Plant Sciences Commons^™

Profitable, Low-Emission Nitrogen Application Strategies In Western Australian Dryland Cropping, Christophe D'Abbadie, Sud Kharel, Ross Kingwell, Amir Abadi Ghadim

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Context

Australian grain producers may need to report their farm greenhouse emissions. Accordingly, nitrogen fertiliser application strategies will need to include consideration of their environmental as well as economic impacts.

Aims

We aim to identify the nitrogen application strategies suited to dryland cropping in Western Australia that are highly profitable and that generate lower emissions.

Methods

Simulation modelling is used to examine the gross margins and emissions associated with four broadly different nitrogen strategies at 14 locations in the grainbelt of Western Australia for different frequencies of cropping.

Key results

Strategies that generate high gross margins and moderate emissions often …

Advances And Opportunities In Unraveling Cold-Tolerance Mechanisms In The World's Primary Staple Food Crops, Sofora Jan, Sachin Rustgi, Rutwik Barmukh, Asif B. Shikari, Brenton Leske, Amanuel Bekuma, Darshan L. Sharma, Wujun Ma, Upendra Kumar, Uttam Kumar, Abhishek Bohra, Rajeev K. Varshney, Reyazul Rouf Mir

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Temperatures below or above optimal growth conditions are among the major stressors affecting productivity, end-use quality, and distribution of key staple crops including rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and maize (Zea mays L.). Among temperature stresses, cold stress induces cellular changes that cause oxidative stress and slowdown metabolism, limit growth, and ultimately reduce crop productivity. Perception of cold stress by plant cells leads to the activation of cold-responsive transcription factors and downstream genes, which ultimately impart cold tolerance. The response triggered in crops to cold stress includes gene expression/suppression, the accumulation of sugars upon chilling, and signaling molecules, among …

Exome-Based New Allele-Specific Pcr Markers And Transferability For Sodicity Tolerance In Bread Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.), Roopali Bhoite, Rosemary Smith, Urmil Bansal, Mirza Dowla, Harbans Bariana, Darshan L. Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Targeted exome-based genotype by sequencing (t-GBS), a sequencing technology that tags SNPs and haplotypes in gene-rich regions was used in previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for sodicity tolerance in bread wheat. Thirty-nine novel SNPs including 18 haplotypes for yield and yield-components were identified. The present study aimed at developing SNP-derived markers by precisely locating new SNPs on ~180 bp allelic sequence of t-GBS, marker validation, and SNP functional characterization based on its exonic location. We identified unknown locations of significant SNPs/haplotypes by aligning allelic sequences on to IWGSC RefSeqv1.0 on respective chromosomes. Eighteen out of the target 39 SNP locations …

A Comparison Of Different Stomatal Density Phenotypes Of Hordeum Vulgare Under Varied Watering Regimes Reveals Superior Genotypes With Enhanced Drought Tolerance, Brittany Clare Robertson, Yong Han, Chengdao Li

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Enhancing the water-use efficiency (WUE) of barley cultivars may safeguard yield deficits during periods of low rainfall. Reduced stomatal density is linked to enhanced WUE, leading to improved drought resistance across plant genera. In this study, 10 barley varieties exhibiting a range of stomatal density phenotypes were grown under differing soil water contents to determine whether stomatal density influences the capacity of genotypes to resist low water availability. The low-stomatal-density genotype Hindmarsh showed the least impact on biomass production during early development, with a 37.13% decrease in dry biomass during drought treatment. Low-stomatal-density genotypes additionally outcompeted high-stomatal-density genotypes under water-deprivation …

Genetic Resources And Precise Gene Editing For Targeted Improvement Of Barley Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Sakura Karunarathne, Esther Walker, Darshan Sharma, Chengdao Li, Yong Han

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Abiotic stresses, predominately drought, heat, salinity, cold, and waterlogging, adversely affect cereal crops. They limit barley production worldwide and cause huge economic losses. In barley, functional genes under various stresses have been identified over the years and genetic improvement to stress tolerance has taken a new turn with the introduction of modern gene-editing platforms. In particular, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) is a robust and versatile tool for precise mutation creation and trait improvement. In this review, we highlight the stress-affected regions and the corresponding economic losses among the main barley producers. We collate about …

Impact Of Soil Amelioration On Weed Ecology And Control, Catherine Borger, Arslan Peerzada Dr, Gaus Azam Dr

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

The project focussed on three main findings from the literature review:

1. Weed ecology in response to changes in soil characteristics.
2. Soil movement and weed seed burial following use of varying strategic tillage implements; and
3. Management of weeds in the years directly after amelioration.

The work highlighted that weed growth was either less impacted by changes to soil properties than crop growth, or weed growth and competitive ability were favoured by the same amelioration techniques that favour crop growth. Following amelioration, improved growth of competitive weed species needs to be considered in weed management plans.

Research was conducted on weed seed …

Skeleton Weed Program 2022/2023: Annual Report To Grain Growers, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Skeleton Weed Program has been funded by Western Australian (WA) growers through the Grains, Seed, and Hay Industry Funding Scheme (GSHIFS) since 2010. During that time, the program has grown, placing a greater emphasis on working with farmers, local coordination, support, and encompassing critical research and development.

The Skeleton Weed Program continues to provide critical assistance to grain growers in the management of skeleton weed through the:

• searching of more than 400,000 ha of land to map infested areas for treatment.

• chemical control of skeleton weed on 10,000 ha of infested land.

• successful eradication of skeleton …

Genomic Approaches To Enhance Adaptive Plasticity To Cope With Soil Constraints Amidst Climate Change In Wheat, Roopali Bhoite, Yong Han, Alamuru Krishna Chaitanya, Rajeev K. Varshney, Darshan L. Sharma

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Climate change is varying the availability of resources, soil physicochemical properties, and rainfall events, which collectively determines soil physical and chemical properties. Soil constraints—acidity (pH < 6), salinity (pH ≤ 8.5), sodicity, and dispersion (pH > 8.5)—are major causes of wheat yield loss in arid and semiarid cropping systems. To cope with changing environments, plants employ adaptive strategies such as phenotypic plasticity, a key multifaceted trait, to promote shifts in phenotypes. Adaptive strategies for constrained soils are complex, determined by key functional traits and genotype × environment × management interactions. The understanding of the molecular basis of stress tolerance is particularly challenging for plasticity traits. Advances in sequencing and high-throughput genomics …

Lanza® Tedera Is Strongly Suppressed By Competition From Lolium Multiflorum And Is Best Adapted To Light-Textured Soils, Jesús Fernández-Habas, D. Real, Tom Vanwalleghem, Pilar Fernández-Rebollo

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Bituminaria bituminosa var. albomarginata, known as Tedera, is a promising forage for Mediterranean climates. An improved variety named LANZA® has been developed. Previous research suggests that soil water saturation in heavy-textured soils might affect its initial development. Competition from grasses could also compromise its successful establishment and persistence. We investigated the effects of soils with contrasting textures (loamy sand vs. clay) with a high soil water content and the competition from Lolium multiflorum on the development of LANZA® in a pot experiment. Dry mass (DM) production of LANZA® was strongly reduced (86%) when grown with L. multiflorum. LANZA® …

Inland Dry Season Saline Intrusion In The Vietnamese Mekong River Delta Is Driving The Identification And Implementation Of Alternative Crops To Rice, Brooke Kaveney, Edward Barrett-Lennard, Khoi Chau Minh, Minh Dang Duy, Kim Phuong Nguyen Thi, Paul Kristiansen, Susan Orgill, Ben Stewart-Koster, Jason Condon

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

CONTEXT
Inland saline intrusion is occurring during the dry season in the Mekong River Delta (MRD), Vietnam. Rising sea levels, tidal fluctuations, drought, and changes to upstream flow contribute to extensive salinisation of rice producing areas of the MRD, leading to substantial rice crop losses.

OBJECTIVE
The identification, evaluation and implementation of alternative crop and soil management solutions are required to complement on-going rice production in the region.

METHODS
A review of scientific and grey literature was conducted regarding the nature and extent of salinisation in the MRD and the adoption and management of alternative crops to rice.

RESULTS
Familiar …

An International Wheat Diversity Panel Reveals Novel Sources Of Genetic Resistance To Tan Spot In Australia, Julian Taylor, Dorthe Jorgensen, Caroline S. Moffat, Ken J. Chalmers, Rebecca Fox, Grant J. Hollaway, Melissa J. Cook, Stephen M. Neate, Pao Theen See, Manisha Shankar

Biosecurity Research Articles

Tan spot is a foliar disease in wheat caused by the fungal pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr) and has been reported to generate up to 50% yield losses under favourable disease conditions. Although farming management practices are available to reduce disease, the most economically sustainable approach is establishing genetic resistance through plant breeding. To further understand the genetic basis for disease resistance, we conducted a phenotypic and genetic analysis study using an international diversity panel of 192 wheat lines from the Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), the International Centre for Agriculture in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Australian (AUS) wheat …

Ergot And Sterility In Bahiagrass: Genotypic And Environmental Effects On Seed Yield Potential, Javier Do Canto, Rafael Reyno, Hector Oberti, Marco Dalla Rizza, Daniel Real

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Ergot disease (Claviceps paspali) and sterility have the potential to reduce seed yield in bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé). Our objective was to determine the genotypic and environmental effects on seed yield, and the levels of ergot and sterility. Seventeen genotypes were evaluated in three locations across two years for seed yield, ergot severity, and total seed fractions (percentage of full seeds, ergot sclerotia and empty seeds). The percentage of full seeds and total seed yield were correlated (r = 0.52) but both were negatively correlated with the percentage of ergot sclerotia (r = −0.81 and −0.51). …

P450-Mediated Resistance In Myzus Persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Reduces The Efficacy Of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments In Brassica Napus, Lisa S. Kirkland, Evatt Chirgwin, Samantha E. Ward, Benjamin S. Congdon, Anthony Van Rooyen, Paul Umina

Biosecurity Research Articles

The prophylactic use of seeds treated with neonicotinoid insecticides remains an important means of controlling aphid pests in canola (Brassica napus) crops in many countries. Yet, one of the most economically important aphid species worldwide, the peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae), has evolved mechanisms which confer resistance to neonicotinoids, including amplification of the cytochrome P450 gene, CYP6CY3. While CYP6CY3 amplification has been associated with low-level resistance to several neonicotinoids in laboratory acute toxicity bioassays, its impact on insecticide efficacy in the field remains unresolved. In this study, we investigated the impact of CYP6CY3 amplification on …

Sheep Preference For Fresh Leaf And Stem Of Seven Accessions Of Tedera Was Not Influenced By Prior Grazing Experience And Wilting Made No Difference, Justin Hardy, Chris Oldham, Phil Vercoe, Dean Thomas, John Milton, Daniel Real, Andrew Van Burgel, Eric Dobbe

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Tedera is a valuable high-quality forage for sheep during summer–autumn. There is evidence that prior grazing experience of novel forages influences preference and haymaking of tedera improves preference by goats. In the first experiment, it was hypothesised that the voluntary feed intake (VFI) of fresh leaves and stems of tedera by sheep would be greater for experienced vs. naïve sheep. In the second experiment, it was hypothesised that the VFI of naïve sheep fed wilted leaves and stems of tedera would be greater than fresh leaves and stems of tedera. To test these hypotheses, adult Merino sheep were fed seven …