Agriculture and Food – Lightning Talks #5. Thirsty chickpeas and lupins, stopping those aphid suckers, & sheep can be fussy eaters too – when low in Vitamin E
23 October 2018
Dr PUSHPAVALLI RAJU
PostDoctoral Researcher, Research Program 5, @ Floreat Campus, Perth
Topic: DROUGHT ADAPTATION & WATER USE IN LIGHT AND HEAVY SOIL- CASE STUDIES IN LUPIN AND CICER
Research-area, importance, impact:
- Phenotyping wild Cicer and lupin for terminal drought tolerance
- Diversifying genetic base of chickpea and lupin
- Identification of surrogate traits for stress tolerance in wilds that can be used in future chickpea and lupin improvement programs
Area/s of expertise:
- Abiotic stress tolerance related research
- Crop physiology
- Crop adaptation
Dr SILKE JACQUES
Research Office PostDoctoral Researcher, Research Program 1, @ Floreat Campus, Perth
Topic: STOP THE SUCKERS – protecting plants from aphids
Research-area, importance, impact:
- Molecular dissection of plant resistance against sap-sucking aphids
- Aphids are the virus spreaders of the plant world and with over 4000 species causing yield and financial losses to agriculture worldwide, they are the most economically important sap-sucking insect pests. Overuse of chemical insecticides to control aphid populations has resulted in aphid resistance to multiple insecticide types further pushing the need of genetic recourses.
- Pinpointing those genes and pathways responsible for resistance provides us with tools to enhance crop protection against insect pests.
Area/s of expertise :
- Plant Pathology
- Reverse Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Dr HAYLEY NORMAN
Team Leader; Principal Research Scientist
Topic: Sheep deficient in vitamin E change feed preferences to alleviate the Deficiency
Research-area, importance, impact:
- The Mediterranean climate areas of WA and SA have >35% of the nation’s sheep flock and sheep-based exports are worth more than $1.1b/year to WA farmers. Sheep systems offer a valuable complement for the extensive cereal production systems in WA. Mixed farmers utilise sheep production to manage risk that is associated with climate, intensive cropping, input costs and commodity price fluctuations.
- The annual summer-autumn drought and associated nutrient gap for sheep is the biggest constraint to livestock production.
Area/s of expertise:
- Annual legume and forage shrub ecology and development
- Development and utilisation of forages for arid and saline farming systems
- Ruminant nutrition and methods to measure feeding value of forage
- Synergies within crop/livestock systems in Australia and the Middle East
| Venues | Local Time | Time Zone |
| Adelaide Waite Campus – B101-FG-R00-SmallWICWest | 12:00 pm | ACDT |
| Armidale – B55-FG-R00-Small | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Bribie Island – B01-FG-Small | 11:30 pm | AEST |
| Brisbane St Lucia QBP – Room 5.140 | 11:30 pm | AEST |
| Canberra Black Mountain – Discovery Lecture Theatre | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Canberra Crace – Bld44- Meeting Room 3 | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Irymple (See Natalie Strickland) | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Narrabri Myall Vale – Conference Room | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Perth Floreat B40-F1-R46-Rossiter Room | 09:30 am | AWST |
| Sandy Bay (Hobart) – River View Room | 12:30 pm | AEDT |
| Toowoomba – Meeting Room | 11:30 pm | AEST |
| Townsville (see Liz Do) | 11:30 pm | AEST |
| Werribee (Melbourne) – Peacock Room | 12:30 pm | AEDT |