CSIRO lead National Citrus Scion Breeding Program

National Citrus Scion Breeding Program.

PI09004 New Generation Pineapple Breeding Project

To work with a major industry production/marketing unit to develop new pineapple varieties with good plant vigour, high yields and post-harvest attributes and eating quality equal to or better than the standard industry varieties 73-50 and MD2 under commercial production systems. The project uses previously developed germplasm as parental material.

Macadamia Breeding and Conservation

DEEDI is tendering for this project because it considers that macadamia breeding is essential for long-term industry viability and that new productive cultivars will be the basis for the industry to withstand future competition from overseas and from other nut crops.

National Citrus Triploid Breeding

This project advances commercially desirable citrus selections that have resilient seedlessness. It builds on existing expertise and develops germplasm resources in the utilisation of interploid crossing for the production of new triploid hybrids with outstanding fruit quality. Advanced germplasm will progress toward commercialisation with fruit displays, and the production of a final generation of trees for semi-commercial plantings. At the opposite end of the breeding spectrum, new triploid hybrids will be produced. Growers will see triploid citrus from their national breeding project for the first time, providing a window on future new varieties that will emerge from the pipe-line of germplasm that has been developed through past project investment.

Value chain technical development

Short-term research projects on insect pest management in processed food.

Pre-emptive Breeding for Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance

The aims of the project are to 1) identify closely linked molecular markers to resistance genes and validate them in Australian wheat and barley backgrounds, and 2) introgress RWA resistance into Australian wheat and barley backgrounds.

Genetic Options for nematode control

Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus thornei and P. neglectus) cause severe economic loss in wheat in Australia. This project aims to develop adaptaed wheat lines with resistance and tolerance to both species. These lines will be made available to Australian wheat breeding companies for further crossing and development of resistant and tolerant wheat varieties. Sources of resistance will be synthetic hexaploid and landrace wheats from the Middle East. Suitable double haploid populations will be phenotyped for the development of molecular markers to resistance and tolerance genes. The value of resistance and tolerance will be extended to growers through collaboration in demonstration trials with NGA and ORANA and presentations at GRDC Updates.

Transition of EGA wheat breeding activities to Australian Grain Technologies

Transition of EGA wheat breeding activities to Australian Grain Technologies.

DAN00094 Australian chickpea breeding program

To develop new, high yielding, desi chickpea varieties with improved resistance to Ascochya Blight and Phtyophthora Root Rot.

Barley Breeding Australia - Northern Node

This project covered the 2006-2011 operations of the Northern Node of Barley Breeding Australia (BBA-North). BBANorth collaborated with the Southern and Western nodes and all BBA participants to deliver improved barley varieties to the Australian grains industry. BBA-North focused on the northern region and was the national leader in breeding high yielding, disease resistant barleys with grain quality that enhanced the crop's status as a preferred feed grain. Development of varieties for the malting and brewing industries was also targeted. This project incorporated coordination, breeding, regional evaluation, foliar and soil-borne disease tests, molecular marker screens and grain and malt quality analyses.

Impacts of a fuel oil spill on seagrass meadows in a subtropical port, Gladstone, Australia - The value of long-term marine habitat monitoring in high risk areas.

We used an established seagrass monitoring programme to examine the short and longer-term impacts of an oil spill event on intertidal seagrass meadows. Results for potentially impacted seagrass areas were compared with existing monitoring data and with control seagrass meadows located outside of the oil spill area. Seagrass meadows were not significantly affected by the oil spill. Declines in seagrass biomass and area 1 month post-spill were consistent between control and impact meadows. Eight months post-spill, seagrass density and area increased to be within historical ranges. The declines in seagrass meadows were likely attributable to natural seasonal variation and a combination of climatic and anthropogenic impacts. The lack of impact from the oil spill was due to several mitigating factors rather than a lack of toxic effects to seagrasses. The study demonstrates the value of long-term monitoring of critical habitats in high risk areas to effectively assess impacts.

The Potential for a New Value Adding Industry for Noni Tropical Fruit Producers

Morinda citrifolia (noni) grows widely throughout the Pacific and is native to Australia. It is a source of traditional medicine amongst Coastal Aboriginal Communities in Cape York, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia, and in recent years has experienced significant economic growth worldwide through a variety of health and cosmetic claims. The largest markets for noni are North America, Europe, Japan, Mexico, Asia and Australia with the worldwide market for these products estimated at US$400 million.

Harvest strategy evaluation to optimise the sustainability and value of the Queensland scallop fishery. Queensland scallop fishery - FRDC Project No 2006/024 Final Report

Objective 1. Measure spatial and temporal trawl frequency of scallop grounds using VMS data. This will provide a relative measure of how often individual undersized scallops are caught and put through a tumbler 2. Estimate discard mortality and growth rates for saucer scallops using cage experiments. 3. Evaluate the current management measures, in particular the seasonal closure, rotational closure and seasonally varying minimum legal sizes using stock assessment and management modeling models. Recommend optimal range of management measures to ensure long-term viability and value of the Scallop fishery based on a formal management strategy evaluation. Outcomes acheived to date: 1. Improved understanding of the survival rates of discarded sub-legal scallops; 2. Preliminary von Bertalanffy growth parameters using data from tagged-and-released scallops; 3. Changing trends in vessels and fishing gear used in the Queensland scallop fishery and their effect on scallop catch rates over time using standardised catch rates quantified; 4. Increases in fishing power of vessels operating in the Queensland scallop fishery quantified; 5. Trawl intensity mapped and quantified for all Scallop Replenishment Areas; 6. Harvest Strategy Evaluations completed.

A novel breeding programme for improved growth in barramundi Lates calcarifer (Bloch) using foundation stock from progeny-tested parents

Rapid genetic gains for growth in barramundi ( Lates calcarifer) appear achievable by starting a breeding programme using foundation stock from progeny tested broodstock. The potential gains of this novel breeding design were investigated using biologically feasible scenarios tested with computer simulation models. The design involves the production of a large number of full-sib families using artificial mating which are compared in common growout conditions. The estimated breeding values of their paternal parents are calculated using a binomial probit analysis to assess their suitability as foundation broodstock. The programme can theoretically yield faster rates of genetic gain compared to other breeding programmes for aquaculture species. Assuming a heritability of 0.25 for growth, foundation broodstock evaluated in two years had breeding values for faster growth ranging from 21% to 51% depending on the genetic diversity of stock under evaluation. As a comparison it will take between nine and twenty-two years to identify broodstock with similar breeding values in a contemporary barramundi breeding programme.

DNA markers linked to the R(2) rust resistance gene in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) facilitate anticipatory breeding for this disease variant.

Pre-emptive breeding for host disease resistance is an effective strategy for combating and managing devastating incursions of plant pathogens. Comprehensive, long-term studies have revealed that virulence to the R (2) sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) rust resistance gene in the line MC29 does not exist in the Australian rust (Puccinia helianthi) population. We report in this study the identification of molecular markers linked to this gene. The three simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers ORS795, ORS882, and ORS938 were linked in coupling to the gene, while the SSR marker ORS333 was linked in repulsion. Reliable selection for homozygous-resistant individuals was efficient when the three markers, ORS795, ORS882, and ORS333, were used in combination. Phenotyping for this resistance gene is not possible in Australia without introducing a quarantinable race of the pathogen. Therefore, the availability of reliable and heritable DNA-based markers will enable the efficient deployment of this gene, permitting a more effective strategy for generating sustainable commercial cultivars containing this rust resistance gene.