggest that the bacterial DKP induced pseudo‐chemical defence responses in P. cinnamomi, allowing this pathogen to produce reactive molecules as a defence signal. However, the same molecules may make this hemibiotrophic pathogen detectable for plants to respond. We also discovered that, while radical formation is induced, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity is greatly inhibited, confirming the defence‐signalling role of specific radicals in P. cinnamomi due to the loss of the primary defence strategy in combatting superoxide radicals by SOD. This work provides us with a good background on the discovery of potential biocontrol agents and their bioactive compounds against P. cinnamomi diseases. We hope to apply these natural compounds to soil to control Phytophthora diseases in a range of tropical and subtropical crops and affected native vegetation. [P222] Use of computational modeling of the venus fly trap domain of the sweet taste receptor (hTas1R2) to predict sensorial perception in humans Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Eugeni Roura¹*, Silvia Osuna², Livia Dias¹, Miquel Sola², Galih Kusuma¹, Marcel Swart²,³ 1 Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia 2 Institut de Qua‐mica Computacional i Cata lisi, Universitat de Girona, Spain 3 Institucie Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avaneats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain __________________________________________________________________________ Subjective ratings of the sensory properties of foods are bound to high variations and often low consistency when changing environment and panelist profiles. Consequently, the development of objective measures related to assess food flavours has a high potential value. We have developed a computational model using molecular dynamics simulations of the the extracellular amino terminal domain, the Venus Fly Trap (VFT), of the human Tas1R2 sweet receptor. In particular, we have studied the interaction between the hTas1R2 VFT with a diversity of low molecular weight sweet and non‐sweet compounds. As expected, our results showed that synthetic sweeteners bind stronger to the hTas1R2 VFT domain than natural sweeteners such as sucrose or fructose. In addition, our data suggests that the activity of the sweeteners seems to be regulated largely by their molecular charge and highly dependent on the pH of the milieu. In particular, the binding of compounds with a net positive charge (e.g. aspartame, neotame) are significantly favoured over neutral compounds. We also report the existence of a new binding site located on the outside of the cleft of the VFT domain. The study also progressed to identify potential synergies between sweeteners that will be reported. Finally, the predictions obtained in our computational model have been contrasted in sensory studies with human panelists. [P223] Methods for increasing the legume content of subtropical grass based pastures in Southwest Western Australia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Paul Sanford¹*, Ron Master¹, Eric Dobbe¹ Page | 195
1 Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Legumes provide essential nitrogen for pasture grasses and protein for livestock. Yet in many situations in the southwest of Western Australia subtropical grass based pastures particularly kikuyu (Cenchrus clandestinus) lack legume content leading to reduced productivity. A number of methods to increase legume density were investigated including summer sowing serradella (Ornithopus spp.) pod, suppression of subtropical grasses with herbicide and sowing annual legumes both prior to and following the break of the growing season. Preliminary results suggest that for pastures that contain an adequate legume seed bank suppression alone can reduce competition from subtropical grasses resulting in a greater legume density. Large seeded climbing legumes like vetch (Vicia villosa) have the potential to increase both yield and legume content. In situations with a poor legume seed bank the combination of sowing an annual legume and suppression potentially offer a viable way to improve legume content. [P224] Using new soil testing strategies to develop site‐specific fertilizer application programs for rainfed cropping systems in Central Queensland Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Richard Sequeira¹*, Michael Bell², Maurice Conway¹, Maxwell Quinlivan¹, Andrew Erbacher¹, Darren Aisthorpe¹ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Nutrient management programs are becoming more complex in Central Queensland (CQ) as negative nutrient budgets have slowly eroded native soil fertility reserves. Widespread and seasonally variable nitrogen (N) deficiency in CQ soils has been the most visible evidence of this fertility decline, with general acceptance of the need to apply N fertilizer ‐ although there is still considerable discussion over how to predict the ‘right’ rate. However, soils are now increasingly likely to be deficient in macronutrients other than N, with phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) also limiting yields and returns on fertilizer N investment. These deficits are often most evident in the sub‐surface layers of the soil profile: an area normally only targeted for N quantitation in traditional soil testing approaches. Research over the last 6‐8 years has developed guidelines for indicating likely responses to subsoil nutrient deficiencies, but these guidelines, and suggested fertilizer management responses, require validation in commercial fields. In this paper we present the results of on‐farm fertiliser trials aimed at validating the use of subsoil testing to indicate likely nutrient constraints and the effectiveness of fertilizer application strategies designed to address them The results of our trials shows that deploying the right amount of the right nutrient or nutrient combination at the right time and in the right location within the soil profile is the key to maximizing nutrient uptake and utilization by crop plants, and thereby maximizing the cost‐effectiveness of bag fertilizers. [P225] Grain yield and Striga resistance in sorghum under Integrated Striga Management Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Hussein Shimelis¹*, Gebretsadik Rebeka¹,², Mark Laing¹, Mandefro Nigussie³ Page | 196
1 University of KwaZulu‐Natal, African Centre for Crop Improvement, South Africa 2 Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Debrebirhan, Ethiopia 3 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Addia Ababa, Ethiopia __________________________________________________________________________ The objective of this study was to determine the response of sorghum genotypes for grain yield, yield components, and Striga resistance under integrated Striga management (ISM) and to select promising parents and hybrids. Forty sorghum hybrids were developed using a line by tester mating design involving 10 lines selected for their compatibility with Fusarium oxysporum, a bio‐
control agent, and high agronomic performances and four Striga resistant tester parents. The F1s and their parents were evaluated with complementary in‐vitro tests. Field evaluations were conducted at two locations known for their severe Striga infestation using a row by column lattice experimental design. Significant differences were observed among parents and crosses at both sites on days to 50% flowering and maturity, plant height, biomass, number of Striga plants and Striga plant height. Crosses 235763 x N‐13 and IC9830 x SRN‐39 had significantly negative specific combining ability effects on the numbers of Striga plants. The study identified parents: SRN‐39, Birhan, 235761, 2384443, IC9830, 235466, 237289, 235763, and 235929 with high general combining ability effects useful for breeding for ISM in sorghum. Keywords: bio‐agent, Fusarium oxysporum, sorghum, combining ability, Striga [P226] Root system architecture and its association with drought adaptation in sorghum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Vijaya Singh¹*, Erik van Oosterom¹, David Jordan², Emma Mace³, Graeme Hammer¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Genetic improvement in drought adaptation is essential to sustain sorghum production under water limiting environments. Root system architecture can affect temporal and spatial water extraction patterns. The objectives of this study were to identify traits that determine root architecture, understand their effects on water extraction patterns, and identify genomic regions associated with their expression. Results indicated that nodal root angle at the seedling stage is important for determining the architecture of the mature root system in sorghum. Nodal root angle of seedlings showed significant and highly heritable genetic variation across a wide range of sorghum germplasm. When selected lines with contrasting nodal root angle were grown until anthesis in large containers, results suggested that a wide root angle (relative to the vertical plane) was associated with a more horizontal root distribution and increased lateral water extraction. Screening of a bi‐parental mapping population identified four QTL associated with nodal root angle that explained 58.2% of phenotypic variance and putative associations of these QTL with stay green and grain yield. Simulation studies highlighted the importance of matching management and genotype with environmental conditions to exploit specific adaptation to drought of genotypes with contrasting root architectures. This research suggests that nodal root angle of sorghum seedlings can be a useful selection criterion in sorghum improvement programs targeting drought adaptation. Page | 197
[P227] Beat the heat‐ Adaptation strategies to high temperature stress in sorghum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Vijaya Singh¹*, Chuc Nguyen¹, Scott Chapman², Erik van Oosterom¹, David Jordan³, Graeme Hammer¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland, Australia 3 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Genetic adaptation of sorghum to heat stress is important to sustain sorghum production under future climates, because predicted increases in temperature increases the risk of adverse effects of heat stress on sorghum yields. The objective of this study was to quantify the physiological and genetic control of high temperature tolerance in sorghum. Experiments were conducted in controlled environments and in the field. Results from the controlled environments indicated that high temperature stress predominantly affected reproductive processes. Pollen viability and seed set were significantly reduced under high temperatures, especially if these occurred during the 10‐
15 day period around flowering. However, significant genotypic variation was observed for pollen viability and seed set in the threshold temperature and high temperature tolerance above that threshold. The two traits were highly correlated, suggesting a casual association between them. Modelling studies indicated considerable year to year variation in yield reductions due to high temperature effects on pollen viability and seed set, with yield reductions exceeding 10% in many years for susceptible genotypes. Although management of sowing date could mitigate some of these adverse effects, this was a much less effective strategy than genetic changes, as tolerant genotypes rarely suffered yield reductions over 10%. Our studies have identified potential sources of genetic tolerance to high temperature stress that can be incorporated into elite sorghum germplasm to deliver climate‐ready sorghum. [P228] Innovative methods of obtaining body temperature from ruminants Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Megan Sullivan¹*, Gene Wijffels², Angela Lees¹, Joseph Olm¹, Judy Cawdell‐Smith¹, John Gaughan¹ 1 University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ Internal body temperature (IBT) is a reliable indicator of an animal’s thermal status, performance and welfare. However, it is often difficult to measure under field conditions. Internal body temperature has been obtained from various locations in the animal including rectal, vaginal, tympanic and sub‐dermally (Brown‐Brandl et al 2003) and more recently in the rumen (Rose‐Dye et al 2011). Traditional methods of measuring IBT may require surgical implantation, provide a limited data set and lack ‘real time’ sequential data. Remote sensing technology via the use of a rumen bolus (Smartstock LLC, Pawnee, OK) can provide ‘real time’ IBT data for extended periods and is minimally invasive. Obtaining real‐time data can assist with scientific data collection, allow for disease/illness detection before the presentation of clinical signs and can assist with management decisions. The ‘real time’ data has the ability to validate the thermal and welfare Page | 198
status of an animal when incorporated with other physiological parameters, which is especially useful under heat stress conditions. The reliability of rumen temperature as a measure of IBT has been debated but it has shown to be closely correlated with rectal temperature (RT) varying 0.13 to 0.38 ºC less than RT with r2 = 0.80 (Rose‐Dye et al 2011) and within 0.16 ± 0.02 °C of RT from unpublished data (Lees et al). The potential for remote temperature sensing as a management tool for production animals is a scientific advancement that has the potential to improve animal management and allow for improvements in overall performance. [P229] Diurnal variation of rumen temperature proxy for body temperature Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Megan Sullivan¹*, Gene Wijffels², Joseph Olm¹, Judy Cawdell‐Smith¹, John Gaughan¹ 1 University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Body temperature (BT) of cattle fluctuates throughout the day with a diurnal rhythm. Fluctuations are influenced by environmental, metabolic and physiological factors. It has been reported that reductions in BT in the morning hours would allow the animal to tolerate higher environmental temperatures in the latter part of the day (Lefcourt and Adams 1996). Understanding the accumulation and dissipation of body heat throughout the day of feedlot cattle may help to improve productivity. In a study of 80 Bos taurus feedlot steers housed in shaded pens during a sub‐tropical summer the minimum and maximum rumen temperatures (RT) obtained using a remote sensing rumen bolus occurred at approximately 0800 h (39.2 ± 0.01 °C) and 2000 h (40.0 ± 0.01 °C) respectively. A distinct diurnal rhythm in RT was seen; RT increased between 0800 h and 2000 h, and decreased between 2000 h and 0800 h. Maximum RT occurred approximately 4 hours post afternoon feeding (75% of daily ration), suggesting that metabolic activity after feeding has a strong influence on RT. The majority of heat dissipation should occur in the night time hours when environmental temperature is at its minimum, therefore adjusting the feeding time to minimise any effects on this heat dissipation could be a beneficial management development. Informed alterations to management practices could allow for effective heat dissipation, enabling animals to efficiently deal with heat stress conditions in tropical and sub‐tropical environmental conditions. [P230] Molecular characterisation of transgenic sugarcane Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Yue (Jenny) Sun¹*, Chuong Ngo¹, Priya Joyce¹, Anthony O'Connell¹, Lihan Zhao¹, Clair Bolton¹, Nirosha Hewage Don¹, Claire Phillips¹, Li Wang¹, Prakash Lakshmanan¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Global acreage of genetically modified crops (GM crops) is increasing at an impressive rate (3‐4% per annum), reaping the benefits that gene technologies offer. As new GM crops are being developed, more crop‐specific techniques are required to produce and characterise commercially useful transgenic plants. Apart from being the primary source of sugar, sugarcane is the second Page | 199
largest biofuel crop worldwide and is an important target for biotechnological innovations. Sugarcane has a large and complex genome, which makes standard techniques routinely applied in diploid plants, particularly those for event characterisation, not readily transferable. High throughput screening for transgene insertion frequency (copy number) is an important component of early elimination of undesirable events in commercial GM crop development programs. This study aims to establish techniques to screen transgenic events for copy number, characterisation of transgene insertion sites as well as the intactness of the introduced expression cassette. Lariat PCR has been successfully used for low cost identification of insertion site flanking sequences for up to two‐copy GM sugarcane events. Insertion site characterisation using next generation sequencing (NGS) has also been developed for up to two copy events which validated lariat PCR results. [P231] Enhanced of peanut productivity of smallholder farmers through improved technology package in Eastern Indonesia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Ahmad Suriadi¹*, Lalu Wirajaswasi¹, Rao RCN Rachaputi² 1 Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, West Nusa Tenggara (BPTP NTB) 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), is a major food legume crop grown under both rainfed and irrigated conditions in Indonesia. In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province peanut is cultivated on over 27,000 ha annually, involving more than 188,000 household farmers. However, peanut productivity under farmer level has been low, <1 ton/ha. An on‐farm research project has been implemented with an aim to improve productivity of peanut and income of smallholder farmers through improved varieties and management technologies in NTB province of eastern Indonesia. There were three packages of technologies applied as treatments involving 30 farmers in area of 8.68 ha with at least three farmers for replications. These treatments were: T1. Improved Practice ( variety: Bima, seed treatment with fungicide (Captan), 40 x 10 cm spacing, two seeds per hole and 100 kg Phosphate (SP36)/ha); T2. Similar to treatment no 1 but fertilizer was replaced by fungicide (Metyl tiofanat) and T3. Farmer practice (irregular space with two seeds/hole). Result showed that the highest yield was achieved in T2 with 8.94 ton fresh pod/ha followed by 8.08 ton fresh pod/ha in T1 compared to 2.52 ton fresh pod/ha in farmers practice (T3). The highest benefit/cost ratio was found in T2 although this was not significantly different with T1 but was highly significant different farmer practice. [P232] Floral traits of importance for cold tolerance at early and late booting stages in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Zuziana Susanti¹,²*, Jaquie Mitchell¹, Shu Fukai¹ 1 The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia 2 The Agency of Agricultural Research and Development, Jakarta, Indonesia __________________________________________________________________________ Page | 200
Cold temperature stress at the booting stage is a‐major constraint to rice production in Australia which results in high percentage of spikelet sterility (SS). Two controlled‐temperature experiments were conducted to identify floral traits of importance in maintaining spikelet fertility under cold temperature exposure at both early booting (EB) and late booting (LB) stages and to identify genotypes which are consistently tolerant across stages. Over the 2‐experiments a‐subset of 15 sister lines from a‐cross of cold tolerant donor NorinPL8 and Australian fragrant cultivar Kyeema were grown under 3‐temperature regimes, consistently warm (28/21°C), exposed to cold (21/15oC day/night) for 14 days at LB (9 DBH‐days before heading) in experiment‐1 and at EB (27‐DBH) in experiment‐2. Significant genotypic differences existed in SS and floral traits. Under warm, SS averaged 11%, while cold exposure at EB and LB resulted in 59% and 45% SS respectively. There was a‐strong positive relationship (r=0.73**) between SS of EB and LB, 4 lines (9‐229;11‐221;10‐
225;10‐215) performing consistently well. On average number of pollen grain on stigma (PoS) under warm was 242 (77‐415), LB‐cold and EB‐cold was reduced by 59% and 81% respectively. On average anther dehiscence length (ADL) of LB‐cold was 1070um and 551um under EB‐cold. Anther length (AL) of LB‐cold averaged 1713um and EB‐cold at 1107um. Timing of cold strongly affected floral traits. The reduced number in PoS was largely the result of decreased ADL (r=0.83**) particularly in EB stage. Tolerant lines were able to maintain higher ADL, higher PoS and consequently high fertility under low temperatures. [P233] Biofortification of chickpea for enhanced iron content Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Grace Tan¹*, Brett Williams¹, Sudipta Bhowmik¹, Alexander Johnson¹, Sagadevan Mundree² 1 Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, QLD, Australia 2 University of Melbourne, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Iron deficiency is a worldwide problem affecting both developed and developing nations. Currently the most common means of combating this issue is supplementation and food fortification. Such measures however, are limited by the economic status of the targeted demographics. An alternative and more sustainable method is to enhance the inherent iron content and bioavailability of crops through biofortification. Iron biofortification through genetic modification has been done in several important crops like rice and wheat, but there is no known study in legumes. This project focuses on the iron biofortification of chickpea through genetic modification. Chickpea is an important leguminous crop that is widely consumed, particularly in India where anaemia is prevalent. It is rich in protein and micronutrients such as iron. Most of the iron however, is not bioavailable. Two components involved in iron homeostasis, nicotianamine synthase (NAS) and ferritin, have been successfully used to enhance plant iron content and bioavailability in other crop species. It is hypothesized that transformation with NAS and ferritin will enhance the iron content and bioavailability of chickpea, and thus provide a sustainable and affordable means to alleviate global iron deficiency. [P234] Whole‐genome identification of genes affecting grain size in Sorghum bicolour and selection signatures revealed during sorghum domestication Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Page | 201
Yongfu Tao¹*, Emma Mace², David Jordan¹, Alan Cruickshank² 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sorghum is the second most important C4 cereal crop in the world and due to its adaption to drought and high temperatures, it is likely to play an increasingly vital role in enhancing global food security challenged by human population growth combined with climate change. As a key determinant of yield, grain size has been significantly improved during parallel domestication of crops. In this study, 119 genes influencing grain size in maize, rice and Arabidopsis were identified from the literature and the sorghum orthologous genes were inferred using the bidirectional best hit approach. In total, 99 sorghum orthologues were identified on the sorghum genome assembly v2.1, with almost three quarters (74%) located within 1Mb of previously identified QTL for grain weight and yield in sorghum. Annotation of the 99 candidate genes using Blast2Go revealed an enrichment of specific functions, including transcription in the biological process category and DNA binding in the molecular function category. The availability of whole genome resequencing data across a diverse group of 47 wild, weedy and cultivated genotypes provides opportunities to exploring the evolutionary plasticity across these orthologues, which were found to have significantly reduced diversity in the cultivated lines resulting from domestication. Furthermore, almost one third (32 candidate genes) of the sorghum orthologues had signatures consistent with purifying selection, with 9 candidates also found to be under selection in other cereal crops. This study sheds light on the genetic basis underlying domestication of sorghum, provides candidates for follow‐up trait‐marker analysis and sorghum breeding [P235] Combinations of different root zone temperatures affect storage root formation of sweetpotato Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Prapa Taranet¹*, Gunnar Kirchhof¹, Ryosuke Fujinuma¹, Neal Menzies¹ 1 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, UQ, St. Lucia, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Sweetpotato is a staple food crop and cultivated under the composted mound system in the highland regions of tropical countries. However, farmers face a challenge to produce consistent yield because the gradient of root zone temperature (RZT) in the mound could cause irregular storage root formation. Hence this study investigated the effects of RZT on storage root formation of sweetpotato using a series of glasshouse trials. A preliminary trial indicated that RZT in compost increased to 50°C during the first week after composting (WAC) and gradually decreased to 25°C by the end of third WAC. In the following two glasshouse trials the combination of 20°C:20°C (as control), 20°C:30°C, 20°C:40°C, and 20°C:50°C were set as constant temperatures during the entire six weeks of the incubation (trial 1) and only during the first three weeks of the incubation (trial 2). At the end of incubation, four plants of each treatment were harvested, and storage roots with more than 0.5 cm localized thickening were recorded. Trial 1 showed that nearly three times heavier storage root mass in control than that in other treatments; however, the average number of storage roots were similar among treatments. Trial 2 showed that heavier storage root mass and greater number of storage roots in control than those in other treatments. Overall, the results Page | 202
indicated that the shifting temperatures of RZT during the storage root formation period (first three weeks after planting) could explain the inconsistent yields of storage roots. [P236] Dietary fiber enrichment has the potential to manipulate the taste of foods in humans Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Pridhuvi Thavaraj¹*, Mike Gidley¹, Eugeni Roura 1 CNAFS, QAAFI, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Dietary fibre (DF) is widely consumed for its beneficial physiological effects, in weight‐
management for example. Health education campaigns emphasise the importance of a diet rich in fibre, particularly in the form of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. In an attempt to meet the current daily recommended intake of 25‐30g, many processed foods offer DF enrichment. However, how this enrichment affects taste perception has not yet been systematically investigated. Many fibre‐rich liquid foods have reported decreased consumer preferences partially due to a decrease in taste perception. The current research aims at studying the effect of fibre enrichment of solid foods on taste perception. We validated a novel, tasteless and non‐nutritious solid delivery system of taste active compounds ‐ chewing gum, to an existing aqueous model and then studied the interaction between enrichment of 20% soluble DF, Beta‐Glucan and Pectin, and the sensitivity to the 5 primary tastes. The procedure employed was the forced‐choice ascending method for thresholds. Both fibres significantly(P<0.001) decreased the threshold for sweet, bitter and umami tastes compared to the control while no impact on salty and sour tastes was observed. These results suggest that DF‐enrichment has the potential to enhance some of the tastes of solid foods when appropriately manipulated. This information could be used to improve fibre‐rich food formulations. [P237] Tobacco streak virus and related ilarviruses from Ausralia Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Murray Sharman¹,²,⁴, John Thomas²*, Denis Persley¹, Dan Pagendam³ 1 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland 2 The University of Queensland, QAAFI 3CSIRO,Australia __________________________________________________________________________ A distinct strain of Tobacco streak virus (TSV‐parthenium) was shown to be responsible for significant crop losses in sunflowers and mung beans in central Queensland, Australia. High seed‐
transmission rates of this strain occur in its major, symptomless host the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus. This enables the virus to survive between seasons in this harsh environment. TSV is transmitted by several thrips species, during their feeding action on infected pollen. P. hysterophorus produces copious quantities of pollen and has a high incidence of TSV‐
infection in central Queensland, leading to spread by common thrips species and TSV disease epidemics in crops. Field trials demonstrated significant differences in tolerance to natural infections of TSV‐parthenium in a wide range of sunflower hybrids. The use of tolerant hybrids is critical to minimise disease risk. This study also examined the genetic and biological diversity of Page | 203
TSV strains and related ilarviruses from eastern Australia. A further distinct strain, TSV‐
crownbeard, was also identified in central Queensland and this strain existed independently of TSV‐parthenium, and rarely infected sunflower or mungbean. Two further ilarviruses from eastern Australia, originally thought to be TSV strains were shown to be distinct viruses; Ageratum latent virus and Strawberry necrotic shock virus. [P238] Interactions between Phyllosticta citricarpa, the causal agent of Citrus black spot, and P. capitalensis, a widespread endophyte of woody plants Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Nga Tran¹*, Andrew Miles¹, Ralf Dietzgen¹, Andre Drenth¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Citrus black spot caused by Phyllosticta citricarpa is one of the most important fungal diseases of Citrus. The closely related and morphologically similar fungus P. capitalensis, which is an endophyte with a wide host range, usually coexists with the pathogen P. citricarpa on the same tissues. However, it is unknown whether P. capitalensis is antagonistic to P. citricarpa or if it is harmless to the pathogen. Investigation of the relationships between the endophyte and the pathogen will improve the understanding of the citrus black spot disease which can contribute to more rational and ecologically safe approaches for disease management. Hence, to identify the potential for antagonism of P. citricarpa by P. capitalensis, an in vitro assay system was developed by co‐cultivating the two species in various combinations. The results indicate that regardless of the isolates being co‐cultivated, isolates consistently developed zones of mycelium inhibition, with no consistently significant difference in the size of the zone of inhibition between pairs of isolates. We therefore conclude that the Phyllosticta isolates used are vegetatively incompatible and that no interactions between mycelia of the two species occur on culture media. However, as what happens in vitro might not necessarily happen in planta, further studies to investigate the interactions between the two species will be performed by co‐inoculating citrus seedlings with the two species before performing quantitative PCR to quantify DNA of each species. Those results will also be presented and discussed in the context of citrus black spot diagnosis and control. [P239] Actinobacillus‐like isolates from diseased pigs: can multi‐locus sequence analysis (MLSA) help resolve their identification? Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Conny Turni¹*, Nhan Giang², Pat Blackall¹, Lida Omaleki¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia ___________________________________________________________________________ In recent years we have received an increase submission of Actinobacillus‐like isolates to our reference identification services provided by our laboratory at the Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Australia. These isolates have all been obtained from diseased pigs. Partial sequencing of the 16S rDNA has failed to clearly identify these isolates. For two isolates (BR1169 and HS3674), full 16S rDNA and partial recN sequences have been obtained. However, even this level of Page | 204
sequence information failed to confidently identify both organisms. For example with BR1169, the 16S rDNA work showed a closest match to both Haemophilus parasuis and Actinobacillus indolicus, (98.4%1 and 98.1%, respectively), meaning a confident allocation to either species was not possible. The result for the recN followed the same trend ‐ the distances between the partial recN sequences of isolate BR1169 and that of H. parasuis and A. indolicus were 19.5 and 20.1%, respectively. Similar issues were found with isolate HS3674 and A. minor and A. porcitonsillarum. This inability to confidently identify potential pathogens despite sequence data from two genes that are normally highly discriminatory for other bacterial families highlights the need for further analyses. It is possible that a multi‐locus sequence analysis (MLSA) approach will be necessary to address these identification problems. In the family Pasteurellaceae, MLSA based on rpoA, recN and thdF has proven highly informative. We are currently examining 38 Actinobacillus like field isolates via MLSA in an attempt to resolve the identification of these challenging organisms. [P240] Phenotyping transpiration efficiency: From detailed trait dissection to large‐scale screening for breeding Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Erik Van Oosterom¹*, Karine Chenu¹, Greg McLean², Kurt Deifel¹, Richard Sulman³, Graeme Hammer¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia 3 Biosystems Engineering, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Following the advances in genetics and genomics, high‐throughput phenotyping has become a limiting factor for trait selection in breeding programs. This is particularly the case for many agronomically relevant traits, which typically are complex in nature and are highly subjected to genotype — environment — management (G—E—M) interactions. Efficient selection for complex traits therefore requires high‐throughput phenotyping to be integrated with trait dissection in order to understand the physiological causes of G—E interactions and provide links to the genetics that underpin the expression of the complex trait, and predictive modelling to assess implications on grain yield and its G—E—M interactions. This paper uses transpiration efficiency (TE) as an example of a complex trait which is likely to interest breeders, given its potential to increase crop productivity in water‐limited environments. Here, we describe a phenotyping system that integrates high‐throughput screening for TE in small lysimeters with a platform of large lysimeters designed for detailed observations. The system thus allows the screening of large number of genotypes, as well as detailed dissections of genotypic differences in TE and its component traits. Combined with modelling, such phenotyping results can be used to extrapolate consequences of changes in TE or its component traits across the target production environments and assess their potential value for farmers. We believe such an integrated phenotyping approach can be efficiently combined with a breeding program to provide a resource‐efficient selection strategy for improving yield gains in environments where drought stress is likely to occur. Page | 205
[P241] Promoting the conservation and utilization of African Oryza genetic resources using molecular tools Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Peterson Wambugu¹*, Agnelo Furtado¹, Daniel Waters², Robert Henry¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Southern Cross Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Oryza is one of the most economically important genus and contains huge genetic resources which are a rich source of variation that has continued to play an important role in rice improvement programmes. A significant proportion of these cultivated and wild rice resources are found in Africa. This study aims at using molecular tools to promote the conservation and utilization of these resources for the benefit of present and future generations. The cultivated African rice has been shown to possess unique starch traits such as high amylose content and gelatinization temperature and have the potential to be used in the improvement of Asian rice (Oryza sativa). This study aims to unravel the molecular and genetic basis of these unique traits, specifically high amylose content. Effective conservation and utilization of these resources requires an understanding of their phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic relationships in the AA genome Oryza species, representing the primary gene pool of rice, have remained unresolved and inconclusive despite tremendous research efforts. Based on whole chloroplast sequences obtained through massively parallel sequencing, this study produced a well resolved and strongly supported phylogeny of the AA genome species with a clustering pattern that showed strong geographical differentiation. This study supports the polyphyletic origin of Asian rice and provides useful insights on the evolutionary patterns, processes and distribution of the AA genome. This refined knowledge of the relationships between cultivated rice and the closely related wild species provides a strong foundation for undertaking functional and comparative genomics of rice in addition to supporting germplasm conservation decisions. [P242] Host range of the peanut root rot pathogen Fusarium neocosmosporiellum Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Kylie Wenham¹*, Vic Galea¹, Malcolm Ryley², Graeme Wright³, Wayne Bryden¹ 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 The Peanut Company of Australia, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Fusarium neocosmosporiellum is the causal pathogen of an emerging soilborne disease Neocosmospora root rot that characterised by severe root and crown rot of peanuts (Arachis hypogea) in Australia. F. neocosmosporiellum has been reported as a pathogen of other leguminous crops such as chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) and soybeans (Glycine max). Twenty three cultivars of eight species of plants commonly included in broad‐acre crop rotation systems with peanuts were inoculated by placing a mycelial plug of F. neocosmosporiellum against wounded and non‐wounded stems below the cotyledonary node. All plants were maintained under glasshouse conditions at 21 ‐ 30oC ± 2oC. Lesions developed around the site of inoculation for both Page | 206
the wounded and non‐wounded plants for chickpeas, soybeans, peanuts, mung beans, cotton and wheat. Discolouration of the vascular tissue was observed for all of these species plus sorghum and maize. None of the plants exhibited typical field symptoms of the disease such as chlorosis and wilting and no root system damage or discolouration was apparent. F. neocosmosporiellum was reisolated from vascular tissue 10mm from the internal stem lesion of each plant species and isolated from the taproot of peanuts only. While there was some progression of the disease in the infected plants, infection did not appear to influence plant growth and development therefore indicating F. neocosmosporiellum is able to successfully colonise non‐susceptible host plants in an endophytic capacity and may contribute to the survival of the pathogen in cropping soils. [P243] The metabolic and inflammatory challenges of summer in the feedlot Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Gene Wijffels¹*, Megan Sullivan², Stephen Anderson², Sally Stockwell¹, Suzie Briscoe¹, Russell McCulloch¹, Mara Macs¹, Joesph Olm², Judy Cawdell‐Smith², John Gaughan² 1 CSIRO, Queensland, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Summer places production animals at risk of high thermal loads. This heat stress is an acknowledged productivity and welfare issue in beef cattle feedlotting. While the industry has achieved reductions in severe heat stress by with management and engineering solutions, productivity losses are still prevalent over summer and following heat waves. To gain better insight as to how beef steers respond to climate, we have followed the physiological, haematological, metabolic and inflammatory status of 80 growing Angus steers in a feedlot environment over two summers and one winter. It is clear that the metabolic and inflammatory status of the animals is quite different between the two seasons. Over the first summer, many parameters altered with changing ambient temperature, humidity and/or rumen temperature, albeit individual animal variability was high. In contrast, the trend over winter was relatively more stable or a gradual increase/decrease was observed over time, with changes in weight and age. In summer, highly significant correlations of metabolites were associated with the daily minimum temperature and temperature‐humidity index (THI), or daily minimum rumen temperature, or both. For example, plasma levels of glucose, the two liver enzymes gamma‐glutamyl transferase and aspartate aminotransaminase, and cytokines such as adiponectin, interleukin‐1 beta and interleukin‐6, all correlated strongly with rumen temperature. Insulin, amongst others, appeared to respond to both minimum daily rumen and ambient temperatures. As we unravel the complexity of response to summer heat stress we anticipate providing informed and testable interventions for feedlot diets and animal management to increase productivity and welfare [P244] Acids in Kakadu Plum Fruit (Terminalia ferdinandiana): The Good (Ellagic), The Bad (Oxalic) and The Uncertain (Ascorbic) Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions David Williams¹*, David Edwards¹, Mridusmita Chaliha¹,², Brian Burren³, Yasmina Sultanbawa² Page | 207
1 Agri‐Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Brisbane 2 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 3 Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Brisbane, Australia. ___________________________________________________________________________ Recently there has been an increasing interest in the phenolic, ellagic acid (EA) primarily for its nutritional and pharmacological potential as an antioxidant. The occurrence of this important phytochemical is limited to a few fruits e.g. strawberries, Rubus berries and the tissues of Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum). Levels so far reported have varied markedly but all have indicated that Kakadu plum fruit is an abundant source. Investigations have also revealed that this fruit possesses large amounts of the bioactive forms of vitamin C (ascorbic, AA and dehydroascorbic acids, DHAA). However several native Australian plants have been implicated in containing the undesirable oxalic acid (OA). As consumption of oxalate in the diet poses health risks such as kidney stone development, it is important to identify high oxalate containing foods. Related to this is the observation that endogenous oxalate is produced by the breakdown of AA in the liver and is finally excreted in the urine. This study measured the contents of EA; OA and AA in the fruit of the Kakadu plum. The results indicated EA and the bioactive forms of vitamin C were present in very high concentrations especially when compared to well‐documented sources such as strawberries and boysenberries. The levels of OA in the fruit admittedly less than that reported for several well known OA‐containing vegetables were still considerable. These quantities in conjunction with very high AA levels suggests more detailed investigations are necessary before recommending optimal levels of Kakadu plum fruit that could be included into functional foods. * Corresponding author: David J. Williams, e‐mail: [email protected] [P245] Gene expression patterns of nitrate transporter homologues in Sorghum bicolor indicate function and localisation differ to Arabidopsis thaliana Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Belinda Worland¹*, Ian Godwin¹, Susanne Schmidt¹ 1 The University of Queensland, QLD, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Nitrogen (N) fertiliser plays a critical role in the high productivity of agricultural crops. However, intensive application of N‐fertiliser has resulted in regional and global pollution of soil, air and water. Ammonium and nitrate are the primary forms of plant‐available N, with nitrate being of most concern due to its mobility and reactivity. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops is one aspect under investigation to reduce synthetic N‐fertiliser use and thereby ease N‐pollution. Understanding NUE at molecular and physiological levels is required including acquisition, storage and mobilisation of nitrate. Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is our current research focus because of its heat and drought tolerance, nitrate storage ability and availability of diverse genetic resources. Nitrate transporters (NRTs) are the membrane bound proteins responsible for nitrate uptake from soil and whole plant mobilisation. Current knowledge of NRTs comes mainly from model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, however, our gene expression studies indicate that there is little in common with sorghum in expression, localisation or response to nitrate supply. Sorghum stores nitrate in leaf and stem organs when nitrate is supplied in excess of its needs, corresponding to a significant increase in expression of vacuole‐loading nitrate transporter CLCa. Well‐studied AtNRT1.1 is most highly expressed in roots and up‐regulated by nitrate whereas the sorghum homologue has consistently low relative abundance and no expression difference between plant Page | 208
organs. Species‐specific studies of NRTs are required to improve nitrate use in crops to assist selection and breeding for overall improvement of NUE in sorghum and related agricultural crops. [P247] Expression of immunogenic Anaplasma marginale membrane proteins VirB9.1 and VirB10.1 in a yeast system Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Bing Zhang⁴*, Karishma T Mody¹, Antonino S Cavallaro¹, Timothy J Mahony¹, Chengzhong Yu², Wendy C Brown³, Neena Mitter¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 AIBN, UQ, Queensland, Australia 3 Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA 4 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ Bovine anaplasmosis or cattle tick fever is a tick‐borne hemolytic disease caused by the rickettsial hemoparasite Anaplasma marginale. The disease occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas. The conserved type IV secretion system (T4SS) in the outer membranes (OM) has been targeted to identify immunogenic membrane proteins that are interacting and linked recognition candidates. The T4SS proteins VirB9 and VirB10 have been demonstrated to cause linked recognition. Pichia pastoris is a highly successful system for the expression of heterologous proteins. An alcohol oxidase I from the P. pastoris is capable of processing many of the posttranslational modifications, such as protein processing, proteolytic folding, formation of disulfide bond, and glycosylation. Thus, proteins are produced as biologically active molecules in the P. pastoris system. Genes encoding VirB9.1 and VirB10 were cloned to pPICZα vector and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The produced proteins were purified by the QIA expressionist method, and determined by Western blotting. The peptide sequences were also confirmed with MS/MS (tandem mass spectrometric). The yields of the protein Vir9.1 and VirB10 were 10 mg/240 g cell pellets and 10 mg/280 g cell pellets, respectively. The immuonogenicity of the expressed proteins will be tested in T‐cell proliferation assays (in vitro) and in a mouse model (in vivo). P. pastoris is a practical system to express VirB9.1 and VirB10 and may facilitate vaccine development against cattle tick fever. [P248] Transgene breeding and development of transgenic sugarcane Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Lihan Zhao¹*, Clair Bolton¹, Yue Sun¹, Kate Wathen‐Dunn¹, Anthony O'Connell¹, Priya Joyce¹, Chuong Ngo¹, Scott Hermann¹, Frikkie Botha¹, Prakash Lakshmanan¹ 1 Sugar Research Australia __________________________________________________________________________ With sugarcane becoming an increasingly important food and industrial crop substantial effort is now being directed at developing improved varieties through molecular technologies including transgenics. The first transgenic sugarcane, with improved drought tolerance, is already under commercial cultivation in Indonesia. With large investments in sugarcane improvement by multinational agribusiness companies, more commercial release of transgenic sugarcane with new Page | 209
or improved traits is expected. As in all other crops, transgenic traits can be incorporated into new sugarcane varieties through transgene breeding using the deregulated clone(s) as a parent. In this study a sugarcane transgenic event with a single copy of transgene was crossed with elite varieties or parental clones. A total of 16 crosses were made, with all crosses producing fertile seed. Approximately 1,500 seedlings from these crosses were tested for transgene presence. As expected, progeny from all crosses showed a 1:1 segregation for the transgene. To confirm these results, 28 more crosses were made with two new single copy transgenic events. Screening of 6,500 progeny from these crosses for transgene expression confirmed this segregation ratio. The significance of these findings will be discussed in the context of sugarcane breeding and transgenic trait expression. [P249] Improved winter cereals are coming: A barley NAM for the North Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions Laura Ziems¹*, Hannah Robinson¹, Cecile Richard¹, Jerome Franckowiak, Gregory Platz², Rex Williams², Robert Park⁴, Davinder Singh⁴, Lee Hickey¹ 1 QAAFI‐ The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia 2 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Warwick, QLD, Australia 3 Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, MN,USA 4 The University of Sydney, Plant Breeding Institute, NSW, Australia __________________________________________________________________________ The northern cropping region of Australia is a harsh environment for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Crops are often affected by terminal heat and drought stress, and an array foliar pathogens including; leaf rust, spot blotch, spot form of net blotch, net form of net blotch and powdery mildew. Plant breeding efforts can develop improved cultivars to enhance production stability and profitability in the region, but this is a challenging task due to the genetic complexity of the traits involved. Nested‐association mapping (NAM) is a powerful and effective strategy for dissecting such complex traits. NAM combines the advantages of defined population structure, with the power of association mapping ‐ to investigate high levels of genetic diversity and exploit historic recombination to precisely position quantitative trait loci. We have developed three NAM populations using three reference varieties, two of which, Commander and Compass, are widely grown throughout the northern cropping region and preferred by the malting industry. Founder lines included 21 elite breeding lines from the Northern Region Barley Breeding Program previously bred and selected for tolerance to drought, heat stress and resistance to the major foliar pathogens. The final NAM public resource comprises 1,550 inbred lines made up of 33 reference — founder families. This provides a unique resource for unravelling the genetics of complex traits important for adaption to sub‐tropical production environments. Analysis of this resource will deliver the genetic materials and molecular tools required to effectively pyramid these traits to develop robust cultivars. [P251] Varietal development in seasame Theme: 4. Science Driven Solutions VS Gangadhararao Sunnam¹* Page | 210
1 Agricultural Research Station, Kokkirapalle, Yellamanchilli __________________________________________________________________________ Sesame is one of the ancient oil seed crops grown and believed to be originated from Ethiopia in South Africa and also India. In India it is grown in an area of 1.67 million hectares with a productivity of 405 kg/ha. The oil is unique for having possessed the antioxidants Viz., sesamin and sasamolin which prevent the oxidative rancidity and increase shelf life. As the oil contain vitamain 'E' it is being used as skin nourishment. To develop high yielding varieties, hybridization followed by pedigree method of selection is being followed at Agricultural Research Station Kokkirapalle, Yellamanchili, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. During the process eight cross bred lines after testing in filial generations Viz., YLM140 (YLM86/E8), YLM141 (YLM86/EC355653), YLM142 (EC355653/YLM66), YLM143 (EC355653/G2), YLM144 (YLM86/VZM1), YLM145 (YLM98/PS201), YLM146 (G2/VINAYAK), and YLM147 (VSP5/G2), were tested along with check YLM66 in Randomized Block Design with three replications and plot size of 3.4 sq.mt during rainy season 2014. Out these entries YLM146 (G2/VINAYAK) recorded highest seed yield @1517 kg/ha and found significantly superior to the check YLM66 (1241 kg/ha). It recorded a duration of 75 days against the check duration of 77 day. Page | 211
Author Index Surname, First Initial Adar, Damianus Ahsan, Muhammad Umair Aitken, Karen Aitken, Karen Aitken, Karen Aji, Galih Kusuma Akinsanmi, Femi Al‐Amery, Anahid Alder, Graham Alderees, Fahad Alexandrov, Kirill Amos, Brogan Anthony, Vivienne An‐Vo, Duc‐Anh Atkinson, Ian Auzmendi, Inigo Bacon, Samuel Badger, Murray Badger , Murray Badro, Hayba Baker, Rod Bell, Mike Bell, Mike Beltran Alarcon, Patricia Benvenutti, Marcelo Besier, Brown Bhuiyan, Shamsul Birch, Colin Birch, Colin Blackall, P.J Blackall, Pat Botha, Frikkie Botha, Frikkie Borrell, Andrew Boschma, Suzanne Bouteille‐Pallas, Marie ving Bouteille‐Pallas, Marie Bowen, Maree Bramley, Robert Brozynska, Marta Bryden, Wayne Calvo, Paula Calvo, Paula Campbell, Bradley Cassman, Kenneth Page | 212
Page 105 126 127 128 55 128 86 129 55 129 130 172 29 130 34 178 40 59 59 131 132 132 43 105 133 47 133 72 73 134 53 42 42 135 136 136 137 87 44 137 51 68 68 138 31 Surname, First Initial Chaliha, Mridusmita Chaparro, Jose Chapman, Scott Chauhan, Bhagirath Chauhan, Yash Chen, Andy Chen, Beibei Cheng, Bing Chenu, Karine Chideya‐Phiri, Grace Cho, Sungbo Christopher, Jack Christopher, Mandy Condon, Anthony Connett, Marie Constantin, Myrna Conway, Gordon Corbet, Nicholas Correa, Diego F. Cowley, Frances Cox, Kendrick Cruickshank, Alan Cruickshank, Alan Czislowski, Elizabeth Dale, Allan Dang, Yash Daniells, Jeff Dann, Elizabeth Dayao, Denise De Jager, Nadia De Jager, Nadia Dhital, Sushil Dillon, Natalie Dixon, Rob Dixon, Robert Dizyee, Kanar Dizyee, Kanar Do, Trung Kien Dodt, Michael Douglas, Col Drenth, Andre Eats, Patricia Edwards, Jan Eisner, Rowan Evans, John Page 139 139 140 140 141 141 142 64 142 74 143 88 144 61 54 145 32 145 88 106 107 108 89 146 74 89 90 146 75 147 57 147 148 148 90 110 110 149 149 150 39 69 41 75 60 Surname, First Initial Page Eyre, Joseph 100 Farquharson, Robert 34 Fei, Shulang Fernando, W.C. 151 Ferrante, Ariel 91 Fisher, Thao 151 Flanagan, Bernadine 152 Fletcher, Andrew 152 Fletcher, Mary 50 Fletcher, Mary 76 Fordyce, Geoffry 153 Fortes, Marina R. S. 180 Fox, Glen 77 Fu, Minghai 106 Furbank, Rrobert 60 Furtado, Agnelo 109 Gangadhararao Sunnam, VS 210 Geering, Andrew 153 George‐Jaeggli, Barbara 154 George‐Jaeggli, Barbara 154 Gidley, Mike 77 Gidley, Mike 26 Glassop, Donna 155 Gleeson, Madeleine 158 Godwin, Rosamond 156 Godwin, Ian 37 Godwin, Ian 55 Gonzalez, Lina Maria 92 Gorea, Emmanuel 156 Gwabu, Clifton 109 108 Ha, Duong Nam Hammer, Graeme 27 Hammer, Graeme 59 Hammer, Graeme 63 Han, Pengfei 157 Hardner, Craig 157 Hardner, Craig 158 Hathorn, Adrian 78 Healey, Adam 159 Heisswolf, Susanne 78 Henry, Robert 160 Herrero, Mario 28 Hickey, Lee 160 Hill, Bruce 79 Hill, Bruce 93 Page | 213
Surname, First Initial Hine, John Hiti Bandaralage, Jayeni Ho, Binh Hoang, Nam Homann‐Kee Tui, Sabine Irvine‐Brown, Stuart Ishikawa, Ryuji James, Andrew James, Peter James, Peter James, Peter James, Peter Johnston, Wayne Johnston, David J. Jordan, David Jordan, David Jordan, David Jovicich, Elio Joyce, Priya Kabir, Md Jahangir Karbanowicz, Thomas Kazan, Kemal Kazan, Kemal Kelly, Matthew Kettle, Andrew Khemmuk, Wanporn Khippal, Anil Kumar Kilian, Andrzej Kilian, Andrezej Kim, Jun‐Mo Kotir, Julius Kotze, Andrew Kouadio, Louis Kukhang, Tom Layden, Ian Le, Duy Lee, Alice Lew‐Tabor, Ala Lew‐Tabor, Ala Lew‐Tabor, Ala Lew‐Tabor, Ala Li, Jing Limpus, Sarah Liu, Hongwei Liu, Dianna Page 111 161 112 161 33 93 162 163 163 164 46 49 48 165 166 175 62 94 166 95 167 167 56 37 169 63 169 170 56 170 95 47 96 112 171 171 52 173 39 46 48 113 173 174 113 Surname, First Initial Lozano, Natalia Lozano, Natalia Mace, Emma Mace, Emma Mahony, Tim Marquardt, Annelie Martin, Cathie Mason, Patrick Masouleh, Ardashir Master, Ronald May, Peter McKerrow, Angus McLean, James Mirzaee, Hooman Mitter, Neena Mitter, Neena Mohammad Moner, Ali Montgomery, Stephanie Moore, Stephen Moore, Stephen Moore, Stephen Morgan, Jess Mortlock, Miranda Mudge, Stephen Murphy, Sean Nadaf, Altafhusain Navarro, Marta Neal, Jodi Nelson, Paul Netzel, Michael Netzel, Michael Nhantumbo, Nascimento Nirmal, Ravi Nirmal, Nilesh Nirmal, Nilesh Nkrumah, Donald Noble, Keith Noble, Tom Norris, Chris O'Donoghue, Adam O'Halloran, Julie O’Hara, Ian O'Hare, Tim O'Reagain, Peter Obanor, Friday Page | 214
Page 114 174 175 57 176 177 30 79 177 80 50 114 96 178 144 38 179 179 168 55 58 180 80 115 181 181 115 182 183 183 116 69 117 184 185 24 81 185 44 117 187 45 118 98 186 Surname, First Initial Ochieng, Joel Ockerby, Stephen Oconnor, Daniel Paengkoum, Siwaporn Paengkoum, Pramote Pappu, Usha Parkinson, Louisamarie Paul, Tania Patriyawaty, Nia Pattison, Anthony Petrie, James Piperidis, Nathalie Piperidis, George Ploetz, Randy Pond, Philip Potgieter, Andries Powell, Jonathan Powell, Wayne Rae, Anne Rachaputi, Rao (RCN) Rachaputi, Rao Rahmianna, Agustina Asri Rahmianna, Agustina Asri Rame‐rez‐Restrepo, Carlos Rangan, Parimalan Reid, Simon Richard, Cecile Robinson, Hannah Rodriguez, Daniel Rodriguez, Daniel Rodriguez Valle, Manuel Rosli, Ahmad Roura, Eugeni San, Anh Tram Sanford, Paul Sanford, Paul Sequeira, Richard Schenk, Peer Schenk, Peer Seyoum, Solomon Shimelis, Hussein Singh, Vijaya Singh, Vijaya Sivakumar, Dharini Sivakumar, Dharini Page 81 97 186 187 188 118 188 82 189 190 119 190 42
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Surname, First Initial Smyth, Heather Sonni, Francesca Stuart, Margaret Sullivan, Megan Sullivan, Megan Sultan, Saira Sultanbawa, Yasmina Sultanbawa, Yasmina Sun, Yue (Jenny) Sunarharum, Wenny Suriadi, Ahmad Suriadi, Ahmad Susanti, Zuziana Tan, Eddie Ti Tjih Tan, Grace Tao, Yongfu Taranet, Prapa Taufiq, Abdullah Tegegne, Azage Temba, Benigni Alfred Temoso, Omphile Tharanya, Murugesan Thavaraj, Pridhuvi Thomas, John Tikapunya, Tiparat Tran, Nga Tran, Hue TM Trowell, Stephen Tulin, Anabella Page | 215
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Surname, First Initial Tulin, Anabella Turni, Conny Turni, Conny Turni, Conny Ugarte‐Guerra, Leoncio Van Oosterom, Erik Von Caemmerer, Sussanne Waha, K. Wambug, Peterson Watson, Jim Watson, Ian Watson, Ian Watson, Ian Webster, Tony Webster, Tony Wenham, Kylie Wijffels, Gene Williams, David Winkelbach, Anja Wright, Graeme Worland, Belinda Worrall, Elizabeth Yeates, Stephen Yim, Jason Young, Anthony Zhang, Bing Zhao, Lihan Ziems, Laura Page 35 124 84 204 67 205 59 84 206 85 103 103 125 125 85 206 207 207 126 36 208 70 104 164 87 209 209 210 www.tropagconference.com.au
Conference Organiser
ICMS Australasia
Tropical Agriculture Conference 2015 Secretariat
PO Box 3599
South Brisbane QLD 4101
Tel: +61(0) 7 3255 1002
Fax: +61 (0) 7 3255 1004
Email: [email protected]
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