Institute of Agriculture - The University of Western Australia

Number 2 August 2007 www.ioa.uwa.edu.auNewsletterUWA Institute of Agriculture 1The University of Western AustraliaInstitute of AgricultureMessage from the Chairman,External Advisory Board,Institute of AgricultureMr Bruce Piper piperb@bigpond.comWhen Professor Alan Robson, Vice Chancellor of UWA,invited me to join the External Advisory Board (EAB) of theIOA, and subsequently be the Chairman, I was delighted toaccept the role, mainly because of UWA’s regional, nationaland international relevance and reputation across a range ofdisciplines, particularly in agricultural and natural resourcemanagement education and research. During the past 70years UWA has made a significant contribution to capacitybuilding in agricultural science and technical knowledge,which has enormously helped the farming community andthe industry at large.Western Australian farmers and the agricultural industryface numerous challenges: weeds, pests, diseases, escalatinginput costs, decreasing terms of trade, rural social issues andthe vagaries of climate change. Low and variable rainfallhas made farming, particularly broadacre grain production,difficult in WA during the past few seasons.A prosperous future in agriculture relies on developinginnovative technologies (including bio-technology) andencouraging dedicated people with passion and a visionfor the future. UWA’s effort in re-establishing the IOA is amajor step in revitalising and focusing on future educationand research and development in agriculture and naturalresource management.photo: Paul RickettsLupin-enriched bread can satisfy your appetite.story page 11In this issueMessage from the Chairman, External Advisory Board, IOA ................ 1Director’s Column ................................................................................ 2UWA Institute of Agriculture canola scientists in China........................ 2Launch of the Institute of Agriculture .................................................. 3CLIMA celebrates its past and maps its future...................................... 4Dean of FNAS to take on new position as Pro-Vice Chancellor UWA ..... 4Clean, Green and Ethical Animal Production workshop in Thailand ..... 5PhD student from Denmark looks for answers to improvemink production.................................................................................. 5UWA researcher- A jolly good fellow.................................................... 5Alumni Profiles.................................................................................... 6Plant Production Systems for the future .............................................. 6‘Seeds of Life’ program: Improving food security in East Timor ........... 7Novel plants for livestock production................................................... 8Role of capacity building, innovative technology development andadoption for the future of agriculture: A farmer’s view........................ 8FNAS Professor appointed Chair of Federal ResearchQuality Funding Committee ................................................................ 9Kick start for A$1.9 million Lanzhou University - UWA collaboration ... 9New Appointments ........................................................................... 10Web-based answers for agricultural soil health................................. 10Lupin-enriched bread can increase your appetite............................... 11Genetically modified crops: Food for thought.................................... 12Institute of Agriculture Food and Agriculture lectures........................ 12Other sections:Recognition....................................................................................... 13Visitors to UWA Institute of Agriculture.............................................. 13New Research Projects....................................................................... 14New PhD students............................................................................. 15Publications (Scientific Journal and Book).......................................... 15Meetings and Events.......................................................................... 16

2 UWA Institute of AgricultureDirector’scolumnProfessor Kadambot Siddiqueksiddique@fnas.uwa.edu.auThe IOA was officially launched on 30thMarch 2007 jointly by Hon. Mr KimChance WA Minister for Agricultureand Food; Forestry, the Midwest andWheatbelt and Dr Michael Chaney, AOCITWA, Chancellor, UWA. ProfessorAlan Robson, AM, Vice Chancellor in hisaddress reinforced UWA’s commitmentto agriculture and natural resourcemanagement teaching and research andintent to maintain its premier position atthe regional, national and internationallevels through IOA activities.The IOA’s External Advisory Board (EAB)under the Chairmanship of Mr BrucePiper met on the morning of the launchand discussed the structure, programs,governance and operational plan of theInstitute. The EAB provided some usefulfeedback and suggestions on the strategicplan of the Institute. The suggestions willbe incorporated and the strategic planrevised by the next EAB meeting on 28thSeptember 2007.The IOA has moved into its new premiseswithin the Faculty of Natural and AgriculturalSciences buildings. The WA Grower GroupNetwork also operates from the IOApremises.The IOA Program Team and ExecutiveGroup commenced their regular meetingsto discuss operational and strategic issuesof the Institute. The Animal ProductionSystems Program under the leadershipof Professor Graeme Martin and Dr PhilVercoe met twice and discussed futureactivities. As a result, the IOA’s first Industryforum, “Innovations in Animal Productionto Meet Consumer Expectations”, will beheld at UWA on 2nd August involving some60 representatives invited from industry,growers and the research community.The main objectives of the forum are: toupdate the latest developments in ‘Clean,Green and Ethical’ (CGE) systems foranimal production; to explore current andfuture animal production systems: farmerand industry perspectives and to identifyfuture directions in markets and consumerrequirements for animal products. Theindustry forum will be officially opened byProfessor Lyn Beazley, WA Chief Scientist.The Plant Production Systems Programunder the leadership of Professor StephenPowles and Dr Guijun Yan commenced itsactivities in a workshop involving more than50 academic staff and researchers (includingadjunct and honorary appointees) on 2ndJuly.The IOA has issued regular press releaseson relevant topics and several stories havebeen taken up by radio (e.g. ABC countyhour) and by the print media. I encourageyou to visit our website for more informationon the IOA’s press releases and otheractivities. Our next public lecture will bedelivered by Professor Joachim von Braun,Director General of the International FoodPolicy Research Institute, Washington, USA.Professor von Braun will present a publiclecture on “New forces in the world foodequation: energy, climate, science andeconomics”. I invite you all to attend thisimportant public lecture.Our staff have shown outstandingperformance in attracting several externallyfunded research grants, developinginternational collaboration and producingscientific publications. Professor DavidPannell’s prestigious Federation Fellowship,“Integrating economics and sciencefor land, water and biodiversity policy”,will provide the much needed boost inteaching and research activities in this areaat UWA. Recently a number of our staffand students received various awards andhonorary positions. The IOA’s activities willbe further strengthened with the recentappointments of Dr Michael Renton and MrGraeme Doole (both appointments jointlywith CSIRO), and Dr Michael Considine(jointly with Department of Agricultureand Food Western Australia) at UWA. Weare also in the process of appointing a newDirector for the Centre for Legumes inMediterranean Agriculture and a Lecturerposition in Production Agronomy andFarming Systems (Jointly with the GrainsResearch and Development Corporation).I would like to congratulate ProfessorAlistar Robertson, Dean FNAS on his newappointment as the Pro Vice-Chancellor(Research Initiatives) at UWA. ProfessorRobertson played a significant role inestablishing the IOA and providing strategicdirections.I hope that you will find the articles in thisnewsletter of interest. The IOA welcomesfeed back and contributions to futurenewsletters. We are particularly keen to hearfrom growers, industry and the alumni.UWA Institute of Agriculture canola scientists in ChinaRapeseed (canola) is a major industry inChina and UWA researchers were thererecently to promote collaboration withtheir Chinese associates in rapeseedbreeding, pathology and agronomy.The visit was part of an internationalproject funded by the Australian Centrefor International Agricultural Research(ACIAR) and the Grains Researchand Development Corporation(GRDC) entitled “Oilseed BrassicaImprovement in China, India andAustralia”. More than 30 collaboratorsfrom Australia, China and India met atthe leading Chinese rapeseed researchlaboratory at Huazhong AgriculturalUniversity, Wuhan, Hubei Province, inearly April.The UWA delegation to the ACIAR projectmeeting included Assoc Profs WallaceCowling and Martin Barbetti, Senior LecturerDr Guijun Yan, Research Associate Dr ShengChen and Research Fellow Dr Ping Si, fromthe UWA School of Plant Biology and Centrefor Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture(CLIMA).One major outcome of the ACIAR/GRDCproject has been exchange of Brassicanapus and Brassica juncea varieties betweenAustralia, China and India. UWA’s Dr Li, ProfSivasithamparam and Assoc Prof Barbettihave been assessing Chinese rapeseedgermplasm for resistance to Sclerotinia,white rust and blackleg diseases and DrChen and Assoc Prof Cowling have beenassessing genetic distance and uniquenessof rapeseed germplasm and hybrid vigourin crosses between Australian, Chineseand Indian lines.It is not widely recognized that 50% ofAustralia’s canola ancestry comes fromAsian rapeseed varieties introduced in thelate 1960s to Australia. There has alreadybeen a big influence of Asian varieties inAustralia and this will continue. Chinesescientists have been developing hybridcanola varieties for more than twodecades, and China grows more hybridcanola than the total Australian canolacrop. Chinese scientists have developedSclerotinia resistance over many years. Wecan greatly benefit from collaboration withleading Chinese rapeseed scientists.

Launch of the Institute of AgricultureUWA Institute of Agriculture 3Nearly 70 years after it was originallyestablished, the University’s Institute ofAgriculture (IOA) has been reinvigoratedto ensure integration of agricultural andresource management education, trainingand research at UWA and strengthencollaboration and interaction with therural community and industry.More than 200 people from UWA, researchinstitutions and other sectors of theagricultural industry, gathered to celebratethe official re-establishment of the new IOAon March 30, 2007. The day commencedwith the inaugural meeting of the ExternalAdvisory Board and was followed by theofficial launch, including the unveiling of acommemorative plaque. The day concludedwith a social event at the UWA UniversityClub.At the launch, UWA’s number one agriculturalscientist, the Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorAlan Robson, said the Institute would bringtogether many of the University’s researchstrengths into one centre and providea better vehicle for the coordination ofUniversity and industry collaborations.Institute Director, Professor KadambotSiddique, spoke of the future for agricultureat UWA, saying the Institute vision is tobecome an internationally recognisedscientific research leader, focusing andenhancing the intellectual capacityneeded to tackle industry issues in theagricultural sectors at regional, national andinternational level.The Institute has been established inpartnership with the Schools of Agriculturaland Resource Economics, Animal Biology,Earth and Geographical Sciences, PlantDr Michael Chaney, Chancellor, UWA and the Hon. Mr Kim Chance, WA Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, unveilthe commemorative plaque at the launch of the IOA.Biology and relevant research centres withinthe Faculty of Natural and AgriculturalSciences and other Faculties at UWA.Professor Siddique said strategic approachesfor agricultural research and developmentshould target improved technologiesfor increased and profitable productionand sustainable conservation of naturalresources.A highly supportive environment forundergraduate and post-graduateprograms, linked to the industry and crossinstitutionalsupervision, was essential toappropriately train future generations ofagricultural scientists in Australia. UWA hada major role to play in this regard.IOA staff Ms Angela Fielder, Personal Assistant, ProfKadambot Siddique, Director, and Ms Kerry Regan,Communications Officer at the launch.ACIAR delegates from Australia, China and India at the world’s largest dam, Three Gorges, on the Yangtze River.

4 UWA Institute of AgricultureCLIMA celebrates its past and maps its futureDr Ping Si pingsi@cyllene.uwa.edu.auA special forum was held on May 31,2007 to celebrate past achievements andmap future directions for the Centre forLegumes in Mediterranean Agriculture(CLIMA). From July 2007, CLIMA is a UWAResearch Centre within the Faculty ofNatural and Agricultural Sciences. CLIMAwas established in 1992 as a CooperativeResearch Centre (CRC) with Departmentof Agriculture Western Australia(DAFWA), Commonwealth Scientific andIndustrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)and Murdoch University as researchpartners. It became a research alliancein 2001 and finally a UWA Centre in July2007. The three phases are referred to asCLIMA 1, CLIMA 2 and CLIMA 3.The celebratory event included a half dayforum, release of the 2005-06 biennialresearch report, CLIMA Board meeting,Industry Advisory Group meeting and adinner. The forum, titled ‘CLIMA: Past,Present and Future’, was the highlight. It waschaired by the Dean of the FNAS, Prof AlistarRobertson and opened by Prof Alan Robson,Vice Chancellor of UWA and foundingDirector of CLIMA, the forum. He recalledthat CLIMA 1 was the first CRC at UWA. ProfRobson reiterated UWA’s commitment tothe business of CLIMA 3.Researchers from partner organisationspresented their CLIMA 2 achievementsat the forum. An impressive array of newcultivars of pulses and annual pasturelegumes for various environments havebeen released to the farming community.Future lupin varieties will incorporatethe substantial improvement made inCLIMA 2 achievements were presented at a celebratory forum.lupin germplasm from thin seed coat,better grain quality, greater proteinconcentrations and herbicide tolerance. Acombination of molecular, tissue cultureand field screening techniques have beenused to improve germplasm, understandadaptation and utilise germplasmresources in lupin, chickpea and pasturespecies. Retiring CLIMA Director, Prof NeilTurner highlighted research activities thatwill be continued in CLIMA 3, includingthe new generation of molecular toolsbeing explored for application in legumebreeding. Forum presentations can beviewed and listened to at the CLIMA website(www.clima.uwa.edu.au).This forum drew together people associatedwith CLIMA for the past 15 years, includingphoto: Julia Wilsonthe five Directors, Prof Alan Robson,Dr John Hamblin, Assoc. Prof Mike Ewing,Prof Kadambot Siddique and Prof Neil Turner.There were about 80 people in attendancefrom UWA, DAFWA, CSIRO, MurdochUniversity, Curtin University, ChemistryCentre, Department of Fisheries WA,CLIMA Industry Advisory Group members,Pulse Australia, the Council of GrainGrower Organisation (COGGO) and GrainsResearch and Development Corporation(GRDC). GRDC Managing Director, PeterReading, and GRDC Board Chairman, TerryEnright, also attended the forum and dinner.Attendees were impressed with CLIMA 2’sachievements, organisation of the forumand the contribution of CLIMA staff for thisspecial day.Dean of FNAS to take on new position as Pro-Vice Chancellor at UWAProfessor Alistar Robertson has been appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor (ResearchInitiatives) at UWA. Currently Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences(FNAS), he starts his new role in January 2008.Professor Robertson has been FNAS Dean since 2003 and his vision and leadership hascontributed enormously to the Faculty successfully attracting substantial new researchincome and students (undergraduates and post-graduates), and enhancing its internationalreputation.Announcing the appointment, UWA Vice Chancellor Professor Alan Robson, said “As ProVice-Chancellor (Research Initiatives), Prof Robertson will act as a focal point externallyand internally to foster collaborative research relationships with partners in the privateand public sector, particularly in the environment area. He will also work with the DeputyVice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) and the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research andResearch Training) to enhance the research performance of the University”.In particular, Prof Robertson will be responsible for early career mentoring, promotingmore applications and grants within the ARC Linkage scheme and greater interaction withindustry. He will also Chair the Associate Deans of Research Committee to deliver wholeof-Universityperformance improvements.The position provides great opportunities to build and strengthen the University’s researchpartnerships and develop a whole-of-University approach to ensure research excellencethroughout the University.

UWA Institute of Agriculture 7‘Seeds of Life’ program: Improving food security in East TimorAdj Professor Harry Nesbitth.nesbit@bigpond.net.auAlex Dalley, Seed of Life-East Timor research advisor (rear right) and farm leader (in front of Alex Dalley) show Philip Young(technical advisor, left), Tony Fischer (ACIAR, right) and Seeds of Life technical personnel seed production of the newlyreleased Nakroma rice.The ‘Seeds of Life’ Program, whichcommenced in 2005, addresses foodsecurity issues in the rural areas of EastTimor. The major aims are to improvethe capacity for East Timor to releaseand distribute improved varieties of keyfood crops. Major crops currently beingresearched are maize, rice, cassava,sweet potato and peanut, althougheffort is also put into improved pigeonpea and cultivating ancillary crops suchas velvet bean.‘Seeds of Life’ is a Ministry of AgricultureForestry and Fisheries (MAFF) programsupported by Australia with funding fromthe Australian Agency for InternationalDevelopment and the Australian Centrefor International Agricultural Research.The Australian funding is managed byUWA through the Centre for Legumes inMediterranean Agriculture. The currentphase of ‘Seeds of Life’ consolidates thegains made by a previous three year ACIARProject which ended in 2003.During the previous phase, improvedgermplasm imported from crop centresbelonging to the Consultative Group onInternational Agricultural Research (CGIAR)were evaluated on research stations. Thebest varieties are now being cultivated infarmers’ fields with more than 1600 onfarmtrials started in the past two seasons.CGIAR centres continue to provide theirlatest appropriate breeding material forevaluation under East Timor conditions inthe search for a wide range of crop varietyoptions.Yield improvements over locally availablecrop varieties were impressive in researchstation trials. Maize yields of modern yellowmaize composites were double those oflocals. A similar result was achieved withintroduced sweet potatoes. Some moderncassava clone yields were approximately50% higher than locally grown varietiesand newer peanuts had larger seed size.Two years of on-farm trials illustrated thatthe yield advantage on research stationswas also reflected in farmers’ fields. Underfarm conditions and farmer managementpractices, the new varieties continued toexpress their superior yield advantage. Infact the yield advantage of growing thenewer varieties was up to 50% greaterfor rice at low altitudes and 48% greaterfor peanuts across 168 on-farm trials.Three sweet potato varieties had a yieldadvantage of 140% over local varieties inon-farm trials.Farmer taste and acceptability evaluationsconducted during field days and from anearly adoption survey were quick to pointout the advantages and disadvantages of thenew crop varieties. Some farmers preferredthe milling and storage characteristicsof traditional white varieties comparedwith yellow maize and the newer sweetpotatoes grew so large that the soil crackedallowing termites to enter the tubers if notharvested early. Acceptability is high, withmost farmers re-planting the crops afterharvesting their on-farm trial plots.In March, 2007 the MAFF formed a VarietalRelease Committee, which discussed theresults of replicated trials and on-farmtesting before releasing seven new varieties.These included two maize, one paddy rice,one peanut and three sweet potato varieties.The challenge now is multiplying sufficientseed and planting material to keep pacewith the farmers’ high demand.Dr Simon McKirdyCEO, CRC for National Plant BiosecurityI completed a Bachelor of Science inAgriculture at UWA in 1987 and a PhDin 1997. My PhD thesis examined therole of alternative hosts in the survivalof seed-borne viruses infecting pasturelegumes and lupins and the spread ofcontact-transmitted viruses in southwestWA and was supervised by Prof.Sivasithamparam.After graduating in 1987, I worked as aTechnical Officer with the Department of Agriculture and FoodWestern Australian (DAFWA). In 1991 I began the first of severalResearch Officer roles with DAFWA investigating the impact andmanagement of plant viruses on grain crops.In June 1996 I became a Senior Research Officer with the Centrefor Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), UWA. In 1998 Irejoined DAFWA as a plant pathologist and broadened my skills byworking on a range of plant pathogens and numerous horticulturalcrops, including a role as the Quarantine Plant Pathologist for WA.This role introduced me to the world of plant biosecurity andgovernment policy, both state and national.In 2002 I moved to Canberra to join Plant Health Australia in a policy/process role. The successful bid to create the CRC for National PlantBiosecurity gave me the opportunity in 2005 to return to research.This is a challenging role involving participants from all aroundAustralia and strong links with international researchers in variouscountries. One of the strong points with any CRC and one I findsatisfying is training the next generation of scientists. It is alsopositive that UWA is involved in this CRC.My decision to explore a role in agricultural science has been veryrewarding. The different roles have been enjoyable and providedreal opportunities to benefit growers.

8 UWA Institute of AgricultureRole of capacity building, innovative technology developmentand adoption for the future of agriculture: A farmer’s viewMr Rob Hydemarkhyde@jameson.com.auI believe a successful agricultural industryshould have an all-embracing educationand technology capable of leading it tofuture prosperity and that this starts witha healthy mind that is educated to alsopursue the right political decisions.At every level it is a matter of “training us allsufficiently” in the knowledge that we willnot know it all and that we must continueto seek the very best people to assist us inthe many areas of our business. Those fewyears students spend at university must alsoequip them with the right understandingand attitudes to continue to seek andachieve logical answers.Unfortunately, farmers too often arriveat crossroads for all family membersdependent on their farm because ofinadequate planning at the family level.They can often end up in a situation wherethey must sell and a distribution of assetswill not replace the business for even theparents. There is a tragic lack of commercialreality these days and Australian farmerscan’t continue like this.Mr Rob Hyde, farmer, Wongan Hills, WAIt’s interesting to study how machineryagents have risen from this situation overthe last 50 years. They have been guidedby the large manufacturers to ensureprofitable returns, while faced with thesame agriculture vagaries of the weatheras the farmers. This is happening withall rural towns, particularly in the area ofgroceries and, in almost all cases, the sizeand turnover or specialisation is an obviousfactor ensuring viability.University graduates with excellent technicalknowledge and good communication skillsare required to demonstrate to growers thatturnover and competition are importantingredients towards profitability. Sadly, wehave recently received news that the wheatindustry is still in total chaos about how tomarket the crop. Where to from here - whoknows?I believe the greatest opportunities will comefrom those people between 30 and 60 whoare still in rural areas, are still in the industry,started with a University background andhave the understanding that access tocorrect information is the most importantof all ingredients, after energy and honestytowards themselves. Just how you getprogressive policies into grower bodiescontrolled largely by people who shouldbe enjoying freedom from managementand making use of the workbench in thegarage is a challenge for everyone involvedin agriculture. UWA’s Institute of Agriculturehas a significant role in addressing some ofthe above issues.Novel plants for livestock productionDr Phil Vercoepvercoe@cyllene.uwa.edu.auThe International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) is referred to as the “Atoms forPeace” Agency and was establishedunder the United Nations umbrellaof organisations in 1957 to promotesafe, secure and peaceful nucleartechnologies.One of the IAEA’s six Departments, theDepartment of Nuclear Sciences andApplications, deals with the application ofnuclear technologies in food and agriculture,human health, water resource managementand environmental monitoring, researchand protection. Within this Departmentthere is a Division coordinating a jointprogramme with the Food and AgriculturalOrganisation (FAO) that deals with nucleartechniques in food and agriculture.I spent last year in the Animal Productionand Health Section within the Joint FAO/IAEA Division at Vienna, Austria wherethe main objective is to “enhance foodsecurity by supporting sustainable livestockproduction systems in developing countriesthrough strategic and applied research,technology transfer and capacity building”.They achieve this through a combinationof Co-ordinated Research Projects (CRP),which bring together researchers in bothdeveloping and industrialised countriesto solve a problem of common interest,and Technical Co-operation Projects(TCP), where there is a transfer of proventechnology (often developed in CRP) toMember States.The main reason I approached the Agencyto work at the Joint Division was to organizeand coordinate a meeting of experts in thefield of screening native plant resourcesfor alternatives to chemicals in livestockproduction. Through the support andnetworks of the Animal Production andHealth Section I coordinated a meetingtitled ‘Alternative feed resources: a keyto livestock intensification in developingcountries’. The meeting was held incooperation with Writtle College (UK), whichhosted the British Society of Animal Sciencemeeting on ethnobotany/ethnoveterinarymedicine.Ten internationally recognised experts inthis area attended the meeting where wereviewed the opportunities and challengesassociated with in-vitro screening of plantsfor bioactive properties, using feedingbehaviour for developing systems thatintegrate novel plants and extracts intofeeding systems, identifying opportunitiesfor technical and research projects forincreasing the scope of the plant screeningactivities and developing integrated feedingsystems for livestock production that areprofitable and environmentally safe.We now have a global network of researchersinterested in standardising screeningprocedures and taking the opportunity tocollaborate on a global scale. The Joint FAO/IAEA remains the key link in this network butprovides opportunities for the collaborationto continue.There were many other positive aspectsto my year at the IAEA, not least theexposure of UWA’s links into global issuesin agriculture, particularly those relatedto livestock production in developingcountries. Many of the issues in livestockproduction in these developing countriesreflect very closely the problems of seasonalfluctuations in the quantity and quality offeed resources we have in Australia andthe need to find alternative feed resourcesand a way to utilise them effectively. Formore information about the activities ofthe Animal Production and Health Sectionplease visit their website:http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/topic-animal-health.html

UWA Institute of Agriculture 9Kick start for A$1.9 million Lanzhou University - UWA collaborationResearchers from UWA’s Instituteof Agriculture (IOA) visited China’sLanzhou University in May 2007 tocommence a newly funded A$1.9 millioncollaborative project on “The sustainabledevelopment of agricultural systemsin dry and cold eco-systems of LoessPlateau”. The project’s main objective isto train researchers and post-graduatestudents (capacity building) in the studyof environmental characterisation of dryand cold eco-systems, development ofimproved crop and pasture productiontechnologies and animal husbandrypractices and long term strategies toadapt to climate change using westChina as a model.UWA participants in the project, Prof.Kadambot Siddique, Director of IOA, Prof.Neil Turner former Director of CLIMA andDr Guijun Yan, Senior Lecturer and DeputyLeader of Crop Production Systems Programof IOA, gave eight seminars to more than 300staff, postgraduates and undergraduateson several topics, including research andmanagement of dryland agriculture andgenetics and breeding of dryland crops andpastures. They also visited the GrasslandResearch Station of Lanzhou University andYellow River water management systemproject of Gansu Province.Dr Guijun Yan, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Leader of Crop Production Systems Program of IOA, Prof. Kadambot Siddique,Director of IOA, Prof. Hui Gan, Vice President of Lanzhou University, Prof. Neil Turner, former Dir. of CLIMA and Prof. NanZhibiao, Dean of the College of Pastoral Agricultural Science, when the three UWA staff were made Guest Professors atLanzhou University.Prof. Fengmin Li, Director of the National Keylaboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecologywill visit UWA in late September, 2007 andProf. Ruijun Long of the same laboratory willhave a three month sabbatical visit at UWAlater this year. Ten current Masters studentswere introduced to the delegation andencouraged to apply for UWA InternationalPostgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) orspecial scholarships offered to China’s ‘985’university graduates. A Memorandum ofUnderstanding between UWA and LanzhouUniversity was recently signed to reinforcethe mutual commitment. To expand andmaintain this collaboration, ProfessorsSiddique and Turner and Dr Yan wereappointed Honorary Professors of GansuAcademy of Agricultural Sciences, AdjunctProfessors of the National Key Laboratoryof Arid and Grassland Ecology, and GuestProfessors of Lanzhou University.FNAS Professor appointed Chair of Federal ResearchQuality Funding CommitteeEmeritus Professor David Lindsay, an honorary senior research fellow in the Facultyof Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS), was recently appointed by the Hon.Minister of Education, Ms Julie Bishop, to one of 13 chairs of review panels for theResearch Quality Funding exercise, which begins in earnest next year. He chairs thepanel responsible for assessing the quality of research into agricultural, veterinary,environmental and food sciences in Australian universities. This, of course, includesa large part of what FNAS is about. However, very strict conflict-of-interest rules willmean that assessment of the FNAS submissions - assuming there are some - will behandled by someone else.The program, which is being directed by the federal Department of Education, Scienceand Training (DEST) is in its early stages. The review panels, each comprising 12 eminentscientists, are still being selected from a huge number of nominees. Only the chairs havebeen announced and the balance will be known in September. While this is going on, DESTis conducting trials in some areas of selected universities to ‘iron out’ as many potentialglitches in the process as possible. Guidelines, specific to individual panels, are being drawnup. Most universities, including UWA, have already begun collating data on publicationsand research outputs ready for the detailed submissions that will be called for towards theend of 2007, with a deadline of April 2008. The 13 panels will then begin the massive taskof evaluating these submissions to assess the quality and impact of the research done ineach of the research groups from the universities and will report in late 2008.Emeritus Professor David LindsayThe Federal Government plans to use these assessments to apportion a significantproportion of its funding to universities during the following four years, so the RQF exerciseis one to be taken seriously and FNAS needs to present its considerable achievements inthe best possible light.

10 UWA Institute of AgricultureWeb-based answers for agricultural soil healthMs Jessica SheppardFarmers can better understand their soilhealth through a new and interactiveweb-based tool developed through theAvon Catchment Council’s Soil Qualitymonitoring program and being deliveredby UWA and Department of Agricultureand Food Western Australia (DAFWA).Launched in March 2007 by Dr DanielMurphy, head of the soil biology group atUWA, the site is designed to raise awarenessof the health of agricultural soil across thestate. It will provide useful information tofarmers to aid their management of on farmsoil health issues.The website provides the basis for adatabase of locally validated and qualityassured benchmarks for soil health fromapproximately 900 paddocks across WA.Soil analysis results are available for 0 to10cm or to a depth of 30cm dependingon the soil parameter being investigated.Farmers can access information aboutchemical, physical and biological soilparameters in their own area and comparetheir own soil test results with averages inthe region and across the state.The site can relate soil properties such as soilorganic carbon with biological indicatorssuch as microbial biomass and providesa range of fact sheets on the soil qualityparameters reported. It also provides toolsto assess potential yield, based on rainfalland a calculator to assess potential benefits/costs of a green manure phase.Presentations from the WA Soil Health Forum,Dr Daniel Murphy, UWA and Dr Andrew Wherret, DAFWA are shown the Soil Quality website by designer Jordan Brock.held in March 2007, are also accessible fromthe site and cover many relevant topics,including results of long-term soil aciditymonitoring, the role of organic matter insoil and inoculant use in Australia.The Soil Quality website,www.soilquality.org.au. has been developedthrough a collaborative project delivered byUWA and DAFWA in conjunction with theAvon Catchment Council, Land and WaterAustralia, Grains Research and DevelopmentCorporation and the South Coast NaturalResource Management Inc. It is a result ofinvestment from the State and AustralianGovernment through the National ActionPlan for Salinity and Water Quality. For furtherinformation, contact Dr Daniel Murphy atdmurphy@cyllene.uwa.edu.au.New Appointments at the Institute of AgricultureMr Graeme Doolebegan as a lecturerin the Schoolof Agriculturaland ResourceEconomics (SARE)in February 2007after recentlycompleting hisdoctoral thesis.He shifted fromNew Zealand inmid-2003 to study for a doctorate atthe School of Agricultural ResourceEconomics, UWA, given its reputationfor rigorous applied economic analysis.His thesis investigated the combinedvalue of lucerne pasture for herbicideresistance and water table managementin WA dryland agriculture and involveddeveloping and implementing a varietyof innovative mathematical modellingtechniques. This analysis was co-supervisedby Professor David Pannell and Dr ClintonRevell of the Department of Agriculture andFood (Western Australia) and jointly fundedby the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC)for Plant-Based Management of DrylandSalinity and the CRC for Australian WeedManagement. Graeme’s lecturing position isa dual appointment with CSIRO SustainableEcosystems, which has opened up excitingopportunities for collaboration with someof Australia’s leading scientists, particularlyin the area of farming systems research.Graeme is also the Deputy Leader of theRural Economy, Policy and DevelopmentProgram within the Institute of Agriculture.In his spare time, Graeme enjoys watchingNew Zealand teams win rugby matches(and, hopefully, the World Cup), reading,and snorkelling.Dr Michael Rentonhas been appointedto a lecturing positionin Plant Biology in thearea of Agro-ecologymodelling. He willwork closely withthe WA HerbicideResistance Institute(WAHRI) on herbicideresistance and weedpopulation dynamics modelling. For thelast two years he has been working withthe Department of Agriculture and FoodWestern Australia on a Weed CooperativeResearch Centre project developing asimulation model of weed seedbankpopulation dynamics called the “Weed SeedWizard”. He has also worked as a lecturerin mathematics at UWA and Murdochin 2005 and completed a post-doctoralresearch project in constructing stochastic

Lupin-enriched bread can satisfy your appetiteDr Jonathan Hodgsonjonathan.hodgson@uwa.edu.auObesity is now a major public health problem worldwide. Manystrategies have been proposed to fight the obesity epidemicand associated health risks.One possible strategy involvesunderstanding the role of dietarycomponents in the control of foodintake. Consuming foods thatcan increase satiety and reduceenergy intake and body weight,when included in the diet longerterm,can prevent weight gain andfacilitate weight loss.Available data suggest that dietaryprotein and fibre are the mostsatiating nutrients. Foods enrichedin protein and/or fibre, replacingenergy from carbohydrate, canincrease satiety and reduce energyintake. However, approaches toincreasing both protein and fibre inthe diet may be difficult. Popular lowcarbohydrate high protein diets tendto have quite low fibre intakes.A practical approach to increasingprotein and fibre content ofprocessed foods is to incorporatehigh protein and fibre ingredientsinto high carbohydrate foods. Lupin(Lupinus angustifolius L.) grain is onepotential source.UWA School of Medicine and Pharmacology PhD student, Ms Ya Ping Lee,enjoying a slice of lupin bread.Lupin is the major grain legume grown in WA, with an average annualproduction of about 800,000 tonnes. The grain is mostly exportedfor animal feed, but applications in human foods are increasing. Flourfrom the grain (lupin kernel flour - LKF) contains 40 - 45% protein, 25UWA Institute of Agriculture 11- 30% fibre, and negligible sugar and starch. It can be incorporatedinto food products, including bread, at up to 40% wheat flourreplacement with little change in productacceptability. This results in increases inprotein and fibre content of the food.Studies were conducted to investigatethe acute effects of LKF-enriched breadon satiety and energy intake. These trials,supported by the Department of Agricultureand Food Western Australia (DAFWA), arosefrom collaboration between researchersat the UWA School of Medicine andPharmacology, School of Plant Biologyand Centre for Legumes in MediterraneanAgriculture (CLIMA).The study showed that LKF-enrichedbread (with 40% wheat flour replacement),compared to white bread, significantlyreduced within meal food intake byapproximately 30%, food intake at asubsequent meal by approximately 15%,and self-reported hunger post meal. Ifconsumption of LKF-enriched foods hadsimilar effects on energy intake longer-term,such effects would translate into significantweight loss.These results are exciting in terms of themagnitude of the potential effects onenergy intake. However, before LKF-enriched foods can be promotedfor weight management, studies are needed to determine if theseacute effects translate into reduced energy intake and benefits onweight loss longer-term in overweight individuals. These studiesare now underway within the School of Medicine and Pharmacologyat UWA.simulations of the structural developmentof apple trees at French National Institutefor Agricultural Research, Montpellier,France in 2004. He began his PhD with theCentre for Plant Architecture Informatics inthe Advanced Computational ModellingCentre at the University of Queensland in2000, developing modelling approachesto simulate the influence of environmenton plant structural development andphysiology. Like Graeme, Michael’s lecturingposition is a dual appointment with CSIROSustainable Ecosystems and offers excellentopportunities for collaborative research andprogress in agro-ecological systems. Whenfree from his computer, Michael enjoyswatching the Dockers struggle on, teachingand practicing yoga and playing on theswings with his two-year-old daughter.Dr Mick Considinehas been appointedto a lecturingposition in PlantBiology, a positionthat is co-funded bythe Department ofAgriculture and FoodWestern Australia(DAFWA), where hehas worked for thepast four years. Prior to that, Mick completedan undergraduate in Horticulture and aPhD in Plant Molecular Biology, both atUWA. He continued his research on nonphosphorylatingrespiration during apost-doctoral stint at The University ofOxford, working on transgenic potatoes.Mick’s current research interests centre onredox metabolism, particularly in fruit. Twoimportant applications of his research arepreventative healthcare and postharvestlongevity. Mick’s current and pendinggrants include research on the regulationof classical antioxidants, particularlyascorbate and glutathione in tablegrape; screening novel apple selectionsfrom DAFWA’s breeding program forhigh levels of dietary polyphenols andthe verification of health benefits withhuman intervention trials; investigatingthe cause of an irregular skin-browningdisorder in table grape, and; developingDNA fingerprinting for DAFWA’s applebreeding program. With the opportunityof his new appointment, Mick intends tostrengthen international collaborationwith colleagues in the United Kingdomand the United States, as well as attractingWA students into the field of agriculturalfood research. His contacts at DAFWAshould greatly facilitate the latter. Mickwill also have a teaching component,initially in Plant Physiology.

12 UWA Institute of AgricultureGenetically modified crops: Food for thought“A decade of genetically modified(GM) crops around the world: Futuredirections”, was the first IOA Food andAgriculture Lecture for 2007. ProfessorStephen Powles, from the IOA, UWA andDirector of the WA Herbicide ResistanceInitiative, highlighted the progress andadoption of GM crops since the firstcommercial crop of GM soybean wasgrown in the US in 1996. By 2006, therewere 100 million hectares of GM crops,an area five times greater than the totalannual cropping area of Australia.More than 80% of this area has beengenetically modified to be resistant to theherbicide glyphosate (more commonlyknown as Roundup), which is the mostwidely-used herbicide in the world. Theother major gene used in commercial GMcrops is the Bt gene, which allows the cropto produce a toxin lethal to the caterpillarstage of insect pests.The major GM crops include soybean (60million ha), maize (26 million ha), cotton (15million ha) and canola (7 million ha). Despitethe commonly held belief that there aredifficulties in exporting GM products, themajor producers of GM crops are also majorexporters.Genetically modified cotton, blue carnationsand canola are the only three plant speciesin Australia which have been approved forcommercial production. Currently, 90%of the Australian cotton crop is GM, butthere is no GM canola grown due to Statemoratoria.Professor Powles emphasised theimportance of GM technology in the future,not only for providing input traits to helpproducers lower production costs, reducechemical inputs and increase yields, butalso for human health benefits. Molecular“pharming” or plant-made pharmaceuticals,such as insulin produced by plants, wouldbe very desirable. Other products suchas high caretenoid tomatoes with healthbenefits, canola with improved nitrogenuse efficiency, low caffeine coffee and highProf Joachim von BraunDirector GeneralInternational Food Policy Research InstituteWashington, DC, USAProfessor Powles presents highlights of the developmentsin GM crops to a captive audience.(photo: Brendon Cant and Assoc.).omega-3 oil in canola and soybean are allpossible through genetic modification inthe short term.The future of feeding the world whileconserving natural ecosystems is a hugechallenge and will need brains and a rangeof technologies, including GM.Institute of Agriculture Food and Agriculture LecturesNEW FORCES IN THE WORLD FOOD EQUATION: ENERGY, CLIMATE, SCIENCE AND ECONOMICSMonday, August 20th, 20074.00 – 5.00 pmGeneral Purpose Building 2 Lecture Theatre (G.16)Fairway, Entrance No.1, Car Park 18 and 20.The world food equation is traditionally understood as the balance between supply and demand, i.e. food production, consumption, and changes in stocks.We are used to the fact that on the one hand, economics and innovation are shifting supply and on the other hand, economics and demographics are shiftingdemand. While these forces change more rapidly in a high growth and high science environment, new forces, such as globalization, climate change, andenergy scarcity, including the response with biofuels, have new impacts on the world food equation, on farmers and consumers and, in particular, the poor.This presentation will address the issues of new forces in the world food equation, and outline implications for the research agenda and for appropriate policywith an emphasis on developing countries.BEHAVIOUR-BASED GRAZING MANAGEMENT FOR ANIMAL HEALTH, ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY, AND ENTERPRISE SUSTAINABILITYProfessor Fred ProvenzaWildland ResourcesUtah State University, U.S.AFriday, August 24th, 200710.00 – 11.30 amMolecular & Chemical Sciences Lecture Theatre (G.33), UWA(Fairway, Entrance No. 4, Car Park 14 and 21)The physical and biological complexity inherent in natural systems increases productivity, species diversity and system stability. Increased diversity alsoenables individual animals to select diets that meet their needs, thereby enhancing production. While the benefits of choice and biodiversity are obviousfor herbivore nutrition and health, much remains to be learned about how to reconstruct agro-ecosystems with plants that complement one another forthe benefits of herbivores as well as the well-being of water, soils, plants, and people. The key to designing agro-ecosystems systems is understandingcomplementarities among different species of plants below and above ground. Plant diversity is important not only for enhancing ecosystem processes, itis also an animal welfare issue.SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN DRY AREAS: ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE DRY AREASDr Mahmoud SolhDirector GeneralInternational Centre for Agriculture in theDry Areas (ICARDA), SyriaFriday, August 24th, 20074.00 – 5.00 pmMolecular & Chemical Sciences Lecture Theatre (G.33), UWA(Fairway, Entrance No. 4, Car Park 14 and 21)The dry areas occupy some three billion hectares and are home to one-third of the global population– over 1.7 billion people. Characterized by water scarcity,the dry areas are also challenged by high population growth, climatic unreliability, land degradation and desertification, frequent droughts, temperatureextremes, and widespread poverty. ICARDA is actively engaged in addressing the problems of agriculture in dry areas. This presentation will address theissues of developing improved technologies that prevent land degradation, conserving water to help improve water-use efficiency on the farm, enhancingproductivity of the crop/livestock systems, and crop diversification with horticultural crops. Enquires: ioa@fnas.uwa.edu.au or 6488 4717

UWA Institute of Agriculture 13RecognitionNameMs Clare Coffey(Animal Science, FNAS)Ms Marinda Williman(Animal Biology, FNAS)Mr Trent Smoker(Agricultural and Resource Economics, FNAS)Dr Patrick Finnegan(Pliant Biology, FNAS)Dr Erik Veneklaas(Plant Biology, FNAS)Dr Jo Pluske(Agricultural and Resource Economics, FNAS)Mr Frank D’Emden(Agricultural and Resource Economics, FNAS)Ms Di Mayberry(Animal Biology, FNAS)Dr Tony Fischer(External Advisory Board, Institute of Agriculture)Professor Kadambot Siddique(Institute of Agriculture, UWA)Professor Neil Turner(Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, FNAS)Dr Guijun Yan(Plant Biology, FNAS)AwardWinner of AIAST/DAFWA Young Professionals in Agriculture Forum.Second overall in AIAST/DAFWA Young Professionals in Agriculture Forum .Third overall and best presentation in AIAST/DAFWA Young Professionals in Agriculture Forum.2006 Excellence in Teaching Award: Individual Teaching.2006 Excellence in Teaching Award: High commendation for post-graduate supervision.FNAS Teaching Award for Excellence in Supervision of Research Students (Hons or 4th year projects).2006 Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society masters thesis prize for a study on southernAustralian grain growers’ adoption of conservation tillage.CRC Association award for communication of science.Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia- For service to agricultural science in Australiaand developing countries, particularly wheat research in the areas of grain yield and crop cultivation andmanagement.Guest Professor of Lanzhou University ,Honorary Professor of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences , AdjunctProfessor of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology, Lanzhou University.Guest Professor of Lanzhou University , Honorary Professor of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, AdjunctProfessor of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology, Lanzhou University.Guest Professor of Lanzhou University, Adjunct Professor of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Arid andGrassland Ecology, Lanzhou University.Visitors to Institute of AgricultureName of the Visitor Visitors’ organisation and country Host details Dates Host contact EmailMr Seyyed Md RezaEhteshamiProfessor ZhaoZhizhongTarbiat Modrres University, Iran Prof. Zed Rengel Oct 2006 – Aug 2007 zrengel@fnas.uwa.edu.auHainan Normal University, PR of China Dr Andrew Rate Sept 2006 – Sept 2007 Andrew.rate@uwa.edu.auPascal PoindronDr Aris JunaidiDr Martin AiubLaboratoire de Comportement UMR 6175 INRA-CNRS-Université de Tours-Haras Nationaux,Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements,INRA, FranceFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gadjah MadaUniversity (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) clean, greenand ethical production in small ruminants’.Endeavour Indonesia Research Fellowship.University of Buenos Aires, Argentina - EndeavourFellowship to undertake herbicideresistance research at WAHRI.Dr Dominique Blache Jun 2007 – May 2008 dbla@animals.uwa.edu.auProf. Graeme Martin Mar-Aug 2007 gmartin@fnas.uwa.edu.auProf. Steve Powles Aug-Dec 2007 spowles@plants.uwa.edu.au

14 UWA Institute of AgricultureVisitors to Institute of Agriculture continuedMr Raul MorenoTechnical Manager for herbicides, Syngenta, Argentina– WA cropping systems and herbicideresistance.Prof. Steve Powles 15-30 Sept 2007 spowles@plants.uwa.edu.auProfessor Feng-Min LiDirector MOE Key Laboratory of Arid and GrasslandEcology School of Life Sciences LanzhouUniversityProf. Kadambot Siddiqueand Dr Guijun Yan22-29 Sept 2007 ksiddique@fnas.uwa.edu.auProf. Ruijun LongCollege of Pastoral Agriculture Science andTechnology Lanzhou University,Prof. Kadambot Siddiqueand Dr Phil Vercoe22 Sept to 31 Dec 2007 ksiddique@fnas.uwa.edu.auDr Joachim von BraunDr Mahmoud SolhDirector General, International Food PolicyResearch Institute (IFPRI) Washington, DC, USADirector General, International Centre forAgricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)Aleppo, SyriaProf. Kadambot Siddique 19-20 Aug 2007 ksiddique@fnas.uwa.edu.auProf. Kadambot Siddique 23-24 Aug 2007 ksiddique@fnas.uwa.edu.auNew Research ProjectsTitle Funding Body Supervisor(s)Conservation and Utilization of Plant and Animal GeneticResources in Oman (Collaborative project with SultanQabos University, Oman)111 Project: The sustainable development of agriculturalsystems in dry and cold eco-systems of Loess Plateau(Collaborative project with Lanzhou University, China)Eco-geographical and physiological approaches to improvechilling tolerance in chickpea in Australia and India.Physiological and molecular characterisation of salinitytolerance in chickpea.A novel method of broad-acre weed seedbankmanagement using a naturally occurring germinationstimulant.Western Australian Herbicide Resistance InitiativeStage III.Changing the Ownership-Management Paradigm inBroadacre Farming.Collection, evaluation and selection of purslane as apotential vegetable crop.Fast tracking pea weevil resistance into field pea cultivarsthrough interspecific hybridisation.Nutrient cycling in bauxite residue sand underrehabilitation.Susceptibility to Phytophthora cinnamomi and sensitivityto phosphorus in native Australian plants: why are theylinked?His Majesties Strategic Fund- Sultan of OmanChinese Ministry of Education (CME)Australia-India Strategic Research Fund(AISRF-DEST)ARC-Linkage (COGGO and ICRISAT, India)ARC-Linkage (Botanic Gardens and ParksAuthority)GRDCLand and Water AustraliaRIRDCARC-Linkage (DAFWA and Dardin Holdings(Australia) PTY. Ltd – a subsidiary of theAztech Group Companies)ARC-Linkage (Alcoa World Alumina Australia)ARC-Linkage (Department of Environment andConservation, Alcoa World Alumina Australia,Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd, Dardin Agri-Holdings(Australia) Pty. Ltd. - a subsidiary of TheAztech Group Companies, Tiwest Pty Ltd, BHPBilliton Ravensthorpe Nickel, Chemistry CentreWA, Western Power)UWA component- Professor Kadambot Siddique,Dr Heather Clarke and Dr Fucheng Shan (now withDAFWA)UWA component- Professor Kadambot Siddique,Professor Neil Turner and Dr Guijun YanDr Jens Berger (CSIRO/CLIMA), Dr Heather Clarke(UWA/CLIMA), Dr Michael Robertson (CSIRO),Professor Kadambot Siddique (UWA), Dr TanveerKhan (DAFWA/CLIMA), Dr Harsh Nayyar (PanjabUniversity, India) and Dr J.S Sandhu (PunjabAgricultural University, India).Dr TD Colmer (UWA); Prof Dr TJ Flowers (Sussex Uni);Prof K Siddique (UWA); Dr V Vadez (ICRISAT); Dr RVarshney (ICRISAT); Dr PM Gaur (ICRISAT)Prof SB Powles (UWA); Dr KW Dixon (BGPA);Dr DJ Merritt (UWA, BGPA)Prof SB Powles (UWA)Dr Ross Kingwell (UWA)Dr Guijun Yan (UWA), Dr Shaofang Wang (ChemistryCentre WA) and Mr Nader Danehloueipour (UWA)Dr Guijun Yan (UWA), Dr Tanveer Khan (DAFWA), DrDarryl Hardie (DAFWA), Dr Oonagh Byrne (UWA)Dr DV Murphy (UWA); Dr PA O’Brien; Dr PL Clode;Dr IR Phillips; Prof D JonesProf JT Lambers (UWA), A/Prof GE Hardy (MurdochUni), Dr PM Finnegan (UWA), Dr SJ Barker (UWA),A/Prof B Dell (Murdoch), Dr PA O’Brien, Dr M Tibbett(UWA), Dr G Yan (UWA), Dr S Barrett (CALM), Dr IJColquhoun (Alcoa), Dr BL Shearer (Murdoch Uni), MrN Sibbel, Dr MA Smith, Mr Z Spadek

UWA Institute of Agriculture 15New PhD StudentsName Topic School Supervisor(s) Funding BodyMr SamineniSrinivasanPhysiological, genetic and molecular studieson salinity tolerance in Chickpea(Cicer arietinum L).Plant Biology and CLIMAAssociate Prof. Tim Colmer, ProfessorKadambot Siddique, ProfessorNeil Turner and Dr Pooran Gaur(ICRISAT, India)Endeavour FellowshipMr Jun MaEffects of hexaploid wheat chromatin indurum wheat backgrounds on crown rotresistance and other traits of agronomicimportance.Plant BiologyDr Guijun Yan and Dr Chunji Liu(Plant Industry, CSIRO)UWA International Post-graduateResearch ScholarshipPublications 2007Refereed journalsBarbetti MJ (2007) The expression of resistance in subterraneanclover (Trifolium subterraneum) to races 1 and 2 of Kabatiellacaulivora is affected by inoculum pressure but not by combinationsof the two races. Australasian Plant Pathology 36, 318–324Basu PS, Turner NC, Berger JD, Ali M, Siddique KHM, ChaturvediSK (2007) Osmotic adjustment of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)is not associated with changes in carbohydrate composition orleaf gas exchange under drought. Annals of Applied Biology151, 217-225.Blache D, Grandison MJ, Masters DG, Dynes R, Blackberry MA,Martin GB (2007) Relationships between metabolic endocrinesystems and voluntary feed intake in Merino sheep fed ahigh salt diet. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture47, 544-550.Boersma JG, Buirchell BJ, Sivasithamparam K, Yang H (2007)Development of a sequence-specific PCR marker linked to theKu gene which removes the vernalization requirement in narrowleafedlupin. Plant Breeding 126, 306-309.Coutts BA, Walsh JA, Jones RAC (2007) Evaluation of resistanceto Turnip mosaic virus in Australian Brassica napus genotypes.Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58, 67–74.Danehloueipour N, Yan G, Clarke HJ, Siddique KHM (2007) Diallelanalyses reveal the genetic control of resistance to ascochytablight in diverse chickpea and wild Cicer species, Euphytica154, 195-205.George N, Henry D, Yan G and Byrne M (2007) Variability in feedquality between populations of Acacia saligna (Labill.) H. Wendl.(Mimosoideae) – implications for domestication. Animal FeedScience and Technology 136, 109-127.Kadokawa H, Aikawa K, Kimura K, Blache D, Williams IH, Martin GB(2007) Links between de novo fatty acid synthesis and leptinsecretion in bovine adipocytes. Journal of Veterinary MedicalScience 69, 225-231.Kingwell R, John M (2007) The influence of farm landscape shapeon the impact and management of dryland salinity. AgriculturalWater Management 89, 29-38.Li H, Kuo J, Barbetti MJ, Sivasithamparam K (2007) Differences in theresponses of stem tissues of spring-type Brasica napus cultivarswith polygenic resistance and single dominant gene-basedresistance to inoculation with Leptosphaeria maculans. CanadianJournal of Botany 85, 191-203.Li CX, Sivasithamparam K, Walton G, Salisbury P, Burton W, Banga SS,Banga S, Chattopadhyay C, Kumar A, Singh R, Singh D, AgnohotriA, Liu SY, Li YC, Fu TD, Wang YF, Barbetti MJ (2007) Expressionand relationships of resistance to white rust (Albugo candida) atcotyledonary, seedling, and flowering stages in Brassica junceagermplasm from Australia, China, and India. Australian Journalof Agricultural Research 58, 259-264.Llewellyn RS, Lindner RK, Pannell DJ, Powles SB (2007) Herbicideresistance and the adoption of integrated weed managementby Western Australian grain growers. Agricultural Economics36, 123-130.O’Keefe DC, Berryman DI, Coutts BA, Jones RAC (2007) Lack ofseed coat contamination with Cucumber mosaic virus in lupinpermits reliable, large-scale detection of seed transmission inseed samples. Plant Disease 91, 504-508.Pedersen BP, Neve P, Andreasen C, Powles SB (2007) Ecologicalfitness of a glyphosate-resistant Lolium rigidum population:Growth and seed production along a competition gradient. Basic& Applied Ecology 8, 258-268.Pluske JR, Durmic Z, Payne HG, Mansfield J, Mullan BP, HampsonDJ, Vercoe PE (2007) Microbial diversity in the large intestineof pigs born and reared in different environments. LivestockScience 108, 113-116.Reboud X, Majerus, N Gasquez, J Powles, SB (2007) Chlamydomonasreinhardtii as a model system for pro-active herbicide resistanceevolution research. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.91, 257-266.Salam MU, Fitt BDL, Aubertot JN, Diggle AJ, Huang YJ, Barbetti MJ,Gladders P, Jedryczka M, Khangura RK, Wrattan N, FernandoWGD, Penaud A, Pinochet X, Sivasithamparan K. (2007) Twoweather-based models for predicting the onset of seasonalrelease of ascospores of Leptosphaeria maculans or L. biglobosa.Plant Pathology 56, 412-423.Shan F, Clarke HJ, Yan G, Plummer JA, KHM Siddique (2007)Identification of duplicates and fingerprinting of primary andsecondary wild annual Cicer gene pools using AFLP markers.Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 54, 519–527.Shu LZ, Shen JB, Rengel Z, Tang CX, Zhang FS, Cawthray GR (2007)Formation of cluster roots and citrate exudation by Lupinus albusin response to localized application of different phosphorussources. Plant Science. 172, 1017-1024.

16 UWA Institute of AgriculturePublications 2007 continuedSolaiman Z, Colmer TD, Loss SP, Thomson BD, Siddique KHM (2007)Growth responses of cool-season grain legumes to transientwaterlogging. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research58, 406–412Walsh MJ, Powles SB (2007) Management strategies for herbicideresistantweed populations in Australian dryland crop-productionsystems. Weed Technology, 21, 332–338.Williams MG, Magarey PA, Sivasithamparam K (2007) Effect oftemperature and light intensity on early infection behaviour ofa Western Australian isolate of Plasmopara viticola, the downymildew pathogen of grapevine. Australasian Plant Pathology36, 325–331Yu Q, Cairns A, Powles SB (2007) Glyphosate, paraquat and ACCasemultiple herbicide resistance in a Lolium rigidum biotype. Planta225, 499-513.Yulianti T, Sivasithamparam K, Turner DW (2007) Saprophytic andpathogenic behaviour of R. solani AG2-1 (ZG-5) in a soil amendedwith Diplotaxis tenuifolia or Brassica nigra manures and incubatedat different temperatures and soil water content. Plant Soil294, 277–289Book chaptersBerger JD, Speijers J, Sud UC (2006) Genotype by environmentinteraction and chickpea improvement. In: Yadav, S.S andRedden R., Chen, W and Sharma, B.B eds. “Chickpea Breedingand Management” CABI, UK pp 617-629.Berger JD, Turner NC (2006) The ecology of chickpea: evolution,distribution, stresses and adaptation from an agro-climaticperspective. In: Yadav, S.S and Redden R., Chen, W and Sharma,B.B eds. “Chickpea Breeding and Management” CABI, UK pp47-71.Blache D, Chagas LM, Martin GB (2007) Nutritional inputsinto the reproductive neuroendocrine control system – amultidimensional perspective. In: Reproduction in DomesticRuminants VI. pp. 123-139. Edited by JI Juengel, JF Murray and MFSmith. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK.Redden R, Berger JD (2006) History and origin of chickpea. In:Yadav, S.S and Redden R., Chen, W and Sharma, B.B eds. “ChickpeaBreeding and Management” CABI, UK pp 1-13.Toker C, Lluch C, Tejera NA, Serraj R and Siddique KHM (2006)Abiotic stresses. In: Yadav, S.S and Redden R., Chen, W andSharma, B.B eds. “Chickpea Breeding and Management” CABI,U.K. pp. 474 -496Meetings and EventsUWA EXPO, University of Western Australia19 August, 2007 www.expo.uwa.edu.au/uwa_expo_2007Food and Agriculture Public Lecture, University of Western AustraliaNew forces in the world food equation: Energy, climate, science, andeconomics. Prof Joachim Von Braun20 August, 2007 Email: ioa@fnas.uwa.edu.auFood and Agriculture Public Lecture, University of Western AustraliaBehaviour-based grazing management for animal health, ecosystemdiversity, and enterprise sustainability. Prof Fred Provenza24 August, 2007 Email: ioa@fnas.uwa.edu.auFood and Agriculture Public Lecture, University of Western AustraliaSustainable agricultural development in dry areas: Role of theInternational Centre for Agriculture in the Dry Areas.Dr Mahmoud Solh24 August, 2007 Email: ioa@fnas.uwa.edu.auThe 13th Australian Barley Technical Symposium, Esplanade Hotel,Fremantle, Western Australia26-30 August, 2007 Email: michelle@promaco.com.auDowerin Field Day, Dowerin, Western Australia29 - 30 August, 2007 www.dowerinfielddays.com.auWANTFA Spring Field Day, Meckering, Western Australia11 September www.wantfa.com.auFrontiers in Agriculture: Post-Graduate Show-Case, UWA12 September Email: ioa@fnas.uwa.eduFifteenth Biennial Australian Research Assembly on Brassicas(ARAB) Conference, Geraldton, Western Australia10-14 September,2007 msanders@agric.uwa.edu.au21st Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society (APWSS),Colombo, Sri Lanka2 - 6 October 2007 www.apwss21.lk10th International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium,Hyderabad, India15-19 October, 007 www.IPVE2007.netUnderstanding, Describing and Classifying Soil, University ofWestern Australia29-30 October, 2007 www.clr.uwa.edu.au6th European Grain Legumes Conference, Lisbon, Portugal12-16 November,2007 www.eugrainlegumes.org2nd International Salinity Forum, Adelaide, South Australia31 March – 3 April, 2008 www.internationalsalinityforum.org5th International Crop Science Congress 2008, Jeju, Korea13-18 April, 2008 www.cropscience2008.com12th International Lupin Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia14-18 September, 2008 Email: conference@lupins.org14th Australian Agronomy Conference, Adelaide ConventionCentre, South Australia20 - 24 September 2008 Email: esther@estherprice.com.auIf you wish to be included on themailing list or receive this publicationby email please contact us.Editor:Kerry Regankregan@fnas.uwa.edu.auInstitute of AgricultureThe University of Western AustraliaMDG M08235 Stirling HighwayCrawley, WA, 6009AustraliaTel: +61 (08) 6488 4717Fax: +61 (08) 6488 7354Email: ioa@fnas.uwa.edu.auWeb: www.ioa.uwa.edu.auCricos provider No. 00126GDesign and production: duit@cyllene.uwa.edu.auDISCLAIMER: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this newsletter, the Institute of Agriculture (IOA) cannot accept any responsibility for the consequences of the use of this information. Thenewsletter provides a brief overview of agricultural research and other activities in progress and is a guide only.