News

Aluminium-activated malate transporter improves alkaline pH tolerance in wheat

October 28, 2020

Soil alkalinisation is a constraint for crop production in Australia with about 30% of Australian soils classified as sodic and 86% of these classified as alkaline. To improve alkaline pH tolerance of crop plants, it is necessary to identify alkaline tolerance mechanisms and the genes underlying these mechanisms. A recent study involving researchers from the […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Rebecca Vandeleur

The role of the HKT1 gene in sodium exclusion in Grapevine

September 10, 2020

In 2017, scientists from PEB and CSIRO focused on the roles of the HKT1 gene family in grapevine that encodes for sodium-selective proteins. Initial research focused on the HKT1;1 allelic variant of the HKT1 gene family, to find if it could potentially have an integral role in sodium exclusion due to correlations found between the […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Rebecca Vandeleur

Discoveries into the Strigolactone and Auxin Interactions Influencing Vein Formation

August 20, 2020

A new discovery has revealed the effects of plant hormones on plant development and growth, as well as how these hormones interact together. The team of researchers, involving ARC Future Fellow, Dr Philip Brewer discovered that when strigolactones are applied to vascular plants, auxin is suppressed and transport of it is reduced. Strigolactone hormones are […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Rebecca Vandeleur

Science is Alive! in South Australia

August 16, 2019

      For 4 years, Plant Energy Biology has proudly supported Science Alive!, an interactive and thrilling science exhibition for South Australia’s curious kids, with this year being no exception. Science Alive! was an initiative launched in 2006 by the SA Coordinating Committee of National Science week, where 14 years on, it is only […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

Plant Energy Forum at Thredbo

June 5, 2019

A number of staff and students are currently at Thredbo ski resort, New South Wales for the 2019 Plant Energy Biology Forum, 3rd-6th June.  They are braving/enjoying the snowy and wintry conditions to listen to a number of presentations from members of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. There are also invited […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

Discovery of New Receptor Protein Involved in High Grain Yield

June 4, 2019

Important new discoveries about the unusual receptor for strigolactones have been made by international researchers, including Dr Phil Brewer of the University of Adelaide. Strigolactones are plant hormones involved in reducing plant bushiness and increasing plant performance under sub-optimal growing conditions. A protein, D14, has been discovered as the receptor of strigolactones, but unusually it […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

Welcome Dr Phil Brewer, ARC Future Fellow, to the Group

February 26, 2019

Phil Brewer has joined the ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology at the University of Adelaide Waite Campus as an ARC Future Fellow. He completed his PhD at Monash University and gained postdoctoral experience at Tübingen University and the University of Queensland. Phil’s research interest involves how plant hormones help plants to respond to changed […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

Caitlin Byrt awarded Future Fellowship and ASPS Goldacre Award

November 8, 2018

We congratulate Dr Caitlin Byrt on being awarded The Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) prestigious 2018 Peter Goldacre Award. Caitlin is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at the Waite Research Precinct. Her research focuses […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

A New Discovery to Combat Salinity on Plant Growth

October 8, 2018

We congratulate Dr Allison Pearson on achieving the South Australian Grains Industry Trust Fund (SAGIT) grant for her research on phenotypic evaluation of a wheat RIL population for salinity tolerance. This project involves the use of a Mocho de Espiga Branca (Mocho) x Gladius RIL population that was developed on a previously funded SAGIT project.  […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu

Regulating Root Aquaporin Function in Response to Changes in Salinity

September 24, 2018

Soil salinity is one of the biggest stressors on plant growth and can limit the productivity of crops. Globally, this poses a problem as it reduces the yield of our fields which affects the stability of our food system, leading to shortages and wastage. With food crises evident across the globe, salinity is a problem […] Read More...

Filed under: News — Julian Qu