Book of oral abstracts - Tropical Agriculture Conference€¦ · 140 Tropical horticulture – Exploring new approaches for sustainable funding of plant breeding in developing countries

Book of oral abstracts

Showcasing agri-technology and investment in agriculture

Incorporating

tropagconference.org

2TropAg2017 International Tropical Agriculture Conference Incorporating | tropagconference.org

Contents

100 Closingthetropicallandfrontier:Therolesofglobalizationandintensification 11

101 Biodiversityandfoodandnutritionsecurity:Driversoffoodchoicesfordietarydiversificationforimprovedhealthandnutritionforvulnerablepopulations 12

102 Photonstofood;ImprovingphotosynthesisandyieldpotentialinC3andC4crops 13

104 Fieldphenotypingforphotosynthetictraitsinsorghum 14

105 Modellinglikelyfieldimpactsofmodifyingphotosynthesis 15

106 BuildingclimateresilienceinagriculturalcropsbymanipulatingCO2fixation 16

107 Horticulture-Thevitalindustry 17

108 Impactofgenomicsandgeneticsonplantprotectioninbananas 18

109 DevelopingaprofessionalvegetablesupplychaininSouthEastAsia 19

110 ImpactsofplantbreedingontheAustralianmandarinindustry 20

111 Reducingtheimpactofdiseasesonproductivityandqualityofavocado 21

112 Prospectsforgeneticimprovementofmacadamia 22

113 Sustainablelivestock–Integratedapproachesformultiplebenefits 23

114 Keypathwaysforthelivestocksector,sustainableintensificationandmitigatingvulnerability 24

115 Deliveringlivestocksciencesolutionsfordevelopmentoutcomesthrough twodistinctapproaches:philanthropyandsharedvalue 25

116 Newlivestockgeneticsandgenomicssolutionsandapplicationsinthetropics 26

117 Animalandhumanhealth:Adangerousintersectionorhealthyfuture? 27

118 Optimizingtheenvironmentalfootprintoflivestockproduction 28

119 Improvingfoodandnutritionsecuritythroughdietarydiversification: PromotingtherichKenyancuisine 29

120 SelectionofsuitableKei-applelinesbasedonphytochemicalcontentfor functionalproductdevelopment 30

121 ValueaddednutritionallyrichproductsfromAustralianwattleseeds (Acacia species) 31

122 QueenslandgrownQueenGarnetplum:Nutritiousandhealthy-Acasestudy 32

123 Buchanania obovata:AnAustralianIndigenousfoodfordietdiversification 33


124 Enhancingyoutheconomicparticipationandentrepreneurshipinagriculture 34

125 Usingsustainableintensificationprinciplestoincreaseproductivityofmaize andwheatsystems 35

126 Enhancingsmallholderagriculturalproductivity,resilienceandsustainability: InitialevidencesfromeasternandsouthernAfrica 36

127 OverviewofACIARprogramsfocusedonsystemsapproachesforsustainableintensification 37

128 LegumeintensificationforfoodsecurityandsustainabilityinAfrica 38

129 OverviewofsystemsapproachesforsustainableintensificationinChina 39

130 UAV-basedphenotypingofcropplantsinfieldtrials 40

131 Characterizingthesorghumpangenome 41

132 Exploringandexploitingnaturalvariationinsorghum 42

133 Exploringthecropadaptationlandscapeinsilico 43

134 Buildingnewsorghumvarietiesinthe21stcentury 44

135 TropicaltomatobreedingforAustralianmarkets–Satisfyingthediverse needsofproducers,retailersandconsumers 45

136 Demand-ledapproachesinthetomatoindustryinGhana:Challengesandopportunitiesforbreedingandcropimprovement 46

137 Maximizingtheimpactofcommonbean(Phaseolus vulgaris)breeding forfarmersandothervaluechain 47

138 Connectingpublicandprivatebreedersandnewvegetablevarietiesto developingmarketsinSEAsiaandSub-SaharaAfrica 48

139 Custardapples–breedingforAustraliandomesticandexportmarkets 49

140 Tropicalhorticulture–Exploringnewapproachesforsustainablefunding ofplantbreedingindevelopingcountries 50

141 Developmentofpoint-of-careandmultiplexdiagnosticmethodsforthe detectionofplantandpoultrypathogens 51

142 Point-of-sitediagnosticnanotechnologiesforhealthandagriculturalapplications 52

143 Fromresearchtofrontlinelaboratory 53

144 Diagnostictoolsusedtogenotypeanddetecttickfeverpathogensincattle 54

145 Amassspectrometrictargetedapproachforthedetectionofexosomalproteinbiomarkersfrombovinebodyfluids 55


146 Useofmobiletechnologiesforresearchandengagementofsmallholder cattlefarmersinVanuatu 56

147 Identifyingandmanagingnewhazardsinthefoodsupply 57

148 Foodauthenticityandtraceabilityusingstableisotopes 58

149 Mycotoxinsinthefoodsupplychainandpromisinginterventions 59

150 Rapiddetectionmethodsforfoodadulterationandauthentication 60

151 Oritain-Provingorigin,protectingreputations 61

152 MoleculardetectionofToxoplasmaGondiiinfectioninsmallruminantsin NorthwestTunisia 62

153 Policydriversofwaterresourcedevelopmentforagricultureinnorthern Australia 63

154 Maximisingthecost-effectivenessofwatersupplyinnorthernAustralia 64

155 ExpandingagricultureinNorthernAustralia:Theneedforimproved transportlogistics 65

156 Managingtheimpactsofagriculturetominimizeoffsiteenvironmental impacts:AcasestudyfornitrogenintheGBRlagoon 66

157 OpportunitiesandconstraintsforirrigatedagricultureintheNorthernTerritory 67

158 EconomicdriversofagriculturaldevelopmentinnorthernAustralia 68

159 Transitionsandtransformations-drought,hotspots,andadaptation 69

160 Benefitsofactionandcostsofinaction:Droughtmitigationandpreparedness 70

161 Modesofclimatevariabilityanddroughtforecasting 71

162 BuildingaNationalDroughtCenter:Scienceandpolicyapproachesand experiencesfromtheNationalDroughtMitigationCenter’sperspective 72

163 Improvingdroughtmonitoringandpredictionscienceandservices 73

164 Remotesensingapplicationsforagriculturalandhorticulturalcrops:Fromtheindividualtreetowholeofindustry 74

165 MappinghorticulturetreecropsinAustralia 75

166 Intelligentsensingandinformationsystemsfortreecrops 76

167 UAVimageryanditsroleintacticalagronomytrials 77

168 Analysisofhyperspectralcharacteristicparametersofdifferentpotatovarieties 78


169 Estimatingregionalscalecropproduction:Anintegratedclimate, biophysicalandremotesensingapproach 79

170 Thegeneticarchitectureoftickresistance 80

171 Cuttingandpasting:Thefutureofgeneticimprovementforfood animalgenomes 81

172 TheevolutionoftheBrahmangenome-acrucialtropicallyadaptedbreed 82

173 Combininghistoricalweatherstationrecords,climatechangepredictions andgenomicstobreeddairycattleforfutureclimates 83

174 Useofgenomictechnologiesandcompositecattlebreedingwithinal argeNorthernAustralianbeefbreedingenterprise 84

175 MediterraneanDietintheTropics? 85

176 FattyLiver:Itisnotjustaboutfat-Nutritionalimpactonnon-alcoholic fattyliverdisease(NAFLD) 86

177 Tropicalfruitsasfunctionalfoodsformetabolicsyndrome 87

178 Gutmicrobiome-Ourlifepartner,forbetterorworse? 88

179 Berries for your renal health 89

180 Thecreationofemployment,economicandsocialbenefitstoremote Australiancommunitiesthroughnovelandaddedvalueproductsfrom nativeplants 90

181 Informingthedesignofclimateresilientfarmingsystems 91

182 Managingrisksandtradeoffsintheintensificationofagriculture: Anecologistperspective 92

183 Whatdowewantandwhatarewelikelytoget? 93

184 Behavioraleconomicsinsightintodriversandconstraintsintheadoption oftechnologies 94

185 Designinglessriskysystemsthroughinvestingintheadaptivecapacity offarmers 95

200 TargetedplantbreedingapplicationsofCRISPR-Castechnology 96

201 Thecontributionsofanimal-sourcefoodtosustainable,safe,ethicaland optimalhumandiets 97

202 Beyonddigitalrevolution–Today’sresearchfortomorrow’slivestocktools 98

203 Usingdatatochangetomorrow’sfarmactivitieswithpowerofprediction 99


204 Howdowegetourheadsoutofthesandwhentheyareupintheclouds? 100

205 Thedigitalagronomist–Thechangingfaceoffarmadvisory 101

206 Beyondtheacceptedmethods–Newtargetsforautomateddata gatheringonfarm 102

207 GPScows:Bringingagdataandnewtechnologiesintohighschools 103

208 PredictionbasedcropimprovementbycombiningWholeGenome PredictionwithCropGrowthModels 104

209 WhywasgenomicselectionsorapidlyadoptedintheUSbeefand dairyindustries? 105

210 Speedbreedingwithgenomicselectiontoacceleratewheatvariety development 106

211 Largescalegenomicselectionintropicallyadaptedcattletoimprove fertilityandmeatquality 107

212 Genomicselectioninhorticulture 108

213 Thefutureofgenomicselection–Incorporatingbiologicalinformation ingenomicpredictions 109

214 Lessonsfromtemperatecropsfortropicalcropbiofortification 110

215 Highfolatestrawberries–Finallysomethingtasty? 111

216 Sweetcornbiofortification–Isa1000%increasepossible? 112

217 Highpro-vitaminAbananas–AfirstforAfrica 113

218 Potentialhealthbenefitsofbreedinghighflavonoidapples 114

219 Notanothertypicalcornytrial:Geneticandagronomiczincbiofortification ofsweetcorn 115

220 Aglobalperspectiveontheresponsibleuseofantimicrobialsinveterinary medicine 116

221 AntimicrobialresistancesurveillanceinlivestockinAustralia 117

222 AntimicrobialuseandstewardshipinanimalhealthinAustralia 118

223 Caeci Caecos Ducentes 119

224 Moleculardetectionoftetracyclineresistancegenesinsalmonellaisolated fromporkandpoultryegg 120

225 Assessingtheroleofpublicinstitutionsinfacilitatinganinclusiveglobal valuechain:AcomparativeanalysisofthenaturalrubberindustryinSouth andSoutheastAsia 121


226 SmallholderparticipationinthepalmoilvaluechaininMalaysia,Indonesia, andThailand 122

227 Developingvalue-chainlinkagestoimprovesmallholdercassavaproduction inSoutheastAsia 123

228 Theeconomicsofsmall-holdercattleproductionandmarketinginEastern Indonesia 124

229 Howdoesparticipatinginaninclusiveglobalvaluechainimpactsmallholder coffeeproducersinIndonesia? 125

230 Integratingsmall-scalevegetablefarmerstobetteraccesshighendmarketin Dili:ThecaseofJosephinaFarmswithcontractfarming 126

232 Thedevelopingofgenotypinganditsfuture 127

233 Automatedphenotypingandanalytics 128

234 StatisticalperspectivesintheeraofBigData:Candeadfishreadhumanminds? 129

235 Phenotypicpredictionaugmentedthroughcropmodel-wholegenome prediction:ApplicationtoARGOS8 130

236 Biotechnologiesandthefutureofplantimprovement 131

237 Biofutures–Opportunitiesforagricultureinbiobasedfuelsandbioproducts 132

238 Discovery,evaluationandmanufactureofnewlivestockfeedsupplements 133

239 Biogasproductionfromenergycropsandagriculturalresidues 134

240 Convertingagriculturalwastesintovaluableproducts 135

241 Cellulosenanofibresfromspinifexaridgrasses:“Uniquepropertiesand applicationsunderdevelopment” 136

242 Brassica carinata:Theskyisthelimit 137

243 Expectedmarketopportunitiesanddemandprofilesfortropicalpulsesto2022 138

244 Sustainabilityandprofitdriversfortropicalpulsesinsustainablecropping systems 139

245 Breedingstrategiestounlockgeneticpotentialofpulses 140

246 Newgenetictoolsandsolutionstomakepulsecropsmoreresilientto variableclimates 141

247 Physiological,agronomicandmodellingapproachestooptimiseproductivity oftropicalpulses 142

248 Thepastishistory:AcasestudyofQueensland’ssuccessfulchickpeaindustry 143


249 Aresearchefforttoimprovesubtropicalandtropicaltreecropproductivity throughintensification 144

250 Diurnalvariationinthesensitivityof‘HoneyGold’mangofruittodeveloping under-skinbrowning 145

251 Pollinationofmacadamia 146

252 Breedingforadaptationduringclimatechange:Hittingamovingtarget 147

253 InsightsintotheAvocado-Phytophthorainteraction 148

254 AnewapproachinoilpalmharvestingImprovement 149

255 Thetropicalaquaculturepowerhouse–Globalimpactsandopportunitiesfor Australia 150

256 Meetingthegrowingdemandforaquaculture–Balancingbiological requirement,sustainabilityandenvironment 151

257 Makingaquaculturesustainableinthetropics–Growingalgaetoreduce nutrificationandproducehigh-valueproducts 152

258 BreedingfordiseaseresistanceinAustralianshrimp:Howdowegetthere? 153

259 Theblacklipoyster–AnalternativefortropicalaquacultureinAustralia? 154

260 In-vitrooocytematurationbyradialnerveextractandfertilizationofthe blackseacucumberholothuria leucospilota 155

261 Techniquesandplatformsforhigh-throughputphenotypingofcanopies and plants 156

262 HowwouldGooglefarm? 157

263 Autonomousadaptiveprecisionirrigationforbroad-acreagriculture 158

264 Seekingenergyindependence 159

265 Animalsensingwilltaketheindustryback100years 160

266 Fieldroboticsinagriculture 161

267 Systemsgeneticstudiesofphotosynthesisandwateruseefficiencyinrice 162

268 Developmentofricevarietiesformultipleabiotic–stresstoleranceinthe MekongregionandAustralia 163

269 Mapping,miningandtrackingtoolstolocateandharnessclimateresilience inrice 164

270 Climate-smartriceproductionforAustraliaandAsia 165


271 Generatingusefulgeneticvariationincropsbyinducedmutation 166

272 Irontoleranceinrice 167

273 Microbialmanipulationofrumenefficiency 168

274 Estimatingtheefficiencyofrumenmicrobialproteinsynthesisincattle grazingtropicalpastures,andimplicationsforanimalperformance 169

275 Therelationshipofefficiencyofmicrobialcrudeproteinproductionwith rumenmicrobialcommunitystructureinsteersfedtropicalpastures 170

276 Changingtheinterplaybetweengutandhosttoimproveproduction efficiencyofruminants 171

277 Whatistheactualroleofrumenforsupplementedgrazingcattle? 172

278 Liveyeastsupplementationimprovesrumenfibredegradationincattle grazingtropicalpasturesthroughouttheyear 173

279 RegulationandadvancingGMtechnologies 174

280 RegulatoryoversightofnewbreedinginnovationsintheUS 175

281 Regulationofnewbreedinginnovations–Implicationsforthegraintrade 176

300 TheMediterraneanDiet:Ahealthyandtraditionaldietarypattern embeddedinasustainablefoodsystem 177

301 Thechangingfaceofhorticulture:Hellotomorrow! 178

302 Combiningnanotechnologyandmolecularrecognitionforfertilizerapplications 179

303 Regulatoryscienceandagriculturalinnovation:Wheredowestand? 180

304 Ananobiotechnologyapproachtoprotectplantsfromabioticstress 181

305 Nano-enabledpesticides:Anemergingtechnologyinplantprotection 182

306 Nanoparticlesforanimalhealthcare 183

307 BioClayforcropprotectionagainstviruses 184

308 ConstraintsonphotosyntheticefficiencyinC4crops,withspecialreferences to sugarcane 185

309 Licencetofarm:Whynitrogenuseefficiencymattersandhowwecan achieve it in sugarcane 186

310 Controlofsugarandfibre:Insightsfromthesugarcanetranscriptomeanalyses 187

311 Applicationofhigh-throughputphenomicsforsugarcanetraitdevelopment andvarietyimprovement 188


312 Sensitivityandplasticityofsugarcaneleafmetabolismduringstress 189

313 Usinggenomicsequencingtounderstandthesugarcanegenomestructure 190

314 TheImportanceofAssessingAnimalWelfare 191

315 AnimalwelfareissuesinthegrazingbeefindustryofnorthernAustralia 192

316 Proteomicstodetectbiomarkersofpainandinflammationincattle 193

317 Cagerowarrangementaffectstheperformanceoflayinghensinthehot humidtropics 194

318 Applicationsofendocrinephysiologyconceptstoevaluatestressandwelfare ofproductionlivestock 195

319 Feather-eatingisrelatedtostresslevelandsucrosepreferenceinlayinghens 196

320 Tropicalrice:Challengesforquality 197

321 Starchesinriceendosperm:Diversityandimprovement 198

322 Opportunitiesandchallengesofestablishinganorthernriceindustry 199

323 Designingtropicalriceforimprovednutritionandpalatability 200

324 Australianwildrice:Diverseandtasty 201

325 Wheretherubbermeetstheroad:Implementingmolecularmarker technologiesintheAustralianricebreedingprogram 202

326 TheroleofAustralia’sgenebanksandcropwildrelativesinallourfutures 203

327 Droughtproofingsorghum:Multiscalephenotypingandgenotypingfor nodalrootangle 204

328 Interoperableinfrastructure–AvisionforDivSeek 205

329 Speedbreedingtoaccelerategenebankdepositsintofarmerfields 206

330 Thegenomicsofricegeneticresources 207

331 Unlockinggenomicdiversitywithoutassemblyoralignment 208


100 Closingthetropicallandfrontier:Therolesofglobalizationandintensification

Dr Derek Byerlee1

1Georgetown University, United States

In2015,theglobalcommunitysetasustainabledevelopmentgoalofendinghungerby2030atthesametimethatitalsosetagoalofhaltingdeforestationby2020.Arethesegoalscompatibleandwhatwill ittaketodoit?Untilthe20thcenturymostincreasesinagriculturalproductionwereprovidedbyexpandinglandarea.Thefirstperiodofglobalizationinthe19thcenturysawtheploughingupofvastswathesoftemperategrasslandsintheAmericasandAustraliatosupplyindustrializingEuropewithwheat.Onlymodestclearingoftropicalforestsandsavannasoccurredmainlyduetoencroachmentbysmallscalefarmersdrivenbypopulationgrowthandsubsistencefoodneeds.Evenso,afterWWIItropicalforestswereseenaslowvalueassetswithgreatpotentialtoconvertintoproductivefarmlandtofeedtheworld.

Thecurrentperiodofglobalizationfromaround1990haswitnessedunparalleledagriculturalexpansioninthelowlandtropicsdrivenmostlybyglobalmarkets.Thishasoccurredatthesametimethatthecriticalglobalvaluesoftropicalforestsandsavannasin conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change have been recognized. I review the experience of the three mostimportantcommodities,beefandsoybeansfromLatinAmerica,andoilpalmfromSoutheastAsia.Althoughlargeareasofforestsandsavannashavealreadybeenconvertedtothesecommodities,muchprogresshasbeenachievedinhaltingexpansioninthepastdecade,especiallyinBrazil.Tropicalagriculturehasintensified,raisingtheproductivityofexistingfarmlandandsavingnaturalareas fromfurtherconversion.However, intensificationhasonly succeededwhenaccompaniedby improvements in landandforestgovernancetoprovideincentivestointensifyratherthanexpandarea.Globaloversightthroughmajorinternationaltreatiesonbiodiversity,climatechange,andindigenousrights,andtheFAOvoluntaryguidelinesonlandandnaturalresourcetenureandprivatestandardshavealsoplayedakeyroleinprotectingremainingnaturalareas.

Inconclusion,Iamcautiouslyoptimisticthattropicallandexpansioncanbehaltedwithoutcompromisingglobalfoodsecurity.Bothgovernmentsandtheprivatesectorhavemademajorcommitmentstoreducingtropicaldeforestation.Inaddition,IprojectthatthebigmarketdriversofcommodityexpansiontoprovisionemergingeconomiessuchasChinawillslowmarkedlyinthecomingyears,furtherreducingpressureontropicallands.Themajorchallengesaheadareimplementexistingcommitmentsonzerodeforestation,slowconversionofremainingsavannas,andmoresustainablymanagetheemergingcommodityexpansioninSub-SaharanAfrica.


101 Biodiversity and food and nutrition security: Drivers of food choices fordietary diversification for improved health and nutrition for vulnerablepopulations

Assoc Prof Judith Kimiywe1

1Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

Adequatequantityandqualityoffoodarerequiredforoptimalhealth,growthanddevelopmentofhumanlife.Malnutrition,inallitsforms,asaresultofsub-optimaldietarypractices,imposesunacceptablyhighcostsonindividuals,familiesandnations.Thisisconsideredamajorimpedimenttoachievingthe2030SustainableDevelopmentGoals.Despitesignificantglobalprogresshavingbeenmadeoverthelasttwodecades,thenumberofhungrypeopleremainsunacceptablyhigh.Morethan239millionpeopleinAfricancontinentare,atpresent,affectedbyhunger,malnutritionandpoverty.ThisisnotwithstandingthefactthatAfricahasabundantarablefertilelandandhumanresourcesthatcouldpotentiallybetranslatedintoincreasedproduction,incomesandfoodsecurity.Importantlytonote,over60%ofavailableunusedfarmlandintheworldisinAfrica.InKenya,over10millionpeopleinKenyasufferfromchronicfoodinsecurityandpoornutrition.Notably,2-4millionpeoplerequireemergencyfoodassistanceatanygiventime.Nearly30%ofKenya’schildrenareundernourishedwith26%beingstunted.Further,micronutrientdeficienciesarealsowidespread.Sustainedhighrateofstuntingadverselyaffectshumancapitalandeconomicprogress.Literaturerevealsthat0.8%ofGDPislostduetovitaminandmineraldeficiencies.Thereareincreasedcasesofnon-communicablediseases(NCDs)duetoariseinoverweightandobesity.Themajorcauseistheprevalentshifttoincreasedconsumptionofhighlyrefinedfoodswithaddedsugars,salts&fatsandshifttoreducedphysicalactivityandsedentarylifestyle.Thishasnegativelyimpactedthesocietyleadingto;earlyandprematuredeaths,increasedhealthcarecostsatnationalandhouseholdlevel,nosavingsforinvestmentandpovertycirclecontinuesprogressively.Majorissuesaffectingfoodandnutritionsecurityinclude:extremepoverty,populationexplosionsanditsimpactontheGDP,inadequatefooddistribution,foodspoilageandwastages-inadequatestorageandprocessingtechnologies,supplydisruptions,governmentpoliciesthataffectsfarmersnegatively,environmentalimpacts-climatechangesandunpredictablerainfall,lowuseoftechnology,pricevolatility-soaringfoodprices,politicalinstabilityamongothers.Thechangesin foodconsumptionataglobalandregional levelhavecausedconsiderablehealthconsequences.Thediversenatureof thistransitionmaybetheresultofdifferencesinsocio-demographicfactorsandotherconsumercharacteristics.Someofthefactorssignificantlyinfluencingdietarychoicesinclude;urbanizationandfoodindustrymarketing;convenience-consumersarewillingtopaymoreforconvenienceastheirworkhabitsandlifestyleschange,advertisements,consumerattitudesandbehavior-consumerhealthawareness continues togrowwith the increasingavailabilityofhealth information, income- increasedconsumptionofprocessedfoods,moreanimalfoodsandoilsandfatsandlessoftraditionalfoodsacrossallincomegroups.Toensureoptimaldietaryintake,anintegratedapproachandcollaborationsamongallrelevantstakeholders,public/privatesectors,anddevelopmentpartnersto fosternutritionsensitiveprograms isutmost importance.Despiteconsiderabledocumentedknowledgeonfactorsinfluencingfoodconsumption,foodinsecurity,povertyandmalnutritionremainprevalent;contrarytomanycountriesreportedrapideconomicgrowth.

Keywords:DeterminantsofDietaryChoices,NutritionandHealth.


102 Photonstofood;ImprovingphotosynthesisandyieldpotentialinC3andC4crops

Prof Robert Furbank1

1ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Acton, Australia

Agriculturalproductionmustincreasebymorethan70%overthenext30yearstomeetglobaldemandforfood.Annualyieldprogressinbreedingofourmajorcerealcropsgloballyhasdroppedtobelow1%perannum,makingitunlikelythatwewillmeetthistargetforcrops,inthelightofpressuresfromurbanisationandclimatechange.Theplateauinyieldimprovementincerealsisnowwidelyregardedtohaveresultedfromtheexhaustionofgainsfromimprovinggeneticpotentialforharvestindexandgrainnumber.Anewbreedingfrontierhasemergedaimedatimprovingefficiencyofphotosynthesisandeffectiveuseofsolarradiationforyield(Parryetal.2011JXB62:453–467;Furbanketal.2015FieldCropsResearch,182:19-29).

Globally,majorinitiativeshavebeenestablishedtoimprovephotosynthesisincropsbothbytransgenicmeansandbyharnessingadvancesingenomicsandPhenomicstoidentifysuperiorcerealgermplasmandtheallelicvariationresponsible.TargetsrangefromenhancingthecatalyticpropertiesofRubiscoandscreeninggermplasmforsuperiorRubiscoperformance,installingaCO2concentratingmechanisminC3crops,improvingaccessofCO2toenzymesofCO2fixationintheleafandenhancingutilisationofthesolarspectrumandresponsestovariationsincanopylightlevels.Thispresentationreviewsrecentprogressinthisfieldanddiscussesthechallengesintranslatingthisresearchtohighercropyieldsandfoodproduction.


104 Fieldphenotypingforphotosynthetictraitsinsorghum

Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli1,2,DrAndriesPotgieter3,DrScottChapman4,5,DrJamesWatson3,MrMarkEldridge1,MrKennethLaws2,MrPeterGeorge2,A/ProfAndrewBorrell1,ProfGraemeHammer5,ProfDavidR.Jordan1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Warwick, Australia, 2Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Warwick, Australia, 3Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, 4Agriculture & Food, CSIRO, St Lucia, Australia, 5Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

Inmanycereals,yieldimprovementsareslowingdownandthelowerhangingfruit,suchasmaximisingtheamountofbiomassinvestedingrain,havegenerallybeenpicked.Therehaspreviouslybeenlittleactiveselectionforprocessestodowithprimaryplantproductivity,orphotosynthesis,incropimprovementprograms,makingthisaworthwhiletargetforfurtheryieldincreases.

Sorghumisanidealmodeltoidentifytraitsandgenomicregionsassociatedwithphotosyntheticcapacity.ItisadiverseC4cropthathasbeenadaptedtoawiderangeofenvironments.Itisespeciallywelladaptedtohotanddryenvironments,whichmakeitanimportantfeedcropinthenortherngrainbeltofAustralia,andastaplefoodandfeedcropinmanysub-tropicalareasaroundtheworld. Ithasasimpleandwell-characterisedgenome,whichmake itan idealobject forgeneticstudies.Furthermore,wehaveaccesstolargediversitypanelsandmappingpopulationswithhighgenotyping-by-sequencingmarkerdensitythatenablegenome-wideassociationstudies.

Duetocomplexinteractionsandtrade-offsbetweenleaf-levelphotosynthetictraitsandcanopyarchitecture,thephenotypingofthesepopulationsrequiresanassessmentofdynamicgrowthparametersofeachgenotypeatthefield-plotlevel.Wedescribehowweusehigh-throughputremoteandproximal-sensingplatforms(UAVandtractorbased)andanintegratedimage-analysispipelinetoidentifydifferencesintraitsrelatedtocrop-levelphotosyntheticcapacitysuchasradiationuseefficiency.Theuseoftheacquiredphenotypicinformationinassociationmappingstudiestoidentifycandidategenesforphotosyntheticcapacityarealsodiscussed.


105 Modellinglikelyfieldimpactsofmodifyingphotosynthesis

Dr Alex Wu1,2,MrAlDoherty1,2,ProfGrahamFarquhar2,3,ProfGraemeHammer1,2

1Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2ARC Centre of Excellence for Transnational Photosynthesis, , Australia, 3Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Enhancing plant photosynthetic efficiency has been identified as the next major avenue for improving plant resource useefficienciesandfieldcropperformance,whichisvital inmeetingrisingdemandoncropproduction.Bioengineeringtargetstoenhancephotosynthesis at the leaf level have been identified, however, it is oftendifficult to foresee their likely impacts onfieldcropsdue to thescalegapbetweenthe two levelsofbiologicalorganizationplus influencesofproductionenvironment.Inthiswork,adescriptionofacross-scalemodellingapproachconnectingbiochemical/leaflevelphotosynthesisandcroplevelperformance ispresented.Thisapproachutilizesexistingadvancedmodelsatthedifferent levelsandemphasizesontwo-wayconnections (interactions) between them, which involves photosynthesismodels informing growth in cropmodels and cropmodels informing crop’s attributes and capacity to capture resources (e.g. radiationandnitrogen) fordrivingphotosynthesis.Analysis at the leaf and crop canopy levels of modelling showed sensible responses to key environmental factors and cropattributes;cropgrowth,developmentandyieldsimulationsagreedadequatelywithobservedfieldcropperformanceacrossadiverserangeofgenotypesandenvironments,indicatingarobustpredictivecapabilityofthemodel.Furthermore,likelyimpactsofphotosyntheticmanipulationtargets,associatedwithphotosyntheticcapacitiesandCO₂diffusion,aresimulatedforsorghumcropindiverseproductionenvironments.Thismodellingworkisaimedatextendingpredictioncapabilitiesatthecroplevelandassistingidentificationofphotosyntheticmanipulationtargetsthatcoulddeliverthemostcrop-levelimprovementsinproductionenvironments.


106 BuildingclimateresilienceinagriculturalcropsbymanipulatingCO2fixation

Dr Robert Sharwood1

1ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Withsignificantincreasesintheglobalpopulationandtheacceleratingchangesinclimate,maintainingfutureincreasesinyieldpotentialoffoodandfibrecropsiscomingunderseriousthreat.Theimpactofclimatechangewillintensifywiththecontinuedreductionsinarablelandandtheavailabilityofwaterthatisoftenlimitingforcropproduction.Futureclimatesarepredictedtoincreasetheintensityandfrequencyofextremeevents,suchasheatwavesandvaryingrainfallpatternsassociatedwithdroughts.To copewith futureuncertain climates, agricultural cropswill nowneed tobeequippedwithflexible strategies to copewithvariableenvironmentstomitigatedeclinesinproductiveyields.MytalkwillfocusoncurrenteffortstoimprovephotosynthesisunderfutureclimatesthroughengineeringchangestoCO2fixationguidedbyscreensofnaturaldiversityofplantsoriginatingfromdifferentclimatesoforiginandevolutionarylineages.


107 Horticulture-Thevitalindustry

David Moore1

1Hort Innovation, Sydney, Australia

TheAustralianhorticultureindustryisanextremelydiversesectorthatmakesasubstantialcontributiontotheeconomy,accountingfor18%ofthetotalvalueofAustralianagriculture.Thefruit,vegetables,nuts,flowers,turfandnurseryproductsaggregateuptoagrossvalueofhorticulturalproduction(GVP)of$9.3billionin2015-16toaprojected$10billionin2021-22,makingitthethirdmostvaluableagriculturalcommodity.Basedonlandusevaluein2015-16,horticulturecontributedthegreatestGVPperhectareforallofagriculture,employing67,000peopleasthesecondlargestemployerwithinagriculture.

TheAustralianhorticultureindustryenjoysawell-regardedinternationalreputationasasustainableproducerofclean,safe,andpremiumquality food,attributed toamature supply chain, from farm to fork. Total freshhorticultureexports reached$2.32billioninJune2016.Significantgrowthinexportsofcitrus,tablegrapes,almondsmacadamiasandcarrots,alongwiththesurgeinavocadoandberryplantingshasseenthesectorbecomeatargetforcorporateinvestment.

Intermsofhorticulture’scontributiontonutrition,healthandwell-being,medicalandnutritionalresearchhasfordecadesmadetheassociationbetweenthebenefitsfromfruit,nutandvegetablesconsumptionandthereduction inobesity,cardiovascularconditions,TypeIIdiabetes,certaincancersandgeneralwellbeing.While50%ofAustralianadultsmettheirdailyintakeguidelineof2servesoffruitin2014-15,only7%consumedtheirrecommended5servesofvegetablesdaily.DeloitteAccessEconomicsrecentlyhighlightedthatifvegetableconsumptioninAustraliawere10%higher,commonwealthgovernmenthealthexpenditurewouldbereducedby$100million,highlightingtheimportanceofeducation,awarenessandpromotionprogramsforincreasingconsumption.

ResearchandinnovationplaysanimportantroleinadvancingtheproductivityandprofitabilityofAustralianhorticulture.Thesectormakesannualinvestmentsofapproximately$120millioninthisareathroughitsuniqueresearchanddevelopmentcorporationmodel.An independentassessmentofAustralianhorticulturesectorstrategic investmentplans(2017-21)hashighlightedthatresearch,developmentandextension investmentswillgenerateanet industry impactof$1.7billionover30years,creatingabenefit-costratioof5:1.Thesectorhasmademanynovelinvestmentsinresearchandinnovationrecentlyinhorticulturalrobotics;developmentofnutrientdensefunctionalfoods,3Dprintingoffoods,alternatepollinationtechnologies,sterileinsecttechnology,leadershipupskilling,andthefuturestateoftheartglasshouseandorchardarchitecture.


108 Impactofgenomicsandgeneticsonplantprotectioninbananas

Prof Gerrit HJ Kema1

1Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

Bananaisbothatopstapleandfruitcropinmanydomesticmarketsandoneofprimetropicalcommodities.Atthesametime,bananaisatypicalorphancrop.Globalinputsinresearchanddevelopmentareminimalcomparedtoothercrops.Despitetheimmensegeneticdiversity,withitsbasisinSouthEastAsia,itremainslargelyuntapped.Indeed,breedingbetterbananasappearstobedifficult,butthefailuretodevelopandmarketreplacementsfortheglobalCavendishclonesisalsoamatterofawareness,attentionandsimplyinputandcriticalmass.Thenumberofbananaimprovementprogramsisnegligiblewhencomparedwithothercrops.Asaresult,thesectoratlargesuffersfromimmensediseasethreatsthatareembeddedincomplexmultidisciplinarysettings thatcanonlybeaddressed throughsuchavenues.BothblackSigatokaandPanamadiseaseorFusariumwiltarekeyproblemsthatrequirebasicbiologicalgrounding,yetthesectorisusedtoshort-termactionsandsolutionsthathistoricallyhaveworkedwell.Hence,thereisathresholdtodevelopandacceptlong-termstrategiesforsustainableandfairglobalproduction.Ourworkhaslargelyfocusedondeliveringbasicfactsdealingwithgeneticimprovementofbananaandunderstandingkeyfactorsfordiseasecontrol.Theserevolvearoundgenomeanalyses,geneticdiversityandplasticity.Thelatestresultswillbepresented,includingaglobalanalysisofreducedsensitivityinPseudocercosporafijiensistoazolefungicidesforblackSigatokamanagementandadiversityanddisseminationanalysisofFusariumoxysporumf.sp.cubense,thecauseofPanamadisease.


109 DevelopingaprofessionalvegetablesupplychaininSouthEastAsia

Mr Arie Baelde1

1Rijk Zwaan Australia Pty Ltd, Australia

VegetablesinSouthEastAsiaaretraditionallyproducedonsubsistencelandholdings.Professionalisationofvegetableproductionisdrivenbyincreasedurbanisation,theincreaseinrurallabourcostsandreducedlabouravailabilityaswellastheentranceofprofessionalretailersinthegrocerymarket.

Increasingly, urban and educated South East Asian consumers are concerned about food safetywith regard to chemical andbiologicalcontamination. ImportedAustralianandAmericanproductsaretrustedbyconsumerswhereas localproduce isnot.Retailersareaddressing this through localqualityassuranceprogramswith inherentlymore scrutinyon theuseofpesticidesthus reducing chemical treatmentoptions for farmers.Vegetableproducers are seeingan increase in cost for fertiliser, seed,pestcontrolproductsandmoreinsecurityonthedemandside.Farmerswhoareabletodealwiththisincreasedcomplexitybycooperatingingrowergroupsorbyformingstrongerconnectionsinthesupplychainwithtradersorsupermarketsdirectlyarewinningincreasedbusiness.

Aprerequisiteforstrongrelationshipsbetweengrowersandthesupplychainisnotonlytheabilitytodeliver“clean”producebutalsotodosoconsistently.Thisisresultinginincreasedadoptionofprotectedcroppingsystemsandhydroponics.

Supplierstothesegrowerscanstrengthenrelationshipsthroughprovidingproductsaswellastechnicalsupport.ThreecasestudieswillfocusonhowseedsupplierRijkZwaanhascontributedtoincreasedfarmerincomeandcleanervegetablesforconsumers.


110 ImpactsofplantbreedingontheAustralianmandarinindustry

Mr Malcolm Smith1,MrsDebraGultzow1,MrsToniNewman1,DrAndrewMiles2

1Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Bundaberg, Australia, 2Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Brisbane, Australia

Australianmandarins aremostly grown in the summer-rainfall subtropics, about 100-300km inland from the coast. Orchardproductioncostsareamongstthehighestofanycitrusexportingcountrywhich,whencombinedwithalimiteddomesticmarket,makesafocusonhigh-qualityfruitforexportessentialtocommerciallyviability.

Asmallcitrusbreedingprogramhasbeenoperatingfor25yearsandhasalreadyhelpedsupplygrowerswithnewandimprovedscionandrootstockcultivars. OurMurcottselections‘IrM1’and‘IrM2’havequicklybecomemajornewcommercialvarieties,offeringlowerseednumbers,improvedcolourandearliermaturitytime.Thebreedingaimisnewmandarinandorangehybridsthat combine excellent eating quality with outstanding external appearance and high productivity. We are also developingrootstocksthatfurtherimprovethesecriticalqualityandproductivitytraits.Geneticresistancetodiseasesisakeycomponentoftheprogram,employingefficientinoculationandscreeningmethodsforBrownSpot(Alternaria),Scab(Elsinoe),CitrusTristezaVirus(CTV)andPhytophthora,anddevelopmentofnewtechniquesforBlackSpot(Phyllosticta)andpre-emptivebreedingforHuanglongbing(HLB).ClosecollaborationbetweenBreedersandPlantPathologistsisahallmarkoftheprogram.

Breedingprogramsareoftencriticised for taking too long. However,noother technology candeliver thequantum leapandgeneticgainthatnewvarietiesprovide.Mandarinsareafantastic‘product’:theyaretasty,healthy,convenient,visuallyattractive,andculturallysignificant.Targetedbreedingprogramswilltakethis‘product’toawholenewlevel,anddeliverbenefitstogrowers,consumers,regionaleconomiesandtheenvironment.


111 Reducingtheimpactofdiseasesonproductivityandqualityofavocado

Dr Elizabeth Dann1

1Centre for Plant Science, QAAFI, Brisbane, Australia

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi, is undoubtedly the single most important constraint toavocadoorchardproductivity inAustralia,conservativelyestimatedtocost the industry$17millionperyear.Postharvest fruitquality is compromisedby anthracnose and stemend rot diseases, causedby fungal infectionswithColletotrichum spp. andBotryosphaeriaceaeduringfruitdevelopment.Blackrootrotandbrownrootrotalsoimpactestablishmentandtreehealthinsomeorchards.Adherencetocurrentmanagementstrategiesreducestheimpactofthesediseases,however,newstrategiesarebeingevaluatedwhichmaybeeasilyimplementedintodiseasemanagementprograms.Forexample,anewoomycete-specificchemical,appliedtoseedlingsinfectedwithP.cinnamomi,waseffectiveatreducingrootnecrosiscomparedwithuntreatedcontrols,andthisnewtreatmentiscurrentlyunderinvestigationinthefield.OrchardapplicationsofcommercialproductswithhighsolublesiliconcontentimprovedhealthoftreesdecliningfromPRR,andimprovedfruitqualitybyreducingdisease.Commercialpackingshedassessmentoffruitfromonetrialshoweda20%increase inreturntothegrowerafter6soildrenchapplicationswithasolublesiliconproductovera2yearperiod.Theseexamplesandotherswillbediscussedinrelationtotheimmediateindustryrequirementforsustainableproductionofhighqualityexport-readyfruit.


112 Prospectsforgeneticimprovementofmacadamia

Assoc Prof Bruce Topp1,DrMobashwerAlam1,DrCraigHardner2,DrOlufemiAkinsanmi2,MsKatieO’Connor1,MsThuyMaiThiPhuong1,MrDougalRussell3

1QAAFI, Nambour, Australia, 2QAAFI, Brisbane, Australia, 3DAF, Nambour, Australia

Macadamia(MacadamiaintegrifoliaMaiden&BetcheandM.tetraphyllaL.A.S.Johnson)isanevergreennuttreenativetosouthernQueenslandandnorthernNewSouthWalesinAustralia.ItskernelishighlyvaluedandAustraliaistheworldleaderinproductionwithabout6milliontreesplantedon17,000ha.Largetreesize,extendedjuvenileperiodandcultivarlongevityareobstaclestocultivardevelopmentbutthereisscopeforsignificantgeneticgainthroughdirectedbreeding.IndustryfundingforanAustralianbreedingprogramcommencedin1996andthishasresultedinfournewcultivarsreleasedbytheDepartmentofAgricultureandForestryin2017.Asecondgenerationofbreedingisunderway,continuingtheuseofquantitativeselectionmethodsforyieldandexploringtheopportunitytoselectfordiseaseresistance,kernelquality,reducedtreesizeandalteredreproductivebiology.Wearestudyingmethodstoimprovebreedingefficiencythroughtheuseofquantitativegenetics,genome-wideselection,cooperativefieldtrialswithcommercialproducersandalternativebreedingpopulationstructures.


113 Sustainablelivestock–Integratedapproachesformultiplebenefits

Mr Henning Steinfeld1

1Fao, Rome, Italy

This paper summarizes the bio-physical foundations and processes of livestock systems at global level, covering energy andbiomass,land,water,nutrients,environmentalhealthandclimatechange,andcontraststhemwithhumanbenefitsderivedfromlivestocksystems,includingfoodandhumanhealth,economicgrowth,employmentandothersocialbenefits,andculturalandaestheticvalues.

Livestocksystemsarecharacterizedbyusingtheclassicalproductionfactorsofland,labourandcapital,distinguishingbetweenextensive,labour-intensiveandcapital-intensivelivestocksystems,usingacombinationofbio-physicalandsocio-economiccriteria.Applyingtheconceptofinducedinnovation,suchadifferentiationbasedonrelativeabundanceofproductionfactorsallowsustooutlinedevelopmentpathwaysoflivestocksystems.

Spatialand temporal linkagesoccur in the formofexternalities, synergiesand trade-offswhichareanalysed inanexemplaryfashion,usingan integratedapproach thatcombines life-cycleanalysis,valuechainanalysisandOneHealthassessments inaspatiallyexplicitform.Thisleadstodefiningthekeyfeaturesof“sustainableintensification”inawaythatiscontextspecificaswellasinformingtargetedpolicymaking.

Thepapershowsthat,giventhemultipleprivateandsocialbenefitsthatcanbederivedfromlivestock,andintegratedapproachto livestockdevelopment is required that combines tools fromvarious technical domains, reducing trade-offs andoptimizingbenefits.


114 Key pathways for the livestock sector, sustainable intensification andmitigatingvulnerability

Dr Thomas Randolph1

1Ilri, Nairobi, Kenya

ScienceoffersawiderangeofopportunitiestostrengthentheroleofthelivestocksectorinachievingtheSDGs.However,whenfocusingontheSDGsofimmediaterelevancetoLMICs,amorenarrowsetofprioritiescanbedefinedthatcontributeinparticularto poverty reduction (SDG1) and food security (SDG2) while ensuring environmental sustainability (SDG13 and SDG15). ThelivestocksectorsinLMICsarefollowingdiversetrajectoriesastheyrespondtorapidlyincreaseddemandforanimalsourcefoodsdrivenbypopulationand incomegrowth.Within thiscontext, livestock research fordevelopment is targeting innovation thatwillprovidethewidestbenefitstolow-incomeruralhouseholdsthatkeeplivestock(SDG1)andlow-incomeconsumerswhorelyonnutritionallyvaluableanimal-sourcefoods(SDG2).Therearetwocomplementarypathwaystothesebenefits:a)supportingappropriatesustainableintensificationandprofessionalizationforthosefarmerswell-placedtorespondtomarketdemands;b)strengtheningresilienceofpoorcommunitiesbyprotectingandstrengtheningotherrolesthatlivestockplayintheirlivelihoods.CGIARlivestockresearchaddressesboth.UsingaTheoryofChangeframework,wedescribethelogicfortheprioritiesidentifiedbytheCGIARResearchProgramonLivestockandhowthis isexpectedto leadto impactatsignificantscaleandcontributetoachievingtheSDGs.


115 Delivering livestocksciencesolutions fordevelopmentoutcomes throughtwodistinctapproaches:philanthropyandsharedvalue

Ms Jessica Ramsden1

1Elanco Animal Health, West Ryde, Australia

Livestockdiseasesremainathreattoachievingfoodandnutritionsecurity(SDG2),areasourceofeconomiclossesforpeoplewhodependonlivestockfortheirlivelihood(SFG1)andincreasepressureonhumanhealth(SDG3).Livestockdiseasesalsoexacerbatetheenvironmentalfootprintoflivestockproductionbyincreasingtheamountofresourcesrequiredtoproducemeat,milk,eggs(SDG2andSDG12).

Since2014,theEliLillyandCompanyFoundationhassupportedHeiferInternational’sworkontheEastAfricaDairyDevelopmentProject(EADD)inTanzania,UgandaandKenya,includingthroughtheprovisionofdirectsupportandtechnicalexpertise.

ElancoAnimalHealth(adivisionifEliLillyandCompany)isalsoinitiatingasharedvaluemodel(SDG17)thatinvolvestheregistrationandsaleofaffordablehigh-qualityveterinaryproductsandthedeliveryoftraininginitiativesforsmallholderdairyandpoultryfarmers.Thiswillassistwithimprovedanimalhealthpracticesasameanstorelieveconditionsofpovertyandimproveeconomicoutcomesforfarmers(socialgood)andtocreatevalueforthecompany(businessgood).AUEFSNON00032.


116 New livestock genetics and genomics solutions and applications in thetropics

ProfAppolinaireDjikeng1,2,Steve Kemp3

1Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health , Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom, 2The Roslin Institute /Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, Easter Bush, United Kingdom, 3International Livestock Research Institute, , Kenya

Livestockdevelopmentisatthecentreofmost(andprobablyall)sustainabledevelopmentgoalsthroughimpactonpeople,theplanetandtheprocessesrequiredtoachieveglobalsustainability.UnderSDG2thefollowingtargetsunderscoretheimportanceoflivestockinglobaldevelopment:i)by2030doubletheagriculturalproductivityii)by2020maintaingeneticdiversityoffarmedanddomesticatedanimalsandtheirrelatedwildspecies.

Unfortunately,livestockdevelopmentinAfricaandothertropicalpartsoftheworldstillfacesseveralimportantchallengesincludingbutnotlimitedto:a)lowproductivity,b)regularlossesduetoabioticandbioticstresses,c)unsuitableanimalsforresilienceinvariousagro-ecologies,d)unavailabilityofgenomicsresourcesandtoolsforrapididentificationandutilizationofadaptablebreeds,e)unexploitedanimalgeneticsresources.Irrespectiveoflivestockspecies,thereisevidencethatkeytraits(diseaseresistance,variationinresponsetovaccination,adaptabilitytoecologies,…)areclearlyidentifiableandcanbeharnessedtoselectforhighlyadaptableandproductiveanimals.Currentadvancesingenomesequencingandexperimentalmanipulation,bigdataanalysisandassociationofgeneticprofilestotraitscanbeleveragedtoidentifymarkersforbreedidentificationandselection.

Itisthereforefeasiblethatprofilesfortropicallyadaptedlivestockcanbedevelopedthroughourincreasingabilitytounderstandthegeneticbasisofkeytraits,torecordphenotypesandtomanipulategenes.Anewinitiative,theCentreforTropicalLivestockGeneticsandHealth(CTLGH)focusedonusingsuchapproachestoimprovetropicallivestockresilienceandproductivitywillbediscussed.


117 Animalandhumanhealth:Adangerousintersectionorhealthyfuture?

Dr Delia Grace1

1ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya

In theseconddecadeof the21stcentury,ourworldhasneverbeenwealthier,healthier,ormoreworried.When itcomestoworries,threatsassociatedwithanimaldiseaseareespeciallyprominent.TheavianinfluenzaandEbolapandemicsshowedtheextentofdeath,disruption,andeconomicdamagethatcanbecausedbyzoonoticpandemics.Better,cheaper,biotechnologypotentiatestheriskofbioterrorismandzoonosesfeatureprominentlyamongdiseasesthatcanbeweaponized.Concernovertheroleofthelivestockandfishsectoringeneratingantimicrobialresistanceinhumanpathogensratchetsupwards.Animalsourcefoodisassociatedwithover-nutritionandnon-communicabledisease.

Atthesametime,livestocksystemscontributeimmenselytohumanhealththrougharangeofpathwaysfromdirectprovisionofsafeandnutritiousfoodstoenhancementofpsychosocialwellbeingtogeneratingincomeoftenusedforfood,educationandhealthcare.Benefitsfromlivestockareespeciallyimportantandvariedinlowandmiddleincomecountries(LMICs),wherearoundonebillionpeopledependonlivestockfortheirlivelihoods.

UsingtheframeworkoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs),wereviewthecomplexhealthrisksandbenefitsassociatedwithlivestockkeeping,anddiscusshowthelivestocksectorcancontributetoattainingSDGs,focusingonLMICs.WediscusshowthesectoralandstaticnatureofSDGscreateschallenges,thatareespeciallypronouncedattheinterfacebetweenlivestockandhealth,andwesuggestsciencesolutionsforovercomingthese,basedonOneHealthprinciplesandpractice.


118 Optimizingtheenvironmentalfootprintoflivestockproduction

Dr Polly Ericksen1

1Ilri, Nairobi, Kenya

Inadditiontothenutritionalandincomebenefitsforwhichtheyareknown,livestockcanprovidesomeimportantenvironmental“goods”,suchasbiodiversityandenhancementofsoilnutrients,andtheyareacriticallivelihoodassettohelpbufferagainstclimaticandeconomicshocks.Thesedimensionsareoftenoverlookedintheattentiongiventothepotentiallynegativeconsequencesoflivestockontheenvironment,especiallyinthecontextofrapidlygrowingdemandformeatandmilk.Theseenvironmental“bads”includeGHGemissions,nutrientleaching,landusechangeanddegradation.Researchtooptimizetheenvironmentalfootprintoflivestockproduction,suchthatthe“goods”areenhancedandthe“bads”minimizedwillcontributetoSDG13(Takeactiontocombatclimatechangeanditsimpacts)and15(Protect,restoreandpromotesustainableuseofterrestrialecosystems)andisattheheartofachievingsustainableintensificationandresilience.Thisnewresearchportfoliocoversthreedimensions:1)improvedimpactassessmentsof livestockproductionusingsitespecificdata forkeysystemsacrossthetropics,2)pilotingsolutionsforoptimizing environmental goods and reducing the “bads” across key landscapes, 3) embedding incentives for environmentalmanagementingovernancearrangementsandpolicies.ThisresearchspeakstobothnationalprioritiesofmanyLowandMiddleIncomecountries,aswellasglobalagendasonclimatechangeandsustainablefoodproduction.


119 Improving food and nutrition security through dietary diversification:PromotingtherichKenyancuisine

Assoc Prof Judith Kimiywe1

1Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

Traditional foodshavea symbolic and religious valueandareassociatedwith cultural identityand socialwell-being. InAfricathey aremainly used as food either in form of staples, snacks, appetizer, roughage, soups, drinks, and a sauce/relish or formedicinalpurposes.InKenyatraditionalfoodsareusedtofillingapsandinsodoingcontributetothefoodsecurityofthepeople.Epidemiologicalstudiesunderliethebenefitsofavarieddietparticularlyoneincludingvegetablesandfruitsinincreasinglongevityoflifeandreducingratesofchronicdegenerativediseases.Manyhouseholdsusetraditionalfoodswheneverotherrelishesarein short supplyorwhen faminestrikes therebyprovidinganalternative intimesofneed.Traditional foodsystemsview food,medicineandhealthasinterrelated.Theyhavethepotentialtoeliminatenutritionaldeficienciesamongvulnerablegroupssuchaschildren,expectantmothersandlowincomegroups.Therearemisconceptionsthattraditionalfoodsarelessnutritiousthanexoticones.Mostoftheurbandwellersespeciallytheyoungdon’tappreciatethemascrediblesourcesofnutrients.Knowledgeofthepreparationofthefoodsisoneofthemainimpedimentstotheirutilization.Someofthetraditionalrecipesaresocrudethattheycannotbeappliedinamodernkitchen.Thepresentationdemonstratesnutritionallyacceptedmethodsofcookingthatcanfitintobothmodernandtraditionalkitchen.ThegoalistopromoteKenyancuisinebyenhancingtheconsumptionandutilizationoftraditionalfoodsespeciallyintheurbanareashencethepreservationofbiodiversity.


120 Selection of suitable Kei-apple lines based on phytochemical content forfunctionalproductdevelopment

Prof Dharini Sivakumar1,A/ProfYasminaSultanbawa,MsSmargaleneMpai

1Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0001, South Africa

InadequacyofadiversifieddietisevidentintheruralaswellasurbanareasduetorapidurbanisationinSouthAfrica.Inadequatedietshavebeenfoundtoexertdiverseeffectsonthepopulation,includingmalnutrition,non-communicablediseasesandobesity.Foodsecurityisassociatedwithpovertythatlimitstheaccessandtheavailabilityofbalanceddiet.ThetraditionalAfricanfruitsandleafyvegetablesarerichsourcesofmicronutrients;therefore,thereisaneedtodevisestrategiestoincludethesefoodcropsinnutritioninterventionprogrammestocombathiddenhungeramongtheAfricanpopulationandtosustainnutritionandfoodsecurity.Recently researchhasbeen initiated tostudy thenutritionalandphytochemicalcomponents inKeiappleselections.SelectionFH29showedhighestlevel(492.45mg/100gFW)oftotalphenoliccontenthigherthanthereferralfruitblueberry.SelectionsFH14(4.78mg/100g),FH232(4.50mg/100g),FH239(4.17mg/100g),FH236(4.11mg/100g),andFH231(3.94mg /100g)demonstratedhigher levelsofβ-carotene than referral fruit apples (cv. Top red),peaches (cv.Excellence). FH29(49.75µmolTEACpergFW)showedthehighestantioxidantactivitythanthereferralfruitblueberry.Thetotalsugar(glucoseandfructose)concentrationwerehigherinselectionsFH240(50mg/gFW).FH239andFH232showedthehighestconcentrationofasparagine(3122.18mg/L)andgamma-aminobutyric(654.65mg/L)respectively.OverallFH236selectioncanberegardedasagoodsourceofessentialaminoacids.


121 ValueaddednutritionallyrichproductsfromAustralianwattleseeds(Acacia species)

Assoc Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa1,DrKinnariShelat1,MrDavidCross1,DrSandraOlarteMantilla1,DrHeatherSmyth1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

TheseedsofAcacia speciesareknowntohavebeenanimportantseasonalcomponentoftraditionalAustralianAboriginaldiets.Duetotheireasycultivationandhighyieldsofseedthatcanbestored,theAustralianacaciashavethepotentialtobeamajorcomponentofdiets. Thenutritionalandchemicalcompositionof fourAcacia species: A. coriacea, A. cowleana, A. retinodes and A. sophoraewereassessed.Basedonsensory,nutritionalandfunctionalpropertiesA. coriaceawasselectedasafunctionalingredienttobeaddedtoacompositeflourbreadroll.Theprotein,totalfat,dietaryfibreofA. coriacea(%w/w)were22.5,9.8,41.4respectively, indicatingahighproteinanddietaryfibrecontent. Themonounsaturatedfattyacidswerehighestat51.3%incomparisontothesaturated31.1%andpolyunsaturated17.6%.Physico-chemicalandsensoryprofilingmethodswereusedtodevelopthebreadtechnology.Theresultingcompositeflourbreadrollwasassessedforbothphysicalandsensoryattributestodetermineconsumeracceptability.Aconsumersensorytrialwith101panellistswasconductedwithresultsshowingoverallacceptabilityofamoderateinclusionofA. coriaceaflour.Thephysicalanalysisshowedthatchangesinhardness,cohesiveness,andspringinesswereallsignificantatp<0.05levelandwereconsistentwiththesensoryanalysis.Thenutritionalprofileoftheresultingbreadwasalsoenhancedwithincreasedproteinanddietaryfibre,anenrichedfattyacidprofile,andnotableamountsofironandpotassium.A. coriaceacanbeusedsuccessfullyasafunctionalingredientincompositeflourbread.


122 Queensland grownQueenGarnet plum:Nutritious and healthy - A casestudy

Dr Michael Netzel1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia

Thereissustainedincreaseinconsumerinterestinthepotentialhealthbenefitsofdietaryderivedplantpolyphenolswithaspecialfocusonhighlycolouredcompoundssuchasanthocyanins.AnewvarietyofJapaneseplumPrunussalicinaLindl.,namedQueenGarnet,wasdevelopedasahighanthocyaninpluminaQueenslandGovernmentbreedingprogram.QueenGarnetplum(QGP)fruit canhaveanoutstandinganthocyanincontentofup to280mg/100g freshweightdependingonmaturity,environmentand storage conditions. Apart from fresh fruit consumption,Queensland grownQGP is also processed into a rangeof retail-readyproductsbasedon juiceand freeze-driedpowder.ThemetabolismofQGPanthocyanins,potentialanti-thromboticandanti-hypertensiveactivities,andtheeffectonbiomarker(s)foroxidativestresswasstudiedinseveralhumantrialsusingQGPjuiceasthetest-product.Thekey-resultsobtainedinthesetrialswillbepresentedattheConference.


123 Buchanania obovata:AnAustralianIndigenousfoodfordietdiversification

Mrs Selina Fyfe1,DrMichaelNetzel2,DrUjangTinggi3,MissEvaBiehl4,A/ProfYasminaSultanbawa2

1School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia, 3Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Brisbane, Australia, 4Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany

Buchanania obovataEngl.,theGreenPlum,isasmallgreenfruiteatenbyAustralianIndigenouspeoplesoftheNorthernTerritoryandWesternAustraliathatispreviouslyunstudiedandhaspotentialasasourceoffoodfordietdiversification.Fleshandseedofthefruitareeatenandtheplantisusedasbushmedicine.Proximateanalysisrevealedthefleshishighinprotein(128gkg-1DryWeight(DW))andbothfleshandseedarehighindietaryfibre(551and877gkg-1DWrespectively).Mineral/traceelementandheavymetalprofilesshowthefleshishighinpotassium(22,747mgkg-1DW),andisagoodsourceofmagnesium(5705mgkg-1DW),calcium(4260mgkg-1DW)andphosphorous(2168mgkg-1DW),whereastheseedishighiniron(81.5mgkg-1DW).Thefleshcontainsfolateat7174μgkg-1DWandtheseedat1069gkg-1DWasFolicAcidEquivalent.ThefleshandseedhavegoodnutritionalpropertiesandcanbeusedfordietdiversificationandnutritioninIndigenousandnon-IndigenouspopulationsinAustralia.


124 Enhancingyoutheconomicparticipationandentrepreneurshipinagriculture

Mr Fahad Awadh1

1YYTZ Agro-Processing, Amaan, Tanzania, United Republic Of

FahadisayoungentrepreneurfromTanzania.HeisthefounderofYYTZAgro-Processing,acashewprocessingcompany.YYTZAgrohasbeenworkingwithcashewfarmergroupsintheMtwararegiontohelpthemaddvaluetotheirowncropandearnmoreincome.

YYTZ’sflagshipfacilityislocatedinZanzibar.YYTZrecentlywon$500,000fromAGRA’sAfricaEnterpriseChallengeFundcompetition.TheyarebuildingaCashewFarmerProcessingCentre.Thefacilitywillhavemodernequipmentandadequatestoragefacilitiesforfarmerstouse.Farmersareassuredofamarket;YYTZarethesoleoff-takers.Thesemi-processedcashewsarepurchasedfromfarmersatahigherprice;theyaresenttoZanzibarforfinishingbeforeexporttoEuropeanmarkets.YYTZprovidesGAP,foodsafetytraininginadditiontofinancialliteracyandbusinessskillstrainingfortheirfarmergroups.Byintegratingfarmersinthecashewvaluechain,thefarmerswillbeabletoearnmorefromtheircrop.ByempoweringfarmersYYTZcanhelpalleviatepovertyinruralTanzania.

Asayoungentrepreneur,Fahadwillsharehisinsightsonthechallengeshefaced,constraints,theroleofeducationandtheneedofrolemodelsforyoungpeople.HewillprovideactionableitemsthatcanbeusedtoenhanceyoutheconomicparticipationandentrepreneurshipinAgriculture.

FahadhasbeenlistedbyForbesasoneofthe30MostPromisingEntrepreneursinAfricain2017.

Learnmorewww.yytzagro.com


125 Usingsustainableintensificationprinciplestoincreaseproductivityofmaizeandwheatsystems

Dr Hans-Joachim Braun1,DrMartinKropff1

1International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico

Since the2008 foodprizecrisis,agri-foodsystemshavebecomeevenmorecentral toglobalchallenges–populationgrowth,climatechangeandenvironmentalprotection.Nowwearefacedwithagri-foodsystemsthatarefragileandconstantlyvulnerabletoshockandwithasituationinwhichwehavetoproducemorewithless,andevenmoreefficiently.

Continuedglobalchallengeshavemadecropmodellingandsimulationoffutureagri-foodsystemsincreasinglyimportant.However,thefullpotentialofmodellingwillnotbefulfilledunlesswellintegratedintobreedingprograms.Mydreamhasalwaysbeentointegratemodelsfromthegenomeleveltocroplevel–andthentoregionallevel(briningineconomicmodels).

Cropmodelsaremulti-functionalandcanbeusedasa)researchtools (analyzingdata,hypothesisgenerationandsustainableintensification,b)practicalapplications,e.g.climatechangeregionalscenariostudies,andc)capacitybuilding.Regardlessoftheirfunction,cropmodelsmustbeproactiveandultimatelyleadtoimpact.

A scenario analysis conducted by the InternationalMaize andWheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Bangladesh on thepotentialofmoving fromconventional toconservationagriculture isaprimeexampleof this impact.Usingmodels,andthenon-farmandon-stationtrialstoverify,CIMMYTtogetherwiththeCommonwealthScientificandIndustrialResearchOrganization(CSIRO),optimizedcroppingsystems.

Despitetheseachievementstherehasn’tbeenamajoradvancementincropmodellingindecades.Nowweneedtoenteranewera,fullytakingadvantageofadvancesindata,andinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT).


126 Enhancingsmallholderagriculturalproductivity,resilienceandsustainability:InitialevidencesfromeasternandsouthernAfrica

Dr Mulugetta Mekuria1,AssocProfDanielRodriguez2,DrJohnDixon3

1CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, Harare, Zimbabwe, 2QAAFI, Brisbane, Australia, 3ACIAR, Australia

Thepredominantlymaize–basedfarmingsystemofeasternandsouthernAfricaischaracterizedbychroniclowyieldlevelsofthemajorstaplecropscompoundedbychronicdegradationofthenaturalresourcebaseandsoilfertility.Limitedaccesstoimprovedinputsandmarketsalsocontributetolowerproductivityandpoorincentivestoinvestandadopttechnologies.Throughbroad,long-term partnerships, science, and support for Innovation Platforms, CIMMYT,QAAFI andNARS partners in Ethiopia KenyaTanzania,MalawiandMozambiquearehelpingtofostertheadoptionofsustainableintensificationpractices.

Thepapershareslessonsandinsightsofamulti-disciplinary(agronomists/soilscientists,modelers;seedsystemsspecialist,socioeconomistandgenderspecialistfromCIMMYT,QAAFIandNARS)andmulti-stakeholdersresearchforimpactproject-SIMLESA.Itisdevelopingarangeofconservationagriculturebasedofsustainableintensificationoptionsthoughon-stationandon-farmtrails.

Analysisofbiophysicalandsocioeconomicdataforthe2010-2016demonstrateyieldbenefitsofintercropping/rotations.Maizeyieldsincreasedfrom2.5to4tons/haandfrom1.5to3tons/halegumesand20-40%increasesinfinancialbenefits.FarmersinTanzaniaandMalawiadoptingzerotillagereportedsavedlabour(30-50%),reducingproductioncoststouseforothereconomicactivities.SIMLESA-QAFFIstudiessuggestedareductionofdownsizeyieldriskby45%.Adoption-Monitoring2016surveyprojecteda37%adoptionrate.PerceivedbenefitsareLong-termsoilfertilityimprovements,erosioncontrolandmoistureconservation.

Thechallengeaheadisscalingout-plottofarmandcommunitylevelsanddevelopsustainableandresilientclimatefarmingsystemintheregion.

1.Innovationplatforms-/networks-actorsinthevaluechaininvolve,researcher,extensionagents,NGOfarmers,localcommunityleaders,agrodealers,seedcompaniesandpolicymakers

2.SustainableIntensificationofMaize-LegumeBasedCroppingSystemsforFoodSecurityinEasternandSouthernAfrica(SIMLESA)issupportedbyafinancialgrantfromACIARandmanagedbyCIMMYTanditsregionalandnationalpartnersincludingQAAFI


127 OverviewofACIARprogramsfocusedonsystemsapproachesforsustainableintensification

Andrew Campbell1

1Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia

Theworld faces amajor challengeof feeding some9billionormorepeopleby2050, aswell asprovidingother agriculturalproductsandecosystemservices.Manydevelopingcountrieslackthetechnologiesand/ortheenablinginstitutionalandpolicyenvironmentstoattainfoodsecurityinasustainablefashion.Therefore,globalleadershaveidentifiedSustainableintensificationasonewaytoboostproductivitywhileconservingorenhancingsoilhealthandwaterresources,thatis,toproducemorewithlessresources.Sustainable intensification,whileessentialtoassurefoodandnutritionsecurity infuturedecades,needstobesupplementedbyastrongfocusonon-farmdiversification.SustainableintensificationanddiversificationisembeddedintotheapproachofmanyACIARprojects,inordertodeliverimprovedfoodandnutritionsecurity,betterhealth,strongnaturalresourcemanagementandtoboostwomen’sempowermentandopportunitiesforprivatesectorengagement.

Foodcannotbeproducedwithoutenergyandwater,andtheseresourcesareunderhugepressureformultipleusesbyagriculture,citiesandindustry.HenceACIARisstrengtheningthefocusontheFood-Energy-Water(FEW)Framework,whichnowinformsthedesignandimplementationofmanyACIARresearchprojects.

Withtheseapproaches,ACIARintendstocombineintensificationwithsustainablenaturalresourcemanagement.


128 LegumeintensificationforfoodsecurityandsustainabilityinAfrica

Prof Sieglinde Snapp1,DrRegisChikowo1,DrVimbayiChimonyo1,DrWeziMhango2,ProfMateeteBekunda3

1Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States, 2Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3IITA, Arusha, Tanzania

Legumes have a long history of cultivation in Africa and provide multiple benefits, but they suffer from under-investment.IntensificationoffoodproductioninAfricacannotbeachievedwithoutgreateradoptionofimprovedpulses,nutrientmanagementandagronomy.Modernhigh-yieldingcropvarietiesareavailable,butthereisurgentneedpromotethosethatalsoproducehighqualitybiomass,toaddressmultipledemands.Intensifiedlegumesystemsareneededtosupportkeyagriculturalsystemfunctions,withmultipurposepulsesbeinguniquelyplacedtosupport improved fertilizerefficiency,nutritionaldiversity, fodder, fuelandecosystemservicessuchassoilorganicmatterandpollination.Thereisatrade-offbetweentheharvestindexoflegumecropsandotherfunctions,whichhastoooftenbeenoverlookedbyresearchersanddecisionmakerswhotendtofocusonincreasinggrainyieldssolely.TheAfricaRISINGproject,providesanexampleofmakingadifferenceforsmallholderfarmsinAfricabybroadeningtherangeoflegumeoptionsandsupportinginnovation.Thedoubled-uplegumerotation(DLR)technologywasdevelopedbasedonintercroppingtwograinlegumes,exploitingtheopportunitypresentedbycomplementarygrowthhabitsandplantarchitecture.Thisisexemplifiedbythegroundnut-pigeonpeaDLRwithmaizeandintegratedfertility.AfricaRISINGisnowscalingDLRforsoilrehabilitationandtoprovidemultipleproductson-farm,foramoresecurefuture.Yearsofpartnershipshaveledtothesefarmer-approvedvarieties,integratednutrientuse,andbiologically-smartcombinationssuchas‘doubleduplegumeinnovations’beingreleasedbygovernmentsandtakenupbycommunitiesinMalawi,andneighboringcountries.


129 OverviewofsystemsapproachesforsustainableintensificationinChina

Prof Lingling Li1,ProfRenzhiZhang1,ProfJunhongXie1,ProfZhuzhuLuo1,ProfLiqunCai1

1Gansu Agricultural University/Gansu Provincial Key Lab of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, China

Chinaisanancientcountrywiththousandsofyearsofintensiveagriculture.However,China’shaspaidaheavypricefortraditionalintensivefarming,suchassoilerosion.ThegovernmentrespondedseveresoilerosionontheLoessPlateauwithapolicycalled‘grainforgreen’.However,implementationhasmetwithsomeresistance.Therefore,thedevelopmentofsustainableintensificationpracticesisneeded.

Acasestudywasconductedtoassesstheinfluenceoftillagepracticesonsoilquality,cropyieldandGHGemissioninaspringwheat−fieldpearotationinrainfedsemiaridLoessPlateau.Theexperimentwasestablishedin2001,treatmentsincludeconventionaltillagewithstrawremoved(T),notillwithstrawremoved(NT),notillwithstrawretention(NTS)andconventionaltillagewithstrawincorporated(TS).NTSandTStreatmentssignificantlyincreasedsoilorganicCby20.81%and10.60%,respectivelyatadepthof0–10cmcomparedwithT.NTSimprovedsoilproperties.NTSdecreasedcumulativeN2Oemission(by30.63%and20.49%)andCO2emission(by22.03%and12.06%)comparedwithTandTStreatments,respectively.Therewasapproximately27.41%increaseinCH4uptakeinNTSsoilscomparedwithTfield.ImprovedsoilqualityinNTStranslatedintohigherbiomassproductionandthereforehighergrainyield.Overall,no-tillwithstubbleretentiondemonstratedsustainedincreasesinsoilqualityandcropproductivity,andreducedgreenhousegasemissionsinrainfedLoessPlateau.However,adoptionrateofconservationagriculturehasbeenlowduetolotsofreasons.


130 UAV-basedphenotypingofcropplantsinfieldtrials

Dr Mitchell Tuinstra1,DrChrisBoomsma1,JavierRibera1,YuhaoChen1,FangningHe1,WeifengXiong1,ZhouZhang1,AddieThompson1,JieqiongZhao1,PatrickSweet1,AliMasjedi1,BehrokhNazeri1,Kai-WeiYang1,KarthikeyanNatesanRamamurthy2,AurelieLozano2,PederOlsen2,NaokiAbe2,ScottChapman2,GraemeHammer2,AymanHabib1,EdwardDelp1,LarryBiehl1,DavidEbert1,MichaelLeasure1,KeithCherkauer1,CliffordWeil1,MelbaCrawford1

1Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States, 2IBM, Yorktown Heights, United States

Bottlenecksinourabilitytocollectaccurate,high-resolution,phenotypedataoncropslikesorghumlimithowefficientlywecancombineplantcharacteristicswithgenomicinformationindevelopingsuperiorcultivars.Mostfieldcropphenotypingstudiesforabove-groundtraitsoccursattheplantandcanopyscaleofbiologicalorganization.Phenotypesarethereforetypicallymeasured,analyzed, and/or expressed at the row, plot, strip,management zone, and/or field level.We are developing remote sensingplatformsthatcanbeusedforhigh-throughputfieldphenotypingtoenhancetheefficiencyofcropimprovement.Newsensorsandsensorplatforms,novelgeoreferencingtechniques,andsophisticatedimageanddataanalysismethods(e.g.,featureextraction,imagesegmentation)arebeing implementedtoquantifyvariation inplant-andplot-level traits.Thesemeasurementsprovideinsightsintoresearchplotandfieldquality,fieldequipmentperformance,genotypestresstolerance,physiologicalplasticity,andspatialvariability.Such informationcontributes tofieldcropbreedingandmanagement,precisionagriculture,andequipmentmanufacturingcommunities.Challengesfromphenotypingattheindividualplantlevelusingtraditionalandemergingtechniqueswillbediscussed.Agronomicperformanceandremotesensingdatamatchedwithgenotypicdataenablestraitdissectionandoptimizationofsorghumforbiomassandenergyyieldfortransportationfuel.


131 Characterizingthesorghumpangenome

ScottJLee1,AdamHealey2,NadiaShakoor1,SujanMamidi2,ZhenbinHu3,JaneGrimwood2,JeremySchmutz2,GeoffMorris3,Dr Todd Mockler1

1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, United States, 2HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, United States, 3Kansas State University, Manhattan, United States

Sorghumbicolorisanemergingcellulosicbiofuelfeedstock,acerealcrop,andservesasamodelsystemforotherbioenergyandfoodcrops.Currently,sorghumisthefocusoftheARPA-ETERRAprogram,whichiscurrentlydevelopingandoperatingcutting-edgeremotesensingplatforms,complexdataanalyticstools,andconductinghigh-throughputplantphenotypinginbothcontrolledgreenhousesandfieldsites.Genomicre-sequencingofadiversepanelof384sorghumlines,knownasthesorghumbioenergyassociationpanel(BAP),wasperformedinordertoacceleratetraitdiscoveryandbreeding.ThesorghumBAPencompassesallfivemajorraces,all16 intermediateraces,aswellasvastgeographicrangesandclimates.ThroughthesorghumBAP,weareexploringthescopeofnaturalvariationinthesorghumpan-genomeforcopynumbervariation(CNV),structuralvariation(SV),andpresence/absencevariation(PAV).Intotal,denovoassemblyofthesorghumpan-genomeexpandsthesorghumgenespaceby>15%andwillbeleveragedtoinformassociationstudiesusingrobustphenomicdatacollectedintheARPA-ETERRAprogram.Population substructure analysis reveals 5-6unique subpopulationswithin sorghumcontainingpotentially adaptivegene setsthatmaybeusefulforalleleminingapproaches.Thecombinationofprecisionfieldandgreenhousephenotypingonthisdiversecollectionwillallowforacceleratedidentificationofgeneticelementscontrollingagronomicallyimportantphenotypesincludingyield, growth rate, biomass accumulation, water-use efficiency, and drought resistance. Using pan-genomic information willmaximizetheavailablegeneticresourcestomapkeytraitsandacceleratebreedingapproachestoenhancethisimportantcrop.


132 Exploringandexploitingnaturalvariationinsorghum

Emma Mace1,2,AHathorn,DrYongfuTao1,MsColleenHunt2,ACruickshank,STai,DavidJordan1

1Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Brisbane, Australia, 2The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Amongstthecereals,sorghumisoneofthebestadaptedtodroughtandhightemperatures. It is likelythatsorghumwillplayanincreasinglyimportantroleinmeetingthechallengesarisingfromfeedingagrowingpopulationinthefaceoflikelynegativeimpactsofclimatechangecombinedwithdwindlingsoilandwaterresourcesforagriculturalproduction.Todatesorghumplantbreedingprogramshavemade relatively limiteduseof thewealthof diversity available to them in germplasmcollections toaddressthechallengesofovercomingabioticstressesandimprovingyieldandinsteadhavefocusedonthecoreadaptedgenepool.Sorghumisinauniquepositiontoexploreandexploitthegeneticdiversityavailableinlandracesandwildrelativesthroughtherecentdevelopmentandapplicationofarangeofgeneticresourcesforcomplextraitdissectionincludinga largediversitypanel,nestedassociationmappingpanels focusedonboth cultivatedandwild speciesgene-pools and thedevelopmentof asorghumpan-genometofacilitatetheidentificationofthefullcomplementofgeneswithintheprimarysorghumgenepool.InthispaperwewillpresentourexperienceinusingtherangeofuniquegeneticresourcesforquantitativetraitmappingusingoptimisedGWASalgorithmsinordertobetterharnessthisuntappedgeneticdiversityfortheenhancementofelitesorghumgermplasm.


133 Exploringthecropadaptationlandscapeinsilico

Prof Graeme Hammer1,GregMcLean2,AlDoherty3,DrCarlosMessina4,DrMarkCooper4,DrErik vanOosterom1, ProfDavidJordan5,DrBangyouZheng6,ProfScottChapman1,6

1The University of Queensland, QAAFI, St Lucia, Australia, 2Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Australia, 3The University of Queensland, QAAFI, Toowoomba, Australia, 4DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, USA, 5The University of Queensland, QAAFI, Warwick, Australia, 6CSIRO Agriculture, St Lucia, Australia

Climaticvariabilityindrylandproductionenvironments(E)generatesvariableyieldandcropproductionrisksinmanypartsoftheworld.Optimalcombinationsofgenotype(G)andmanagement(M)dependstronglyonEandthusvaryamongsitesandseasons.Traditionalcropimprovementseeksbroadlyadaptedgenotypestogivebestaverageperformanceunderastandardmanagementregimeacross theentireproduction region.Thisprocessdoesnot search the full spectrumofpotentialGxMxEcombinationsforming the adaptation landscape.Herewe examine the potential value of using in-silico analysis to inform crop design andimprovement.AcomprehensivecropmodellingandsimulationapproachthatconsidersinteractingeffectsofGandMfactorsonyieldlikelihoodandriskinthetargetpopulationofEisinvoked.Casestudiesforsorghumandmaizeproductionareusedtohighlighttheconcepts.


134 Buildingnewsorghumvarietiesinthe21stcentury

Prof David Jordan1,DrEmmaMace1,2,MrAlanCruickshank2

1University Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Warwick, Australia, 2Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hermitage Research Facility, Warwick, Australia

Sorghum breeders in Australia face a complex challenge to improve the productivity of rain-fed sorghum in a region that ischaracterisedbyhighlyvariablerainfallpatternsandsoiltypes.Arangeofnewtechnologiessuchashighthroughputgenotypingandphenotyping,simulationmodelling,remotesensingandCRISPR–Cas9havebecomeavailableoverthelastdecadeandmanynewones areon theway. The challenge for breeders in cropswith relatively limited resources such as sorghum, is tomakedecisionsaboutwhichtechnologiestodeployandhowtodeploythem.Inthispresentationtheapproachesandstrategiesbeingusedinpre-breedingprogramrunbyUQ/DAFaredescribed.


135 Tropical tomato breeding for Australianmarkets – Satisfying the diverseneedsofproducers,retailersandconsumers

Mr Des McGrath1,DrTimO’Hare2

1Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Gatton, Australia, 2Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

A balanced tomato improvement program should address priorities for producers, retailers and consumers so that benefitsforallmembersofthevaluechainareoptimised.Arequirementfor improvedfruitfirmnessandshelf lifebymajorAustraliansupermarkets20yearsagointroducednewtomatocultivarswithsuperiorfruitqualitytoconsumers.Retailersandconsumersbenefited immediatelybutproducerssuffered increases inproductioncostsandcropdiseasebecausethenewcultivarswereseriously unadapted. A breeding program was subsequently undertaken to improve agronomic performance and diseaseresistanceacrossQueensland.Increasedfruitsize,improvedinternalfruitstructureandseveralFusariumresistancegeneswereinitiallytargeted.Additionaldiseaseresistancesbecamenecessaryastheprogramdevelopedandwithin5years5majorgeneswereintroducedtoalargerangeofimprovedparentlinesandF1hybridsbyDNAmarkerassistedselection.Consumerinterestinfunctionalfoodshasbeenincreasinginthelastdecade.High-lycopenetomatoesexpressinganintenseredcolourhaveapotentialhealthbenefitofloweringtheincidenceofprostatecancer.Theredpigment‘lycopene’,thephytonutrientlinkedwiththisbenefit,canbeincreasedinconcentrationuptothreefoldusingacombinationoftworecessivegenes,ogc(oldgoldcrimson)andhp1(highpigment1).Thebase-pairalterationsunderlyingthesegenesareknown,andwehaveappliedSNP(SingleNuclearPolymorphism)technologytoincorporatehighlycopeneintoasuperiorphenotypicbackground.Acombinationofimprovedfieldperformanceandfruitqualitywillprovidebroadbenefitsinanenvironmentofchangingmarketpriorities.


136 Demand-ledapproachesinthetomatoindustryinGhana:Challengesandopportunitiesforbreedingandcropimprovement

Dr Agyemang Danquah1,2,ProfEricDanquah1,2,ProfPangirayiTongoona1

1West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, 2Department of Crop Science, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

TomatoremainsoneofthemostcultivatedandconsumedvegetablesinGhana.ItiskeytothehealthandnutritionofGhanaians,beinganimportantsourceofvitamins,minerals,antioxidantsandfibre.Itscultivationisalsomoreprofitablethanmanyotherstaplefoodcropsgrownacrossthecountry.Despitefavorablegrowingconditionsforitsproduction,itsimportanceforfoodandnutritionsecurityandjobcreation,currentproductiondoesnotmeetlocaldemands.Thus,Ghanareliesheavilyontheimportofbothfreshandprocessedtomatoes.Manyconstraintssuchaspestsanddiseases,environmentalstresses,useofinappropriateagriculturaltechniquesandpost-harvestlosseshinderproductivityandcompetitiveness.Inaddition,verylittletomatobreedinghasbeendoneduetolackofinvestment.Mostofthewidelymarketedtomatovarietieswerebredoutsidethecountryandarenotadaptedtoourlocalgrowingconditions.

AnyattempttosalvagethetomatoindustryinGhanamustbeholistic,involvingcontributionsfromallactorsinthevaluechainincluding government policy makers and officials. We have engaged all the key players and catalyzed funding for four PhDpostgraduatetomatobreedingprograms.Researchisfocussingonvirus-resistance,heat-tolerance,shelf-lifeandtomatoprocessingcharacteristics.Bestpracticesindemand-ledbreedingarebeingusedtoensurethatmodernvarietiesfromtheseprogramswillmatchtheneedsandstimulateourtomatoindustry.Here,wereportonsomeofthesuccessesandchallengesencountered,andhighlightopportunitiesfordevelopingimprovedvarietiesoftomatotoincreaseproductivityandincomesinGhana.


137 Maximizingtheimpactofcommonbean(Phaseolus vulgaris)breedingforfarmersandothervaluechain

Mr Jean Claude Rubyogo1,EliudBirachi2,EnidKatungi3,DrClareMugisha3

1CIAT/PABRA, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of, 2CIAT/PABRA, Rwanda, 3CIAT/PABRA, Uganda

Beanisnutritiousfoodformillionsofpeopleinsub-SaharanAfrica.Percapitaconsumptionisashighas40to50kg/yearinEastAfrica.Itisthemosttradedgrainlegumebypoorfarminghouseholds;mostlybywomenwhosellupto50-60%oftheirharvests.Beanscontributetoimprovedlivelihoods.

ThroughthePanAfricanBeanResearchAlliance(PABRA),CIATandnationalbeanresearchershavepartneredwiththeprivatesectoranddevelopedvarietiesthatrespondtotheneedsoffarmersandothervaluechainsactors.Publicandprivateseedorganizationsandover90individualentrepreneurshavecapitalizedonbusinessopportunitiesinEastandSouthernAfricaandnowprovideseedandservicesforsmallholderfarmersandtraders.Accesstohighlymarketablevarietiesandtradingopportunitieshasincentivizedsmallholderfarmerstoimprovetheircropmanagementandyieldsaredramaticallyrising.ForinstanceinUganda,beanyieldhasbeengrowingatanannualrateof4.2%duringtheperiod2011-2015.InEthiopiabetween2002and2016,beanyieldsincreasedfrom0.53to1.75tons/ha.Exportvolumesincreased15-fold,fromUS$8milliontoUS$120million,employing1.5millionsmallholdersandthousandsofsupportserviceproviders;whilethepriceofwhitepeabeansincreasedfromUS$200toUS$600perton.

Lookingforward,PABRAisfocusingonmarket-ledbreedingtocreatevarietieswithconsumertraitsthatareadaptedtoperformin ever changing agro-ecological conditions, and to encourage private sector engagement in the development of innovativetechnologies,scale-upanddistributionofvarietiestosmallholders.


138 Connecting public and private breeders and new vegetable varieties todevelopingmarketsinSEAsiaandSub-SaharaAfrica

Mr Clive Murray1,DrIanBarker1,MrCamilleRenou1

1Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Kingaroy, Australia

Improving and promotingwidespread access to quality seed of new varieties are critical factors inmodernizing small-holderagricultureinS.EAsiaandSub-SaharaAfrica.

ThemajorityofcropgeneticimprovementinthesegeographiesisconductedbybreederswithintheCGIARandNationalAgriculturalResearchSystems.Outreachof thesepublic sectorprograms tobulkanddeliver seeds to farmers inmanycases is limitedorinefficient,resultinginslowandpooruptake.

TheSyngentaFoundationforSustainableAgriculture(SFSA)hasdevelopedascalableideaoroffercalledSeeds2Bthataddressesthischallenge.Itsaimistoencourageandde-risktheentryofprivatesectorseedorganisationsintonewandcurrentlymarginalseedmarkets.SFSAfocusesinareasofmarketfailure,wheretheprivatesectorisnotaddressingtheneedsofthemarketorwherepublicsectorisfailingtodevelopandintroduceimprovedmaterial.Thismarket-drivenapproachidentifiessuitablevarietiesfrompublicandprivatecropbreedingprogrammes,establishesevidenceforworkableandprofitableseedvaluechainsanddevelopsappropriatepartnerships.

The Seeds2B “core” offer identifies smallholder farmers without reliable access to quality seed, conducts market value andsegmentationanalyses,develops“productprofiles”thatdefinethecropcharacteristicsneededbyeachfarmersegmentandtheircustomers,seeksvarietiesthatmeettheseneedsandconnectsprivatesectorpartnersseekingbusinessexpansion.

Thepresentationwillshowcasetwocasestudies,namelythedevelopmentofthepotatoseedindustryinIndonesiaandsecondlythedevelopmentoftheimprovedokravarietiesinSenegal.


139 Custardapples–breedingforAustraliandomesticandexportmarkets

AssocProfPhillipBanks1,2,MrPaulThorne2,Mr Grant Bignell3

1QAAFI, Brisbane, Australia, 2Custard Apples Australia Inc, Brisbane, Australia, 3Dept Agriculture and Fisheries QLD Government, Nambour, Australia

AustralianCustardApples,adeliciouslysweetsubtropicalfruit,areatypeofAtemoya.AtemoyasarehybridsbetweenAnnonacherimoya and Annona squamosa. The Australian industry is currently based on the cultivars African Pride, PinksMammothandbudsportsfromPinksMammoth.ThemajorityofrecentplantingsareofabudsportnamedKJPinks.KJPinkshavebeendemonstratedtobeamenabletohighdensityproductionbothintrellisedandhedgerowsystems.Inexperimentalplots,yieldshavebeenashighas80tonnesperhaperannum.

Large,topqualityAustralianCustardApplesaresoughtinpremiumAsianandMiddleEastmarkets.Preferenceintheseexportmarketsisforverylargeandverysweetfruit.ThelargestdomesticmarketsareinSydneyandMelbournewhereconsumers,withAsianheritagesinparticular,seekthefruit.AustraliansofEuropeanheritage,ingeneral,preferlesssweet,mediumsizedfruit.

Abreedingprogram inQLDhasproducedanumberofnewCustardApple types.A green skin selection,453, appears tobefavouredbyAustralianswithEuropeanheritage.Othergreenskinselectionsofferlargefruitsizeandreducedseednumber.Aredskinnedtypehasalsobeendevelopedandiscurrentlybeingassessedinregionaltrials.Thisredskinned,whitefleshedatemoyaisexpectedtoattractpremiumreturnsinAsianmarkets.

ThefuturemarketpotentialofAustralianCustardApplesisenormous.ThedomesticmarketisstillfarfromsaturatedandmarketsinAsiaandtheMiddleEaststillintheinfancystageofdevelopment.


140 Tropicalhorticulture–Exploringnewapproachesforsustainablefundingofplantbreedingindevelopingcountries

Dr Vivienne Anthony1,DrIanBarker1

1Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Basel, Switzerland

Fruitsandvegetablesarekeysourcesofessentialvitamins,micronutrientsandfibreforahealthydiet.Horticulturecropsalsotypicallyofferhighersourcesof incomeforsmallholder farmers indevelopingcountries, thanstablecerealor rootcrops.Butinvestmentinplantbreedingprogrammestoimprovethequality,productivityandappealforconsumersislackingbybothnationalgovernmentsandinternationaldonors.Incountrieswithdevelopeddomesticorexportmarkets,creationofnewvarietiesismainlyfinancedbyprivate sectororganisations,orusingmonies from farmer leviescombinedwith somegovernmentcontributions.Historyshowsthatasmarketsdevelopfundingshiftsfromgovernmentprogrammestogreaterengagementanddirectionfromprivatesectorbeneficiariesandfarmercontributions.

More innovationisneededtoencourage investment inthefutureofhorticulturecropsandhealthierdiversediets,acceleratetheengagementofseedorganisationsandprivateenterprise,andcatalysenewmarketopportunitiesforsmallholderfarmersindevelopingcountries.Greateruseandremunerationofgeneticallydiversegermplasmisrequiredtoprovideresiliencetocurrentandfuturebioticandabioticrisks.Thispaperhighlightsexistingmechanismstosupportplantbreedingtoaddresstheongoingchallengesfacingfarmersandtheirvaluechains.Italsoexplorescurrentissuesandnewideasonhowtomaintainandencouragegreater and sustainable investment inmarket-driven crop breeding programmes. A special focus is given to these particularchallengesandtheinvestmentandremunerationsystemsneededtocreateimprovedvarietiesthatwillreachsmallholderfarmersgrowingfruitsandvegetablesinAfricaandSouthEastAsia.


141 Development of point-of-care and multiplex diagnostic methods for thedetectionofplantandpoultrypathogens

DrMichaelMason1,MsYipingZou1,DrHan-YihLau1,2,ProfessorMatTrau1,Prof Jimmy Botella1

1University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Nucleicacidpoint-of-carebioassaysthatcanbeperformedon-siteareinhighdemand,howeveranumberofchallengesneedtobeovercomebeforethenewtechnologiescanbewidelyimplemented.Oneofthemainrequisitesistocreatemethodologiesthatdonotrequirea laboratoryenvironment,whilebeingreliable. Otherconsiderationssuchas the increasedprobabilityofcontamination,multistepsamplepreparationandavailabilityoftrainedpersonnelfurthercomplicatetheproblem.Wehavecreatedasuitofsimplifiedapproachesandcustom-madeportableequipmentthatcanbereliablyusedinruralandremoteenvironmentswithouttheneedtocarrybiologicalsamplesbacktothelaboratoryforanalysis.Ourmethodscanperformdiagnosticassaysinlessthananhourfromsamplingtoretrievingtheresultsandcanbeperformedon-site.


142 Point-of-site diagnostic nanotechnologies for health and agriculturalapplications

Prof Matt Trau1

1The University of Queensland, Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Brisbane, Australia

Theconceptofpersonaliseddiagnosticsistodirectaccurateclinicaldecisionsbasedonanindividual’suniquediseasemolecularprofile.Lab-on-a-chip(LOC)systemsareexamplesofpersonaliseddiagnosticswhichseektoperformanentiresample-to-outcomedetectionofdiseasebiomarkersonasingleminiaturisedplatformwithminimaluserhandling.DespitethegreatpotentialofLOCdevices inproviding rapid,portable,and inexpensivepersonaliseddiagnosisat thepoint-of-care (POC), the translationof thistechnologyintowidespreadusehasstillbeenhamperedbytheneedforsophisticatedandcomplexengineering.Asanalternative,ourlabhasrecentlydevelopedavarietyofminiaturiseddiagnosticsplatformfreeofprecisionfabrication1-10.Thesearetermed“lab-in-a-drop”(LID)systemsinwhichanentirelaboratory-baseddiagnosticsworkflowcanbedownscaledandlargelyintegratedwithinasinglefluiddropletforPOCdetectionofnucleicacid,protein,exosome&/orcell-basedbiomarkers.Inthispaper,wewillfocusonminiaturisedbiosensing strategies suited for integrated LIDdiagnosticdevelopment.Althoughdeveloped forhumanhealthapplicationsinmind,theplatformnatureoftheLIDapproachlendsitselfalsotoagriculturalapplications.

1) K. Koo, E. Wee, Y. Wang, M.Trau, Enabling miniaturised personalised diagnostics: from lab-on-a-chip to lab-in-a-drop, Lab on a Chip, 17, 3200, 2017.

2) K. Koo, E. Wee, M. Trau, High-speed biosensing strategy for non-invasive profiling of multiple cancer fusion genes in urine, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 89, 715, 2017.,

3) B. Ng, E. Wee, K. Woods, W. Anderson, F. Antaw, H. Tsang, N. West, M. Trau, Isothermal Point Mutation Detection: Toward a First-Pass Screening Strategy for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Analytical Chemistry, 89 (17), 9017, 2017.

4) J Wang, KM Koo, EJH Wee, Y Wang, M Trau, A nanoplasmonic label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering strategy for non-invasive cancer genetic subtyping in patient samples, Nanoscale, 9, 3496, 2017.

5) M. Ahmed, L. Carrascosa, A. Sina, E. Zarate, D. Korbie, K. Ru, M. Shiddiky, P. Mainwaring, M. Trau, Detection of aberrant protein phosphorylation in cancer using direct gold-protein affinity interactions, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 91, 8, 2017.

6) K. Reza, J. Wang, R. Vaidyanathan, S. Dey, Y. Wang, M. Trau, Electrohydrodynamic-Induced SERS Immunoassay for Extensive Multiplexed Biomarker Sensing, Small, 13, 9, 2017.

7) A. Sina, M. Foster, D. Korbie, L. Carrascosa, M. Shiddiky, J. Gao, S. Dey, M. Trau, A multiplex microplatform for the detection of multiple DNA methylation events using gold–DNA affinity, Analyst, 19, 3573, 2017.

8) J. Li, J. Wang, Y. Wang, M. Trau, Simple and rapid colorimetric detection of melanoma circulating tumor cells using bifunctional magnetic nanoparticles, Analyst, 2017.

K. Koo, EJH Wee, PN Mainwaring, Y Wang, M Trau, Toward Precision Medicine: A Cancer Molecular Subtyping Nano-Strategy for RNA Biomarkers in Tumor and Urine, Small, 45, 6233, 2016

9) A. Connolly, R. Hirani, A. Ellis, M. Trau, A DNA Circuit for IsomiR Detection, ChemBioChem, 17, 22, 2016.


143 Fromresearchtofrontlinelaboratory

Ms Aileen Vanderfeen1

1Ace Laboratory Services, East Bendigo, Australia

Fromthebeginningsoflaboratoryscience,researchhasbeenadaptedsothatthediscoveriesandtechniquesdevelopedduringresearchprojectscanbetransformedintotoolstoadvanceandstreamlinethecapabilitiesofdiagnosticlaboratories.

FromAntonievanLeeuwenhoekwhoinventedtheMicroscopewhichallowedthemicrobestobeseen,toPasteurandKochwhoareregardedasthefirstbacteriologiststhroughtothepresentdayresearchersscientistshavecontinuedexplorenewanddifferentwaysofachievingknowledgeandadaptingthatknowledgeintopracticalmethodsandtechniques

Overthelast50yearswiththeadventofcomputersystemsandmorerecentlygenesequencingequipment,theidentificationandreclassificationofbacteriahasproceededrapidly.Thesetoolswereoncetheprovinceofresearchersastheywerebothslowandexpensivehoweverwiththerapidlyadvancingtechnologythecosthasdiminishedandthespeedoftheresultbeingavailablehasbecomefaster.Frontlinelaboratoriesusuallyhaveaneedforteststobecosteffective,timelyandalsoaccurateinnaturesonowthistechnologyisbecomingmorecommoninthenormaldiagnosticlaboratory.

Intheverynearfutureroboticsandcomputersystemsaregoingtobethewayforwardsomyquestioniswillweneedtoemployscientists in frontline laboratories in the future asmachines can process samples and all the knowledge required tomake ajudgementontheresultswillbeuploadedtocomputersystems.


144 Diagnostictoolsusedtogenotypeanddetecttickfeverpathogensincattle

Mr Peter Rolls1,MrPhillipCarter1,DrJacquiKing1

1DAF Tick Fever Centre, Wacol, Australia

Bovinetickfever,causedbyanyofBabesiabovis,BabesiabigeminaorAnaplasmamarginale,isendemicinmanycountriesinthetropicalandsubtropical regionsof theworld. InAustralia, thevectorcattletick isRhipicephalusaustralis (formerlyBoophilusmicroplus).BovineanaemiacausedbytheTheileriaorientalisgrouphasbeenofconcerninrecentyearsinAustralia.

TheTickFeverCentrewasestablished inQueensland in1966, toproduce livingtick fevervaccinesandundertakeresearch intick fevercontrol.Thevaccine isa live,wholeorganism,blood-basedvaccinecontainingattenuatedstrainsofB.bovisandB.bigeminaaswellasAnaplasmacentrale,arelatedlessvirulentorganismprovidingreasonablecrossprotectionagainstAnaplasmamarginale.TickFeverCentrealsoundertakesmosttickfeverdiagnosticworkforsubmissionstoQueensland’sstateveterinarylaboratory.Lightmicroscopyandserologyarethemostfrequentlyuseddiagnostictools.

Animportantcharacteristicofinfectionofcattlewithtickfeverorganismsisthelong-term,carrierstatusoftheinfectedanimal.Thegoldstandardfordetectingpersistentinfectionwastraditionallysub-inoculationofsplenectomisedcalveswithbloodfromthedonoranimal.Real-timepolymerasechainreactiontechniquesnowplaysomeroleinthis.ElectrophoresistechniquesalsoallowdifferentiationofvaccineandfieldstrainsofBabesiabovis,andmonitoringoftheattenuationprocess.StrainidentificationisanimportantconsiderationintheileriosisinAustralia.Theplaceofsuchmoleculartechniquesinroutinediagnosticworkwillbediscussed.


145 A mass spectrometric targeted approach for the detection of exosomalproteinbiomarkersfrombovinebodyfluids

Mr Yong Qin Koh1,DrHassendriniPeiris1,MsKanchanVaswani1,MsFatema.BAlmughlliq1,MrBuddhika.JArachchige1,DrSarahReed1,ProfessorMurray.DMitchell1

1University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston Qld 4029, Australia

Exosomesaremembraneboundvesiclesofendocyticorigin.Theyencapsulatebioactivemoleculesandarereleasedbymultiplecell types intobodyfluids,whichcanthenbesampled.Allexosomessharecertaincommoncharacteristics(e.g. thepresenceof exosomal proteinmarkers). The exosomal protein content has been shown to vary in dairy cowsof divergent fertility andmetabolicstatesandthusmaybeusefulasadiagnostictool.Inthecurrentstudy,weextractedexosomesfrommilkandplasmafromdairycowsandthencharacterizedbynanoparticletrackinganalyses(NTA),exosomalmarkersCD63,Flotillin-1andTSG-101(immunoblotting)andtransmissionelectronmicroscopy(TEM)forexosomalmorphology.Wedevelopedatargetedproteomicapproach using the quadrupole-ion trap (Q-TRAP) mass spectrometer. TSG-101 peptide precursors, (1) LDQEVAVDKNIELLRwithtransitions(1000.579Da,885.552Daand643.414Da)and(2)DEELSSALEKwithtransitions(747.425Da,661.268Daand574.235Da)weredetectedinboththemilkandplasmaexosomes.Thismethodcanprovideanalternativeapproachforscreeningandvalidatingexosomalproteinmarkersthatarecommontoallexosomespresentinthedifferentbodyfluids.Thisproteomicapproachisrobust,abletoidentifyspecificpeptidesequencesandcanidentifylowerconcentrationsofprotein(1.6µgproteinloadedontocolumn)overcomingamountsrequiredforimmunoblotting(10µgprotein).Furthermore,thismethodalsonegatesthedependenceonantibodyspecificityrequiredfor immunoblotting.Theability toefficientlydetectexosomes fromdifferentbodyfluidsthroughtargetedproteomicapplicationswillaidourefforttodevelopnoveldiagnosticsandprognosticsforspecificpathologies.


146 Useofmobile technologies for researchandengagementof smallholdercattlefarmersinVanuatu

DrSimonQuigley1,MrKeithAntfalo2,Mr Stephenson Boe3,MrMangauNavian3,MrJosephSul3,MsAntoinetteNasse2,MsJerineNatapu4,MsNorahRihai5,MrNoelKalo2,MrJimmyRantes2,MrNamboMoses3,MrLonnyBong3,DrScottWaldron1,Prof.DennisPoppi1,DrKendrickCox6,MsAmberGregory7,MrStuartHiggins7,DrCheriseAddinsall8

1The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Department of Industry, Luganville, Vanuatu, 3Department of Livestock, Luganville, Vanuatu, 4Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre, Luganville, Vanuatu, 5Vanuatu Agricultural College, Luganville, Vanuatu, 6Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Walkamin, Australia, 7AgImpact, Sydney, Australia, 8Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia

SmallholderfarmershavethepotentialtoincreasetheproductivityofthehouseholdandnationalcattleherdinVanuatu.However,engagementwith this group of farmers in the industry has declined in recent years. The Australian Centre for InternationalAgriculturalResearchfunded‘BisnisBlongBuluk’projectisconductingintegratedlivelihoods-business-productionresearchandtrainingwithsmallholdercattlefarmersonSantoisland,Vanuatu.Theprojectisusingmobiletechnologiestorecordandsharedatawithfarmers.SurveysusedintheprojectaredesignedusingCommCaresoftware(DimagiInc.)anddeployedontabletstocollectquantitativedataonlivelihoods(household,householdmember)andcattleproduction(individual,herd)withco-operatinghouseholds.Householdmembersprovideverbalconsentrecordedontabletstoparticipateinprojectactivities.Surveyscapturegender-disaggregateddataonlivingstandards,accesstoinformation,rolesofhouseholdmembersandroleofcattleinlivelihoods.GPSunitsrecordwaypoints,mapfarmboundaries,calculatefarmarea’sandmeasuredistancesbetweenkeyhouseholdresources.Cattle areweighedon amobile cattle crush (LeichtsCIA)with liveweight andother data recordedon tablets. A summaryofliveweight, liveweight change sincepreviousmeasurementandanestimateof thevalueof individualanimals is generated inCommCareusingavailablemarketprices.Thesummary isprintedon-siteandprovidedto farmersthedaymeasurementsareconducted.Thisreal-timeinformationcanassistfarmerswithmanagementandmarketingdecisionsregardingtheircattleandfarmplanning.Quantitativeandqualitativedatawillbelinkedtobuildcasestudiesfordifferenttypesofcattlefarminghouseholds.


147 Identifyingandmanagingnewhazardsinthefoodsupply

Dr Glenn Stanley1

1Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Canberra, Australia

Foodsafetyriskscanemergewhennewhazardsareidentifiedorifnewinformationcomestolightaboutanexistinghazarde.g.increasedexposure.

IdentifyingandmonitoringemergingissuesallowsFoodStandardsAustraliaNewZealand(FSANZ)tobetterpredictpossiblefoodsafetyrisks,andwhennecessaryandworkingwithourregulatory(includinginternationalandjurisdictional)partners,developappropriate measures to reduce the effect of those risks. This presentation will provide some general background on howwe approach these issues, and some case examples of newhazards anddetail riskmanagement strategies to keep levels ofcontaminantsinthefoodsupplytoAsLowAsReasonablyAchievable(ALARA).


148 Foodauthenticityandtraceabilityusingstableisotopes

Dr James Carter1

1Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Cooper Plains, Australia

Thecounterfeiting,substitutionandadulterationoffoodstuffshavebeenpracticedsinceancienttimestothedetrimentofbothsuppliersandconsumersthroughpoorbrand-experienceofinferiorandpotentiallyhazardousgoods.Thesepracticescontinuetoday,withincreasedsophistication,andofficialestimatesstatethatsomewhereintheregionof10%ofalltradedgoodsareinsomewayfraudulent.Sometypesoffraudcanberelativelyeasytodetectsuchasthedilutionofmilkortheadditionofsugartofruitjuices.Otherformsoffraudcanbemoredifficulttodetect,suchasthemislabellingofinferiorproductsaspremiumbrandsorfalseclaimsofgeographicalorigin.

Thispresentationwilloutlinethenatureandscopeoffoodfraudandillustratehowthestableisotopiccompositionoffoodstuffscanbeusedtodistinguishgenuineandcounterfeitgoodsandtoauthenticateclaimsofgeographicalorigin.Plants(andanimalsfeedingon thoseplants)accumulateelements fromtheir immediateenvironment.Variations in thecompositionsofnaturallyoccurring stable isotopes (and trace elements) are driven by factors such as climate, precipitation and underlying geology –parameterswhichgiverisetoaninvisible“isotopicsignature”or“isotopicfingerprint”whichisalmostimpossibletoreproduceinacounterfeitproduct.Thestrengthoftheevidencethatcanbederivedfromacombinationofstableisotopicandtraceelementcompositionprovidesapowerfultoolinthefightagainstfoodfraud.


149 Mycotoxinsinthefoodsupplychainandpromisinginterventions

Assoc Prof Mary Fletcher1

1QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia

Mycotoxincontaminationisaglobalproblemthatisestimatedtoeffect25%ofallfoodsworldwide.Mycotoxinsaretoxicsecondarymetabolites produced by fungal species (primarily Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Alternaria) and pose a significantrisk to the food chain. These toxins are considered themosthazardousof all food contaminants in termsof chronic toxicity,andlegislativelimitsontheirlevelsinfoodandfeedcontinuetobedevelopedworldwide.Methodsformycotoxinsuppressionanddecontamination includepreventative strategiesboth in thefield and in storage, togetherwithbothbiological andnon-biologicalmethodstofacilitatedegradationofsuchtoxinsinfoodandfeedcommodities,orreductionoftheirabsorptionand/orbioavailabilitywhen ingested.Manypotential controlmethodsarehowevernotwithout theirownsafetyconcerns for theconsumers. Photodynamic inactivation is a novel light-based approach which offers a promising alternative to conventionalmethodsforthecontrolofmycotoxigenicfungi.WhencoupledwithnaturalphotosensitiserssuchascurcuminthisstrategyhasdemonstratedefficacyintheinactivationofsporesofAspergillusflavus,fungalproducersofthemostpotentmycotoxinaflatoxin.


150 Rapiddetectionmethodsforfoodadulterationandauthentication

Assoc Prof Daniel Cozzolino1

1Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia

Foodauthenticity,traceabilityandoriginareimportantissuesforboththeconsumersandproducers,aswellasfoodretailers,andagribusiness.Issuesrelatedwithfoodfraudandadulterationarebecomingincreasinglyrelevantforthemodernfoodproductionsystems.Inrecentyear,foodqualityhasbecomemoresophisticatedduetotheuseofunconventionalorsyntheticadulterants,whichhasresultedingrowingconcernaboutpotentialassociatedhealthrisks.Severalresearchandgovernmentalorganisationshaveattemptedtodemonstratetheabilityofdifferentsensorstomeasureandmonitorfoodquality.Asaresult,itappearsthatthereisanimperativeneedtofindobjectivemethodsandsystemsthatsupportthecertificationofauthenticityandprovenanceoffoods.Theaimofthispresentationwillbetodiscussthepossibilitiesofusingstateoftheartinstrumentationtoobjectivelytraceorassuretheoriginofagriculturalproductsaswellasmonitorthewholefoodchainprocess.Usingthesetechnologieswillallowproducersandfoodmanufacturerstobettermarkettheirproductsaswellastoguaranteesustainableuseofthenaturalresourcesrequiredforfoodproduction.


151 Oritain-Provingorigin,protectingreputations

Mr Sandon Adams1

1Oritain Australia Pty Ltd, Australia

Oritainisagloballeaderinscientificallyprovingtheoriginoffoodproductstoprotectandenhancebrands.Weoffertraceabilitywithoutpackaging-bytestingwhatnaturallyoccursinsideproductsOritaincandeterminewheretheyweregrownormanufacturedtohelpbusinessessupporttheirprovenanceclaimsandidentifycounterfeitgoods.

Foundedin2008,Oritainpartnerswithsomeoftheworld’sleadingproducers,foodservicecompaniesandretailersacrosstheMeat,Dairy,Horticulture,Aquaculture,Eggs,Honey,Fibre/Textile,andPharmaceuticalsectors.

WithofficesinAustralia,NewZealandandtheUnitedKingdom,asbusinesseslookbeyondstandardQAprocessestomitigatewell-knownrisksintheirsupplychains,ourroleistoprotectthereputationsofourcustomersfromthegrowingglobalissueoffoodfraudinmarketsallaroundtheworld.

PriortoOritainSandonmanagedallsalesandbusinessdevelopmentforanAustralianhorticultureagribusiness,andhasworkedinseniorFMCGrolesfortheworld’slargestfood&beveragecompany(Nestlé),responsibleformanagingsomeofAustralasia’slargest brands includingNescafé andMilo. As amember of a fourth generation farming family, Sandonhas a background inagriculturehavinggrownupwithamixedfarmingoperation(cattlegrazingandbroadacrecropping)inthefamily.


152 MoleculardetectionofToxoplasmaGondii infectioninsmallruminants inNorthwestTunisia

Miss Yosra AMDOUNI1,MrMohamedRidhaRjeibi1,MmeMariemRouatbi1,MmeSafaAmairia1,MissSofiaAwadi2,MrMohamedGharbi1

1National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Ariana, Tunisia, 2Regional Slaughterhouse of Béja, 9000, Tunisia, Béja, Tunisia

BetweenMarch andOctober 2015, a total number of 270meat samples (neckmuscles)were collected from150 ewes and120goatsslaughteredintheregionalslaughterhouseofBéja(NorthTunisia).ThesampleswerescreenedforToxoplasmagondiiinfection.DNAwasextractedusingWizard®GenomicDNApurificationkit(Promega,Madison,USA)accordingtothemanufacturer’sinstructions.EachsamplewasamplifiedbyaPCRreactiondetectingspecificT.gondiiDNA.

TheoverallmolecularprevalenceofT.gondiiinsheepandgoatswere33.3(50/150)and32.5(39/120),respectively.ThemolecularprevalenceofT.gondiiinsmallruminantswassignificantlyhigherinadultscomparedtoyounganimals(p<0.001).Theinfectiondistributiondifferedwithin localitiesandbreed inbothsheep(p<0.001)andgoats (p<0.001).Theseresultsprovide importantinformationabouthumanexposuretoT.gondiithroughtheconsumptionofraworundercookedmeat.

Anextensionprogrammeshouldbeimplementedtodecreasetheriskofinfectionrelatedtosheepandgoats’meatmanipulationandraworundercookedmeatconsumption.


153 Policy drivers ofwater resource development for agriculture in northernAustralia

Mr Richard McLoughlin1

1Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Canberra, Australia

TheAustralianGovernment“OurNorth,OurFuture:WhitePaperonDevelopingNorthernAustralia”isthekeypolicydriverforwaterresourcedevelopment,toexpandouragriculturalproductionbaseandimproveproductivity.

TostimulateandacceleratetheconstructionofmajorwaterinfrastructureinnorthernAustralia,theAustralianGovernmentismakingthemostsignificantinvestmentinwaterinfrastructureinAustralianhistory.

The$500millionNationalWater InfrastructureDevelopment Fund (the fund), announced in theWhite Paper onDevelopingNorthernAustralia, is takinga staged, strategic,financiallyprudentandevidencebasedapproach toaccelerate theeconomicdevelopmentofNorthernAustralia.Atleast$170millionofthecapitalcomponentofthefundtoco-fundwaterinfrastructureconstructionisdedicatedtonorthernAustralia.Thefundiscomplementedbythe$2billionNationalWaterInfrastructureLoanFacility.

The$15millionCSIRONorthernAustralianWaterResourceAssessments,inconjunctionwitha$25.4millioninvestmentinafurther15waterinfrastructurefeasibilitystudiesinNorthernAustralia,willhelpensurethatinvestmentsinwaterresourcedevelopmentisbasedonsoundevidenceandthattheprojectsareeconomicallyviableandinthelong-termnationalinterest.Theseinvestmentswillallowgovernmentsandtheirprojectpartnerstomakefullyinformeddecisionsaboutthebestdevelopmentopportunitiesandcontributetomitigatingwaterinfrastructureinvestmentrisks.

AustralianGovernmentinvestmentsininfrastructurewillbespecificallydesignedtoenhanceinvestmentconfidenceandsecurityforstateandterritorygovernmentsandtheirprojectpartnersbyprovidinggreatercertaintyaroundtherights,responsibilitiesandlikelycostsforwaterusersconsistentwiththeprinciplesoftheNationalWaterInitiative(NWI).


154 Maximisingthecost-effectivenessofwatersupplyinnorthernAustralia

Dr Cuan Petheram1

1CSIRO, Canberra, Australia

ThereisrenewedattentiontowardsexploringthepotentialusesofnorthernAustralia’swaterresources,arisingfromconcernsaboutthreatstowateravailabilityinsouthernAustralia,speculationregardingfuturecommodityprices,andgovernmentdesiretodevelopregionaleconomies.ThispaperpresentsinformationonthehydrologyandwaterstorageopportunitiesacrossnorthernAustralia,soastobroadlyinformlandandwatermanagementdecisions.Thescaleanddistributionofalternativesourcesofwaterareoutlined,includinglargein-streamandoff-streamdams,ringtanks,groundwater,wetlandsandothernaturalwaterbodies,and‘subsurface’dams.Akeyfindingofthestudyisthateachofthesealternativesourceshasaroletoplayinmaximisingthecost-effectivenessofwatersupplyinnorthernAustralia,andthereisnoone‘water’solutionacrossthenorth.Forcontrast,theresultsarecomparedtothesituationinsouthernAustraliaandotherpartsoftheworld.


155 ExpandingagricultureinNorthernAustralia:Theneedforimprovedtransportlogistics

Dr Andrew Higgins1,MrStephenMcFalan1,MrAdamMcKeown1,MsCarolineBruce1,DrChrisChilcott1,DrOswaldMarinoni1

1Csiro Land and Water, Brisbane, Australia

NeworexpansionofagriculturalindustriesintropicalNorthernAustraliarequiresefficientandreliablesupplychainstodomesticandinternationalmarkets.Amajorchallengeislongtransportdistancesofover1000kmbetweenproductioninthenorthandmarketsinthesouth,alongasparseruralroad/railnetworkthatisdisruptedbyseasonalflooding.

Arangeofpossiblefutureindustryscenariosisbeingdevelopedbyindustry,local,stateandfederalgovernmentstoreducecostsof existing supply chains and toplan for newproductionandmarkets. Infrastructure investment and regulatory changes cansubstantiallyreducelogisticscostsacrossagriculturalenterprises.Toinformtheseinvestments,CSIROdevelopedtheTransportNetwork Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT) which provides an independent and holistic view of transport cost savings toinfrastructureinvestmentsandlogisticimprovements.

TraNSITwas applied to 98%of agricultural production acrossAustralian through an initiativeof theAustralianGovernment -AgriculturalCompetitivenessWhitePaper.ThecomprehensivelogisticstoolhasthelargestdataseteverassembledforAustralianagricultural transport.Anoverviewofthe latestapplicationsofTraNSITspecificallyastheyrelatetonorthernAustraliawillbepresented,alongwithplanned futuredevelopments that identifyoptions for reducingeconomic impact fromrainevents.AnoverviewwillalsobegivenofhowTraNSITaddressesinefficienciesinbeefandhorticulturesupplychainsinSouthEastAsia-manyofwhichoriginateinNorthernAustralia.


156 Managing the impacts of agriculture to minimize offsite environmentalimpacts:AcasestudyfornitrogenintheGBRlagoon

Prof Michael Bell1,DrPhilipMoody2,DrMarkSilburn3

1University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, 4343, Australia, 2Landscape Sciences, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, Dutton Park, 4102, Australia, 3Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM), Toowoomba 4350 , Australia

ThewaterdischargedintotheGreatBarrierReef(GBR)lagooncarriesland-derivedsuspendedsediments,nutrientsandpesticides.Totalnitrogen(N)loadshavemorethandoubledduetoanthropogenicactivity,withextensivegrazingandintensivesugarcaneindustriesthelargestcontributors.Runoffandsoilerosionarethemainsourcesofriverineparticulatenitrogen(PN)whilefertilizerapplicationhascontributedtotheincreaseindissolvedinorganicnitrogen(DIN).DissolvedorganicN(DON)loadshaveincreasedtoalesserextentanditisunclearifDONhaschangedwithdevelopment.ThetransportandfateoftheconstituentNformsdiffers.

River discharge is the largest external source of “new” nitrogen to the GBR system, with sections of the inner GBR lagoonepisodicallyeutrophicduringandafterfloodevents.TheouterGBRcanalsobeaffectedbyelevatedNloads,throughincreasedcoralvulnerabilitytotemperaturestressandgreaterpressurefromcoralcompetitorsandpredators.

AcombinationofchangestolanduseandnutrientmanagementpracticeswillberequiredtoreduceNloadsandimprovewaterquality.PrioritizationofactionswillrequiregreatercertaintyaroundunderlyingprocessescontributingtoNloadsandanimprovedunderstandingoftherelativeimpactofdifferentmanagementinterventionsatdifferentspatialscales.UncertaintiesincludetheimportanceofminimizingdischargeofDINcomparedto totalbioavailableN, thecontributionof runoffcomparedtootherNinputpathwaysandtherelativeimportanceofhillslopeandgully/streambankerosionandtherelativecontributionfromdifferentgeomorphicgullyunitstotheoutflowofbioavailableN.


157 Opportunities and constraints for irrigated agriculture in the NorthernTerritory

Dr Mila Bristow1,DrIanBiggs1,MrCallenThompson1

1Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources, Darwin, Australia

IrrigatedagricultureintheNorthernTerritory(NT)ofAustraliacontributes$350MtotheNTeconomy,andcurrentpolicyisaimedatexpansion,diversificationandintensificationtomeetgrowingmarketdemandintheregion.Whilethereisexcitementabouttheopportunitiesoflandandwateravailability,thisoptimismiscounteredwithsizablechallenges.WaterisbothastrengthandhindrancetothedevelopmentofagricultureintheNT.ThechallengingseasonalsupplyofrainfallintheTopEnddemandsthatagriculturemusteithercompletecropgrowthduringtheshortwetseasonorstoretherainfalltoirrigateduringthedryseason.Thisstorageiscurrentlyonlyinnaturalaquifers.Landisplentiful,butsoilsareoftencharacterisedashavinglowwaterholdingcapacityandpoornaturalfertility.Arangeofcropsaresuitedtotheclimate,soilsandwater,butthecostrequiredtoirrigateinthecurrentgroundwater-fedagriculturalsystemslimitsthechoicetohighvaluecropsorcroppingsystems.Producerscitewatersecurityandcostsofsupplyasakeyimpedimenttoirrigatedagricultureanditisrecognisedthatprospectiveinvestorshavelittletoknowknowledgeofpolicy,environment,agronomicsorlogisticsintheNT.Whileitisknownthatfutureagriculturedependsonsustainableuseofwaterresources,waterpolicydevelopmentisinitsinfancyandfewalternativesexisttogroundwaterextraction.TheseareafewoftheconstraintsrequiringinvestmentinordertorealisetheopportunitiesofirrigatedagricultureintheNT.


158 EconomicdriversofagriculturaldevelopmentinnorthernAustralia

Mr Ian Baker1

1North Australian Agribusiness Management, Darwin, Australia

Developingopportunitiesfornorthernagriculturehasbeenelusive.Failurehauntsnorthernagriculturaldevelopment.

Despitechallenges,theQld,NT&Ordhorticulturalindustriesdemonstratesuccessispossibleinthenorth.GVPforNTandOrdhorticultureis$300million,fromzero35yearsago.Successispossiblewithastrongeconomicandmarketfocus,andappropriatebusinessmodels.

Broadacrecroppingremainssmall,despitemanyresourcesdirectedtoitsdevelopment.EconomicmodelingiscriticalforR&Dandresourceassessmentstoplanviabledevelopment.

Thenorthshouldproducemoreagriculture.CSIROestimates60percentofAustralia’ssurfacewaterrunoffoccursinthenorth,potentiallysupporting1.4millionhectaresofirrigation.Resourcesarenottheconstraint,ratherviablebusinessmodels.

Thedevelopmentquestionshouldbehowto,ratherthancan’tdo,throughagoodunderstandingofmarketsandeconomicsfirst.

Lowcapitalcostiscriticalforbroadacrecropping.Onfarmdamsandfurrowirrigationcanbealowcostdevelopment.Capexforthisdevelopmentisaround$7,000-10,000/ha,necessitatingcrops,orcropsystemswithagrossmarginofover$1,200/ha/yr.foraviability.Cotton,aromaticrice,mungbeans,foddercropscangeneratethisrevenue.

Pivotirrigationusinggroundwatercosts$12,000-15,000/ha,necessitatingcropsystemswithagrossmarginover$2,000/ha/yr.forviability.Onlya2cropperyearsystemcangeneratethisrevenue.Thegroundwaterresourceismuchsmallerthansurfacewater.

R&Dandresourceassessmentsmustbedrivenbyunderstandingprofitablecroppingdevelopment.


159 Transitionsandtransformations-drought,hotspots,andadaptation

Dr Roger Pulwarty1

1NOAA, Boulder, United States

Allaspectsoffoodproductionandsecurityareaffectedbyclimate.Projectedimpactsvaryacrosscrops,regions,andadaptationscenarios.Formajorcrops(wheat,rice,andmaize),changeswithoutadaptationwillhavenegativeimpacts,althoughindividuallocationsmaybenefit.Arangeofadaptationoptionsexists.Whileanalysesacknowledgenonstationarity,manystillassumeafixedor “changed” futureclimate. Systems,andequilibriumassumptions,maychange faster thanmodels canbe recalibrated,andprojections,especiallyonthresholds,maybemostunreliable,atcriticaltimes.Keyfactorsareintra-seasonaltodecadalvariabilityeffects on quantity, quality, and access, including crop migration, storage and utilization. There remain limited assessmentsof impactsandadaptationoptions fornon-productionelements.Wewilladdress factorsdrivingclimateextremes, sourcesofknowledge and uncertainty in characterizing hotspots that have developed over time in theU.S. and elsewhere, impacts onproductivity,andlinksbetweenearlywarningandadaptationpriorities.Wearguethatimmediateneedsareto:

•Acknowledgethecross-scalenatureofclimate,ofearlywarninginformationandofclimate-resilientstrategiesaffectingfoodproductionandsecurity,includingcriticalinterdependenciesderivedfromwaterandlandresources.

•Produceempiricalevidenceontheeffectivenessoftechnologicalinterventionsandsocialadaptationsatalllevelsofthefoodsystem

•Craftanacceptable,fundable,collaborativeframeworkamongresearch,informationservicesandmanagement

Mostcriticalisthedevelopmentofsustainednetworks,suchasthroughtheUSNationalIntegratedDroughtInformationSystem,acrossinstitutionstoensurethatlessonsarebeinglearned,asrisksandopportunitiesemerge.


160 Benefitsofactionandcostsofinaction:Droughtmitigationandpreparedness

Mr Frederik Pischke1,MrRobertStefanski2

1Global Water Partnership, Geneva, Switzerland, 2World Meteorological Organization, Switzerland

Significantprogresshasbeenmadeoverthepastdecadeinimprovingunderstandingofdroughtsandtheirimpacts.However,significant gaps in research,policy andpractice remain,particularly regarding themeritsof riskmanagement comparedwithtraditionalcrisismanagementapproaches.

Presently,manyavailableestimatesofdroughtcostsarepartialanddifficulttocompare.Theproblemiscompoundedbythelackofdataondroughtsandtheirimpacts.Moreover,relativelylittleknowledgeisavailableonthecostsofindirectandlonger-termdroughtimpacts.Thereisthusaneedformutuallycompatiblemethodologiesasameansofcomprehensivelyassessingdroughtcostsandimpactsaswellasthebenefitsofpreparingforandmitigatingdrought.

Thecostsofactionagainstdroughtscanbeclassifiedintothreecategories:preparednesscosts,droughtriskmitigationcostsanddroughtreliefcosts.Benefitscanbeclassifiedasreduceddroughtcosts,savingsinreliefcostsandeconomicandsocialco-benefits.AworkstreamofpartnersoftheIntegratedDroughtManagementProgramme(IDMP)isaimingtochartawayforwardtosupporta proactive approach to droughtmanagement. Building on a literature review released by the IDMP (WMOandGWP2017)andtwoexpertgroupmeetings,thispresentationreviewsthemainobstaclesandopportunitiesfacingthetransitionfromcrisismanagementtoriskmanagementanddriversofexanteandexpostactionagainstdroughtaswellastheco-benefitsofdroughtmitigationandpreparedness.

Reference:WorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO)andGlobalWaterPartnership(GWP)(2017).Benefitsofactionandcostsofinaction:Droughtmitigationandpreparedness-aliteraturereview(N.GerberandA.Mirzabaev).IntegratedDroughtManagementProgramme(IDMP)WorkingPaper1.WMO:Geneva,SwitzerlandandGWP:Stockholm,Sweden.


161 Modesofclimatevariabilityanddroughtforecasting

Dr James Risbey1

1Csiro Oceans & Atmosphere, Hobart, Australia

Drought isapersistentclimateeventspanningseasons,multipleyears,and longer. Thepredictablecomponentofdrought isrelatedtoslowerprocessesinthetropicalPacificOceansuchasENSO.

TeleconnectionprocessesintheatmospherecarrytheclimatesignalfromthetropicalPacifictoextratropicalcontinentalregions.Weexaminethepathwaysthatneedtobeunderstoodintransferringtheclimatesignalfromthetropicsandtheirinteractionwithmodesofvariabilityunderlyingdroughtinmidlatidudes.


162 Building a National Drought Center: Science and policy approaches andexperiencesfromtheNationalDroughtMitigationCenter’sperspective

Assoc Prof Mark Svoboda1

1National Drought Mitigation Center, Lincoln, United States

Unlikemosthazards,thefactthatdroughtstypicallyevolveslowly,lastformonthsoryearsandcancoverthousandsofsquaremilesacrossmultiplegeopoliticalboundariesandeconomicsectorscanmakeitadauntingtasktomonitor,mitigateandplanfor.IntheUnitedStates,manypartnersareworkingtogetherviatheNationalIntegratedDroughtInformationSystem(NIDIS),theNationalDroughtMitigationCenter(NDMC),tribes,stateandfederalagencies,regionalandstateclimateoffices,riverbasinauthoritiesandvariouscommunitiestowardamorecoordinatedandcomprehensivenationaldroughtearlywarningandinformationsystemcenteredaroundadroughtriskmanagementapproach.

TheNDMCworkstoreducesocietalvulnerabilitytodroughtbyhelpingdecisionmakersatalllevelsto:implementdroughtearlywarning systems, understand and prevent drought impacts and increase long-term resilience to drought through proactiveplanning.TheNDMCisanationalcenterfoundedin1995attheUniversityofNebraska-Lincoln.TheNDMCconductsbasicandappliedresearchalongwiththemaintainingofanumberofoperationaldrought-relatedactivities.

This presentationwill describe inmore detail the various drought resources, tools, services and collaborations already beingprovidedbytheNDMCanditspartnersalongwithalookatwhatisinstoreforthefutureinhelpingotherstowarddevelopingdroughtearlywarningandriskmanagementsystemsbothintheU.S.andaroundtheworld.


163 Improvingdroughtmonitoringandpredictionscienceandservices

Mr Neil Plummer1

1Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia

TheBureauofMeteorologyhasworkedwithgovernmentsandindustrypartnersinpredictingrainfalloverAustraliaformorethantwodecadesandmonitoringdroughtsforlonger.

Officialrainfallobservationsextendwellback intothenineteenthcenturyand,thankstoobservationstandardsanddedicatedvolunteers,wecantrackAustralianrainfallvariabilityandchangeforwellover100years.Automateddataanalysissystemsfromthe1990sallowedforbetterdroughtmonitoringandanalysis,includingforrainfalltrends.TheBureau’sdataandinformationhavealsoplayedakeyroleininformingdecisionsaboutassistancetosupportfarmfamilies,farmbusinessesandruralcommunities.Supportfromstategovernmentsarefurtherimprovingautomatedanalyses,includingthroughaclimatemodelreanalysisapproach.

TheBureauanalyses,modelsandpredictsarangeofoceanandatmospherecirculationindicatorstogetintelligenceonthelikelyonset,durationanddecayofdroughts.Predictionscurrently focuson likelyshifts inrainfall, temperature,streamflow,tropicalcyclones,northernrainfallseasononsetand,throughtheBushfireandNaturalHazardsCRC,bushfireoutlooks.

Support through severalRuralResearchandDevelopmentCorporationsand ledby theManagingClimateVariabilityprogram(MCV)hasbeenessentialtothedevelopmentof‘seasonal’forecastinginAustralia.TheMCVisnowleadingaprojectonclimateextremesthatbuildsonacurrentproject,supportedthroughtheAgriculturalCompetitivenessWhitePaper,toimproveseasonalforecastingservices.Theextremesprojectincludesforecastingdryperiodsaswellasfacilitatingadirectlinkbetweenresearchgroups,regionalandindustry-specificreferencegroupsandagribusinesssupplychains.


164 Remotesensingapplicationsforagriculturalandhorticulturalcrops:Fromtheindividualtreetowholeofindustry

Assoc Prof Andrew Robson1,DrMoshiurRahman1,MsJasmineMuir1,MrsLuzAngelicaSuarez1,MrBrianDunn2,DrMilaBristow3,DrIanLayden4,DrJulieO’Halloran5

1University of New England, Armidale, Australia, 2NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco, Australia, 3Department of Primary industries and Resources , Darwin, Australia, 4Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld) , Nambour, Australia, 5Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld) , Gatton, Australia

Thispaperreviewsremotesensingapplicationscurrentlybeingdevelopedacrossarangeofcrops,includingmango,avocado,rice,sugarcaneandcarrots.Technologiesbeingevaluatedincludeveryhighresolutionmultispectral(Worldview-3)satelliteimagery,Landsat,SentinelandSPOTsatelliteimagery,UAVandgroundbasedsensing.Forhorticulturalcrops,anevaluationof18structuraland pigment based vegetation indices (VIs)measured byWorldview-3 imagery identified a positive relationship to total fruityield(kg/tree)(uptoR2=0.89foran individualorchard)andindividualfruitweight(uptoR2=0.76foran individualorchard)over a 4 year period (avocado) and to fruit yieldmeasured across two locations in one season (mango) (up to R2= 0.82 foran individualorchard).A similarprocessalso identified strongcoefficientsofdeterminationbetweencarrot yieldandcanopyreflectance informationatthe individualblock level(uptoR2=0.89).Forsugarcane,yieldforecastingandyieldmappingfromsatelliteimageryisfarmoreevolved.Landsatderived‘timeseries’yieldmodelshavebeendevelopedforanumberofAustraliangrowing regionswith thederivationanddistributionofcrop (~100,000)and regionalyieldandvigourmapsbeingautomatedthroughpythonscripting.Aswellasyielddetermination,researchinbothsugarcaneandricehasidentifiedoptimalspectralbandratiosformeasuringfoliarNitrogencontent.Withanimprovedunderstandingofthespatialandtemporalvariationofnitrogenconcentrationacrossindividualcrops,growerscanimplementimprovedNitrogenapplicationstrategiesatpanicleinitiation(rice)andbeforetheoutofhandstage(sugarcane).


165 MappinghorticulturetreecropsinAustralia

Mr Joel McKechnie1,MrCraigShephard1

1Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, Brisbane, Australia

TheQueenslandLandUseMappingProgram(QLUMP)hasmappedthelocationandextentofallcommercialavocado,macadamiaandmangoorchardsinAustralia.Theseeffortsarepartofanationalproject,‘Multi-scalemonitoringtoolsformanagingAustraliantreecrops—industrymeetsinnovation’.ThisprojectismanagedbyHorticultureInnovationAustralia,coordinatedbytheUniversityofNewEnglandandfundedbytheAustralianGovernmentDepartmentofAgricultureandWaterResources—RuralResearchandDevelopmentforProfitprogramme.

The broader project scope showcases the value of science and innovation within horticulture industries. This is a result ofcollaborationbetweengovernment,universities,privateorganisationsandindustryincludingtheAustralianMacadamiaSociety,theAustralianMangoIndustryAssociationandAvocadosAustralia.

QLUMPdeveloped themappingprogramthat combines industryandgovernmentdata interpretedwith imagery tomapandclassifythelocationandextentoftreecropsatthedesktop.Wedevelopedacitizenscience‘LandUseSurvey’appforthisproject,souserscanmaketheirownobservationstobetterinformthemapping.QLUMPalsobuiltthe‘IndustryEngagementWebMap’toassistinthepeerreview.Industryexpertscouldreviewthedraftmappingtoprovidetheirfeedbackbeforefinalmappingproductswerecompiled.

Themappingwe produce is the fundamental spatial data required to support agricultural productivity, decision-making andinnovation.ThedataenhancesbiosecurityandnaturaldisasterresponseandrecoveryfortheAustralianavocado,macadamiaandmangoindustries.


166 Intelligentsensingandinformationsystemsfortreecrops

Dr James Underwood1

1The University of Sydney, The University Of Sydney, Australia

Theuseof robotic systems toautomate theprocessof collecting informationabouta cropatfine-scale resolutionshas seenincreasinginterestduetoitspotentialapplicationsinprecisionagriculture.Overthelastfiveyears,theAustralianCentreforFieldRoboticsatTheUniversityofSydneyhasengagedinaseriesofprojectstodeveloproboticdatacollectiontechniquesandperceptionsystemsfortreecrops.Theseprojectshaveexaminedapplicationssuchasflowerandfruitmappingandyieldprediction,canopystructureestimationand light interceptionmodelling, forarangeofcrops, includingapples,almonds,macadamias,avocados,lychees,bananasandmangoes.

Inthistalkwepresentourlatestresults,includinganewmulti-sensorsystemthatcanefficientlydetect,locateandmapeverypiece of fruit in a commercialmango orchard. Photos are automatically taken frommultiple perspectives of every tree andprocessedwithmachinevisiontechniquestodetectfruitthatwouldotherwisebehiddenfromview.Thepositionofeveryfruitistriangulated,providinga3Dfruitmapforwholeorchardblocks.

Mangocountswerecomparedagainstpost-harvesthand-countsforindividualtreesatacommercialCalypsoorchardinBundaberg,showingaccurateresultstwoyearsinarow(r^2=0.90,uncalibratedbias<1.5%).Whole-blockyieldestimatesweretalliedforthreedifferentorchardblocksandfoundtobewithin6%to12%ofthepack-outreports.Furthertestingisunderwayforathirdyear,andforothermangovarietiessuchasKensingtonPride.


167 UAVimageryanditsroleintacticalagronomytrials

Mr James McLean1,DrJosephEyre1,DrAndriesPotgieter1,A/ProfDanielRodriguez1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Monitoringoflargeon-farmagronomicexperimentationisusuallyconstrainedbytimeandlabourforintensivedatacollectionactivities. Currently the determination of crop growth and development characteristics involves manual collection, logistics,processing and analyses of large quantities of vegetalmaterial. This limits the sample areaswithin each plot andpotentiallyintroducessourcesoferror.Samplingtimeandlabouralsolimitsthenumberoffactorsineachtrialsiteandnumberofsitesthatcanbeperformedinanyoneseason.

Twoyearsofresearchstationfieldtrialswereconductedwheretwomaizehybrids(DuPontPioneerP1467,AdvantaPacificSeedsPAC727IT) were grown using contrasting spatial arrangement i.e. single rows and rows split into twin row triangular sowingarrangements.Cropbiomass, leaf area and yield componentswereempirically collectedandground coverwasestimatedbyceptometer.

VegetationindiceswerederivedfromUAVmultispectralimagery(MicaSenseRedEdge)intheredandnearinfraredwavelengthsof the light spectra to predict ground cover, biomass and establishment. Relationshipswere developed between sensed andempiricaldata.

WefoundgroundcoverderivedfromceptometerandUAVimagerywerehighlycorrelated(R2=0.87).TheSimpleRatiovegetationindexprovidedastrongrelationshipwithempiricalmeasurementsforbothbiomass(R2=0.95)andleafarea(R2=0.95).Cropestablishmentpredictionswithobjectbasedimageanalysiswerehighlycorrelatedalthoughtheobservedpopulationrangewasverynarrow.

HerewediscussmethodsforroutineimplementationofUAVimageryinagronomytrials.


168 Analysis of hyperspectral characteristic parameters of different potatovarieties

Dr Yingbin He

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China

Itisofgreattheoreticalsignificancetocorrectthereflectancespectrumcurveofpotatoandanalyzethehyperspectralcharacteristicparametersofitskeygrowthperiod,whichcanbeusedforremotesensinginversionofpotatoindicesandmonitoringthegrowthstatus.Inthispaper,threepotatovarietieswereusedastheresearchmaterial,andSavitzky-Golayfilteringsmoothingandfirstorderdifferentialprocessingareappliedtothemeasuredreflectionspectrumcurve,hyperspectralpositionparameters,amplitudeparameters, area parameters, width parameters and reflectance parameters were used as evaluation indices, the variationcharacteristics of 21 hyperspectral characteristic parameters in tuber formation period, tuber expansion period and starchaccumulationperiodwereanalyzed.Theresultsshowthatthecharacteristicsofthe14hyperspectralcharacteristicparametersreflectthecommonnessofpotatovarieties:

1)Withthepromotiongrowthperiod,theyellowedgemovetothelongwavelength,andtherededgewidth,yellowedgewidthandgreenpeakwidthcontinuetoincrease

2) Fromthetuberformationperiodtotuberexpansionperiodandstarchaccumulationperiod,thepositionofrededgefirst“redshift”afterthe“blueshift”,redvalley(Ro)reflectancedecreasesfirstandthenincreases,therededgeamplitudeandrededgearea,yellowedgearea,blueedgeareaandgreenpeakarea,thegreenpeakreflectanceof(Rg),Rg/Ro,(Rg-Ro)/(Rg+Ro)showedfirstincreasedandthendecreased.Thevariationcharacteristicsof5hyperspectralcharacteristicparametersreflectthedifferencesamongvarieties:

3)Withthepromotiongrowthperiod,theredvalleypositionandthegreenpeakpositionoftheearlymaturingvarietyfirstmovetothelongwavedirection,andthenmovetotheshortwavedirection,whilethetwopositionparametersofmediummaturingvarietyremainunchanged.Theyellowedgeamplitude,blueedgeamplitudeandblueedgewidthofearlymaturingvarietyfirstincreasedandthendecreased,whilethetwoamplitudeparametersofmediummaturingvarietiesdecreased,whileblueedgewidthremainedunchanged.Thesefiveparameterscanbeusedtodistinguishdifferentpotatovarieties.

4)The2parametersoftheblueedgepositionandtheminimumamplitudedonotshowobviousregularity.


169 Estimatingregionalscalecropproduction:Anintegratedclimate,biophysicalandremotesensingapproach

Dr Andries Potgieter1,JasonBrider3,ProfGraemeHammer1

1University of Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, 2University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3QDAF, Toowoomba, Australia

ThehighlyvariableclimateofAustralia,combinedwithastronginfluenceofmarketsongrainprice,andthuscropchoice,impedeaccurate predictionof regional scale crop production. To date, regional crop-modelling approaches have delivered relativelygoodestimatesthroughouttheseasonofthefinalcropyieldforthatseason.However,accurate,timelyandobjectiveinformationonspecificcroparea,andthustotalproduction,wellbeforeharvest forashireorregionhasbeenmostlyunavailable.This isfurther exacerbatedby a projected increase inmarket and climate volatilitywithinAustralia and globally.Herewepresent aholisticapproachtoestimatingregionalscalecropproduction.Theapproachintegratesclimateforecastingwithbiophysicalcropmodellingforyield,andremotesensingtechnologiestoquantifycropareaacrossregionsforthemaincropsofAustralia.


170 Thegeneticarchitectureoftickresistance

Dr Mahlako Linah Makgahlela1,2,DrNtanganedzeniOliviaMapholi4,ProfHeatherMBurrow3,ProfAzwihangwisiMaiwashe1,2

1Agricultural Research Council, Centurion, South Africa, 2University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 3University of New England , Armidale, Australia, 4University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

About80%oftheworld’sbeefanddairycattleareatriskofticksandtick-bornediseases,withestimatedeconomic lossesof~US$20-30billion/year.Lossesarisefromcattlemortalitiesandmarkedreductionsinreproduction,meatandmilkproduction.Chemicaltreatmentstocontrolticksisnotalong-termsolutionaschemicalsloseefficacythroughrapidevolutionofresistanceofthetickstochemicals.Contaminationofanimalproductsandtheenvironmentbychemicalsalsocausesconcern.Resistanceofbeefanddairycattletoticksismoderatelytohighlyheritable,eveninBritishbreeds,thoughBosindicusandtropicallyadaptedBostaurusbreedshavegreaterresistancetoticksthanBritishandEuropeanbreeds.Availabilityofchip-basedgenotypingplatformsforassayingthousandsgeneticvariants(SNP)associatedwithmajorgenes(QTL)forcomplextraitsenabledgenome-widestudies,todetect statisticalassociationsofeachSNP independently toeconomic traits, including resistance toticks.PublishedresultsgenerallyidentifiedmanySNP,eachexplainingasmallproportionofthegeneticvariance,withnotableoverlapamongregionsassociatedwithtickresistanceincattle.Thesereportssupportthepolygenicinheritancepattern.Inmodernbreedingprogrammes,associationsbetween thousandsof SNP that jointly explain ample variance for a trait are used in thepredictionof breedingvaluesforgeneticimprovement(genomicselection).Accuraciesforyounganimalswithoutphenotypesarehigherthantraditionalevaluations,withmoderateaccuraciesreportedfortickcounts.Improvedresistancetotickswillconceivablybeachievedthroughgenomicselection,whichstillrequiresphenotypes,andincorporatingQTLbasedonwhole-genomesequences.


171 Cutting and pasting: The future of genetic improvement for food animalgenomes

Dr Tad Sonstegard1

1Acceligen/Recombinetics, St. Paul, United States

Geneticimprovementprogramsforfoodanimalsraisedintropicalproductionsystemsoftenlagbehindthosefoundintemperateproductionsystemsforamultitudeofreasonsrangingfrompoorinfrastructuretoendemicdiseasechallenges.AlthoughgenomeselectionprogramshavenowbeeninitiatedforpopularbreedsinAustraliaandBrazil,othertechnologiesareneededtointroduceeconomicallyimportanttraitsthataccelerategeneticimprovementforlivestocksystemsincountrieswithemergingeconomies.Geneeditingbasedonsite-directednucleasesisrecognizedasoneofthosemethodsbestsuitedtointroducehigheffectproductionallelesintonaïve,indigenouspopulations.Herein,wereviewhowsite-directednucleasesarebestdeployedtoproduceprecisionbredallelesintoanimalgenomes.Wealsodiscussthebreadthoftraitsbeingdeployed,anddifferencesbetweenintroducingallelesalreadyfoundinnatureversusmutagenesistobreakcodingregionsorotherrationaledesignapproachesforgeneticimprovementofdiseaseresistance.Finally,perspectivesforregulatoryapprovalandcommercializationaresummarizedtohighlightsomeoftheobstacles,whichmayhinderthewidespreadadoptionofgeneeditingtechnologyasoneoftheprimarytoolsofanimalbreeding.


172 TheevolutionoftheBrahmangenome-acrucialtropicallyadaptedbreed

Prof Steve Moore1,DrRossKoufariotis1,ProfBenHayes1,DrBrianBurns2,DrRussellLyons3,DrMatthewKelly4

1Centre For Animal Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Qld, Rockhampton, Australia, 3Animal Genotyping Laboratory, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 4Australian Agricultural Company, Teneriffe, Australia

Bosindicuscattleareadaptedtoharshtropicalenvironments.TheBosindicusbreedwidelyusedinbeefproductioninNorthernAustraliaareBrahman.TheAustralianBrahmanbreedwasdevelopedinthesouthernUSAthroughcross-breeding4typesofZebu(Bosindicus)cattlebreeds,Ongole,Guzerat,GirandKrishnacattle.Australiancattlewere“gradedup”twicetoincreasenumbersonceinUSAandtheninAustraliausingBrahmanbullsandBostauruscowswiththeresultingcalvesthenbackcrossedtoBrahmanbulls.Thegradingupprocesshasledtoanintrogressionof7-10%BostaurusgenomeintomodernBrahmancattle.IdentifyingvariationinBrahmangenomesassociatedwithadaptation,fertility,meatqualityandgrowthrateswouldfacilitategenomeselectionandthereforeaccelerategeneticgainforthesetraits,inbothBrahmancattleandcompositecattlewithBrahmanancestry.Withthisultimateaim,46sequencedBrahmancattlethatwerekeyancestorsofthebreedwerewholegenomesequenced.RegionsofBosTaurusintrogressionandregionsfavouringBosindicusalleleswereidentified.


173 Combininghistoricalweather station records, climate changepredictionsandgenomicstobreeddairycattleforfutureclimates

Dr Thuy Nguyen1,MsJosieGarner2,DrJenniePryce1,3,ProfBenHayes1,4

1Agriculture Research Victoria, Bundoora, Australia, 2Agriculture Research Victoria, Ellinbank, Australia, 3School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, BUNDOORA, Australia, 4Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

Given the projected increase in temperature inmanyAustralian dairying regions, there is a need to identify andbreedheattolerantdairycattle.Wehaveachievedthisthroughthedevelopmentofgenomicbreedingvaluesforheattolerance.Wefirstmergedclimatedatawithmilkproductionrecordsbetween2003and2016.Wedeterminedtherateofdeclineofmilk,fatandproteinyield(namelycowslope)for424,540Holsteinand84,702Jerseycowswhentemperatureandhumidityexceedthecomfortlevel.Slopeofasireisthedaughteraverage.Areferencepopulationconsistingof11,853cowsand2,236siresforHolsteinsand4,268cowsand506siresforJerseys(bothhavingestimatedslopeandhighdensitygenotype),wereusedtoderiveagenomicpredictionequation.Genomicestimatedbreedingvalue(GEBV)forheattolerance(HT)canthenbedeterminedforotheranimalswithgenotypes.TovalidatetheseGEBV,wepredictedHTGEBVfor390Holsteinheifers,thenselected24extremepredictedheattolerantand24extremepredictedheatsusceptibleheifersfora4-dayheatchallenge.Thepredictedheattolerantgroupshowedsignificantlylessdeclineinmilkproduction,lowerrectalandintra-vaginaltemperaturesthanthepredictedheatsusceptiblegroup.ThisindicatesthattheHTGEBVwillenableselectionforcattlewithbettertolerancetoheatstress.Wealsodevelopedanonlinefuture-scenarios selection tool toassist farmers inmaking selectiondecisions tobalanceHTandotherpriorities. In this tool,thecombinedinformationofHTGEBVandtheprojectedfuturetemperatureandhumiditycanbevisualisedandusedtomakeselectiondecisions.


174 UseofgenomictechnologiesandcompositecattlebreedingwithinalargeNorthernAustralianbeefbreedingenterprise

Mr Sam Harburg1

1The North Australian Pastoral Company, Brisbane, Australia

TheNorthAustralianPastoralCompany(NAPCO)isoneofAustralia’slargestbeefproducerswithaherdof180,000headofcattleacrosspropertiesintheNorthernTerritoryandQueensland.Inthe1980’s,NAPCOrecognisedthatdevelopmentof‘Composite’cattlebreeds representedameansof integrating important traits fromdiversebreedsof cattle,andgeneratingand retaininghybridvigour.NAPCOhasnowproducedandstabilisedtwoCompositebreedsthataredeployedacrossitsportfolioofproperties.

NAPCOoperatesaclosedherd,breedingallreplacementbullsandheifersinternally.Itsbullbreedingprogramsutilisegenomically-enhancedEBVstoidentifyeliteanimalswithineachComposite.NAPCOhasbeenSNPgenotypingeverycalf(50Kand18KSNPchips)withinitsNucleusherdssince2010,aswellasmostbullcalveswithinitsMultiplierherds.Genomicbreedingvalueswerederivedfromaninternalreferencepopulationmaintainedfrom2002to2010.

GenomicsareplayinganincreasinglyimportantroleinNAPCO’sgeneticsprogramsandwillcontinuetoincreaseinprominence.From migration onto single step genetic evaluations, implementation of genomic-based inbreeding estimation and matingoptimisation,andgenomicanalysisoffoundationbreedcompositiontrends,NAPCOcontinuestoinnovateintheintegrationofgenomicinformationintoitsbreedingprogram.FutureprioritieswillfocusonselectiveharvestingofphenotypicandgenotypicdatafromitslargecommercialcattleherdtoimprovetraitaccuraciesanddevelopnewtraitsforselectionwithinitsNucleusherd.


175 MediterraneanDietintheTropics?

Prof Lluis Serra-Majem1,2

1Preventive Medicine & Public Health, Director of the Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. 2President of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet.

Foodglobalization,andaboveallwhatiscalledfastfoodorWesternDiet,conciselyrepresentstheerosionoftheMediterraneanDiet’sculturalvalues,notonlybecauseofwhattheglobalizedWesternfoodmodelrepresents-basedmainlyonmeat,refinedflour,sugars,softdrinks,dairyandfoodtransportedfromanywhereintheworldwithinternationalfreetradelaws-butalsobecauseofhowallthesefoodshaveanimpactonthewaysinwhichtheyareconsumed:inthetraditionalrecipesthemselves,inlandscapes,cropsandeveninthemarkets.Nowadays,forexample,wehavebuiltafoodmodelaroundtheglobalizedmarketoftourismthatresemblesmoretheWesternFastFoodmodelthanthetraditionalMediterraneanDiet.WearemissingoutonanopportunitytodisseminateourMediterraneanDietasaculturalmodelandasanexcellentfoodmodelforpublichealth.Thefoodwaysofproximity,respectingtraditionsandseasons(whichusuallygotogether)alsorepresentsanopportunityfortheeconomicsector,fortourism,fortheenvironment,etc.

Probably, themost importantanddeterminant food ingredientof theMediterraneanDiet isoliveoil,andolivetreesareonlygrowingunderselectedcircumstances.SeveralMediterraneanregionswithsimilargeography,climateandplantbiodiversityaredefinedaroundtheplanet:inCaliforniaandtheNorthwestpartofMexico,ChileandArgentina,SouthAfricaandAustralia.FromtheMediterraneanregionandthoseothermoreremoteregionsfoodslikeoliveoil(orwine)maybeproducedanddistributedtoothercontiguousregionstocompletethesekeyingredientsoftheMediterraneanDietnotproducedatlocallevel.

GlobalizationoftheMediterraneanDietmaybeundertakenunderenvironmentandculturalrespectfulinitiatives.


176 FattyLiver:Itisnotjustaboutfat-Nutritionalimpactonnon-alcoholicfattyliverdisease(NAFLD)

Prof Karmin O1,2,MissVictoriaSid1,2,MissYueShang1,2,DrYawLoongSiow1,2

1University Of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, 2CCARM, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, Canada

Non-alcoholicfattyliverdisease(NAFLD)hasbecomeaworldwideepidemic,whichisassociatedwithobesity,diabetesmellitusandcardiovasculardisease.NAFLDcoversabroadspectrumofdisordersthatrangefromsimplelipidaccumulationintheliver(steatosis)tooxidativestressandinflammation(steatohepatitis).Thereiscurrentlynoapprovedtreatmentforthisdisease.Chronicconsumptionofhighenergydiets(i.e.dietrichinfatcontent)promotesthedevelopmentofNAFLD.DietarysupplementationofvitaminsorphenoliccompoundshasbeensuggestedtobeabeneficialstrategyforNAFLDmanagement.Folicacid isawatersolubleBvitaminthathasbeendemonstratedtohavelipid-loweringandanti-oxidanteffects.Tyrosolisoneofthemajorphenoliccompoundsinoliveoilandwinewhicharetwouniquedietarystaplesindiet.WeinvestigatedtheimpactofdietaryinterventiononhepaticmetabolismandoxidativestressinarodentmodelwithNAFLD.MaleC57BL/6micewerefedalow-fatdiet(10%kcalof fat)orahighfatdiet (60%kcalof fat) for5-12weeks.Feedingmicewithahigh-fatdietstimulatedrapidbodyweightgainandinducedNAFLDphenotypewithhepaticlipidaccumulation,hyperglycaemia,increasedoxidativestressandproinflammatorycytokineexpression.Supplementationoffolicacidandnaturalcompounds(i.e.tyrosol)couldalleviatehigh-fatdietinducedhepaticlipotoxicity. Thebeneficialeffectsofdietary interventionweremediated through regulationofendogenous lipidbiosynthesis,homocysteine-hydrogensulphidemetabolismaswellasrestorationofredoxbalance.DietaryinterventionsmayhaveimportantclinicalimplicationsinNAFLDmanagement.


177 Tropicalfruitsasfunctionalfoodsformetabolicsyndrome

Prof Lindsay Brown1

1University Of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Functional foodsprovidehealthbenefits in chronicdiseases suchasobesity, hypertension,diabetes and inflammatoryboweldisease, inadditiontonutrition.Themetabolicsyndrome includescentralobesity, insulinresistance,elevatedbloodpressure,impaired glucose tolerance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and dyslipidaemia; these signs are due to chronic low-gradeinflammationcombinedwithoxidativestress.Wehaveshownthatadiethighinfructoseandsaturated/transfatsinducesthesecardiovascular, liverandmetabolicsigns inrats.Wehaveshownthatcomponentsof foodscanreverseall thesesymptoms indiet-inducedobese,hypertensiveand insulin-resistantrats. Inparticular, tocotrienols frompalmoil,dietaryfibrefromtropicalseaweedsanthocyaninsfromtropicAustraliannativefruitssuchasDavidson’splums,andpolyphenolsfromGarciniafruitssuchasachachaloweredbloodpressure,preventedinflammatorycellinfiltrationintotheheart,liverandfatpads,improvedplasmalipidprofilesanddecreasedplasmainflammatorybiomarkers.Alltheseinterventions,especiallytropicalfruitsandseaweeds,couldbeproducedcommercially,sustainablyandcost-effectivelyinmanytropicalcountries,withtheaimofreducingtheincidenceofmetabolicsyndrome,anddecreasingtheriskofcostlycardiovascularandmetabolicdisorders.


178 Gutmicrobiome-Ourlifepartner,forbetterorworse?

Dr Connie W Woo1,Mr.JensenHCYiu1,MrWaiLunFung1

1Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Trillionsofbacteriaarelivinginourbodiesandimplementingmutualisticfunctionstous.Thegastrointestinaltractalonehousesmorethan1014bacteria.Oneoftheirknownfunctions istopromoteenergyextractionfromourdiets,therebyallowingustobetterutilizeourfoodsource,particularlyinnutrient-scarceenvironments.Thisfunctionplaysanimportantroleduringpregnancywhenextranutrientsareneededforthedevelopmentofthefoetus.[Beforebirth]Substantialchangesinthebacterialpatternintheguthavebeenfoundinpregnantwomenfromthe1stto3rdtrimesters.Thiskindofcommensalismremainsdespitetheagriculturaladvancesinthathaveledtoastablenutritionalsupply,whichimpliessomeadditionalfunctionsofthegutbacteriain pregnancy. Due to the advance ofmedicine, nowwe have choices in themodes of delivery.However, caesarean section-deliveredbabieshaveahigherrisktodevelopcertainmetabolicandautoimmunediseasesinearlychildhood.[Atbirth]Suchriskisrelatedtothedifferencesinbacteriacolonizationupondifferentmodesofdelivery.[Afterbirth]Duringadulthood,ourdietandexternalenvironmentcansubstantiallychangethegutmicrobiota.Manyanimalmodelshaveproventheeffectivenessoffaecaltransplantationtoreverseseveraldiseases,implyingthetherapeuticpotentialofalteringgutmicrobiota.However,bed-translationremains limiteddue to thecomplicatedbacterialecologyandcross-species interactionwithhost. Investigation from theverybeginningoflifewillhelpusgainafullpictureofhowweinteractwiththesecommensalmicroorganisms,thusaffectingourhealth.


179 Berries for your renal health

Dr Yaw (Chris) Siow1,2,3,CaraIsaak1,2,3,SuviraPrashar1,2,SusaraMaddumaHewage1,2,3,Jo-AnnStebbing1,2,DrSamirDebnath4,ProfKarminO2,3,5

1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Winnipeg, Canada, 2Canadian Centre for Agri-food Research in Health and Medicine, St Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, Canada, 3Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, 4Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada, St John’s, Canada, 5Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

Kidneyisoneofthemajororgansforourbodytoremovemetabolicwasteproducts.Itisbecomingthefocusofmanyscientificinvestigationsduetotheincreasingincidenceofmetabolicsyndrome.Injuriestothekidneycanalsoariseduetocomplicationsfrommajorsurgeries(suchascoronaryarterybypassandkidneytransplants)orinresponsetoinjuryofdistalorgans.Additionally,primarykidneydiseasesmaybeduetosomeinflammation-inducedconditions.Signalingpathwaysintheinjuredorgancaninduceinflammation, resulting in pathophysiological conditions that lead to organ dysfunction and potentially organ failure. Recentresearchdata incells,animalmodelsandhumantrialshavedemonstratedthebioactivitiesofberrypolyphenols. Inadditiontotheantioxidantproperties, thesepolyphenolshaveanti-inflammatorypropertiesandwerefoundtohaveprotectiveeffectsagainstacutekidneyinjuryandchronickidneydiseases.Berriesgrownbothinthenorthernhemisphere(suchasblueberriesandlingonberries)andthetropics(suchasacai,blackmulberryandmadroño)shareasimilararsenalofbioactivecompounds,albeitatvaryingamounts.Addingandconsumingberriesinyourdailydietmayhavebeneficialeffectsforyourkidneyandhelpalleviateincidencesofkidneydiseases.


180 The creation of employment, economic and social benefits to remoteAustralian communities through novel and added value products fromnativeplants

Assoc Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

KakaduPlum(Terminaliaferdinandiana)isatreeendemictonorthernAustraliaandthefruithasbeenconsumedforitsnutritionalandtherapeuticvaluebyindigenousAustraliansforthousandsofyears.Presenceofhighlevelsofellagicacidandascorbicacidinthefruitmakesitarichsourceofantioxidants.ThesepropertiesmakeKakaduplumveryattractiveforuseasaningredientinmainstreamfoodandotherindustries.

TheaquacultureindustryinAustraliahasbeenusingKakaduplumproductstoimprovequalityandextendshelf lifeofprawnsforthepastfouryears.Acateringestablishmenthasuseditshighantioxidantpropertiestoextendtheshelflifeoffrozenreadymeals.TheuseofKakaduplumasanaturalfoodadditivehashadfarreachingeconomicbenefitstonorthernAustralianindigenouscommunities.

ThisemergingbusinessmodelforKakaduplumindicatestheeffectiveengagementwithindigenouscommunitiesandsuccessfulcommercialapplicationofanindigenousfoodinthefoodindustry.

Thispaperwill providea synopsisof theuniquechemical andbioactivepropertiesofKakaduplum, innovative cross-industryapplications,theproposedbusinessmodelanditspotentialtoincorporateindigenouscommunitiesfromacrossnorthernAustraliaaswellasprivateindustryinputsthatarerequiredtodrivethisindustry.Thevaluechainsandbusinessacumenthatarecreatedthrough the commercialisation of Kakadu plumwill create the pathways for other native specieswithin a frameworkwhereIndigenousecologicalknowledgeisvaluedandprotected.


181 Informingthedesignofclimateresilientfarmingsystems

Assoc Prof Daniel Rodriguez1

1Qaafi, Toowoomba, Australia

Westartedmodellingdrylandagriculturalsystemsintheearly1990s.Sincethen,valueofthetechnologyhasbeenshownacrossmultipleapplicationsanddisciplines,thoughparticularlyin(i)thesynthesisandintegrationofknowledgeaboutthefunctioninganddynamicsofrainfedagriculturalsystems,wherebioticprocessesinteractwithclimatic,soilandbiologicaldriversatarangeof temporalandspatialscales;and (2) informing (andovercoming) thecomplexities in themanagementand improvementofdrylandagriculturalsystems,bothatthelevelofcrop(GxM),croppingsystems,farmingsystems,andfarmbusinessdesign.Hereweprovideasummaryofourachievementsintheuseofmodellingtoolsindrylandagriculturalsystems,andprovideexamplesoftheimportantopportunitiesforthedevelopmentandapplicationofintegrativeapproachesinfarmingsystemsdesigntosupportthemedium to long-term transformational changes required inourdrylandagricultural systems. Particular emphasis is givento the roleofmodelling tools toquantifybenefitsand trade-offs in themanagementof cropsand farmbusinesses inhighly-variableclimates;andthemediumandlongertermbenefitsfromchangesinstrategies,farmingsystemsdesignsandallocationoflimitedresource.Wealsoproposethatfieldcropsresearchwillincreasinglyrequirecross-linksbetweendisciplinesintegrationandparticipatoryapproachestoallowforthesustainableintensificationofagriculturalproduction,andthatthemodellingagriculturalsystemswillcontinuetobeacrucialtoolinmakingbetterinformeddecisionsacrossarangerelevantscales,thecrop,thefarm,thelandscapeandregion.


182 Managingrisksandtradeoffsintheintensificationofagriculture:Anecologistperspective

Prof Kerrie Wilson1,DrElizabethLaw1

1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia

Land-use planning typically involvesmultiple objectives sought bymultiple stakeholders. These are often specified as ‘targetconstraints’,orwithoneortwodimensionsexaminedusingtrade-offcurves.Onesuchtrade-offcurvethathasbeenofparticularinterestinenvironmentanddevelopmentdiscussionsisthatbetweenbiodiversityandproduction,andwhetherthecontrastingstrategies of land-sharing or land-sparing ought to be applied to jointly improve landscape-level production and biodiversityconservation. Using contrasting case studies from Borneo, we create three-dimensional trade-off curves that describe theParetofrontierforbiodiversityconservation,production(timber,oil-palm,andgeneralagriculturalsuitability),andcarbon.Wedemonstrate the impact of changing land-use composition and allocation, as well as land-use intensities, in these differentlandscapecontexts.Thereby,wedemonstratetheusefulnessofParetofrontiermodelinginland-useandenvironmentalplanning,inparticulartoclarifythetrade-offsofmultipleobjectivesintermsofopportunity/potentialbenefit,inanextendedland-sharingversusland-sparingframework.


183 Whatdowewantandwhatarewelikelytoget?

Dr Peter Hayman1,DrHarryHendon2

1South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, Australia, 2Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia

Informationrich farmingsystemsare foundational toagricultural intensification.Timely,andreliable informationfromclimatescienceonthecomingseasoncanbeusedtoreducerisksinpoorseasonsandtakeadvantagesofgoodseasons.

Farmershavealwayssoughtinformationonthecomingseasonandclimateforecastshavebeenavailableinmanypartsoftheworldsincethemid-1990s.Followingthesuccessfulpredictionofthe1997/98ElNino,aUSNationalResearchCouncilReportdescribedseasonalclimateforecastsasoneofthepremieradvancesofatmosphericsciences.Thesamereportalsonotedthatprobabilisticseasonalforecastswereillsuitedtodecisionmakinganddecisionmakingwasillsuitedtoprobabilisticforecasts.Whathaschangedinthelast20years?

Thispresentationwillprovideabriefoverviewof the improvementsandchallenges inseasonal forecastingbeforeaddressingthechallengesofincorporatingthisinformationintodecisionmaking.Someofthetechnicalchallengesarenewasweshiftfromstatisticalanaloguestoensemblesgeneratedbydynamicforecasts.Otherchallengesareongoingandrelatetocommunicatingandusingprobabilisticinformationinplanninganddecisionmaking.


184 Behavioraleconomicsinsightintodriversandconstraintsintheadoptionoftechnologies

Prof Lionel Page1

1Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

The adoption of new technologies is a key factor of growth and development. Behavioural economics can shed a light onsomefactorsdrivingandconstrainingadoption.Bynatureadoptingnewtechnologies isanuncertainchoice.Attitudestowarduncertaintyandthepropensitytotakeriskarekeytounderstandthisbehaviour.Manybehaviouraltheoriespointtosourcesofrisk/uncertaintyaversionwhichwilllimitthepropensitytoadoptnewtechnology.Suchreticencetoadoptanewtechnologycanbeduebothtopeople’spreferencesoverthepossibleoutcomesfollowingtheadoptionandtopreferencesovertheprobabilisticrisktaken.Atthesametime,successfuladoptionisassociatedwithpotentialforhighrewardsintermsoffinancialgains.Insuchsituations,economistshavefoundthatpeoplemayformsystematicallybiasedbeliefswhichcanbeoverlyoptimistic,leadingtoanover-adoption.


185 Designing lessriskysystemsthrough investing intheadaptivecapacityoffarmers

Dr Nadine Marshall1

1Csiro Land and Water, Townsville, Australia

DesigninglessriskyagriculturalsystemsinAustraliamustinvolvestrategiesthatdirectlyconsiderthecurrentlevelsofadaptivecapacityofAustralianFarmers.Recentresearchwiththenorthernbeefindustrysuggeststhatonly16%ofcattleproducershavesufficientskillstodealwiththeclimatechallengesofthefuture.Effortsareneededtoassistfarmersto;(i)understandandmanageclimaterisksandimplementingnewsolutions,(ii)developstrategicskillsthatencouragelearning,experimentingandrefining,(iii)developfinancialandpsychologicalbuffers,and(iv)takeapro-activeapproachtomanagingchangescenarios.Onlyoncefarmershavecommittedtodevelopingtheirowncapacity toadapt to the increasinglychangingworldaroundthem,willclimaterisksbecomemanageablewithintheindustry.Onlythenwillnewtechnologiesbewelcomed.Thetrade-offsbetweenwhatisneededandwhatispossibleinAgriculturebecomemuchmorepositivewhenoneconsiderstheoptionsavailabletofarmerswithhighadaptivecapacity.


200 TargetedplantbreedingapplicationsofCRISPR-Castechnology

Kevin Diehl1

1Director, Regulatory Product Strategy, Scientific Affairs and Industry Relations, DuPont Pioneer, Unites States

CRISPR-Casasanadvancedplantbreedingtool isamoreefficientwayto improveplantsandhelpfarmersproducemoreandbetterfood,withfewerresources.ThesuperiorpropertiesofCRISPR-Casallowscientiststodevelopinnovativeandsustainableseedproductsforgrowerssimilartothoserealizedthroughconventionalplantbreeding,butwithevengreaterefficiency,accuracyandquality.DuPontPioneerisleadingtheapplicationofthistooltodevelopcustomizedagriculturesolutions.

In this talk, Pioneer’s next generation of waxy maize hybrids as the first agricultural product of CRISPR-Cas scheduled forcommercializationwillbediscussedalongwithadditionalproducttargetsofthispromisingtechnology.ApproachestofosteringsociallicenseandimplementinganopeninnovationmodelforCRISPR-Caswillalsobereviewed.


201 The contributionsof animal-source food to sustainable, safe, ethical andoptimalhumandiets

Assoc Prof Robyn Alders1

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Nourishing a growing human population in a warming world of increasingly scarce natural resources is one of the greatestchallenges facinghumanity. Yet,evenundercurrentconditions,over10percentofpeoplegloballyareundernourishedandapproximately30percentaredeficientinkeymicronutrients.Theseburdenstendtobehigherinresource-poorhouseholds,andespeciallyamongstthemorevulnerablemembersofhouseholds.Thisisreflectedinthefactthathouseholdsinlow-tomiddle-incomecountriesaccountforalmostallundernourishedchildren.Anaemiaisprevalentinapproximately50percentofpregnantwomeninthesesamecountries.

Efficientandappropriateconsumptionofanimal-sourcefood(ASF)canprovideproteinwithanoptimalmixofaminoacidsandbioavailablemicronutrientssuchashaemironthatcansignificantlyenrichcereal-baseddiets. Inmixedfarmingcommunities,householdsthatraiseanimalsmayhaveaccesstoASFitemsthroughouttheyear,whereasstoredcropsoftendwindleintheweekstomonthspriortoharvest,resultinginahungerperiod.Unfortunately,despitetheavailabilityofASF,datasuggeststhatactualconsumptionofASFbyhouseholdsisextremelylowinresource-poorsettings.

ThispaperdiscusseskeychallengesandpotentialsolutionstolimitedASFintakeinlow-tomiddle-incomecountriesinrelationtoi)improvinganimalhealthmanagementtoreducetheriskofunplannedreductionsinherdandflocksizes;ii)effective,gender-sensitivecommunicationwithanimal-owninghouseholdsrelatingtoanimalhealthandhumanandanimalnutrition;iii)identifyingclimate-smartanimalproductioninitiativesthatarelocallyfeasible;iv)investigatingoptionsforthesustainableinclusionofsafe,ethicalandoptimalnutritionviatheregularincorporationofASFfromdomesticatedand/ornon-domesticatedanimalsintohumandiets.

APlanetaryHealthapproach(recognisingthatthehealthofhumancivilisationdependsonthehealthofnaturalsystems)wasusedintheframingofthispaper.Theproductionofsustainable,nutritiousandsafeASFdeliveredwithminimalwastehasthepotentialtopromotehuman,animalandenvironmentalhealth.Asgovernmentsworldwidegrapplewithunsustainablehealthbudgets,nutrition-sensitiveASFvaluechains,bolsteredbymoreeffectivepolicyframeworks,canhelptopreventmalnutritionandensurethattheASFproduceddeliversmaximumbenefits.ResourcefulandstrategicproductionandutilisationofASFhasacrucialroletoplayinachievingthesecondSustainableDevelopmentGoalrelatingtoendinghunger,deliveringfoodsecurityandimprovednutrition,whileatthesametimepromotingsustainableagriculture.


202 Beyonddigitalrevolution–Today’sresearchfortomorrow’slivestocktools

Doug McNicholl1

1Meat & Livestock Australia, Brisbane, Australia

AustralianredmeatproducersarebeginningtoadoptvariousaspectsofaprecisionsupplychainandMLAincollaborationwithindustry is support and driving this change. Programs such asMLA’s ‘ObjectiveMeasurement Program’ are developing andadaptingtechnologiesthatallowtheobjectivemeasurementof informationcapturedatvariouspointsalongthesupplychainwiththeaimofimprovingsupplychainperformanceandultimatelysupplyingconsumerswithaproducttheywillcontinuetobuyandpayapremiumfor.Thesuccessofthisthisprogramhasattractedinterestfromarangeoftechnologyandsolutionproviders,includinganEquineComputedTomography(CT)supplierandanAviationSecurityCTScannersupplier,whowillbothdevelopsolutionsforCTscanningliveanimals. AnothercompanywhodevelopsHyperspectralCamerasareestablishingthemselves inAustralia.AsecondMLAprogramknownas‘Unmanned’,isdemonstrating,evaluatinganddevelopingautonomoussystems.Theprogramwhichcoversbothaerial,land,tetheredandsatellitesolutionsaimstoprovideadditionaldigitalinformationonpastures,weatherandlivestock.Dougwillprovideanoverviewoftheseprogramsandwhattheymeanfortropicalproductionsystems.


203 Usingdatatochangetomorrow’sfarmactivitieswithpowerofprediction

Prof James Rowe1,ProfLewisKahn1,MrsLuHogan1,MrJohanBoshoff2,MrMichaelThomson3

1Sheep CRC, Armidale, Australia, 2University of New England, Armidale, Australia, 3CQUniversity Australia, Rockhampton, Australia

Manyfarmmanagementdecisionsarebasedonintuitivejudgementthatdrawon:inter-generationalexperience;keenobservation;farmdata;andvarioussourcesoftrustedinformationandadvice.

Activitiesareoftenplannedaroundlongtermaverageseasonalconditions,buteverchangingweatherandmarketconditionsraisetheneedforreschedulingorreassessmentwhenthefuturebringsnewchallengesoropportunities.Inpractice,mostreschedulingoccursonceconditionshavechangedratherthaninanticipationofthosechanges.

Thetransitionfrombeingreactivetoproactiverequiresassistancetolookintothefutureandinterpretthecomplexinteractionbetweensoil,plants,livestockandtheprobabilitiesofrain,heatandcold.ASKBILLisaweb-basedprogramthatdoesjustthat!Atthelevelofanindividualfarm,ASKBILLprovidesdailyupdatesoflongtermfeedbudgets,diseaserisksandproductiontargetsandsendsanalertifanyactionorachangeofplanisneeded.

PredictiveanalyticsinASKBILLuseallthedatathattheBureauofMeteorologycanprovidecombinedwithbiophysicalmodelsforsoilmoisture,pastures,wormsandflystriketoprovidealertswithrespecttoopportunitiesandrisks.ASKBILLisnotprescriptiveintellingwhattodobutprovidestimelypromptsandvaluablewhat-ifscenarioanalysistosupportintuitivedecisionmaking.JustASKBILLforacalculatedviewofthefuture.


204 Howdowegetourheadsoutofthesandwhentheyareupintheclouds?

Mr David McLean

Withtherapidadvancesintechnology,makinggooddecisionsshouldbeeasiernowadaysshouldn’tit?InthisseminarRCSGeneralManager,DavidMcLeanwilltalkaboutwhatisneededtomakeaprofessionaldecisionwithcleveruseofthemanytoolsavailabletoday.Producersarejugglingalotofballsonadailybasisanditisexpensivetodropone.TomakeagooddecisionDavidtalksabouthowproducersneedtolearnhowtocombinethegroundleveldetail(e.g.numberofheadinamobandhowheavytheyarenowcomparedto3,6,12monthsagoetc)upwiththehighlevelaggregateddata(e.g.whatwasourcostofproductionlastfinancialyear).“Weneedmeaningfulinformationatourfingertips.Ifittakestoomuchtimetoconverttheplethoraofdataintomeaningfulinformation,theproducersarelesslikelytodoitastheyprioritisesomethingelse.”Hesaysthisleadstoproducersrelyingongutinstinctandignoringtheusefulinformationthatcouldbereallyhelpingthem,andtheirbankbalance.


205 Thedigitalagronomist–Thechangingfaceoffarmadvisory

Mr Tim Neale1

1DataFarmer, Highfields, Australia

Agronomyisalmostasoldaprofessionasgrowingcropsthemselves,butthepaceofchangeinourdigitalworldisshiftingthewayweadvise.Everythingfromsoiltesting,cropchecking,onfarmtrials,andyieldrecordinghasnowhitthedigitalage.

AgronomistsareusingGPStotargetandre-visitsoiltestinglocations,givingusnewinsightsintosoilnutritionandamelioration(especiallypH)trends.

Cropcheckingnowcanbehighlytargetedbasedonhighresolutionsatellite,aerial,ordroneimagery.NDVI(normaliseddifferencevegetationindex)isthemostpopularsurrogateforcrophealth,andcanquicklysteeranagronomisttopartsofthefieldthatneedattention.Therearenowseveralgoodmobileplatformsavailableforagronomiststomakerecommendationsandsendthesetothegrowerinreal-time;whilstthechemicalisdispatchedfromthewarehousesimultaneously.

On-farmtrialsaregettingeasier,withtheadventofvariableratetechnologyandyieldmapping.Anadvisorcannowrunafertilitytrialwithoutthegrowerliftingafinger.Makingeachfarmand‘researchstation’isnowarealitygivinglocallyrelevant,nearreal-time,informationbacktothegrower.

Whenthingsgowrong,suchashailorspraydrift,unbiasedassessmentsusingyielddatacanbeconducted;takingsomeoftheguessworkoutofwhatcanoftenbeconsiderableclaims.

Possiblythemostexcitingpartofthefuturewithallthisdata,aredeepinsightswecouldgainwithdataanalytics.


206 Beyondtheacceptedmethods–Newtargetsforautomateddatagatheringonfarm

Assoc Prof Daniel Cozzolino1

1Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia

Farmersaredemandingrapid,cost-effectiveandeasy-to-usetoolsformonitoringchangesinphysicalandchemicalcharacteristicsorproperties inadiverserangeofagriculturalproductsandmaterialssuchascropsandplantpartsfromearlystagesofcropdevelopmentuntilharvest,animaltissues,fluidsandhair,soil,water,etc.Remotesensortoolsareextensivelyusedinmodernagriculturetomonitordifferentaspectsofcerealproduction(e.g.fertilization,cropdiseases),amongotherapplications.However,theneedtoincreaseofourunderstandingandmonitoringcapabilitiestheuseofproximalsensorstocomplementtheexistingtoolsisneeded.Thispresentationwilldiscuss,withexamples,recentandpotentialapplicationsontheuseofproximalsensorsbasedonnearinfrared(NIR)spectroscopytomonitordrymatter(DM)andwatercontentincrops,carboncontentinsoilsandhairanalysisinbeefcattle.


207 GPScows:Bringingagdataandnewtechnologiesintohighschools

Dr Amy Cosby1,AssociateProfessorMarkTrotter1

1Institute for Future Farming Systems, School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, Australia

Theagriculturalworkforceofthefutureneedtopossessadifferentsetofskillsandknowledgetoensuretheindustrycontinuestoinnovateandadoptnewtechnologies.The“GPSCows”programaimstoencourageandinspirestudentstopursueacareerintheagriculturalindustry.Itwillprovidethenextgenerationwithknowledgeofthelatestadvancesinlivestocktrackingandtheskillstocollectandanalysedatawhichcanbeusedtoincreaseon-farmproductivity,profitabilityandsustainability.

Theprojectisbasedaroundthecollaborativedevelopmentofalearningresourcebyseveralkeystakeholdersincludingleadingeducators, researchersand industryprofessionals.Nine schools fromQueenslandandNewSouthWalesand theQueenslandAgricultureTrainingCollegeswillcontributetothedevelopmentofthelearningmodulebeforedeliveringtheresourcetotheirstudents.EachschoolwilldeployGPStrackingcollarsontheirschoolfarmtoansweraresearchquestiontheyareinterestedin.

The“GPSCows”resourcewillbeevaluatedtodetermineitseffectivenessinengagingstudentsindigitalliteracyandimprovingknowledgeoftherelevanceoftechnologyinagriculture.Theactionresearchprotocolbeingfollowedensuresthatfeedbackisgainedfromallparticipantstoimprovethelearningmoduleandimprovedunderstandingofthechallengesforallparticipants.Itisexpectedthatthestudentsandeducatorsinvolvedintheprojectwillwalkawaywithanincreasedappreciationandknowledgeoftheroleoftechnologyinagricultureandthesocial,economicandenvironmentalbenefitsthatcanbeobtained.


208 PredictionbasedcropimprovementbycombiningWholeGenomePredictionwithCropGrowthModels

Dr Mark Cooper1,DrCarlosMessina2,DrFrankTechnow3

1Zenrun42 Inc., Johnston, United States, 2DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, USA, 3DuPont Pioneer, Woodstock, Canada

Predictionbasedcropimprovementisfeasibletoday.Onepopularapproachisadirectextensionofthetraditionalplantbreedingmethods,usingapplicationsofWholeGenomePrediction(WGP)tocomplementandscaleempiricalbreedingprograms.Usingthephenotypicdatageneratedbytheempiricaltestingstagesofbreedingprogramssuitabletrainingdatasetscanbeconstructed.Withaccesstosequencebasedfingerprintsoftheindividualsincludedinthetrainingdatasetsstatisticalmethodscanbeappliedto associate sequencepolymorphismswith trait phenotypic variation. The resulting statisticalmodels can thenbe applied toindividualsthathavebeengenotyped,withorwithoutphenotypicinformation,toobtaintraitphenotypicpredictions.Whilethisprediction-basedmethodologyallowsa scalingof the traditionalbreedingmethodology itdoesnot solve some long-standingproblems,inparticularcomplicationsassociatedwithgenotype-by-environment(GxE)interactions.Onepotentialresolutionthathasbeenproposedinvolvestheuseofasuitablecropgrowthmodel(CGM)withinthemodel-buildingstepofWGPtoaccountfortheinfluencesofenvironmentalvariationandtraitvariationgivingrisetotheGxEinteractionsforhigherordertraits,suchasgrainyield.ThecurrentstatusofthisCGM-WGPmethodologyisreviewedandsomeofthepotentialadvantagesdiscussed.


209 Whywasgenomic selection so rapidlyadopted in theUSbeef anddairyindustries?

Dr Stewart Bauck1

1Neogen Geneseek, Lincoln, United States

SincetheintroductionoftheIlluminaBovineSNP50chiptotheglobalcommunityinJanuary2008,andthelaunchofgenomicenhancedPTAintheU.S.dairyevaluation,therehasbeenasteadyadoptionofthetechnologyinthecattleindustriesintheUnitedStates.Behindthisareavarietyoffactorsthathavecreateda“perfectstorm”ofcircumstancesrevolutionizinganimalbreeding.

Firstamongtheseistheavailabilityofhighdensitygenotypingarraysthatproduceaccurate,repeatableandhighqualitygenotypedatathatisconsistentfromsampletosample.Coupledwiththishighfidelityinthedesignandfunctionalityofthearraysisaconcomitantdecreaseinthecostpersample–uptofivefoldreductionoverthepast9years.Withhighqualitydatahascomerapidevolutioninthebio-informaticsandstatisticsforincorporationofgenomicdataintogeneticprediction,suchthathighlyaccuratepredictionsareavailablefromanimalsthatareonedayorage(orlessnow,withembryobiopsy).

Inadditiontothetechnicalfeaturesofthechipsandgenomicpredictionsarelessobviousbutequallyimportantchangesincludingnew sample collectors that areeasy to apply anddeliver integrity in the sample (eg. Allflex TSU), rapid turnaroundtimeonthesamplesanddata(includingGuaranteedTurnAroundTimeforGeneSeekGenomicProfilers)andtheavailabilityofadjacenttechnologysuchasgenderselectedsementhatensures90+%femalescalvesfrominseminations,withlittleornolossinfertilityorpregnancyrates.


210 Speed breeding with genomic selection to accelerate wheat varietydevelopment

Miss Amy Watson1,DrLeeHickey1,DrJessicaRutkoski2,DrJackChristopher3,DrJessePoland4,ProfBenHayes1

1QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Cornell University, Ithaca, United States, 3QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, 4Kansas State University, Manhattan, United States

Genomicselection(GS)inwheatcouldaccelerateyieldgainprincipallythroughareductioninbreedingcycleduration.Amethodforrapidgenerationadvancecalled‘speedbreeding’(SB)enablesuptosixgenerationsofspringwheatperyear,andcouldbeusedtoacceleratethedevelopmentofinbredlinesrequiredforGS,thusenablingevenfurthergains.Toimprovetheaccuracyofselectionforimprovedyields,manyheritabletraitsthataregeneticallycorrelatedwithyieldcouldbemeasuredunderSBandusedinmultivariatemodelstoimprovegeneticgain(overthatoftraditionalunivariatemodelsonlycontainingyielddataofthetrainingpopulation).Foreaseofcomputation,theseproxytraitsmaybeconsolidatedintoasmallnumberofprincipalcomponents(PC).Totestthesehypotheses,130double-haploidlinesfromaSeriM82xHartogspringwheatpopulation,genotypedwith4,000GBSpolymorphicmarkers,wasgrownunderglasshouseSBconditionsandphenotypedforthefollowingtraits:daystoanthesis,height,andspikeandflagleaf length.Thepopulationwasevaluatedforyieldinnon-waterstressed,anthesiswaterstressandpost-anthesiswaterstressfieldenvironments.Usingfive-foldcrossvalidation,yieldpredictionabilityforeachenvironment,usingbothunivariateandmultivariatemodelsincludingSBproxytraitsortheirPCs,werecompared.ResultsindicatemultivariateGSprediction includingSBproxytraitsor theirPCscan improveselectionforfield-basedyield.ThesetraitscouldbephenotypedduringrapidlinedevelopmentunderSBandusedwithtrainingpopulationyielddatatoadvancegeneticgainandwheatvarietydevelopment.


211 Largescalegenomicselectionintropicallyadaptedcattletoimprovefertilityandmeatquality

Dr Matthew Kelly1,DrGerhardMoser1

1Australian Agricultural Company, Brisbane, Australia

AustralianAgriculturalCompany(AACo)isAustralia’slargestintegratedcattleandbeefproducer.AACooperatesastrategicbalanceofproperties,feedlotsandfarmscomprisingaround7millionhectaresoflandinQueenslandandtheNorthernTerritory.Mostofthesepropertiesarelocatedwithintropicalenvironmentsassuchourcattlemustbeabletothriveunderharshenvironmentswheretheyareexposedtomanystressorsincludingheat,humidityandparasites.AACorunsthreeseed-stockbreedingoperationstailoredtoproducebullssuitedtotheirappropriateenvironmentandsupplychains.OurBrahmanherdproducesbullsforourharshest environments. AACo’s four-breed composite females aremated toWagyubulls to produce crossbred calves for thecommercialsupplychain.TheWagyuseedstockherdalsoproducesbullsforourlong-fedpurebredproductionsystem.IntegratedsupplychainsallowAACotocapturethebenefitfromgeneticimprovementandclearmarketsignalsinformselectiondecisions.Collectinggenomicinformationoncommercialanimalsmeasuredforgrowthandcarcasstraitswillsignificantlyincreasetherateofgeneticimprovementinallthreebreedingprograms.Femalereproductiveperformanceisakeyprofitdriverforthenorthernbeef industry.Rateofgeneticgaincouldbedramatically increasedbydevelopinga resourcepopulationbycollecting lifetimereproductiveperformanceoffemalestodevelopgeneticevaluationforyoungbulls.


212 Genomicselectioninhorticulture

Dr Satish Kumar1,DrCraigHardner2,DrCameronPeace3

1Plant and Food Research, Havelock North, New Zealand, 2University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia, 3Washington State University , Pullman, USA

Perennialfruitcropssuchascitrus,banana,appleandgrapeareimportantamonghorticulturalcrops,providinglivelihoods,health,andaddingbillionsofdollarstotheworldeconomy.Mostfruitcropshavealongjuvenilityperiod,whichcanlastuptoeightyears,sothattraditionalfruitbreedingoftentakesupto25yearstodevelopcommercialcultivars.Thetimelinecouldbeevenlongerifnovelattributes(e.g.,diseaseresistance)areintrogressedfromwildgermplasmtofirstdevelopparentsforcultivarbreeding.Genomics-assistedbreedingprovidemoredirectandquickersolutionstofast-forwardthedevelopmentofhigh-valuecultivars.Sequencingofgenomesofsomemajorfruitspeciesduringthelast10yearshasfacilitatedthedevelopmentofhigh-throughputcost-effectivegenotypingplatformssuchassinglenucleotidepolymorphic(SNP)arraysandreduced-complexitygenotyping-by-sequencing(GBS).Accesstothesegenomicresources isprovidingopportunitiesforapplicationofanoveltoolcalledgenomicselection(GS).ThemostattractivefeatureofGSisthatithasthepotentialtodramaticallyshortenthebreedingcyclelengthbyobviatingtheneedtophenotypeselectionpopulations.Fruitcharactersthatconstituteasuperiorcultivarareoftenpolygenicintheirinheritance,andGSisbestsuitedforselectionofcultivarcandidatesforsuchtraits.EvaluationofGSinvariousfruitcrops,includingapple,pear,peach,grapes,sweetcherryandstrawberry,haveprovidedpromisingselectionaccuracies.Asaresult,GSisnowbeingusedinsomecommercialfruitbreedingprogrammes.ResultsfromempiricalstudiesandfuturepotentialsofGSinfruitcropswillbediscussed.


213 The futureof genomic selection - Incorporatingbiological information ingenomicpredictions

Dr Iona Macleod1,DrPhilBowman1,ProfBenHayes2,DrChristyVanderJagt1,MrMulusewFikere1,DrAmandaChamberlain1,DrHansDaetwyler1,ProfMichaelGoddard1

1Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport & resources, Bundoora, Australia, 2Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), Brisbane, Australia

Todate,genomicpredictionofperformanceinanimalsandplantsexploitsrelativelydensegenome-wideDNAmarkers(SNPchips).GenomicpredictionworksbyapplyingstatisticalmethodsthatlinktheDNAmarkersgenotypestotheexpressionofcomplextraits,suchasgrowthordiseaseresistance,thatmaybeinfluencedbymanyhundredsofcausalmutations.Thesegenomicpredictionmethodsrequirenopriorbiologicalknowledgeofgenesormutationsthataffectatrait,andindeedassumethatalltheDNAmarkersareequallylikelytobeassociatedwiththetrait.ThisnaïveapproachworkswelliftheDNAmarkersliecloseto,orarestronglylinkedtoallthecausalmutationsthatunderpinthetrait.However,thisisnotalwaysthecaseandforexample,genomicpredictionsdonotworkwellwhenthetargetpopulationisnotcloselyrelatedtothepopulationusedtotrainthegenomicprediction(suchasadifferentbreed/strain).ApotentialsolutionistoimputeallindividualswithSNPchipgenotypestowhole-genomesequence,andintheorythiswillincludethecausalmutations.However,inpracticeusingthenaïvegenomicpredictionmodelswithwhole-genomesequencehasnotimprovedtheaccuracyofgenomicprediction.Wehavedevelopedagenomicpredictionmethodthatincorporatesbiologicalinformationandexploitssequencedata.Wewillpresentpracticalexamplestodemonstratetheapplicationofthismethodtoimprovetheaccuracyofgenomicprediction.


214 Lessonsfromtemperatecropsfortropicalcropbiofortification

Prof Roger Hellens1

1QUT, Brisbane, Australia

Horticulturalcropsweresomeof thefirstplants tobedomesticates. Temperate fruitcrops likeapple,grapesandstone fruit(Peaches,plumsandapricots)havebenefitedfromconsiderablegeneticimprovementoverthousandsofyears.Itisperhapsnosurprisethattheseheavilypopulateandwealthyregionsoftheglobehaveinvestedtimeandeffortintonewcultivarsthroughselection,breedingandatleasttwoexampleofderegulatedgeneticmodification.Bycontrastmanytropicalcropshavehadlessinvestmentinnewcultivardevelopment.Cropssuchasbananaandmangobeinggloballysignificant,andaccountforproductionvolumesgreatthatthetoptemperatecrops,theyfacemanychallengesthatcanbeaddressthroughnewcultivardevelopmentprogrammes.

Inadditiontoselectionofattributesforimprovedproductions(productivity,yield,nutrientuseanddiseaseresistance)breedersofwholefoodalsoneedtofocusontraitsthatareconsumertoconsumers.Selectionswithenhancehealth,tasteorconveniencehavethemostinfluenceonconsumption.Thedevelopmentofthesetraitsintemperatecropswillbediscussedandtheapplicationtonewcultivarsoftropicalandsub-tropicalcropsconsidered.


215 Highfolatestrawberries–Finallysomethingtasty?

Dr Michael Netzel1,MsLisaStriegel1,2,MsSorayaChebib1,2,MsEvaBiehl1,2,DrGabrieleNetzel1,DrMarkHerrington3,ProfessorMichael Rychlik2

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University Of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia, 2Technical University Munich, Freising/Munich, Germany, 3Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Nambour, Australia

Strawberriesareconsideredatastyandhealthyfruitbyconsumersandmaypotentiallybeanimportantdietarysourceofnaturalfolates.Therelativeimportanceofstrawberryasasourcewilldependonbioavailabilityandconcentrationandislikelyinfluencedby cultivar and environment. Folates are a groupofwater-soluble vitamers and are coenzymes formethyl, formyl andothersinglefunctionalcarbongrouptransfers.FolatevitamersareinvolvedinDNA,proteinandneurotransmittersynthesisandcannotbe biosynthesized in humans. Folate is also considered as a critical vitamin. Folate deficiency is associatedwith neural tubedefectsinnewborns.AninadequateintakeisalsoknowntobeinvolvedincardiovascularandAlzheimer`sdiseaseaswellasinthedevelopmentofcertainformsofcancer.InaninitialunreplicatedscreeningstudyofasampleofAustraliangrowncommercialandexperimentalgenotypesofstrawberry,andusingstate-of-the-artstableisotopedilutionassays(SIDA),wefoundtotalfolatecontentsof82–161μg/100gfreshweight.These levelsarewellabovethevalue intheNUTTABdatabase(39µg/100gfreshweight). At thesehigh concentrations, a single serve of Australian grown strawberriesmaydeliver a considerable amount oftheFSANZ recommendeddaily intake (RDI) for folate.The resultsofapilotbioavailability studywithhealthyhumansubjectsconsumingstrawberries,5-methyltetrahydrofolate(supplement)andafolate-freecontrolwillbealsopresented.

[ThisstudywaspartlyfundedbyHorticultureInnovationAustraliaLtd.,project:“NaturallyNutritious”/HN15001]


216 Sweetcornbiofortification–Isa1000%increasepossible?

Dr Tim O’Hare1

1QAAFI University of Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Sweetcornisagooddietarysourceofthecarotenoidpigment‘zeaxanthin’,oneofonlytwocarotenoidsactivelyaccumulatedinthehumanmacula.Zeaxanthinisthoughttoprotectagainstblue-lightoxidationofphotoreceptorcells,thelossofwhichleadstoage-relatedmaculardegeneration,theleadingformofblindnessinindustrialisedcountries.Ashumanscannotsynthesisezeaxanthin,itmustbeobtainedfromourdiet.Althoughsweetcornhasoneofthehighestconcentrationsofzeaxanthin,itisstillwellbelowtheconsensusconcentrationof2mg/person/dayusedforclinicalstudiesorsupplementformulations.Toobtainthisconcentration,apersonwouldhavetoconsumeapproximately4-11cobsperday,whichisclearlyinfeasible.Currently,sweetcorncultivarshaveazeaxanthinconcentrationofapproximately0.2mgper100gkernels.Thiskernelweightisapproximatelyequivalenttoasmallcob,whichcouldbeconsumedaspartofanormalmeal.Thismeans,atenfoldor1000%increaseinzeaxanthinconcentrationwouldbenecessarytoprovideadailydosageof2mgfromasinglecob.Althoughthisincreasecouldbeviewedasextremelychallenging,itwas recently achieved via conventional breedingwith the development of several sweetcorn lineswith greater than 2mgzeaxanthinper100g.Bycombininga2-3foldincreaseintotalcarotenoidproductionwithanincreasedproportionofzeaxanthinfrom20%to70%oftotalcarotenoidspresent,itisnowpossibletoingest2mgofzeaxanthinfromasinglecob,providingoneofthebestsourcesofzeaxanthininourdiet.


217 Highpro-vitaminAbananas–AfirstforAfrica

Prof James Dale1

1Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Micronutrientdeficiencies,oftenknownasthehiddenhunger,areoneofthemostseriousofthepublichealthproblemsintheworld.Vastlydisproportionallyaffectingdevelopingcountries,strategiestoovercomethesedeficienciessuchassupplementsandfoodfortificationhavebeenveryeffectivebutmissmanyofthepoorestofthepoor.Biofortificationisaveryattractivestrategywherestaplecropsaredevelopedwithhigh levelsofspecificmicronutrients. InUgandaandothersurroundingcountries, thelevelsofvitaminAdeficiency (VAD)arehighand increasing.Cookingbananasare themajorstaple foodwithconsumption inUgandamorethan500gperpersonperday.AsacontributiontoalleviatingVADinUgandainitially,QUTjoinedwiththeNationalAgriculturalResearchOrganisationofUgandatodevelopEastAfricanHighlandbananaswithsignificantlyelevatedlevelsofpro-vitaminA(α&β-carotene).ThestrategywastodevelopthetechnologyinAustraliathroughfieldtrialsusingCavendishbananasasthemodelandthentransferthetechnologytoUgandafordeploymentinEastAfricanHighlandbananas.Wehavebeenableto generatebothCavendishandEastAfricanHighlandbananaswithmore than threetimes the target levelofpro-vitaminAbyoverexpressingasinglebananagene,thephytoenesynthase2agenederivedfromAsupina,abanananaturallyveryhighinpro-vitaminA.ThesemodifiedplantsarenowinalineselectiontrialinUgandafromwhichasmallnumberofelitelineswillbeprogressedthroughmulti-locationfieldtrialstoderegulation.


218 Potentialhealthbenefitsofbreedinghighflavonoidapples

Prof Jonathan Hodgson1

1Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia

Flavonoidsarenaturalphytochemicalsthatarecurrentlythefocusofmuchnutritionalandtherapeuticinterest.Dietaryflavonoidscanimprovevascularfunctionandthereismountingevidencethathighflavonoidintakescanprotectagainstheartdisease.Therearemanyhundredsofstructurallydistinctflavonoidspresentinthehumandiet.Thebioactivityofthedifferentclassesofflavonoidsandofflavonoidswithdifferentstructuralcharacteristicscanvarywidely.Thus,themechanismsofactionandtheultimatehealthimpactof specificpolyphenol-rich foodsmayvary.Applesarean importantdietarysourceofflavonoids.Theycontainseveralflavonoids,buttheskinofapplesisparticularlyrichintheflavonoidquercetin.OurresearchprogramaimstosuccessfullyreleasenewAustralian-bredapplevarietieswithenhancedhealthattributes.Akeycomponentofthisresearchprogramisevaluationofthevascularhealthbenefitsofapplesandtheirflavonoids.Inobservationalstudieswehavedemonstratedthatappleintakeisassociatedwithlowerriskofmortalityandlowerriskofsevereatherosclerosis,andthatflavonoidspresentinapplesareassociatedwithlowerriskofcardiovasculardiseaseandall-causemortality.Inhumaninterventionstudieswehaveshownthatconsumptionofapplescanimprovevascularfunction,butthesamebenefitscouldnotbedemonstratedwiththepurifiedflavonoidquercetin.Thesestudiesprovideproofofconceptthatbreedingappleswithhighflavonoidcontentwouldenhancetheirhealthattributes.Thismaybeanimportantcomponentofthemarketsuccessofnewapplevarieties.


219 Notanothertypicalcornytrial:Geneticandagronomiczincbiofortificationofsweetcorn

Mr Zhong Xiang Cheah1,2,DrTimO’Hare2,DrStephenHarper3,DrJitkaKochanek1,DrPeterM.Kopittke1,ProfMichaelBell1,2

1School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University Of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Gatton, Australia, 3Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Gatton, Australia

Zincdeficiencyiswidespreadinagriculturalsoils,resultinginca.30%oftheworld’spopulationbeingconsideredzinc-deficient.Thisdeficiencyisrankedasthefifthleadingcauseofdiseaseinthedevelopingworld,especiallyamongchildren,pregnantwomenandtheelderly.Ithasalsobeenassociatedwithage-relatedmaculardegeneration(AMD),theleadingsourceofblindnessinthedevelopedworld.

Biofortificationhasbeenshowntobe themostcost-effectiveapproachtoaddressingmalnutrition,butzincbiofortificationofmaizeoverthelast15yearshasnotreacheditsfullpotentialasthetoughouterlayer,wherezincisdeposited,isoftenremovedduringprocessingintoflour.Apromisingalternativeissweetcorn,sincetheentirekernelisconsumed,includingthezinc-richouterlayer.Beingoneofthewidelyconsumedfreshvegetablesworldwide,itisacandidateforzincbiofortificationresearch,promisingtodeliverpotentialbenefitsinbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries.

Thisstudyfocusesonzincbiofortificationofsweetcorn,apreviouslyunreportedresearcharea.Inthisresearch,geneticvariationforhighzincuptakeandstorageisbeingquantifiedinbreedingpopulations,withsuitablecandidatesidentifiedaspotentialfutureparentsfortargetedcrosses.Concurrently,researchisalsoexploringagronomicandfertilizerapplicationstrategiesthatmaydeliverelevatedzincconcentrationsincommercialcrops.Earlyresultsindicatethatsweetcornzincconcentrationscouldpotentiallybedoubledoreventripled,enablingsweetcorntocontributealargeproportionoftherecommendeddailyintakeofthisimportantmicronutrient.


220 Aglobalperspectiveontheresponsibleuseofantimicrobialsinveterinarymedicine

Dr Shabbir Simjee1

1Elanco Animal Health, Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Antimicrobialuseinveterinarymedicinehasbecomeanimportantpoliticalissue,especiallyinrelationtothecontributionthatantimicrobialresistancemightplayasignificantrole inhumanmedicineandtheirstrugglestocontaintheirownantimicrobialproblemsinhealthcaresituationssuchasinhospitalsandcarehomes,leadingtocallsatapoliticallevelfornationalactionplanstobedeveloped.TheWHOandOIEhavecreatedcriticallyimportantantibioticlistforhumanmedicineandveterinarymedicine,respectively.RegionalCIAhavebeendevelopedbytheFDAintheUSandEMAintheEU.Withrespecttoveterinarymedicineitcanbeagreedthatantibioticsareanessentialtooltomaintainthehealthofanimalsandmoreimportantlyareneededtomaintainproductionofsafefoodforhumanconsumption.

Antibioticsaretypicallyusedinveterinarymedicineeitherforatherapeuticindicationofdiseasesi.e.fortreatment,controlandpreventionorasagrowthenhancer,alsocalledAGPuse.TherehasbeenmuchdebateovertheAGPuseofantibioticsinveterinarymedicineandtheEU,takingtheprecautionaryprincipleapproach,bannedAGPuseasof1stJanuary2006.Incontrast,basedonscientificriskassessmentsandlearningsfromtheEU,theUSFDAtookamorepragmaticapproachlimitingAGPuseonlytonon-medicallyimportantantibiotics.

This talkwill giveanoverviewof someof the significantglobaldevelopmentswith regards toantimicrobialuse in veterinarymedicineespeciallyrecentdevelopmentsaroundNationalActionPlans,AGP,colistinandzincoxide.


221 AntimicrobialresistancesurveillanceinlivestockinAustralia

Prof Darren Trott1,SAbraham2

1The University of Adelaide, Roseworth, Australia, 2Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia

Australiaisalarge,isolatedislandwithdiverseclimateandgeography,asparsehumanpopulation(22.7million,2.9peopleperkm2withover60%livingincitiesofgreaterthan1millionpeople),significantpopulationsoffood-producinganimals(e.g.74.7millionsheep;28.5millioncattle)andasubstantialmeatexport industry. In linewithrestrictionsonfluoroquinoloneuse inhumans,Australiaistheonlycountrythathaslegalmeasuresinplacetoexcludetheuseoffluoroquinolonesinfood-animalspecies.LabelconstraintsforthirdgenerationcephalosporinuseinAustralianfood-animalsareverystrictbyinternationalcomparison,andtherearenoregisteredproductsforAustralianlivestockthatcontainfourthgenerationcephalosporinsorcolistin.TherealsoarelargedifferencesbetweenAustraliaandothercountrieswithrespecttoanimalproduction(astrongerrelianceonextensiveproductionwithouthousing),quarantinebansontheimportationoffreshmeatandliveanimals,andthefactthatAustraliaisgeographicallyisolatedwithno shared landborders.WhilstAustralia alsodoesnot currentlyhaveanational, federally fundedantimicrobialresistancesurveillanceprogrammefocusedonanimals,anumberofpilotsurveysandfeasibilitystudieshavebeenconductedinrecentyears.Thesestudieshaveconsistentlyconfirmedalowpublichealthriskinthefood-animalsectorrelatedtoresistanceagainstcriticallyimportantdrugssuchasfluoroquinolones.However,therecentemergenceofMDRSalmonellaentericaserotypeTyphimuriumcontainingblaCTX-M-9indairycattleinVictoriaisacauseforconcernandshouldrefocusattentionontheoff-labeluseofceftiofurindairies.


222 AntimicrobialuseandstewardshipinanimalhealthinAustralia

DrLauraY.Hardefeldt1,2,DrHelenBillman-Jacobe1,2,ProfJamesR.Gilkerson1,DrKirstenE.Bailey1,2,Prof Glenn F. Browning1,2

1Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 2National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

CurrentunderstandingofpatternsofantimicrobialuseinanimalhealthinAustraliaisrestrictedto5yearlycompilationsofimportdata. Thesedata provide little information about thefinal patterns of useof these antimicrobials, andno information aboutthe indications underlying their administration to animals.Withoutmoredetailed information it is very difficult to judge theappropriatenessofantimicrobialuseinanimalhealthandimpossibletotargetmeasurestoimproveantimicrobialstewardship.Wehavefocussedondevelopingtoolsforimprovingantimicrobialstewardshipinanimalhealthbyinitiallysurveyingveterinarypractitionersabouttheirapproachtoprophylacticadministrationofantimicrobials,andthebarrierstoandenablersofimprovedantimicrobialstewardship.Wehavedevelopedapilottoolforgatheringdataontheindicationsunderlyingprescribingandarecurrentlytriallingitsuseinthefield.Oneofthebarrierswehaveidentifiedisthereadyavailabilityoftoolsforpromotingpracticeantimicrobialusepolicies.Tofacilitatethiswehavegeneratedantimicrobialuseguidelinesandpolicypostersinformatssuitableforuseinpractice.Ongoingdevelopmentoftoolsforpromotinggoodantimicrobialstewardshipandformonitoringpatternsofantimicrobialusetoassesstheeffectsofstewardshipmeasureswillbeneededtoassureconsumers,tradepartners,regulatorsandthegeneralpublicthattheuseofantimicrobialdrugsinAustralianagricultureisappropriate.


223 Caeci Caecos Ducentes

Dr Pat Blackall1

1QAAFI, UQ, Brisbane, Australia

Thetitleofthispresentationisarecognitionofthepriorpublicationsofhighprofilemicrobiologists–oneaclinicalmicrobiologist(DavidGreenwood-Invitroveritas?1980JInfDis144:380-385)andtheothertwoveterinarymicrobiologists(JohnWoolcockandMalMutimer-Caeci caecos ducentes?1983VetRec113:125-128).Bothpublicationsquestionedtheroleandreliabilityofinvitroantimicrobialsensitivitytesting–onefromahumanmedicineviewandtheotherfromtheveterinaryview.DavidGreenwoodpresentedanargumentthatroutineantimicrobialsensitivitytestingintheclinicallaboratorieswasawasteofresources–arguingthatfocussedtestingonlywhenjustifiedbytheindividualsituation(seriousandorproblematicinfections)shouldbethenorm.JohnWoolcockandMalMutimerarguedthattheveterinarysituationwasdifferentasseriousillnessandproblematicinfectionsarenotamajorfeatureoftheveterinaryscene.However,theyarguedthatthereweremajorlimitationstotheinterpretationofantimicrobialsensitivitytestingintheveterinarydiagnosticsetting.Theyarguedthatboththelaboratorystaffandtheveterinarianusing the resultsneed tohaveamuchgreaterawarenessof these limitsof invitro testing.This talkwill lookatwhether theintervening30yearsofresearchandstandardizationhavealteredthesituationforveterinarydiagnosticlaboratories.


224 Moleculardetectionoftetracyclineresistancegenesinsalmonellaisolatedfromporkandpoultryegg

Paul Blanca Gaban1

PhilippineCarabaoCentre,Phillipines

Tetracyclineresistanceinbacteriaisaseriousissueworldwideduetothefrequentuseoftetracyclineforprophylaxisandgrowthpromotion,aside fromdisease treatmentandpreventionamong livestockanimals.Thus, thepresent study is focusedon thedetectionoftetracyclineresistancedeterminants(tetA,tetB,tetG)onidentifiedSalmonellaisolatesfromfourmunicipalitiesofNuevaEcija,PhilippinesusingaPCR-basedprotocol.

240eggsand180freshporkcutswereboughtfromdifferentwetmarketsin10municipalitiesoftheprovinceofNuevaEcija,Philippines.Allthesampleswereculturedinnon-selectiveenrichmentmediumandselectivemediumforSalmonellabacterialcultureandisolation.IsolatedcoloniesweresubjectedtocolonyPCRtargetingtheconservedinvAgeneofSalmonellaspp.Only13isolatesfromthealbuminsamplesand18isolatesfromtheporksamplesshowedtheexpected219bpampliconsize.DNAsequenceidentifiedtwoSalmonellaspecieswith99%identity,thesewereSalmonellaentericaserovarenteriditisandSalmonellaentericaserovartyphimurium.

41.67%ofalbuminisolatesfromGuimbawerepositivetotetBand8.33%arepositivetotetA.Ontheotherhand,amongtheporksamplesfromCabanatuanCity,TalaveraandSanJoseCity5%werepositivetotetAand0.91%waspositivetotetB.However,tetGwasnotdetectedamongalltheisolates.Thus,theprotocolusedwasabletodetectthepresenceoftetracyclineresistancegenes.However,alargerstudyareaincludingallthemunicipalitiesinNuevaEcijaisrecommendedforamoreintensivesurveillanceoftetracyclineresistanceintheprovince.


225 Assessing the role of public institutions in facilitating an inclusive globalvaluechain:AcomparativeanalysisofthenaturalrubberindustryinSouthandSoutheastAsia

DrAmmarAbdulAziz1,Muhammad Fadzli Ali1

1University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia

Engagement with an inclusive agricultural commodity chain has been shown to play a crucial role in improving smallholderlivelihoodsandpromotingruraleconomicdevelopment.Whiletheproductionofmanyagriculturalcommoditiesbenefitsfromprivateagribusinessfirms facilitating the inclusionof smallholders throughcontributionssuchas technology, capital,markets,labour, and knowledge, the natural rubber industry is primarily reliant on national policies andpublic institutions to supportrubbersmallholders.This ismainlyduetothelackof incentivefortheinvolvementofprivateagribusinessfirms.Smallholdersaccountformorethan90%ofglobalnaturalrubbersupply.Therefore,effectivesmallholder-orientedpoliciesareessentialforasustainablerubberindustry.Inthispaperweanalysetherolesofresearchorganisations,extensionserviceproviders,andsupportmechanismsforreplantinginimprovingtheintegrationofsmallholdersintheglobalvaluechain.WeexaminethenaturalrubberindustryinThailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,andIndiatocomparetheimpactofthesepublicinstitutionsontheproductionefficiencyof thesmallholdersectorandthe improvementof rural livelihoods.Thedataandanalysisarederived fromongoingresearchandsecondarysources.Thecomparisonof the fourproducingcountrieshighlights theachievementsandchallengesof theseorganisationsinensuringasustainablesmallholder-basedrubberindustry.Theanalysisconfirmstheeffectiveroleofgovernmentpolicies in spearheading research anddevelopment and facilitating the effective transfer of technology. Theproductivity andprofitabilityofthesmallholdersectorisheavilydependentonthesupportsystemsavailablethroughthesepublicinstitutions.


226 SmallholderparticipationinthepalmoilvaluechaininMalaysia,Indonesia,andThailand

Prof Rob Cramb1

1University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

Thelongboomintropicaloilcropshasgeneratedmajoreconomic,social,andenvironmentalchangeinproducingcountries.OilpalmproductionhasbeenatthecentreofthischangeinSoutheastAsia,wherethereison-goingconflictanddebateregardingthemeritsoflarge-scalecorporateproductionsystemsversusthedevelopmentalbenefitsofencouragingsmall-andmedium-scaleholdings.ThethreemajorSoutheastAsianproducers–Indonesia,Malaysia,andThailand–havepursuedcontrastingapproachestothisissue,withsignificantimpactsonthedegreeofsmallholderparticipationinthepalmoilvaluechain.InthispaperIreviewthedebate about themerits andmodesof supporting smallholderoil palmand compare the relationsbetween smallholderoilpalmproducersandothervalue-chainactorsunderthethreedifferentpolicyregimes. Ialsoexaminethepotentialforandconstraintstosmallholderparticipationinglobalcertificationschemesdesignedtoensuresustainablepalmoilproduction.Iusethisstudytosuggestageneralframeworkforthestudyofsmallholderengagementinglobalvaluechains.


227 Developingvalue-chainlinkagestoimprovesmallholdercassavaproductioninSoutheastAsia

Dr Dominic Smith1,DrJonathanNewby1,2,ProfessorRobCramb1

1University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Vientiane, Lao PDR

The recentboom inglobalmarkets for cassavahas created livelihoodopportunities formany smallholders in SoutheastAsia.Researchhasgeneratedanabundanceoftechnologiesthatcouldenhancetheproductivityandsustainabilityofthesecassavaproducers.Whilenationalgovernmentpolicieshavenotprioritisedthedisseminationofthesetechnologies,wehypothesisethat,inparticularcontexts,private-sectorvalue-chainactorshaveincentivestoinvestinthepromotionofsuitablevarieties,fertiliserregimes,pestcontrol,andotherproductionpractices. Inothercontextsthereis little incentiveforprivate-sector involvement,andsupportfrompublic-sectorornon-governmentactorswillberequired.Inthispaperweprovideanoverviewofsmallholdercassavaproductionintheregionandthedriversbehindtherecentboom.Wethenpresentaframeworktoanalysetheincentivesforprivatevalue-chainactorstoinvestinthepromotionofdifferenttechnologies,takingintoaccount(1)thecharacteristicsofthetechnology,(2)thenatureoftheproductionsystem,and(3)thefeaturesofthevaluechain,includingtheabilityofagribusinessactors to capture thebenefitsof any investment in technologydissemination.We test this framework throughapreliminaryanalysis of three contrasting case studies: (1) a value chain centredon a large starch factorywith awide catchment areaofsmallholdersuppliersinDaklakProvince,Vietnam;(2)across-bordervaluechainlinkingsmallholdersinKratieProvince,Cambodia,tostarchfactoriesinVietnam;and(3)alocalvaluechainforcassavaasafoodcropinNusaTenggaraTimurProvince,Indonesia.


228 Theeconomicsofsmall-holdercattleproductionandmarketinginEasternIndonesia

Dr Scott Waldron1

1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

The“InternationalLivestockRevolution”literaturehasoverthelast30yearsforecastanddocumentedthedemand-ledgrowthof the livestock sector in thedevelopingworld.There isparticular interest in the implications for small-holderswhostand tobenefitfromnewmarkets,butwhocanalsobecrowdedoutbycommercialoperatorsandimports.Theparticipationofsmall-holdersisdeterminedbybiological,cost,policy,andotherfactors,whichvaryenormouslybetweenindustries,industrysegments,andregions.Thispaperexaminesthebeef industryofChinaandSoutheastAsia,whichcomprisesupto20millionhouseholdcattleproducers,traders,butchers,andbeefretailers.Basedonasegmentedindustryframeworkandmeso-levelindustrydata,thepaperdocuments themultiple trajectoriesof small-holders in the regionalbeef industry in aneraofbuoyantpricesandconstrainedsupply.Small-holdersthroughouttheregionhaverespondedbysellingbreedingstock;someentrepreneurialfarmershave“steppedup”intothespecialisedfatteningsector;whilemillionsinChinahave“steppedout”oftheindustrytopursuemorelucrativeactivities.Inareaswithlargecattleimportsandfeedlots(IndonesiaandVietnam),modernvaluechainsoperatealongsideorincorporatesmallactorsincludingbutchersandretailers.Evenwiththesechanges,thebeefindustryremainsdominatedbyhouseholdsoperatinginefficient,low-cost,genericbeefchains.Theongoingparticipationofsmall-holdersinthebeefindustryhardlyprovidesapathwaytoprosperity,butneitheraretheybeingsqueezed.Theindustryhasprovenmoreresistanttochangethanotherlivestocksectors,wherearevolutionmaybemoreapparent.


229 HowdoesparticipatinginaninclusiveglobalvaluechainimpactsmallholdercoffeeproducersinIndonesia?

Mrs Yanti Muflikh1,2,MrAmmarAziz1,MrNunungKusnadi2

1School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia

Indonesiaistheworld’sthirdlargestcoffee-producingcountryandthefourthlargestcoffeeexporter.Morethan90percentofcoffeeproducersinthecountryaresmallholdersandsomeofthemengageintheglobalvaluechainthroughaninclusivebusinessmodeldevelopedbyagribusinessfirms(exportersandprocessors).Weaimtoassesstheimpactonsmallholderswhoparticipateinthisinclusiveglobalvaluechain.Weaddresstwokeyresearchquestions:Whatarethecontributionsoflargeagribusinessfirmstosmallholdercoffeeproduction?Havethecontributionsmadeabeneficialimpactonparticipatingsmallholders?Thestudyisbasedonsemi-structuredinterviewswith70coffeefarmersinLampungProvinceandin-depthinterviewswithotherkeyactorsinthevaluechain.Theresultsshowthatinaninclusivecoffeevaluechain,agribusinessfirmsplayedasignificantroleinimprovingtheproductionandmarketingofthecrop.Whileindependentfarmershadmorefreedomtoselltheirproductsbasedonthemarketprice,farmerswhoactivelyengagedwithagribusinessfirmsthroughthefacilitiesandservicestheyprovidedgainedincreasedeconomicbenefits,suchasapricepremium,andnon-economicbenefits,suchasproductionknowledgeandskills,translatingintogoodagriculturalpractices.Participationalsopromotedsocialbondswithinfarmergroupsandbetweengroupsandcompanyagents.Recommendationstofurtherimprovetheoutcomesoftheinclusivebusinessmodelarealsodiscussed.

Keywords:livelihoodsofsmallfarmers,coffeevaluechain,globalizationofmarkets


230 Integratingsmall-scalevegetablefarmerstobetteraccesshighendmarketinDili:ThecaseofJosephinaFarmswithcontractfarming

Dr Vicente Correia1

1National Center for Scientific Research, National University of Timor Leste (untl), Dili, Timor-leste

Increasingparticipationofsmallfarmersintohighervaluemarketshasbeenrecognizedbygovernmentsandinternationalagenciesasanimportantfactorforeconomicdevelopmentandpovertyreductioninmanydevelopingcountries.Accesstomarketforsmallfarmersisimportantasthiscanenhanceagriculture-basedeconomicgrowthandincreaseruralincomes.Theobjectiveofstudyistoexaminehowvegetablefarmersarelinktothehighendmarketthroughcontractfarming.ThesiteofthestudyisMaubisseandErmeraandrespondentsarethosefarmersengageinthecontractingarrangementwithJosephinaFarmsandbuyersinDili.Datagatheringmethodsincludeface-to-faceinterviews,RRA,desktopresearchofcurrentandrelatedliterature.Dataanalysisappliedwasqualitativeandquantitativeanalysisincludingcasestudyandvaluechainanalysis.Theresultofthestudyshowsbyinvolvinginthecontractfarmingfarmerscanincreasedtheirproductionandproductivityoftheircrops,theriskfacedinproductionandmarketingisreduced,betteraccesstohighendmarketinDili,betteraccesstoinputsandassistanceandfinallyreceiveregularweeklycashpayment.Thestudyisalsorevealfromvegetableproductionalonecanofferasignificantimprovementinincomeperfarmhouseholdinthestudyarea.Thisisreallyimportantasthemajorityoffarmersarefacinganumberofproblemsandchallenges includingthefarmsitethat is isolated,thesizeoffarmwhich issmallandtherearedifficulties insustainingfamilyincomefromothercrops.

Keywords:Marketing,contractfarming,income,productivity


232 Thedevelopingofgenotypinganditsfuture

Prof Robert Henry1


Understandingandimprovingagriculturalspeciesdependsupontheavailabilityofgenotypingtechniques.Advancesinmoleculartechnologies have facilitated the continual development of faster and cheaper genotyping techniques. The progression oftechniquesfromhybridizationtoPCRbasedtosequencingbasedmethodscanbetracked.Theultimategenotypeisthewholegenomesequenceforthenuclearandorganellargenomes.Thecompletemethylomedefiningtheexactmethylationstatusofthegenomeisalsonowpossible.Assequencingcostsreduceandaccuracyimprovesthisbecomesthepreferredoption,firstforspecieswithsmallgenomesand thenextending to largergenomesas the technology improves. Wholechloroplastgenomessequencesarenowapracticaloptionforroutinebarcodingofplants.BecausethechloroplastispresentinthecellinveryhighcopynumberthesequencecanbeobtainedathighqualityfromlowpasssequencingoftotalDNAfromthesample.Cropswithsmallwellcharacterizedgenomessuchasricearenowcandidatesforre-sequencingasamethodofnucleargenomegenotyping.Sequencing toaround10Xallowsvariant callingover thewholegenomewith littlemissingdataandprovidesan increasinglyattractivegenotypingapproach.Forlargergenomesenrichment(toremoverepetitiveelements)ortargetingofthesequencingisrequiredtoreducecostsbutitseemsonlyamatteroftimeuntilthiswillnolongerbenecessary.


233 Automatedphenotypingandanalytics

Dr Michael Schaefer1

1CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, Australia

Plant Phenotyping is key to understanding the physiological and genetic bases of plant growth and performance and theirapplicationforcropimprovement.InAustraliawithintheAustralianPlantPhenomicsFacility(APPF),toincreaseourcapacityformeasuringplanttraits,arangeofhigh-throughputphenotypingplatformshavebeenengineered.Thesephenotypingplatformsrangefromautomatedsystemsincontrolledenvironmentstoground-basedoraerialvehicles(mannedorunmanned)inthefield.Theseplatformsofferarangeofsensorsthattheyintegrate,rangingfromvisibleimagingsensors(RGB)toimagingspectroscopysensorsorfromthermalinfrared(IR)sensorstoLightDetectionandRanging(LiDAR)sensors.Theavailabilityofandaccesstotheseplatformsforresearchersandindustryalikeistransformingphenotypingatscalesrangingfromindividualplotsforbreedingandphysiologicalstudiesthroughtoentirefarms.

For analysis of the vast array of high-throughput phenotyping data, the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility’s collaborativee-infrastructureplatformphenoSMARTÒisbeingutilised.Thisplatformallowstheusertoeasilyextractrealinformationandvaluefromthedatacollectedusingphenotypingtools.TheplatformalsoservesasabasetoallowcomputationaltoolsdevelopedbyotherresearchgroupsacrossAustraliatobecomeavailabletoothersand/ortheAgro-businesssector.ôø


234 Statisticalperspectives in theeraofBigData:Candeadfish readhumanminds?

Alison Kelly1

1Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Leslie Research Facility, Toowoomba, Australia

Whilemathematicalthinkinghasevolvedsinceancienttimes,thetheoryofstatisticsappliedinthescientificreasoningprocesshas only become establishedover the past century. The science of biometrics had its beginnings in agricultural research atRothamstedResearchStationintheUnitedKingdom,throughtheworkofRAFisher(1920). Thenewdisciplinearoseasfieldscientistsandgeneticistsgrappledwithdeterminingcauseandeffectrelationshipsinthebackgroundofvariationthatisinherentinagriculturalresearch.Overacenturylaterwecannowquestionandreviewthechangingroleofstatisticsintheeraofbigdata.

Theprinciplesof causeandeffectwillbeexploredbydissectinga studyonneuro-imagingof atlantic salmon (Bennettetal.,2009).Theexperimentexposed(dead)atlanticsalmontodifferentfacialexpressionsinhumansandmeasuredchangesinneuro-functioninginresponsetohumanemotion.Theresultsarefascinating,andprovideanidealbasisforexploringtheroleofstatisticsintheworldofbigdata.Thestudydemonstratesthedangerofusingblack-boxstatisticalapproachestomulti-variateimagingdatawithoutanunderstandingofstatisticaltheoryandreasoning.Moreimportantly,itreinforcestheneedforsoundscientificprocessthroughformingaresearchhypothesisanddevisinganexperimentaldesigntoensurevalidscientificfindings,andhencerobustconclusionsfromresearch.


235 Phenotypic prediction augmented through crop model-whole genomeprediction:ApplicationtoARGOS8

Dr Charlie Messina1,DrTomTang1,MrsCarlaGho2,DrRandyClark1,DrBelayKassie1,DrMarkCooper3

1Dupont Pioneer, Johnston, United States, 2Dupont Pioneer, Viluco, Chile, 3Zenrun42 Inc, Johnston, United States

Phenotypic prediction accuracy for yield is limited in agricultural systems where Genotype-by-Environment-by-Management(G×E×M) interactions are ubiquitous. Recent advances in fusing crop growthmodels (CGMs) and whole genome prediction(WGP)methodscreatedopportunities to improvepredictionaccuracyof cropping systems response togenetic,managementandenvironmentalchange.WedemonstratethemethodologywithfocusonthedevelopmentofasuitableCGMthatenablesestablishingtheproper linkwithquantitativegeneticmodels, forARGOS8,atransgenethatcan improvedroughttolerance inmaize.


236 Biotechnologiesandthefutureofplantimprovement

Prof Jimmy Botella1

1University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Shortageofmany‘important’humannecessitiessuchascars,mobilephonesorPlayStationsareunlikelytostartarevolution,but lack of foodwill surely do the trick. There are 7.5 billion people living in this planet andpopulation keeps growing fast.Unfortunatelythegoodoldtimeswhenincreasingagriculturalproductionwasjustacaseofsowingmorewheatfieldsorraisingmorecattlearefargoneaswearerunningoutoflandandwater.WeneedtoproducemorewhilstusinglessearthresourcesandwhilethegreenrevolutionledbyDrNormanBorlauginthe1950’sachievedanunprecedentedincreaseinproductivitywehavenowachievedayieldplateauinwhichevensmallimprovementsaredifficult.Biotechnologycanprovideanew,andsofarrelativelyunexploited,setoftoolstoaccelerateagriculturalimprovement.Biotechnologicalmethodsallowtobreakthespeciesbarrierandtransferusefulgenesbetweendifferentcrops.Diseaseandinsectresistancegenescannowbeincorporatedintocropsinwhichtheydon’tnaturallyexistwhiledroughttolerancetraitscanbetransferredfromdryenvironmentplantstowaterthirstycrops.TheadventofnewtechnologiessuchasnextgenerationsequencingandprecisegeneeditingbyCRISPRarespearheadinganewbiotechrevolutionprovidingmoredatathatscientistscaneasilydigestandallowingprecisegenomeengineeringinawaythatwasunthinkablejust5yearsago.Newdisciplinessuchasnanotechnologyarecomplementingandpotentiatingthebiotechpossibilitieswiththecreationofnewmaterialsandnewapplications.


237 Biofutures–Opportunitiesforagricultureinbiobasedfuelsandbioproducts

Prof Ian O’Hara1,2

1QUT, Brisbane, Australia, 2Queensland Government Department of State Development, Brisbane, Australia

Theproductionofbiobased fuelsandproductsoffers significantopportunities foragriculture to increaseprofitability throughrevenuediversificationandaddingvaluetowastesandcoproducts.Thedevelopmentofnewbiobasedproduct industrieswillcreatejobsinruralandregionalQueensland.

In2016, theQueenslandGovernmentdevelopedaRoadmapandActionPlanfor thedevelopmentof theBiofutures industry.TheRoadmapandActionPlanidentifiesthevisionofa$1billionsustainableandexport-orientedindustrialbiotechnologysectorattractinginternationalinvestmentandcreatingthousandsofregional,highvalueandknowledgeintensivejobsby2025.

Supporting this roadmap and action, plan, the Queensland Government committed almost $20 million over three years tostimulating the industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector. This paper will explore the current status of the BiofuturesindustryinQueenslandanddescribeprogressinthedevelopmentofthesector.


238 Discovery,evaluationandmanufactureofnewlivestockfeedsupplements

Assoc Prof Robert Speight1

1QUT, Brisbane, Australia

Animalfeedtypicallycontainsavarietyofdifferenttypesofsupplementstohelplivestockdigestthefeedandremainhealthy.Thesesupplementsincludeprobioticsanddigestiveenzymes.Probioticsarelivemicrobialcellsthatcanenhancethehealthandperformanceofananimalandenzymesareaddedtohelpbreakdownfeedtoreleaseextraenergyandnutrients.Thediscovery,evaluationanddevelopmentofnewprobioticandenzymesupplementswillbediscussed,particularlyforinclusioninfeedsbasedonlow-costfibrousingredientssuchassugarcanebagasse.Themicrobesthatnaturallyexistandthriveindistinctenvironmentalnichesinsugarcanebagassestockpilesmayhaveadaptedtothismaterial.Eachnichecontainsmicrobeswithdistinctcharacteristicsandenzymesforsurvivingineachenvironment.Thesemicrobesarethusapotentialresourceforthediscoveryoffeedsupplements.

Forsupplementstobecommerciallysuccessfultheymustbemanufacturedeconomically,beproventodeliverlivestockbenefitsandbeapprovedintargetgeographicalareasandforspecificlivestockmarkets.Anewcollaborativeprojectwillalsobepresentedthat isaimingto increasethespeed,efficiencyandreliabilityofnewsupplementdiscoverycommercialisationfromthe labtothemarket.Theprojectiscloselyintegratingfermentationprocessdevelopmentwithlivestocktrialstoenablerapidinformationfeedbackforimprovedsupplementdiscovery,designandmanufactureandtoacceleratethepathtocommercialproducts.


239 Biogasproductionfromenergycropsandagriculturalresidues

Dr Prasad Kaparaju1

1Griffith University, Nathan, Australia

Lignocellulosic biomass such as energy crops and agricultural crop residues are ideal substrates for biogas production. It isanticipatedthattheuseoflignocellulosicbiomasswillincreaseinthenearfuture.Thus,identificationofidealgenotypes,amongotherthingsoptimumstorageandpretreatmenttechnologiesshouldbedeveloped.Inthisstudy,anoverviewofuseofenergymaizeassubstratesforbiogasproductionandtheeffectofdifferentpretreatmentsonenergymaizeand/oragriculturalresiduessuchasenergymaize,sugarcanebagasse,sunflowerstalksand/orsorghumtoimprovethebiogasyieldispresented.Atfirst,theeffectofensilationonthechemicalcompositionandmethaneyieldsofenergymaizeispresented.Later,theeffectofhydrothermalpretreatmentonchemicalcompositionandmethaneyieldsfromthepretreatedmaizesilageisalsopresented.Similarly,theeffectofdifferentchemicaland/orhydrothermalpretreatmentsonchemicalcompositionandmethaneyields fromagriculturalcropresiduessuchassunflowerstalks,sugarcanebagasseandsorghumstalkispresented.Theresultsshowedthatthemethaneyieldsfrommaizesilageswerecomparabletothatoffreshenergymaizesuggestingthatensilationcouldimprovethestorageofenergycropsforyearroundfeedstocksupply.Similarly,pretreatmentofagriculturalcropresidueswasfoundtobeessentialformostofthelignocellulosicbiomasstoimprovethemethaneyields.However,thedosageanddurationofthepretreatmentneedstobeoptimizedinordertopreventinhibitionduetotheintermediatedegradationcompoundssuchasfuransandcarboxylicacids.


240 Convertingagriculturalwastesintovaluableproducts

Dr Paul Jensen1


Agricultural industriesareamongthe largest landusersandwaterconsumerswithinAustralia;andgenerate largevolumesofwastewaterandsolidwasterichinorganiccontaminants,nutrientsandmetals.ManagementofthesewastesisasignificantcostexceedingAUD$200Mperyearintheanimalindustriesalone.However,recentadvancesinprocessdesignandenvironmentalbiotechnologyarecreatingsignificantopportunities to reducewateruse, recover resourcesanddevelopnewandsustainablevalue-addproducts.

Traditionalwaste-to-energytechnologies,suchasanaerobicdigestionandbiogasproductionarecommerciallyadvanced.WhileADisaneffectivetechnologytooffsetfossilenergyandreducegreenhouseemissions,manyagriculturalwasteshavemoderatetopoorbiodegradabilityandthereforeanaerobicdigestionprocessesutilizeonlysomeofthecarbonavailableintheagriculturalwastes.ADprocessescanalsobeausefulmethodtomobilisenutrientsfordownstreamcapture,howeveradditionaltechnologiesaregenerallyrequiredtorealisethevalueofthesecomponents.

Rapidadvancesinbiotechnologyarecreatingarangeofother‘waste-to-value’optionswithhigherrevenuepotentialthatutiliseabroaderfractionofthewaste(thatincludescarbonintheformofprotein,fats,starch,lignocellulose,bioplastics,biocomposites,carbondioxideandmethane;andnutrientssuchasnitrogenouscompounds,phosphate,vitamins,aminoacidsandtraceelementssuchasmetal ions).Thesenewtechnologies,andthediverseproducts theyproducecreatecompetition for thebio-chemicalcomponentsofwastestreams.However,notallwastesareequal.Carefultechnologyselectionandapplicationofnoveltechnologycombinationsisincreasinglyrequiredtomaximisecommercialvaluefromwastes.


241 Cellulose nanofibres from spinifex arid grasses: “Unique properties andapplicationsunderdevelopment”

Prof Darren Martin1

1The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Werecentlydiscoveredthatauniquetypeofcellulosenanofibrecanbecost-effectivelyproducedfromendemicAustralianspinifexgrassesfromtheTriodiagenus.Thesefascinatingextremophilegrasses,withover20millionyearsofevolution,havepresenteduswithamostuniquesourcefornanocellulose.Ourfibrillationprocessinvolvesamildpulpingprocedurefollowedbyeitheralowmechanicalenergytreatmentoramildsulfuricacidhydrolysis.Wehavedemonstratedthatahighcontentofresidualhemicelluloseandlignininbleachedandunbleachedpulpresultsinsuperiorcellwalldeconstruction,andconsequently,theproductionoflongerandmore flexible nanofibres.When benchmarked against the other leading academic and commercially availablematerials,spinifex nanofibres have the highest aspect ratio compared against nanofibres obtained through themechanical or chemicaltreatmentsoftheothersourcesofcellulose.Thisnoveltymeansthatourmethodoffibrillation,andmoreimportantly,thissourceofcellulosehavethepotentialtodirectlyaddressthecurrenttechnologicalbottlenecksthathavesofarlimitedthewidespreadtranslationofnanocellulosetechnology intomoreapplications.Thispresentationwillgiveanoverviewofourteam’sresearchandtechnologydevelopmentactivitiesincludingspinifexnanofibreproduction,andapplicationsincludingultrathincondomsandgloves,polymercomposites,enhancedrecycledpaperandboardproductsandrigidpolyurethaneinsulationfoams.Itwillalsointroducea landmarkumbrellaagreementandcommercialpartnershipbetweenTheUniversityofQueensland (UQ)andThelndjalandji-Dhidhanutraditionalownergroup,whichprovidesaframeworkaccommodatingsharedfuturecommercialbenefitsandIndigenouseconomicdevelopmentfromthegeneratedIP.


242 Brassica carinata:Theskyisthelimit

Dr Anthony van Herwaarden1, Dr Christopher Lambrides1,MrHank Krakowski2, DrDarylMales2, Dr Rick Bennett2, Dr PhillipSalisbury3,MrTrentPotter4

1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2Agrisoma Biosciences Inc., Gatineau, Canada, 3The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 4Yerunga Crop Research, Naracoorte, Australia

Thecurrentglobaljetfuelconsumptionis300billionlitresannuallyandexpectedtogrowto500billionlitresannuallyby2030.Theaviation industryhascommittedtoacarbonneutral futuretargetinga50%reduction inCO₂by2050.Whilebiofuelsarecurrentlymandatedin62countriesaroundtheworld,anddemandforrenewabledieselandjetfuelsisthemostrapidlygrowingsegmentoftherenewablefuelsindustry,the‘biojet’componenthasapproximately100billionlitresofdemandthatiscurrentlynotbeingmet.

BiojetfuelsproducedfromCarinata(Brassica carinata)oilhavealreadybeenusedsuccessfullyinbothcommercialandengineeringflights,includingtheworld’sfirst100%biojetfueledflight.Todaymanyflightsarepoweredbybiojetfuels.With40%erucicacidcontent,Carinataoffersmanufacturersmoreefficientconversionintobiojetfuelwithreducedamountsofsecondaryproductscompared toother industrialoilseedsandbio-wastestreams.CommercialCarinataoperationsareestablishedon threeothercontinentssothisprojectfocusesongeneticselection,adoptionandscale-upwithintheQueenslandagriculturalenvironment.

Carinataisreputedlytolerantofheatanddroughtwhichmeansitcanbegrownonsomeofthemostchallengingfarmlandwherewinter-broadleafcropoptionsare limited.Wewillpresent results fromourfieldworkselectingadapted lineswith thecorrectphenologyforAustralianenvironmentsandeffortstowardsintroductionandscale-upofarenewableandsustainablesourceofhighqualityoilforbio-fuels,feedstockforbio-plasticsandtheremaininghigh-proteinmealusedinformulationofanimalrations.


243 Expectedmarketopportunitiesanddemandprofilesfortropicalpulsesto2022

Mr Peter Wilson1

1Agt Foods Australia, Toowoomba, Australia

TropAG2017 affords the pulse industry in tropical Australia, an opportunity to consider research anddevelopment resourcesavailable,andconsiderthebestmeanstodeploythesefundsandinitiatives.We’lldiscussdesichickpeas,fababeans,mungbeansandthefuturefoundinpigeonpeasorToorintothefuture;plusopportunitiesforlocalprocessingandvalueaddition.

Thebiggameintown,fortheforeseeablefuture,willbedesichickpeas.Intermsofgrowingseason,it,alongwithfababeansbenefitgreatlyfromtropicalmoistureoverthesummermonths. Desichickpeashaveestablishedthemselvesasthe“anchor”ofthenorthernAustralianpulseindustry.Producingaround2milliontonnesduring2016/2017season,demonstratedthatdesichickpeasaredeliveringfarmprofitabilityandrotationalsustainability.

Fababeansprovidesignificantbenefittoagronomicrotations;marketedtodifferentendconsumers,thusdeliveringcapacityforfarmerstomanagemarketexposureandprovideagronomicflexibilityregardingseedingtimeandharvesting,etc.NotwithstandingcurrentdifficultiesinEgypt,marketsforsplitfababeansandwholebeanswithinthesnackfoodsectorcontinuetogrow.

Mungbeansdeliveragenuinegrossmarginandrotationalchoicefornorthernfarmers.Australianmungbeanshavewideacceptanceintobothbulkandrefinedendmarketconsumers.Frommanufacturingmungdhalthroughtosproutingdemand,mungbeansseemdestinedtogrowininfluenceintothefuture.

PigeonPeashaveopportunitytodevelopintoasecondoptionforfarmersintropicalAustralia,tappingintowell-establishedandlargemarketsintheIndiansub-continentandpartsofAfricaandAsiaintothefuture.


244 Sustainabilityandprofitdriversfortropicalpulses insustainablecroppingsystems

Prof Michael Bell1

1University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Gatton, 4343, Australia

Tropicalpulsescanmakeasignificantcontributiontotheproductivityofcroppingsystemsinthetropicsandsubtropics,withtheirgeneralunderrepresentationinbothintensiveandextensivecroprotationscontributingtotheemergenceofagrowingnumberofchallengestobothsustainabilityandprofitability.Theseincludeagrowingrelianceonincreasinglyexpensiveexternalsourcesofnutrientstobalanceremovalinharvestedproduce,developmentofasuiteofspecificandnon-specificsoil-bornepathogensthatlimitgraincropproductivityandthedevelopmentofweedresistancetoanumberofimportantherbicidemodesofaction.

Pulsesofferamorediverseandinsomecasesveryeffectivesolutiontosomeoftheseissues.Theyallowfocusonnon-nitrogenousnutrientinputsduringatleastpartofthecroprotation,canprovideanon-hostformajorsoil-bornecerealpathogensandprovideanopportunitytorotateherbicidemodesofaction.However,thediversityandrelativelysmallscaleofthevarioustropicalpulseindustrieshasledtoalackofintensiveresearcheffortonmanyspecies.Thishasledtodeploymentoflesswelladaptedgenotypesoronesthatarelesseffectiveindeliveringsystemsbenefits,contributingtoperceptionsthatpulsecropscanbe‘risky’togrowandnotveryeffectiverotationoptions.Anintensifiedresearchefforttounderstandthenuancesofchoiceofdifferenttropicalpulsespeciesandgenotypesonaddressingthevariouscroppingsystemschallengesisneeded,aswellasimprovingtherobustnessoftropicalpulseperformanceinresponsetocontrastingsoilandclimaticchallenges.


245 Breedingstrategiestounlockgeneticpotentialofpulses

Dr Pooran M Gaur1

1International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India

Pulsesaregloballygrowninabout85millionhaandplayanimportantroleinhumannutritionandsustainabilityofthecroppingsystemproductivity.Oneofthemajorachievementsinpulsesimprovementisthedevelopmentofearlymaturingvarieties,whichhashelpedinexpandingcultivationofpulsestonewnichesandcroppingsystems.Therehasbeenaslowprogressinimprovingproductivityofpulses.Concertedeffortsareneededonrestructuringtheplanttypeinpulsesforbringingabreakthroughintheproductivity.Pigeonpeaistheonlypulsecropwheredevelopmentofcommercialhybridshasbeenpossible.Thesehybridshavegiven25to40%higheryieldthanthevarietiesatfarmers’fields.EffortsarebeingmadetodiversifythesourcesofCMSsystemsinpigeonpeaanddevelophybridsindifferentmaturitygroups.Thegeneticvariabilityavailableinthegermplasm,particularlyinwildspecies,ofpulsesshouldbeexploitedforbroadeningthegeneticbaseofvarietiesandintrogressingusefultraits,suchasresistancetoinsect-pestsanddiseases.Novelbreedingapproaches,suchasmulti-parentadvancedgenerationinter-cross(MAGIC),canbeusedforenhancinggeneticrecombination.Therehasbeenarapidprogressindevelopmentoflowcostgenotypingplatformsandgenomicresourcesforpulsesintherecentyears.Integratedbreedinginvolvinggenomicapproachesneedstobeusedforhigherprecisionandefficiencyofbreedingprogramssothatimprovedvarieties,whichmeetthediverseneedoffarmers,consumersandtheindustries,canbedevelopedrapidly.


246 New genetic tools and solutions to make pulse crops more resilient tovariableclimates

Sagadevan Mundree1,BrettWilliams1,SudiptaDasBhowmik1,AlamCheng1,HaoLong1,MyLinhHoang1,DrTjHiggins1

1Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia

Chickpea isoneof theworld’smosteconomical sourcesofprotein for foodand feed. It is alsohigh in theessential aminoacidslysineandmethionineandthusnutritionallycomplementarytothecerealswhicharedeficientinboththeseaminoacids.Despitethisimportance,thegapbetweenproductionandincreasedconsumptionofchickpeacontinuestowiden,globally.Withthis increased global demand comes unprecedented opportunities for Queensland agriculture.While we have some naturaladvantages,increasingQueenslandpulseproductionalsohasinherentchallenges.Abioticstresses,mainlydroughtandsalinity,andpathogenssuchasBotrytisgreymouldsignificantlyhinderchickpeaproduction.Toensurecontinuedproductioninfutureenvironmentswemust develop strategies to improve stress tolerance of crops. In 2013, theQueenslandGovernmentmadeastrategic investment in theQUT-DAFTropicalPulses forQueensland (TPFQ) researchprogramaimedtodevelopanddelivereffectivetechnologiesandsolutionsthataddressindustrychallengeslimitingtheproductionoftropicalpulsesinQueensland.AmajorgoaloftheTPFQprojectwasthedevelopmentofanefficientchickpeatransformationsystemforthegenerationofstresstolerant,pathogenresistantchickpea,aswellaschickpeathataccumulatehighlevelsofbioavailableiron.HerewepresentoutputsfromthegenerationandassessmentoftransgenicchickpeadevelopedintheTPFQproject.ItisenvisionedthatoutputsfromthisprojectwillsubstantiallyassisttheQueenslandGovernmentindeliveringtheirvisiontodoubleagriculturalproductionby2040.


247 Physiological,agronomicandmodellingapproachestooptimiseproductivityof tropical pulses

Assoc Prof Rao (RCN) Rachaputi1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Althoughthereisawarenessabouttheimportanceoffoodlegumesinhuman,animalandsoilhealth,developmentandadoptionoftechnologiesforlegumecropsimprovementisnotproceedingatthesamepaceasforcerealcrops.Sincethe1960s,cerealandoilseedcropproductionincreasedby800%,comparedtoonly54%inpulsesoverthesameperiod.

AlthoughtheAustralianmungbeanandchickpeaproductionhasnearlytripledinthepast3yearstheaverageyieldhoweverhasremainedat1.15t/haandtheyieldsindevelopingcountrieshaveevendeclinedoverthepastdecadeduetosubsoilconstraintsandbyongoingclimatechange.Theincreasingmarketdemandcoupledwithscantyinformationonhowtomanagepulseshasaddedurgencytotheresearcheffort,whichhistoricallyhasbeendoneinasomewhatpiecemealway.

Mostofthelegumeshaveevolvedundersubsistencefarmingconditionswithsomeuniqueintrinsicphysiologicaltraitssuchasadaptationtomarginalsoils,littleresponsetoinputs,indeterminacyandN-fixationcapacityetc.Whilethesetraitssatisfiedtherequirementsoftheeraofsubsistencefarming,thereisaneedtodevelopbetteryieldinggenotypesandinnovativeagronomytooptimizeresourceuseinagivenenvironment.Resourcecapturemodelscanbepro-activelyusedasatooltosimulateyieldvariationduetogenotype,environmentandmanagement.

Thispaperexploresphysiologicalconstraints limitingtheyieldofmungbeanandchickpea in tropicsandsub-tropicsdiscussesavenuesforfutureresearch.


248 Thepastishistory:AcasestudyofQueensland’ssuccessfulchickpeaindustry

Dr Merrill Ryan1,MrWilliamMartin1,MrsPennyBorger1

1DAF Qld, Warwick, Australia

2016, the InternationalYearofPulses, sawchickpea (CicerarietinumL.) reaffirm itspositionasQueensland’smostprofitablegraincropworthaforecast$793M.Thiswasdrivenbyrecordsowings,highgrainpricesandavailabilityofresilientandprofitableAustralian-bredchickpeavarieties.

DesichickpeavarietieswerefirstreleasedandsowninAustralia,hereinQldin1979.Fornearly40yearstherehasbeencontinuouseffortbyDAFQldindevelopingvarietieswithsuperiorgrainyield,plantheightandexportgrainquality.TheQldcropaccountsfor55%ofthe1.3MTnationalcrop,growninSouthernandCentralQldandnowasfarnorthasGeorgetowninNorthQld.

Thirtyyearsof successfulbreeding innationalcollaborativeprojects,most recently ledbyNSW,hasbeenunderpinnedbyanintegrated, across discipline effort in the areas of genetics, agronomymanagement packages, specific support in pathology,fungicidesprayregimes,entomologythresholdsandseedqualityparameters.

Majordiseasethreatshavefocussedmuchofourchickpearesearch.Phytophthorarootrot(P.medicaginis)remainsakeyproblemtosolveandnovelapproachesofsourcingresistancegenesfromthewildrelativegenepoolsuchasCicerechinospermumhavebeen utilised. In 1998, an Ascochyta blight (Phoma rabiei) epidemic decimated the Australian chickpea industry. Ascochytaresistancegenescontinuetobesourcedfromoverseasgermplasmtoeffectivelycombatthisongoingthreat.

Research innovationhas driven a remarkable success story for chickpea and given industry the tools to reliably produce thechickpeasourglobalcustomer’sdesire.


249 Aresearchefforttoimprovesubtropicalandtropicaltreecropproductivitythroughintensification

Dr John Wilkie1

1Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Wollongbar, Australia

The intensificationof temperate treecroporchard systemsover recentdecades, inparticularapple,havebeenaccompaniedby large increases inproductivity.Weareattempting toadapt relevantprinciples from this intensificationand theassociatedunderstanding of the orchard systemphysiology that underlies productivity to subtropical and tropical tree crops,which aregenerallystillgrowninextensivesystems.Weareworkingwiththreetreecrops:macadamia,avocadoandmango.

Wehave identified four components of orchard systems in these subtropical and tropical tree crops thatwebelieve requireimprovedunderstandingandimprovedabilitytomanageinordertoincreaseproductivity:vegetativevigour,developmentofcropload,treearchitectureandorchardlightrelations.Inadditiontostudyingtheseorchardsystemscomponentsinisolation,wearealsoundertakingexperimentationthatallowsustoexaminetheeffectsoftheinteractionsbetweenthemontheproductivityofthesystem.

ThefirstoftheintegratingactivitiesisPlantingSystemsTrialswhereweareinvestigatingtheeffectsofplantdensityandrootstock(avocado)orplantdensity,treetrainingsystemandscioncultivar(mangoandmacadamia)onproductivity.ThesecondoftheintegratingactivitiesisFunctional–StructuralPlantModelling,whichisbeingusedtosimulateeffectsoforchardconfigurationsontheorchardlightenvironmentandeffectsofmanagementoncompetitionbetweenvegetativeandreproductivegrowth.Finally,amolecularbiologycomponentofworkisbeingundertakenandusedasatooltohelpunderstandtheunderlyingphysiology,inparticularthetimingandlocationoffloralinitiation.


250 Diurnalvariationinthesensitivityof‘HoneyGold’mangofruittodevelopingunder-skinbrowning

DrAnhSan1,7,DrPeterHofman2,DrDarylJoyce1,3,Dr Andrew Macnish2,DrJoseMarques4,MrRichardWebb5,DrHeatherSmyth6

1School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Nambour, Australia, 3Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dutton Park, Australia, 4New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Ourimbah, Australia, 5Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 6Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Australia, 7Sub-Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Under-skinbrowning(USB)isanunsightlyphysiologicaldisorderthatafflicts‘HoneyGold’mangofruit.USBsymptomsexpressafterharvestupontheinteractionofphysicalabrasionandphysiologicalchillingstresses.Lessunderstoodpre-harvestand/orharvestfactorsevidentlyalsoinfluencefruitsusceptibilitytoUSB.TheeffectofharvesttimeduringthediurnalcycleonpropensitytodevelopUSBwasexamined.Fruitwereharvestedat4-6hourintervalsoveradiurnalcycle.Theywerelightlyabradedwithsandpaper to simulate vibrationdamageduring refrigerated road transport, thenheld at 12-14°C for 6days. Spurt andoozesapthatexudesfromfruitpeduncleswascollectedateachharvesttime.ThesampleswereseparatedandanalysedbyGC-MS.Fruitharvestedat1000,1400,and1800hoursexhibited3 -5-foldhigher incidenceofUSBthanthosepickedat2200,0200,and0600hours.Sapconcentrationsofthekeyaromavolatilecompounds2-carene,3-carene,α-terpinene,p-cymene,limonene,andα-terpinolenewerehigherforfruitharvestedat1400hoursascomparedtothosepickedatothertimes.Intheafternoonharvest fruit, skin abrasions treatedwith spurt sap sampled at 1400hours had 14.3-fold and 29.0-fold higher incidence andseverity,respectively,ofinducedbrowningthandidthosetreatedwithsapcollectedat0600hours.TheresultsshowedthatfruitharvestedintheafternoonweremoresusceptibletoUSBthanthosepickedatnightorintheearlymorning.Thediurnalvariationinsensitivitywasevidentlyassociatedwithtemporalvariationinsapphytotoxicity.


251 Pollinationofmacadamia

Dr Brad Howlett1,MrBrianCutting2,MsSamanthaRead1,DrDavidPattemore3

1The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2Plant & Food Research Australia, Brisbane, Australia, 3The New Zealand Institute For Plant & Food Research Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand

Although cultivatedmacadamia (Macadamia integrifolia andM. tetraphylla)may be capable of producing nuts through self-pollination,studiesstronglysuggestedthatimprovedfinalnutsetcanbeachievedthroughcross-pollinationbetweendifferentcultivars.Toachievecross-pollination,insectpollinators,particularlyhoneybees(Apismellifera)andstinglessbees(Tetragonulacarbonaria)areconsideredimportantforvectoringpollen.However,detailedstudiesassessingandcomparingtheefficiencyofdifferentflower-visitinginsectsinmacadamiaremainverylimited.Toaddressthis,wecomparedtheefficienciesofflower-visitinginsects–honeybees,stinglessbees,netwingedbeetles(Metriorrhyncusrhipidius),soldierbeetles(Campsomeristasmaniensis)andnoseflies(Stomorhinadiscolor)–byassessingtheirabilitiestodepositpollenontostigmas,frequencyofstigmacontacts,andmovementpatternsbetweenracemes.Basedonthesecombinedmeasures,stinglessbeeswerefoundtobethemostefficientpollinators.Nectar-collectinghoneybeesandnetwingedbeetlesweresimilarintheirefficiency,followedbysoldierbeetles.Nosefliesweretheleastefficientoftheinsectsassessed;however,theystillcontributedtopollination.Toimprovepollination,growersshouldpromoteinsectcross-pollinationbyplantingamixofcultivars,preferablywithinrows,andreplacepoorlyyieldingtreeswithinsingle-cultivarblockswithadifferentcultivar.Monitoringtheabundanceofpollinatorsandcorrespondingyieldswillassistgrowersinimprovingfuturepollinatormanagementstrategies.


252 Breedingforadaptationduringclimatechange:Hittingamovingtarget

Dr Jose Chaparro1

1University of Florida, Gainesville, United States

ClimateChangeisreducingthenumberofchill(0-7.2C)hoursavailableforthenormalgrowthanddevelopmentoftemperatetreecrops.ThecumulativechillhoursforAlachuaCounty,FLforthe2015-2016and2016-2017peachproductionseasonswere59%and50%ofthelong-termaverageof457hours,respectively.ThislackofchillingiscreatinghighlyunpredictablecroppingforexistingpeachcultivarsinthesoutheasternUS,reducingthepeachcropbyatleast75%forthe2017seasonincentralGeorgiaalone.During thepast65years, theUniversityof FloridaStonefruitbreedingprogramhas focusedonbreeding lowchill andsubtropicalpeachcultivars.Theexperienceobtainedinadaptingatemperatecroptoasubtropicalclimatecanbeusedtopredicttheexpectedimpactsofglobalwarmingonpeachproduction.WehaveinitiatedaneffortfocusedondevelopingpeachselectionsadaptedtohighfrequencynochillconditionsexperiencedinthesouthernmostrangeofpeachproductioninFlorida.Difficultiesencounteredduringthedevelopmentofsubtropicalpeacheswillbediscussed,afeware:delayedbudbreak,lowyield,poorshapeandsmallfruitsize.


253 InsightsintotheAvocado-Phytophthorainteraction

Dr Alice Hayward1,MrStephenFletcher1,2,MadeleineGleeson1,MrChristopherO’Brien1,ProfNeenaMitter1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, St Lucia, Australia, 2School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

Avocado(Persea americana Mill.)isasubtropicalhorticulturalcropworth$920MannuallytotheAustralianeconomy.Therisingpopularityofavocadohasseenthe industrygrow65%since2003,withvastpotentialforcontinuedexpansion.Torealisethispotentialrequiresresearchtowardssustainablecontrolofmajordiseasethreats.TheubiquitousOomycetepathogenPhytophthora cinnamomi,casualagentofroot-rot,isthemosteconomicallydevastatingdiseaseofavocado.Inwaterloggedsoilsthispathogencanrapidlydecimateanorchard,withyoungplantsparticularlysusceptible.Thereisnomajorgeneresistancetothisdiseaseincommercialavocadorootstocks,howeveranumberofbreedingprogramshavedevelopedcultivarswithanincreasedtolerancetothedisease.

ThisprojectisusingtranscriptomeandsmallRNAdatatocomparethemolecularresponsetoP.cinnamomiinahighlysusceptiblecultivar(cvReed)versusatolerantcultivar(cvVelvick).ThepotentialroleofsmallRNApathwaysintheregulationofgenesineachpathosystemwillbediscussed.


254 AnewapproachinoilpalmharvestingImprovement

Miss Wan Rusydiah W Rusik1,Mr Mohd Zulfahmi Mohd Yusoff2,MrMohaimiMohamed1,MrAhmadZamriMdYusof2,DrDavidRossAppleton1,DrHarikrishnaKulaveerasingam3

1Biotechnology & Breeding Department, R&D Centre, Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd, Banting, Malaysia, 2Advanced Mechanisation & Robotics, R&D Centre, Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd, Banting, Malaysia, 3R&D Centre, Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd, Banting, Malaysia

Inrecentyears,labourshortagehasbeenoneofthemajorchallengestooilpalmindustry.Beingalabourintensiveindustry,itrequireshighlabourperarearatiotooperateefficiently.Themajortasks infieldoperationsaretheharvesting,collectionandevacuationoftheoilpalmfreshfruitbunches(FFB).HarvestingoftheoilpalmFFBrequiresskilledlaboursespeciallyfortallpalms.Researchandoperationaleffortstointroducemechanisationinfieldoperationshasbeenestablished,however,theoperationalimplementationislowduetobelowaverageacceptancebytheindustry.Intryingtobepartoftheeffortsinmechanisation,wehaveembarkedonaprojecttobreedlongstalkoilpalmFFBofmorethan20cmtomakeharvestingeasierandatthesametimetodevelopanddesignnewharvestingtoolstocomplementthislongstalktraittomakeharvestingeffortless,moreproductiveandefficient.ThreedesignsofharvestingtoolsareproposedinthispaperwhichisexpectedtoincreasetheproductivityinharvestingFFBaswellasreducingfatigueandenergyexpenditureoftheharvesters.


255 Thetropicalaquaculturepowerhouse–Global impactsandopportunitiesforAustralia

Dr Nigel Preston1

1University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Three-quarters of countrieswhere fish contributesmore than one-third of animal protein in the diet are low-income, food-deficit, tropical countrieswhere fish is often the cheapest andmost accessible animal-source food. Tomeet futuredemand,particularlyinthesedevelopingcountries,fishproductionwillneedtodoubleby2030.Overthepasttwodecadesthegrowthoftropicalaquaculturehasbeenphenomenalwithclearlydemonstratedimpactsonreducingpovertyandimprovingfoodsecurity.Meanwhile,theproductionofanimalproteinfromterrestrialagricultureintropicalcountriesisfacingcriticalconstraintsincludingintensecompetitionforlandandincreasinglyvariablesuppliesoffreshwater.Incontrast,farmingofmarineandestuarinefish,crustaceansandmolluscsisfreefromtheseconstraints.Therearevasttractsoftropicalcoastlines,includingdesertcoastlines,thatareunsuitableforagriculturebuthighlysuitableforsaltwateraquaculture.Thisisahugecompetitiveadvantageformarineandestuarineaquaculture. However,effortstosustainoracceleratethegrowthoftropicalaquaculturemustaddressthekeychallengesof;breedimprovements,managingdisease,developingmoresustainablefeeds,improvingenvironmentalmanagementandsociallyequitabledistributionofthebenefitsofaquaculture.Thispresentationillustratessomespecies-specificexamplesofthesechallengeshowtheyarecurrentlybeingaddressedandthepotentialbenefitsofemergingtechnologies.ItalsohighlightstheopportunitiesforAustralia,includingthepotentialforastep-changeinsustainabledomestictropicalaquacultureproduction,theglobalimpactsofsomeofAustralia’scurrenttropicalaquacultureresearchandsomekeyareasforadditional,high-impact,researchinthisdomain.


256 Meeting the growing demand for aquaculture - Balancing biologicalrequirement,sustainabilityandenvironment

Dr Richard Smullen1

1Ridley Agrifoods, Australia

Thedemandforfishproteinisincreasingandinthemarketplace,thisiscompetingwithotherproteinsourcessuchasbeef,porkandpoultry.Aquaculturegloballyisgrowingtomeetthisdemandandcomparedtootherlivestock,fishareknowntobethemoreefficientconvertersoffeed.Yetasanindustry,thereisgrowinginternalandexternaldemandforgreatersustainabilityandbetteruseofoverallresources. Asfeedisthemajorfarminputbothfinanciallyandenvironmentally,this istypicallythefirstportofcallfortheindustrywhenlookingtomeetagrowingdemandforenvironmentalresponsibility.Assuch,thefocusonsustainablesourcingofrawmaterials,whilemaintainingcostrelevanceandstillmeetingenvironmentaloutputtargetsonthefarmhasbeengrowingconstantly. This talkgivesanoverviewof thedemandson thesectorandhowthe industryhas tobalancenewrawmaterialdevelopment,thechangingenvironmentandfinancialconsiderationswhilestillmeetingthebiologicalrequirementofthetargetspecies.


257 Makingaquaculturesustainable in the tropics–Growingalgae to reducenutrificationandproducehigh-valueproducts

Mr Arnold Magnott1

1MBD Energy Ltd, East Melbourne, Australia

Nutrientrichwastewaterfromtheagricultureoraquaculture industrycanleadtoeutrophicationofsensitiveecosystems.TheexpansionoftheQLDaquacultureindustryisheavilyregulatedduetoitsproximitytotheGBRMarinePark.Allnewdevelopmentneedtoabidetoazeronetenvironmentalimpact,whichhasrestrictedallgrowthoftheaquacultureindustryinQueenslandoverthelast16years.

MBDhasspentseveralyearspilotingscaledland-basedandon-farmcultivationofmacroalgae(seaweed)toremediatewastewaterfromactualaquaculturesites.Thesuccessfullydevelopedlow-costbioremediationtechnologyguaranteescleandischargewaterwhichenablestheindustrytoincreasetheiroperationcapacitywhileconformingtostrictlegislation.ThisworkingsolutionhasattractedaquaculturecompaniesfromAustraliaandoverseas.

MBDiscurrentlyintegratingitsalgaebioremediationtechnologyintotwoofthelargestprawnproductioncompaniesinAustraliaandVietnam.ThenewdevelopmentinAustralia(2018)willcompriseof259hawithapproximately25haofalgaetoremediatethenitrogenandrecyclethewastewater.ThescaleinVietnamwillbe10fold.

ForeachkgofnitrogenremovedMBDwillproduce25kgofvaluableseaweed.Algaeproductsfromthesecommercialdevelopmentsaretargetinghighvalueproductsforfertiliser,feed,foodandhumanhealthsupplementmarkets.


258 BreedingfordiseaseresistanceinAustralianshrimp:Howdowegetthere?

Miss Tansyn Noble1,2,DrGregComan2,DrNickWade2,ProfDeanJerry1,2

1James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 2CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia

Shrimpfarmingisahighlyvaluableaquacultureindustryglobally.InAustralia,theshrimpfarmingindustryisworthover$86millionwithplans formassiveexpansion,particularly innorthernAustralia.Disease is the singlebiggest threat to shrimpproductionglobally.Managementofdiseaseinoverseasproductionhasbeenthroughtheuseofdomesticatedandspecificpathogenfree(SPF)stocks,whichhasallowedfarmingofshrimptocontinue,althoughdiseaseremainsabigproblem.Selectivebreedingisthoughttobeamoreeffectivelongtermdiseasemanagementstrategy.Sofar,breedingdiseaseresistantshrimphasbeenaccomplishedforveryfewdiseasesusinglaboratorychallengetests,sib-selectionandconventionalbreedingmethodologies.Highlypathogenicdiseasessuchasthatcausedbywhitespotsyndromevirus(WSSV)stillcausetremendousproductionlossesglobally,includingrecentlyinAustralia.Improvedaccuracyofselectionandincreasedselectionintensityisneededifdiseaseresistantshrimpareto be fully realised. Genomic selection offers the potential to significantly advance shrimp selective breeding particularly forcomplextraitslikediseaseresistance.InAustralia,abreedingprogramiscurrentlyunderwaydevelopingandapplyingnewandimprovedmethodsforselectionfordiseaseresistanceinshrimp.ThispresentationwillprovideanoverviewofhowdiseasehasbeenmanagedinthepastandhowdiseaseresistantshrimpwillbecomearealityinAustralia.


259 Theblacklipoyster–AnalternativefortropicalaquacultureinAustralia?

Dr Carmel McDougall1

1Griffith University, Nathan, Australia

TheAustralianedibleoysteraquacultureindustryiswhollyreliantontwodisease-pronespecies.Asaresult,productionvalueshavebeenindeclinesince2010.Onepotentialsolutionfortheindustryisthedevelopmentofadditionalspeciesforhatcheryproduction.The‘blacklipoyster’(Saccostrea echinata)hasbeenidentifiedashavinghighaquaculturepotentialinthePacificduetoitstoleranceofenvironmentalfluctuations,fastgrowth,acceptancebyconsumers,andresistancetoexistingoysterdiseases.Howeverpoorlarvalsurvivalincultureisacurrentbarriertoproduction,andthepresenceofasimilarparasitetothatwhichcausesQXindicatesthatdiseasemitigationstrategiesmayalsobeimportantforthisspecies.GiventhatS. echinata is closely related to theSydneyrockoyster,Ioutlinehowcomparativemoleculartechniquescanbeusedtofast-tracktheefficientproductionofthisspecies.


260 In-vitrooocytematurationby radial nerveextract and fertilizationof theblackseacucumberholothuria leucospilota

Mr Chieu Hoang Dinh1,2,A/Prof.ScottFCummins1,Prof.AbigailElizur1,MsSaowarosSuwansa-ard1,MrTomerAbramov1,MsMituShahidaAkter1

1University Of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Down, Australia, 2Research Institute for Marine Fisheries, Ngo Quyen, Vietnam

Theoverexploitationofwildseacucumbershasledtoanincreasingneedtodevelopitsaquaculture.Artificialinductionofoocytematurationfollowedbyin-vitrofertilizationrepresentsaninnovativeapproachthatcouldhelpincreasesupply.Theinducersofoocytematurationarenaturallysynthesisedwithinneuraltissue,whichinseacucumbersincludesacircumoralnerveringandradialnerves.Inthisstudy,wepreparedradialnerveextract(RNE)thatwasincubatedwithovarytissuetoinducein-vitrooocytematurationoftheblackseacucumberHolothuria leucospilota (Brandt,1835).Maturationwasdeterminedbygerminalvesiclebreakdown(GVBD)at3hpost-treatment.GVBDwasmostefficientwith0.7mgRNE(98.9%),comparedto1.4mgRNE(77.6%)andfilteredartificialseawater(1%).RNE-maturedoocyteswerefertilized(99%)andlarvaedevelopedtolateAuriculariastage(25dayspost-hatch).TheseresultsprovideascientificfoundationfortheidentificationofthebioactiveRNEfactorthatmaybeusedforlarge-scaleartificialbreedinginblackseacucumberhatcheries.


261 Techniquesandplatformsforhigh-throughputphenotypingofcanopiesandplants

Dr Xavier Sirault1

1CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Canberra, Australia, 2Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, Canberra, Australia

Phenotypingiskeytounderstandingthephysiologicalandgeneticbasesofplantgrowthandperformanceandtheirapplicationfor crop improvement. To increaseour capacity atmeasuringplant traits, a rangeof high-throughputphenotypingplatformshavebeenengineeredrangingfromautomatedsystemsincontrolledenvironmentstoground-basedoraerialvehicles(mannedorunmanned)inthefield.Thecommonalityinalltheseplatformsistheplethoraofsensorstheyintegrate,rangingfromvisibleimaging sensors (RGB) to imaging spectroscopy sensorsor from thermal infrared (IR) sensors to LightDetectionandRanging(LiDAR)sensors.Theavailabilityoftheseplatformsistodaytransformingphenotypingatscalesrangingfromindividualplotsforbreedingandphysiologicalstudiestoentirefarmstocharacterizeagro-eco-systems.

ThroughexamplestakenfromresearchconductedacrossCSIROAgriculture&Foodinwheat,riceandsugarcane,thispresentationwillfocuson:

1 ExploringhowLiDARandaerialRGBtechnologiescanbeusedtoeffectivelyprobeplantbiomassproductionandbiomassdistributionincerealsandsugarcane;and,

2 HowthedynamicmeasurementofcanopytemperatureusingIRtechnologiescanbeusedforimprovingwater-useefficiencyinwheat.

The Australian Plant Phenomics Facility’s Collaborative e-infrastructure platformphenoSMART, for extracting information andvaluefromthedatacollected,willalsobeillustratedinthispresentation.TheplatformaimsatmakingthecomputationaltoolsdevelopedbyResearchgroupsacrossAustraliaavailabletoothersand/ortheAgro-businesssector.


262 HowwouldGooglefarm?

Prof Alex Thomasson1,2,ProfCraigBaillie2

1Texas A&M University, College Station, United States, 2University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Meetingtheworld’sfoodandfiberneedsinthe21stcenturywhilemaintainingfarmprofitabilityrequiresexploitingdata-centrictechnologies.Googlehasspearheadedfullyautonomousvehiclesonourroadways,andweretheytoenterfarming,theywouldlikelyfirstamassallpertinentdataand implementartificial intelligence(AI)sothedatacoulddictatehowtoproceed. Aself-drivingcarusessensorsandAItosee,hear,read,understand,decide,andact–justlikehumandrivers.AsGooglerevolutionizesmobility, the sameopportunity exists in agriculture. Precision agriculture tookholdwith the adventofGPS,whichprovidedpositiondataandalongwithGISenabledmappingoffieldvariability.Newsensorshaveenabledmappingofmorefieldproperties.VRThasenabledinputapplicationstobevariedinrealtimeaccordingtofieldposition.AdvancesinanalyticslikeAIareenablingcomplexmodelingamongnumerousfieldpropertiesandkeyoutputmetricslikeyield.The“InternetofAgriculture”–stationarysensornetworksandubiquitoussensorsonfieldequipment,coupledwithwirelessnetworksandcloud-baseddatahandling–hasprovidedvoluminousdatathatenableAI-basedmodeling.Automationisenablingreal-timecontrolofvehiclesandimplementsinthefield.UAVsarebeingusedassensorplatformstoprovideimagesindicativeoffieldvariability.Fieldrobotsarebeingdevelopedformorecomplexagriculturaltasks.WearebeginningtolearnhowtocombineadvancementsinprecisionagriculturewiththoseinplantgeneticstooptimizeGxErelationships,andthisiscriticalworkforthefutureofagriculture.


263 Autonomousadaptiveprecisionirrigationforbroad-acreagriculture

Dr Joseph Foley1,DrAlisonMcCarthy1,DrMalcolmGillies1

1NCEA, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Forovertwentyyears,theNationalCentreforEngineeringinAgriculture(NCEA)attheUniversityofSouthernQueenslandhasbeenmeasuringfurrow,centrepivot,andlateralmoveirrigationevents,andprovidingmanagementadvicetooptimiseirrigationevents.The commercial IrriMate surface irrigation improvement process ofmeasurement,modelling, performance assessment, andprovisionofeventmanagementadvicehasbeenusedbyconsultantsandirrigationindustrypersonnelinabout1000assessmentsacrossfivestatesinAustraliawherewholefarmirrigationefficiencyrangesfrom40to95%.AsirrigationlabouravailabilityinhotandremotebroadacreirrigationregionsinAustraliareduces,growersarenowimplementingalternativemeanstoirrigatetheirlargefields.Areasofautomatedfurrowandoverheadbroadacreirrigationarerapidlyexpandingusingcommercialprovidersofremotelycontrolledgatesandvalves.CurrentresearchactivitybytheNCEAatUSQ,fundedbytheCommonwealthDepartmentofAgricultureandWaterResourcesundertheRuralR&DforProfit’sSmarterIrrigationforProfitprojectacrossfoursitesandthreedifferentcrops,isimplementingprecisionadaptiveirrigationusingthecrop-modelbasedVARIwisecontrolsystem(McCarthyetal2011)soastoautonomouslyoptimisehydrauliccontrolofirrigationeventsandcropoutcomes.Thisminimisestiresomeandtediousirrigationeventmanagement,andallowseasierremoteimplementationofoptimisedirrigationcontrolacrosslargefieldsinremoteruralregionswithagingworkforces. Installationofautonomousprecisionadaptive irrigationmanagementsystems,ensuresoptimalperformanceforeveryevent,improvedwaterproductivity,andeasierworkenvironmentsforgrowers.


264 Seekingenergyindependence

Assoc Prof Bernadette McCabe1

1National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

Theuseofrenewableenergyanddevelopingequipmentwhichrunsonalternativeformssuchashybridtechnologyorbiofuelsisagrowingtrendaswemovetowardmoresustainableagriculturalsystems.Theuseofbiodiesel,windandsolarenergy;andelectricity and gas generated from biogas are important renewables being implemented globally at various scales. From aninternationalperspective,farmers’considerationforusingorincreasingrenewableenergyseemstobeindependentofthesizeoftheiroperationsbutratherstemfromtheirdesireforfarmstobeenergyindependent.Theenergyindependentfarmseekstocaterforitsownenergyneedsandcreatesaself-sustainingenvironmentwhichbuffersagainstfluctuatingenergypricesandtheresultingnegativeimpactithasonfarmincomes.

Thispresentationwillprovideanoverviewofexistingonfarmenergyefficiencypracticeswhichareatthecoretotheoperationofanyfarmingenterprise.Itwillthenintroducethedefiningfeaturesofanenergyindependentfarmandhowthekeycomponentsintegratetoprovideanoverarchingsustainableagriculturalplan.Keyoperationalmodelswhichexistworld-widewillbeusedascasestudiesandthepotentialtranslationtoAustralianfarmingcontextswillbeexplored.Somekeyaspectscoveredwillincludetheuseofenergycrops,wholeofcroputilisation,waste,spoilageandlosses.


265 Animalsensingwilltaketheindustryback100years

Assoc Prof Mark Trotter,DerekBailey2,JamieBarwick3

1Central Queensland University, Australia, 2New Mexico State University, United States, 3University of New England, Australia

Thereisaquietrevolutionhappeninginthelivestocksectorthatwillultimatelyseetheindustrytakenback100yearsintermsofitscapabilities.Itdoesn’tsoundgreat,butthisinnovationwillalsocatapultthelivestockindustriesintoanewphaseofincreasedproductionefficiency,sustainabilityandanimalwelfarecredibility.

On-animalsensingsystemshavebeenindevelopmentformanyyearsbutarenowincreasinglyfindingtheirwayontocommercialfarms.Thesesystemsprovidefine-scalebehaviouralinformationontheactivitiesoflivestockthroughaccelerometer,GPS,audio,proximityandothersensors.Theyarecurrentlyavailableforthedairyindustryincollarandeartagformandaresoontomakeanappearanceintheextensivegrazingsector.

Theywilltaketheindustryback100yearsbecausetheyprovidetheopportunityforanimalmanagersto“watch”theirlivestockinawaythathasn’tbeeneconomicallyviablesincewehadshepherdsfollowingflocksandstockmandrivingherds.100yearsagoadairyfarmermightatbesthaveowned20cowsandcloselywatchedforbehaviouralchangestoindicatetheonsetofdiseaseorillhealththatneededtreating.Thesesensorscannowdothisremotelyandautonomously.

Thisnewgenerationofanimalsensingsystemswillactuallyprovidemoreinformationthanwaspossiblyobservablewhenwehadshepherdandstockmanmanagingsmallnumbers.Withtheabilitytomonitoreventheslightestbehaviouralchanges24hours-a-day,7days-a-weeknoteventhemostdedicatedshepherdboycouldnothavecompetedwiththepotentialofthesenewsensors!


266 Fieldroboticsinagriculture

Mark Calleija1

Australian Centre for Field Robotics, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

Fieldrobotsareoutdoorautomatedmobileplatformsthatcanoperate24/7inallweatherconditions.Overthelastfiveyears’fieldroboticcapabilitieshavedramaticallyincreasedbecauseofadvancesinmachinelearning,powersystems,additivemanufacturing,sensing andmachine computation. Their impact has been felt inmining, stevedoring, infrastructuremonitoring and lately inagriculture.InthistalkwewillpresentthecurrentstatusonthreeagriculturefieldroboticsprojectsattheAustralianCentreforFieldRobotics.Thefirst iswiththehorticulture industryand inparticularourworkonrobotics,sensingandmachine learningtechniquesthataimstohelpthevegetableindustryincreasecropproductivitythroughprecisionagriculture.Thesecondisourworkwithinthetreecropindustryandinparticularhowsensingandroboticsisbeingusedtoundertakeprecisioncropmonitoring,andthechallengesencounteredbecauseofdifferenttreestructuresandfruit/nuttypes.Thethirdprojectwilllookatroboticsforthegrazinglivestockindustryandtheinparticulartheobjectiveofundertakingautonomouslargescalemonitoringofthelandandanimals.


267 Systemsgeneticstudiesofphotosynthesisandwateruseefficiencyinrice

AnujKumar1,SupratimBasu1,ChiragGupta1,SaraYingling1,JulieThomas1,Andy Pereira1

1University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, United States

Improvementofcropsforthefuture,requiresthegeneticdissectionofcomplextraitsandare-synthesisofindividualessentialcomponents,toreconstructcropsthatproducemoreunderthelimitationsofthenaturalresourcesandrespondwithresiliencetothechallengingenvironment.Toidentifythelandscapeofgenescontributingtoproductivitytraitsinrice,weconductedagenomewideassociation(GWA)analysisofcomponenttraitsforphotosynthesis,productivity,wateruseefficiencyandgrainyieldunderwell-wateredandcontrolleddroughtconditions.AdiversericepanelcomprisingoftheUSDAmini-corecollectionandadditionalgenotypes were phenotyped in the greenhouse and field for multiple productivity traits under well-watered and controlleddrought.GWAofthediversepanelusing~200,000SNPsidentifiedcandidategenesformosttraitsanalyzedusingFarmCPUwithpotentiallyfewererrorsinmapping.Tointegrateinformationonproductivitytraits,correspondingmarkersandgenesinvolvedintraitexpressionwecreatedageneregulatorynetworkaroundtheHYR(HigherYieldingRice)geneusingChIP-SeqandRNA-SeqdatafromHYRexpressinggenotypesthatshowedhigherphotosynthesis,WUEandyieldunderdrought.ThisnetworkisbeingusedtointegrateinformationfromriceGWAdata,tosupportfunctionalanalysisandidentifynovelcandidategenesassociatedwithriceproductivityanddroughtresistance.Ourongoingstudieswillbedescribedthatprovideanunderstandingofthegeneticpathwaysandphysiologicalprocessesinvolvedinproductivityofriceunderdrought.


268 Developmentofricevarietiesformultipleabiotic–stresstoleranceintheMekongregionandAustralia

Prof Shu Fukai1,DrJaquieMitchell1

1University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

Ricerequiresalargeamountofwater,andifamplewaterisnotavailableitcanbeseverelyaffectedbywaterstress.IntheMekongregionofThailand,LaosandCambodia,therainfedlowlandriceecosystemisdominant.Inthissystem,thecropreliesonrainfallinthewetseason,andisoftensubjectedtointermittentandterminaldroughtbutalsosubmergenceafterheavyrainfallevents.Climatechangeisthoughttobeexacerbatingtheoccurrenceofdroughtandflood.Selectionmethodsarewellestablishedfordevelopmentofdroughttolerantvarieties,andseveralvarietiesadaptedtobothdroughtandfloodhavebeenreleased.

FortheAustralianriceindustry,lackofirrigationwateraswellascoldweatherpriortoandaroundfloweringaremajorlimitingfactorsforsustainableproduction.AerobicriceispractisedinnorthernAustralia,butseverecoldpreventsitsuseinthemainricegrowingareainthecountry.Wehaveestablishedscreeningmethodsforselectionofgenotypestoleranttobothcoldandaerobicconditions.PhysiologicaltraitsandQTLsthatconfercoldtolerancehavebeenidentified.Colddonorswerealsoidentified,crossesmadewitheliteAustralianvarieties,andadvancedmaterialswithcoldtolerancearebeingtestedunderbothfloodedandaerobicconditions.

TheuseofseeddrillsreplacingtraditionalhandtransplantingorbroadcastingintheMekongregionandreplacingaerialsowinginAustraliaiscontributingtominimizingthewatershortageeffectonriceproduction.Developmentofvarietiesadaptedtomultipleabioticstresstoleranceshouldfurtherassistthericeindustries.


269 Mapping,miningandtrackingtoolstolocateandharnessclimateresiliencein rice

Dr Tobias Kretzschmar1

1IRRI, Metro Manila, Philippines

SNP-basedgenotypingapproacheshavebecomeindispensabletoolsinmodernricebreedingactivities,facilitatingthedevelopmentofclimate-changereadyriceforincreasedfoodandincomesecurityofresource-poorfarmersinAsiaandAfrica.TheInternationalRiceResearchInstitute(IRRI)offersanddeploysadiverseportfolioofin-houseandoutsourcedgenotypingsolutionsforapplicationsthatrangefromtraitmobilizationinpre-breedingpools,overmarkerassistedselectioninbreedingpipelines,tovarietalimpactassessmentinthefarmer’sfield.

Onthehigh-densityendIRRIgovernsoveraglobalgeneticresourceofthousandsofre-sequenceddiverseaccessionsandelitebreedinglinesfortraitdiscoveryandtheminingoffavorablealleles.

In themedium-density rangefixedarray- andamplicon-basedplatforms reliablyproduceuniquegeneticfingerprints that aresuitableformappingpurposes,associationstudies,genomicpredictionsandassessmentsofdiversityandpopulationstructure.

Atthelow-densityendpuritySNPsetshavebeenoptimizedtounambiguouslydistinguishanytwovarieties.Appliedinqualitycontroltoconfirmhybridityofcrossesandtoassessthepurityofmaterials,theycontributetosustainedgeneticgainswithintheIRRIbreedingprogramsandensurecleanseedproduction.

ForefficientintrogressionofhighvalueQTLsofdemonstratedeffectintoelitematerialsandtoenrichtherespectivefavorableallelesinrelevantbreedingpools,arangeoftrait-specificmarkershavebeendevelopedandvalidated.Theyincludemarkersfortoleranceofdroughtandsubmergence,aswellasforresistanceagainstmajorpathogensandpeststofacilitatefortificationagainstclimateextremesandtheassociatedincreaseddiseasepressure.


270 Climate-smartriceproductionforAustraliaandAsia

Assoc Prof Andrew Borrell1,DrMaiVanTrinh2,ProfessorUdayaSekharNagothu3

1The University of Queensland, Warwick, Australia, 2Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences , Hanoi, Vietnam, 3Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, As, Norway

TheEarthisawater-scarceplanet.Feedingmorepeoplewithlesswaterisamajorchallengefacinghumanity.Thedevelopmentofwater-savingtechnologiesforriceproductioninnorthernAustraliaandAsiawillbepresented,includingcasestudiesfromAustralia,Indonesia,IndiaandVietnam.EarlyresearchinnorthernAustraliafoundthatitisnotnecessarytofloodricetoobtainhighgrainyieldandquality.Saturatedsoilculture(SSC),asystemofgrowingriceonraisedbedswithwatermaintainedinthefurrows,usedabout32%lesswaterinthewetanddryseasonscomparedwithtraditionalfloodedproduction.SSCwassubsequentlyevaluatedinIndonesia,withsimilarbenefitsfound.SmallholderricefarmersinVietnamfaceconsiderablerisk,andrequirerice-basedcroppingsystemsthataremoreresilienttothenegativeimpactsofdroughtandsalinity.Fivekeyclimate-smartmeasuresforriceproductionhaverecentlybeenidentifiedandtestedinVietnam.Theseincludesalinity-tolerantricevarieties,slow-releasenitrogenfertilisers,organicfertilisersthatreducegreenhousegasemissions,climate-smartcroprotations,water-savingirrigationstrategies,andarangeof genetic,management andeconomic solutions. Significant environmental benefitswere also identified. For example,methaneemissionswerereduced5-foldusing‘alternatewettinganddrying’irrigationcomparedwithtraditionalfloodedrice.ThepotentialapplicationofthesemeasurestonorthernAustraliawillalsobediscussed.


271 Generatingusefulgeneticvariationincropsbyinducedmutation

Apichart Vanavichit1

1Rice Science Center, Thailand

Thesuccessofconventionalbreedingandselectionreliesheavilyonavailablegeneticvariation.Thedepletionofgeneticdiversityis, therefore, a crucial limiting factor to next generation plant breeding, and therefore an obstacle to feeding the increasingworld.Whilespontaneousmutationaddsnewallelestothegenepoolataslowrate,radiation-andmutagen-inducedmutationsrapidlytriggerstructuralandnucleotidechangesinthegenome.ItiscommonlyacceptedthatinducedmutagenesisgeneratesrandomalterationonDNAsequencesandstructuralchangesatgenome-widescale.However,newevidenceshowsthatradiationmutagenesis generates specific local lesions and structural changes in the genome. For instance, next-generation sequencingrevealedthatirradiationgeneratesahighdensityofsinglenucleotidevariationofwhichover80%isduplicatedwithspontaneousvariation. Inaddition, selectionunder stressesmaygeneratemore specificgain/lost-of-functionmutantswhichcarry specificgenomicchangesandallelicvariationsimilartowhatcanbefoundinnaturalgeneticvariation.Whataretheexactmechanismsallowingtherapidgenerationofgeneticvariationremainunclear. Identifyingthosewillempowerbreederstorapidlydevelopbetterplantvarietiestocopewiththeimminentclimatechangesandrespondtospecificnutritionalneedsofthepopulations.


272 Irontoleranceinrice

Prof Antonio Costa De Oliveira1,DrCamilaPegoraro1,DrLucianoMaia1,DrRailsonSantos1,MissVivianViana1

1Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

Plant breeders are facedwithbigger challenges sinceworld’s population continues to growand climate changes threaten toreducecropyields.Notonlyhigheryieldsareneededbutabioticstresstolerancesneededtobeaddedtothegeneticbackgroundof cultivars. Thismajor taskwill require a deeper understanding of stress responses in plants aswell as the identificationofgenesthatwillprovidethestrengthneededfora resilient ideotype. Ironexcess,salinityandcoldaremajorstressesaffectingriceworldwide.Ourgrouphasbeenworkingonabioticstressresponsesandtheirregulationasastrategytofindgenotypeswithbetteryields.MicroarrayandRNAseqexperiments,aswellasbioinformaticstoolshavebeenusedtoidentifynovelcandidatesformarkerassistedselection.ThemechanismsunderlyingstresstolerancepointtoacomplexregulationsystemandfeedbackcontrolbyWRKYtranscriptionfactors.


273 Microbialmanipulationofrumenefficiency

Assoc Prof Athol Klieve1,MsDianeOuwerkerk2,DrRosalindGilbert2

1University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dutton Park, Australia

Improvingtheefficiencyofrumenfunctionthroughmanipulationofthemicrobiomeisanareaofincreasinginterest.Inparticular,introducingnewspeciesorbolsteringexistingmicrobialpopulationsthroughdirect-fed-microbialsisinascendancy.However,thisisnota“onesizefitsall”strategy,butisverycomplexinvolvingtheinteractionofmanydivergentnotwellunderstoodfactors.Threeconsiderationswillbediscussed:

1.Consideradditionalbenefits.AninoculumproducedbyDAFdetoxifiesleucaenaandmarkedlyimprovesproductivity.Thegoaloftheinoculumistodetoxifyanutritiousfeedplant.Onespeciesofbacteriaachievesthisbutprovidingamixedbacterialinoculumselectedforleucaenadegradationalsoimprovesthedigestionofleucaenabiomass.

2. Consider the diet and tailor strategies accordingly. A probiotic to enhance grain digestion in feedlot cattle demonstratedinterestinginteractionswithfeedandhighlightedthatlaboratoryfindingsdonotalwaystranslatetothein-vivosituation.AstrainofButyrivibriofibrisolvens,isolatedasthemostefficientutilizerofstarchin-vitro,disappearedwithin24hoursin-vivo.Ruminococcusbromiiisolatedfromcattlefedbarley,usedasaprobiotic,dominatedthemicrobiomeinthefirsttwoweeks,andthenbecameundetectable.

3.Considercrypticmechanisms.Whenusedasaprobiotic,BacillusamyloliquefaciensH57increasedliveweightgaininsheepandcalves.However,theseeffectsoccurwithoutH57establishingintherumen.So,themechanismforthisiscurrentlycrypticbutmaybeattributedtoH57sporescarryinganti-microbialsthatshifttherumenmicrobiometowardsamoreefficientmixforplantfibredigestion.


274 Estimating the efficiency of rumen microbial protein synthesis in cattlegrazingtropicalpastures,andimplicationsforanimalperformance

Dr Maree Bowen1

1Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, Rockhampton, Australia

Incattlegrazingtropicalpasturesmostofthemetabolisableproteinavailableisfromrumenmicrobialcrudeprotein(MCP)synthesis.WehavedevelopedanewmethodforestimatingMCPproduction ingrazingcattle. It involvescontinuous intravenous jugularinfusionofchromium(Cr)-EDTAandmeasurementofbothCrandpurinederivative(PD)concentrations inspoturinesamplestoestimateurineoutput,and,thereby,totalPDexcretion.Inaddition,wehavedeterminedalowerestimateofendogenousPDexcretion,forBosindicuscomparedwithB.tauruscattle,whichisrequiredtocalculateMCPflow.AmajorstudywithB.indicussteersgrazingarangeoftropicalpasturetypesconfirmeddatafrompenstudieswithhaydiets,showingthattheefficiencyofMCPsynthesis(EMPS)insteersconsumingtropicalgrasspastureswaslowandlimitedbyrumendegradableprotein(RDP)supplyfromthepasture.InsituationsofhighRDP,ingrazingandpenstudies,therewasverylowconversionefficiencyofRDPtoMCP(0.24-0.40).Abetterunderstandingofthemechanismsassociatedwithendogenousnitrogenrecycling,andthemetabolisableproteinrequiredundervariouscircumstances,willenablebetterelucidationofhowchangestoEMPSwillaffectanimalgrowth,inpractice.Inthegrazingstudy,tropicallegumesprovidedadequateRDPtomeettheneedsofrumenmicrobesandthismayprovidethebeststrategytoincreaseEMPSandanimalperformance.Astudyoncommercialcattlepropertieshasconfirmedthattheinclusionofadaptedperenniallegumesintropicalpasturesdramaticallyimprovesanimalperformanceaswellasprofitability.


275 The relationship of efficiency ofmicrobial crudeprotein productionwithrumenmicrobialcommunitystructureinsteersfedtropicalpastures

Dr Karen Harper1

1The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia

A better understanding of the factors that govern microbial community structure and efficiency of microbial crude proteinproduction (EMCP) in tropicalproduction systems is required.Microbial crudeprotein (MCP)production is themajorproteinsupplytothehost,andcanprovidecloseto100%oftheproteinrequirementsinextensiveproductionsystems.MCPisafunctionoftheMEintakeandEMCP,thereforeanimportantstrategytooptimizeMCPistomaximizethisefficiency(EMCP).InpracticeEMCPofNorthernAustraliannativepasturesrarelyexceeds130gMCP/kgDOM.Thisvalueisthesuggestedminimumoffeedingstandardswhenrumendegradablenitrogenisadequate(S.R.A.2007).VariousformsofsupplementationtotropicalpastureshaveprovidedonlylimitedimprovementsinEMCPvalues.Twostudieswithabasalroughageoflowcrudeprotein(CP)increasedtheEMCP(toapproximately167gMCP/kgDOM)inBrahman-crosssteerswhenrumendegradabletrueproteinwasincreasedasasupplement.Panjaitanetal.(2015)usedspirulinaalgaeandBowenetal.2016usedcaseinbothathighlevels.

These improvements inEMCPwereoftenassociatedwithdecreases intherumenretentiontimewithsupplementedanimals.Rumendilutionratehasamajoreffectonmicrobialgrowth.TheprincipleuponwhichEMCPisincreasedisthatitmayoccurviasimplemassactioneffectsongrowthand/orchangesintherumenmicrobiometofastergrowingrumenmicrobialspecies.Someexamplesofthesechangesareoutlined.


276 Changing the interplay between gut and host to improve productionefficiencyofruminants

Prof Roger Hegarty1

1University of New England, Australia

Increasingly, the gut biome is recognised as influencing the host and the host as influencing the gut biome. This awarenesscreatesopportunitiestomanagebothmicrobeandhosttoincreasetheoverallefficiencyandproductivityoftheanimal.Earlylifeinterventionstoaffecttheestablishingbiomehaveshownefficacyinchangingruminalecologybutprovedlesseffectiveindeliveringsustainedchangeintheyieldofmicrobialproductsandproductivityofthehost.Targetedbiomemanipulationssuchaseliminationofrumenciliateprotozoahaveshownlastingimprovementsinproteinavailabilitythatcanbeadvantageousinlowproteintropicalgrazingsystems.Manipulatingthehosttoinfluencetheretentiontimeofdigestabymeansfromanimalbreedingtodietaryadditives(eg.cysteamine)anddietstructurecanpredictablychangefermentation.Thispresentsanexampleofregulatingthebiologyofthehosttofavourablychangeruminalnutrientyieldtobettermatchhostanimalnutrientrequirements,reducinginefficiencies in the rumen (eg.energy loss inmethane)and in thehost (eg.energy:aminoacid imbalance).Newapproachestomanage thegutbiomedirectly,orby influencinghostbiology tomodify the ruminal conditions,offerpromise to improveproductionefficiencyofrumenmicrobesandofthehostruminant.


277 Whatistheactualroleofrumenforsupplementedgrazingcattle?

Prof Edenio Detmann1,ProfMárioPaulino1,ProfSebastiãoValadaresFilho1

1Universidade Federal De Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil

Protein has been recognized as the most important component in supplements for grazing cattle in the tropics. For manyyears, the technical arguments regarding supplementationhavebeenbasedonoptimizationof ruminal fermentation,mainlyfiberdegradation.Theoretically,arumendegradablenitrogensupplementationwouldbeabletoincreasemicrobialgrowthandimprovebothenergysupplyfromfiber,andmetabolizableprotein(MP)supplyfrommicroorganisms.However,severalresultsobtainedinBrazilhavepointedoutthateffectsofnitrogensupplementsaremoreprominentonmetabolismthanonrumenitself.Theimprovementsinmicrobialnitrogensupplyrespondforapproximately20%oftheimprovementintotalnitrogenaccretionintheanimalbodyobtainedbyusingnitrogensupplementation.Fromthisstatement,onecanwonderwhichistheactualroleoftherumenwhensupplementsaresuppliedforgrazingcattle.AlthoughnitrogensupplementsseemtohaveaminorroleonimprovementofMPsupplyfrommicrobialprotein,anysignificantandpositivemetaboliceffectofsupplementalnitrogencanonlybeachievedafterruminalenvironmentisequilibratedconcerningnitrogenbalance(RNB).TheRNBismainlyaffectedbydietaryavailabilityofnitrogenandshowsnocorrelationwithdietaryenergy.WhentheRNBisnegative,adeleteriouseffectsonnitrogenstatusintheanimalbodyoccurs,which,inturn,willdecreasetheefficiencyofMPutilization.Inconclusion,thefirststeptoachievebettermetabolicefficienciesingrazingcattleinthetropicsistoprovideanequilibratedruminalenvironmentregardingnitrogenavailability.


278 Live yeast supplementation improves rumen fibre degradation in cattlegrazingtropicalpasturesthroughouttheyear

Mr.DannyloSousa1,MsCassieleOliveira1,Mr.JohnnySouza1,Dr.EricChevaux2,Dr.LucasMari3,Dr Luis Silva1,4

1Universidade de Sao Paulo, Pirassununga, Brazil, 2Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Blagnac, France, 3Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Aparecida de Goiania, Brazil, 4Qaafi, St Lucia, Australia

Theeffectofliveyeast(LY-SaccharomycescerevisiaeCNCMI-1077)oninsitufiberdigestibilityandrumencellulolyticbacteriapopulationofgrazingNellorecattlewasevaluatedthroughouttheyear.Eightrumencannulatedsteerswereusedina2x4factorialarrangementoftreatments:withorwithoutLY,andseasonsoftheyear(spring,summer,fall,andwinter).Theproductwasgivendaily,incapsules,viarumencannula,inordertoprovide8x10⁹CFU.Animalswerekeptonarotationalgrazingsystemreceivingmineralsupplementation.Every45d, insiturumenfibredigestibility(NDFD)of5referenceforageswasdeterminedafter24hincubation.AcompositesampleoftherumencontentswascollectedforDNAextractionandreal-timePCRquantificationoffourcellulolyticbacteriaspecies:Butyrivibriofibrisolvens,Fibrobactersuccinogenes,Ruminococcusflavefaciens,andRuminococcusalbus. Although pasture composition varied greatly throughout the year, there was no LY*season interaction (P>0.20).SupplementationwithLY increased24h-NDFDby6.3% forbermudagrasshay (P=0.02),4.1% forpalisadegrass (P=0.01),4.9%forguineagrass(P=0.03),13%forsugarcanesilage(P=0.02),and6.9%forcornsilage(P=0.04).Amongthefourrumenbacteriaevaluated,R.flavefacienswasthemostprevalent,andLYsupplementationincreasedby78%(P<0.01)therelativepopulationofR.flavefaciensintherumen.TheeffectofLYonR.flavefasciencswasmorepronouncedduringthesummerandspring(LY*seasoninteraction,P=0.10).SupplementationwithLYincreasedrumenpopulationofR.flavefaciensandfibredigestibilityofroughagesinsteersgrazingtropicalpastures.


279 RegulationandadvancingGMtechnologies

Dr Raj Bhula1

1Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, Canberra, Australia

Technologyismovingatapacethatrequiresadaptablelegislationandregulatoryprocessessothatresearchandinnovationissupported.

New plant breeding technologies are challenging legal definitions of GMOs in many countries including Australia. DifferentregulatoryframeworksataninternationallevelcanimpactontheacceptanceofGMOs.

TheOGTRhasconductedatechnicalreviewoftheGeneTechnologyRegulationsinpreparationforagreaterreviewoftheGeneTechnologyscheme.Submissionstothereviewoftheregulationshavehelpedtoinformtheprocess.Theoutcomesofthetechnicalreviewwillbepresented.


280 RegulatoryoversightofnewbreedinginnovationsintheUS

Dr Alison Van Eenennaam1

1University of California, Davis, Davis, United States

TheUS“CoordinatedFrameworkfortheRegulationofBiotechnology”promulgatedinthe1980s,istechnicallyagnostictowardsthebreedingmethodunderreview.AccordingtotheOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicy,“Exerciseofoversight…shouldbebasedontheriskposedbytheintroductionandshouldnotturnonthefactthatanorganismhasbeenmodifiedbyaparticularprocessortechnique”.Inpractice,thisisnotwhathappens.TheUSDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)regulatoryoversightforgeneticallyengineered(GE)plantsistriggeredbythedependenceofanygeneticmodificationuponaplantpestorpotentialtobecomeaplantpest.ThedependenceofolderGEtechniquesonpest-andvirus-derivedgeneticcomponentsresultedinadefactoprocess-basedregulatoryregimeofGEplantsbytheUSDA’sAnimalandPlantHealth InspectionService.Thetrigger fortheUSFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)mandatorypremarketevaluationofGEanimalsisthoseanimalswhosegenomehasbeen intentionallymodifiedby recombinantDNA (rDNA) techniques, including theentire lineageof animals that contain themodification.AllGEanimalsarecapturedundertheseprovisions,regardlessoftheirintendeduse.Thus,althoughtheregulatoryevaluationisbasedontheproduct,theFDAdraftguidancesuggestsanyintentionalalterationofananimal’sgenomewouldtriggerregulatoryoversight.Asaresult,plantswithnonovelDNAsequencesproducedusinggenomeeditingwould likelybeexemptfromregulatoryoversight,whereasanyanimalswith intentionalgenomemodificationswould facemandatorypremarketFDAevaluation.


281 Regulationofnewbreedinginnovations–Implicationsforthegraintrade

Ms Rosemary Richards1

1Grain Trade Australia, Royal Exchange, Australia

TheAustraliangrainsindustrywillpotentiallybenefitfromresearchutilisinginnovativeplantbreedingtechnologiestoenhancetheproductivecapacityofAustraliangrainproducers.Theusesofsuchinnovativetechnologiesareexpandingastheyareadaptabletolargevarietyofcropsandoftenmoreeconomical.

Amajorchallengefortheglobalgraintradeisthelackofconsistencyinregulationsregardinginnovativebreedingtechnologiesglobally.Harmonisationofregulationsisrequiredtoprovidecertaintytothegraintrade.

Thegraintraderequiresaclearpolicyframeworktofacilitatetheefficientmovementofgrainaroundtheworld.Theabsenceofaconsistentpolicyframeworkislikelytoresultinalackofalignmentinregulatoryapproachesinexportingandimportingcountries.Thiswillpotentiallyleadtotradedisruptionwithsubsequentincreasedcostsandrisks.

The Australian industry works with global partners, through the International Grain Trade Coalition, to achieve internationalalignmentandframeworksthatwillminimisetradedisruptions.Alignmentandregulatorycoherencewillassistgovernmentstoavoidunnecessarilyerodingthevalueoftheinnovationand/ordrivingupcostsandcomplexityintheglobalfoodsystem.

GrainTradeAustralia(GTA)isthefocalpointforthecommercialgrainsindustrywithinAustralia.Itfacilitatestradeandworkstoprovideanefficient,equitableandopentradingenvironmentbyprovidingleadership,advocacyandcommercialservicestotheAustraliangrainvaluechain.


300 TheMediterraneanDiet:Ahealthyandtraditionaldietarypatternembeddedinasustainablefoodsystem

Prof Lluis Serra-Majem1,2,3

1Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain, 2Ciber Obn Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health ‘‘Carlos III’’, Madrid, Spain, 3International Mediterranean Diet Foundation, London, United Kingdom

TheMediterraneandietshouldbeunderstoodnotonlyasasetoffoodsbutalsoasaculturalmodelthatinvolvesthewayfoodsareselected,produced,processedanddistributedTheMediterraneandietarypatternispresentednotonlyasaculturalmodelbutalsoasahealthyandenvironmentallyfriendlymodel.

TherecognitionbyUNESCO,withtheconsequentincreasedvisibilityandacceptanceoftheMediterraneandietaroundtheworld,alongwithbetterandmorescientificevidenceregarding itsbenefitsandeffectivenesson longevity,qualityof lifeanddiseaseprevention,hastakenthisdietarypatterntoanunprecedentedhistoricalmoment.ThisisafavorablesituationthatcouldpossiblyenablethestrengtheningoftheMediterraneandietaroundtheworld,thuspotentiatingimprovementsinglobalhealthindicatorsandinareductionofenvironmentalimpactbyproductionandtransportationoffoodresources.

To this end, theMediterranean diet should be seen for what it is: an extremely and incomparable healthy, affordable andenvironmentallysustainable foodmodel,aswellasanancientculturalheritagethatconfers identityandbelonging.Fromthehearttotheearththroughtheroadofculture,theMediterraneandietisaculturalheritagethatlookstothefuture.Withtheleadershipofthenewinternationalorganization–TheInternationalFoundationoftheMediterraneanDiet(IFMeD)www.ifmed.org–thefutureisover.IFMeDaimstoraisepublicawarenessofhealthyandsustainablenutrition,makingitacentralissue,andtopromotetheinternationalcooperationagreementswithactorsbothpublicandprivatestakeholderstosupportandpursuethevaluesandbenefitsoftheMediterraneandiet.

Keywords:MediterraneanDiet,sustainability,healthbenefits,culture,UNESCO,environment.


301 Thechangingfaceofhorticulture:Hellotomorrow!

Prof Neena Mitter1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Avibrantandsustainablehorticulture industry isamust toprovidenutritional food for10billionpeopleby2050.Fruitsandvegetablesarecriticaltoaddresstheso-called‘hiddenhunger’,withtheWorldHealthOrganizationrecommendingadietaryintakeofmorethan400goffruitsandvegetablesperdaytopreventmalnutrition.Morethanthis,horticulture isastrongdriverforeconomicgrowth.Itcreatesjobs,supportsawiderangeagri-businessesacrossthesupplychainandgeneratesincometoagreaterdegreethananyotheragriculturalcrop.Asustainablehorticulturalproductionsystemwithanecosystemapproachisnecessarytoadapttochangingsocial,political,economicandenvironmentalimpacts.

Thediversityoffruits,vegetables,nuts,herbs,medicinalplantsandornamentalsthatmakethehorticultureindustrycanbegrownacrossvariedagro-ecological zones. InAustralia,horticultureaccounts for~18%of the totalvalueofagricultureandemploysaround61,000people.A‘newworldorder’isemergingintheglobalfreshfruitandvegetabletradewithconsumerslookingfor‘value’over‘volume’.Thesechangesarenotyearsaway,theyarehappeningnow.TherapidgrowthofAsia’sconsumerclasstoanestimated3.2billionby2030willdrivedemandforpremium,high-qualityandsafehorticultureproducefromAustralia.HortInnovationAustralia’sinitiativessuchas‘TasteAustralia’and‘HortFrontiers’feedintothevisionofacollaborativeandgrowinghorticultureindustry.

Robotics,precisionfarming,protectedcropping,dronetechnology,newunexploredcrops,andnovelcropprotectionanddiagnosticplatformsaresomeofthekeytenetsforthe‘horticultureoftomorrow’.Theequationneedstoincludebothpre-andpost-farmgateoperationsallthewayfromproductiontomarketandtradeinvestments.Theamalgamationoftraditionalandinnovativeframeworksarecrucialforaproactiveindustryreadytoembracethefuture.Thisrequiressupportfrombothfundamentalandappliedscience.Itisimperativethatnewinnovationsreducepesticidemisuseandconservesoilandwater.“BioClayforaclean-greenandsafecropprotection’and“Plantstemcellbasedclonalpropagationofavocado’aretwosuchexamples;creatingchangethatcounts.Thisisbecomingincreasinglyrelevantasthewell-informedmillennialconsumerwantsinformationallthewayfromgrowingconditionstoshop-front.

Recognisingdifferentpathwaystosuccess,guidingyoungmindstodeliverforthefuture,andinnovationthatgoesbeyonddiscipline,organisations,governments,industriesandgeographiesarevitaltosaying“HelloTomorrow”tothechangingfaceofhorticulture.


302 Combining nanotechnology and molecular recognition for fertilizerapplications

Prof Maria DeRosa1,DrCarlosMonreal2

1Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, 2Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa, Canada

Innovationinagriculturaltechnologywillbeacriticalelementintheefforttoachieveglobalfoodsecurityinanenvironmentallyandeconomicallysustainablefashion.Thispresentationwillexaminethequestion:Canthecombinationofnanotechnologyandmolecularrecognitionhelpimprovethenutrientuseefficiencyoffertilizers?Thepresentationwillfocusspecificallyonarelativelynewtechnologycalledaptamersandtheiragriculturalapplications.Aptamersaresyntheticnucleicacidsthatfoldintonanoscaleshapesthatareabletorecognizeandbindtoatargetmoleculeofinterest.Thisinnovativeformofbionanotechnologyisgainingattentionintheareasofbiosensingandcontrolleddelivery.Oureffortsinthedevelopmentofaptamersforspecificrootexudatesassociatedwithnitrogenuptakewillbedescribed.Also,ourwork in thedevelopmentofaptamer-basednanoscalepolymericcoatingsfortriggerednutrientreleasewillbepresented.


303 Regulatoryscienceandagriculturalinnovation:Wheredowestand?

Dr Phil Reeves1

1Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Kingston, Australia

Nanotechnologyandbiotechnologyadvanceswillleadtomanyinnovativeplantprotectionproducts(PPPs)inAustralianagriculture.ThebenefitsofsuchPPPswillincludeincreasedproductstability,enhancedefficacy,controlledreleaseofactiveingredients,bettertargetingofpestspecies,andreducedenvironmentalfootprints.However,novelPPPshavethepotentialtoposeriskstohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Thecurrentproceduresforassessingtherisksofproperly-characterisednanomaterialstohumanhealthareconsideredtobeadequate.Fromanenvironmentalriskassessmentperspective,thebehaviourofnanomaterials inbothterrestrialandaquaticenvironmentscanbeverydifferentcomparedwiththoseofnon-nanoscalechemicalsandasaresult,modificationstotheconventionalrisk-assessmentapproachfornanomaterialsarenecessary.Inthebiologicalproductsarena,RNAinterference(RNAi)isamajorfocusofR&Dactivitiesglobally.Althoughtheriskassessmentoftopicallyapplieddouble-strandedRNA(dsRNA)designedtoinduceatargetedRNAiresponsetoapestspeciesinvolvessimilarconsiderationstothoseappliedtoother conventional chemicalpesticides, additional considerationsareneeded.These include thepossibilityof silencinggenes(eithertargetornon-targetgenes)innon-targetorganismshavinganoverlappingsequencetothetargetedgeneinthetargetorganism,andthefateandanypossibleeffectofremnantsmall-interferingRNA(siRNA)intheenvironmentortreatedcrop.Whiletheexisting regulatory frameworks for the safetyassessmentof chemical andbiologicalpesticidesare sufficiently robustandflexibletobebroadlyapplicabletonovelPPPs,appropriaterefinementswillneedtobeappliedasourknowledgebaseincreases.


304 Ananobiotechnologyapproachtoprotectplantsfromabioticstress

DrHonghongWu1,NicholasTito1,Asst Prof Juan Pablo Giraldo1

1University of California, Riverside, Riverside, United States

Plantabioticstressleadstoaccumulationofreactiveoxygenspecies(ROS)andconsequentdecreaseinphotosyntheticperformance.Wedemonstratethataplantnanobiotechnologyapproachofinterfacingnegativelycharged,sub-11nm,sphericalceriumoxidenanoparticles(nanoceria)withchloroplastsinvivoaugmentsROSscavengingandphotosynthesisofArabidopsisthalianaplantsunderexcess light,heat,darkchilling,andsalinitystress.Poly (acrylicacid)nanoceria (PNC)withahydrodynamicdiameterof10.3±0.6nm(lowerthanthemaximumplantcellwallporosity)andzetapotentialof-16.9±2.7mV,preferentiallylocalizeinsidechloroplastsofleafmesophyllcellsthanpositivelychargednanoceriaofsimilarsize.Nanoceriaaretransportedintochloroplastsvianon-endocyticpathways,influencedbytheelectrochemicalgradientoftheplasmamembranepotential.PNChavingCe3+/Ce4+ratiosof35.0%±2.2%augmentplantROSscavengingincludingsuperoxideanionandhydroxylradicals,forthelatterROSthereisnoknownplantenzymescavenger.PlantswithembeddedPNCthatwereexposedtoabioticstresshaveenhancedquantumyieldofphotosystemII,carbonassimilationrates,andRubiscocarboxylationratesrelativetoplantswithoutnanoparticles.PNCimprovebothquantumyieldofphotochemistryandcarbonassimilationratesunderexcesslightbutonlythecarboxylationreactionsunderheatanddarkchilling.AnionicsphericalPNCwithlowCe3+/Ce4+ratioscanbeusedbothasatooltostudytheimpactofoxidativestressonplantfunctionandtoprotectplantsfromabioticstress.


305 Nano-enabledpesticides:Anemergingtechnologyinplantprotection

Dr Rai Kookana1

1CSIRO Land and Water, Waite Campus, Australia, 2University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Australia

Nanotechnology is increasingly being used to develop new and more effective pharmaceuticals and agrochemical products(NanofertilisersandNanopesticides).Atthenanoscale(thesizerangeofapproximately1nmto100nm),materialscandisplayverydifferentoradditionalphysical,chemicalandbiologicalpropertiescomparedtothepropertiesofthebulkmaterials.Thusnanotechnologycanhelpdelivermoreeffectiveand/orenvironmentallyfriendlierproducts.Thereforethereisgrowinginterestin deliberate applications of nanotechnology in the development of newplant protection products.Nano-enabled pesticidespromisemanybenefitsoverconventionalpesticideproducts.Thesebenefitsmayincludeimprovedformulationcharacteristics,easier application, better targeting of pest species, increased efficacy, lower application rates, and enhanced environmentalsafety.Forexample,dendrimertechnologyisbeingappliedtoanumberofpesticideactiveingredientstodevelopnano-enabledpesticideswithenhancedefficacyandsomeproductsareinanadvancedstageofdevelopment.Nanopolymersarebeingusedascarriersfortargeteddeliveryofpesticidesandandafewsuchnano-enabledpesticideshavealreadybeenregisteredforuse.Itisexpectedthatanincreasingnumberofnano-enabledpesticideproductswillbemadeavailableforuseoverthenextfiveyears.Thispresentationwillprovideanoverviewoftypesofnano-enabledpesticidesinthepipeline,thepotentialbenefitstheymayofferandthechallengestheymayposetotheregulatoryagenciesduringregistrationprocess.


306 Nanoparticlesforanimalhealthcare

Prof Chengzhong Yu1

1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia

Agriculturehasplayedacrucialrole inaddressingtheHumanity’stopproblemsinourfuture.Conventionaltechnologiesusedinagriculturehavelimitationstoincreasetheproductivityandmaycauseecosystemsdamages.Thelong-termnegativeeffectsof farmingsuchas irrigation, fertilizersandpesticidesarepersistentandhavetobesolvedusing interdisciplinaryapproaches.Nanotechnologyholdsgreatpromise insustainableagriculture,neverthelesscurrenteffortsaredevotedsignificantlyto“high-end”areassuchasnano-medicineandcancertherapy,leaving“weakmomentum”fornano-scientistsworkinginagriculturesectorthathashugeneedsandbigimpactinsociety.Itiscriticalforchemistsandmaterialsscientiststoprovideenablingsolutionsinagriculturethroughmultidisciplinarycollaboration.

Inthispresentation,ourrecentprogressesonfunctionalnanomaterialsinanimalhealthcarewillbeintroduced.Wereportthatsilicananoparticleswith roughsurfaceshaveenhancedadhesion towardsvarious surfaces, thuscanbeused forantibacterialproteindelivery,DNAvaccineandnano-pesticideformulation.Conventionalsilicamaterialshavebeenusedasadjuvantsinvaccineformulation, however their adjuvanticity is limited.We demonstrate that by tuning the composition, surface roughness andnanoparticlesymmetry,therationallydesignedsilicananoparticlescanbeusedasnoveladjuvantsandcarrierswhichstimulatepotentandtunableimmuneresponse.Ournanotechnologiesapplicableinotheragriculturesectorswillalsobereviewed.


307 BioClayforcropprotectionagainstviruses

Miss Elizabeth Worrall1,DrKarlRobinson1,PengLi2,MrRiteshJain1,ChristelleTaochy1,3,MrStephenFletcher1,3,BernardJCarroll3,GQ(Max)Lu2,4,ZhiPingXu2,ProfessorNeenaMitter1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 4University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom

Protectingcropplantsagainstvirusesbytopicalapplicationofdouble-strandedRNA(dsRNA)representsahighlyappealingalternativetovirusresistanttransgeniccropsorpesticidestargetingvirusvectors.RNA-interference(RNAi)hasproventobeapowerfultooltocombatcropviruses,howeversocietalacceptanceofgeneticallymodifiedcropshasbeenasignificantdrawback.PriorstudieshavedemonstratedthathomologousdsRNA,exogenouslyappliedontoplant leaves,providesRNAi-mediatedprotectionwhenvirallychallenged.However, the instabilityofdsRNA isamajorbottleneck,assprayeddsRNAonlyprovidesprotectionagainstvirusesforupto5days.TheinnovativeapproachofutilizingnanoparticlesasdsRNAcarriersisemergingasapromisingdisruptivetechnologythatisenvironmentallysustainableandeasy-to-adopt.CoinedasBioClay;dsRNAisloadedontodesigner,non-toxic,degradable layereddoublehydroxide(LDH)nanosheets for improvedstabilityandsustainedrelease.Upontopicalapplication,LDHslowlydegradesunderthepresenceofmoistureandcarbondioxide,therebyreleasingthedsRNA.ReleaseddsRNAistakenupbyplantcellsandsilenceshomologousviralRNA.BioClaycanbedetectedonsprayedleaves30dayspostapplicationandisresistanttowashing.Importantly,plantsvirallychallenged20dayspostspraydemonstrateviralprotectiononbothsprayedandnewlyemerged,unsprayedleaves.RNAi-mediatedprotectionutilizingBioClayhasbeenachievedwithvirusesfromthreegenera;Cucumovirus,TobamovirusandPotyvirus.ExogenousapplicationofdsRNAintheprotectedformofBioClayhasunlockedendlessopportunitiestoprotectcropsfrompestsandpathogensasacleanandgreencropspray.


308 ConstraintsonphotosyntheticefficiencyinC4crops,withspecialreferencesto sugarcane

Prof Rowan Sage1

1Ecology and Evolution Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

C4photosynthesisexhibitssuperiorproductivityandresourceuseefficiency inwarm,high lightenvironmentsof low latitude.As a consequence, themost productive crops are C4.While there has beenmuch emphasis on engineering photosyntheticimprovements in C3 crops, including the introduction of the C4 pathway into rice, there is less emphasis on improving C4photosynthesis.IncomparisonwithC3photosynthesis,theremaybegreateropportunitiesforimprovingphotosynthesisinC4speciesduetotheadditionoftheC4cycle.Forexample,enhancingC4cycleactivitycouldimproveCO₂deliverytoRubiscointhebundlesheathcells, therebyenhancingcarboxylationefficiencyandphotosynthesisat lowerstomatalconductance. C4cropsdesignedtohavehighercarboxylationefficiencyat lowerstomatalconductancewouldthereforehavemuchhigherwateruseefficiency,apremiumadvantageinthedrytropics.LowtemperaturesalsoimpairC4photosynthesis,duebottlenecksimposedbyeitherRubiscoorpyruvate-P-dikinaseactivity.Overcomingtheselimitations,forexample,byintroducingisoformsoflimitingenzymesfromcold-tolerantC4speciessuchasMiscanthus,couldimproveperformanceoftropicalC4cropsinuplandlocations.Inthecaseofsugarcane,itsphotosynthesisrateisoftenlimitedbynitrogensupply,duetoreducedNapplicationtoenhancesugarallocationtostorage.Maizebycontrast,hasa50%highernitrogenuseefficiency(NUE)thansugarcane,possiblyduetolessstructuralinvestmentinthemaizeleaf.Bymimickingthemaizepattern,itmaybepossibletosubstantiallyenhancephotosyntheticNUEinsugarcane,andwithit,sucroseyield.


309 Licence to farm: Why nitrogen use efficiency matters and how we canachieve it in sugarcane

Prof Susanne Schmidt1,DrNicoleRobinson1,DrRichardBrackin1,DrPrakashLakshmanan2

1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly, Australia

Highcropyieldsareonlyrealisedwithnutrientsufficiencyandfertilisersareindispensableinmodernfarming.Anundesirablesideeffectispollutionandtheincreasedpresenceofreactivenitrogenandphosphorusischangingplanetaryfunction.Fertiliserlossespollutesoil,waterandair,causealgaebloomsandcoastaldeadzones,generate10%ofanthropogenicgreenhousegasesanddepletebiodiversity,e.g.viacoral-predatingstarfishintheGreatBarrierReef.

Attheheartisthemismatchbetweenfertiliseravailabilityandcropdemand.Similartocropsglobally,insugarcanefarming,ureaisappliedandrapidlyconvertedtoammoniumandhighlymobileandloss-pronenitrate.SugarcaneacquiresNover7monthsbutwetseasonrainfallandirrigationdriveNlossesintheearlyseasonandNefficiencyisonly50%.

TomeettheNinfluxreductiontargetfortheGBRlagoon,transformationalchangerequiresatwo-tieredapproach.(1)Advanceunderstanding of soil N processes and efficient N supply, and (2) breedN use efficient sugarcane varieties.We discuss pastresearchwithcommercialureaformulations,andcurrentnext-generationfertilisersinformedbynano-technologyandsugarcanephysiology.WepresentanupdateonevaluationofgeneticvariationinNuseinexistingcommercialvarietiesandcharacterisationofN-uselinkedtraits includingcanopyclosure,specificleafN,andNuptakewithpotentialforproximalandremotescreeningforefficientNuseinsugarcanebreedingprogrammes.Lastly,wediscussthefarmingsystemasawholewithopportunitiesforbiologicalNfixationandnutrientrepurposingtoachievenutrientstewardship.


310 Control of sugar and fibre: Insights from the sugarcane transcriptomeanalyses

Dr Prathima Perumal Thirugnanasambandam1,2,DrNamVanHoang3,DrAgneloFurtado1,DrFrikkieCBotha4,DrRobertHenry1

1QAAFI, Brisbane, Australia, 2ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore,, India, 3College of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam, 4Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly, Australia

Sucroseandfibretraitsinsugarcaneshareaverydynamicrelationshipdependinglargelyuponthegeneticmakeupofgenotypesandgrowthenvironment.To investigate themolecularbasisof carbonflux into sucroseandfibre thatmakesgenotypeshighsugaredorhighfibred,ordualpurposed,anextensivetranscriptomicsstudywasundertakenusingasetofsugarcanegenotypesdifferinginsugarandfibrecontents.RNA-Seqwasusedforsequencingwholetranscriptomesfromtopandbottominternodesof20genotypesat12monthsofplanting.Differentialgeneexpression(DGE)analyseswereperformedusing40transcriptomesusingpubliclyavailablesugarcanegenomic resources including sugarcaneESTdatabase (SUCEST)andSaccharumofficinarumgeneindices(SOGI), inadditiontoalong-readsugarcanetranscriptomereferencedatabase,SUGIT.ResultsofDGEanalysisforsucroserevealedacomplexnetworkof transcriptsassociatedwithgrowth,defence,vacuole,sucroseandfibrerelatedgenes,forinstance,withSUGITdatabase,18543differentiallyexpressedtranscriptswereobtainedwhileDGEanalysisforfibreresultedin4818transcriptsdifferentiallyexpressed.Sucrosemightplayasignificantregulatoryrole incontrollingexpressionofseveralthousandgenesincludingthoserelatedtofibreratherthanmerelybeingastoragesugaroftheculms.Furtherthehighsugargenotypeswerenotalwayslowfibredandfibremighttoanextentprovidestructuralframeworkformaintaininghighsugarlevelsasseenbythehighexpressionoffibrerelatedgenes.Thestudyalsosuggeststhattherecouldexistcertainthresholdlevelsofsugarorfibrecontentsbeyondwhichaninverserelationwouldoccur.


311 Applicationofhigh-throughputphenomicsforsugarcanetraitdevelopmentandvarietyimprovement

Dr Prakash Lakshmanan1,DrSijeshNatarajan2,DrScottChapman3,DrJayampathiBasnayake2

1Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, Australia, 2Sugar Research Australia, Burdekin, Australia, 3CSIRO Agriculture, Brisbane, Australia

With the recent advancements in sensor, computational and automation technologies, cost-effective, high-throughputquantitativephenotypingtolinkthegenotypeandenvironmenttoplantform,functionandultimatelycropyield(phenotype)isbecomingarealityinmanycrops.Thegenotypeofaplantconsistsofallitshereditaryinformationwhilephenotyperepresentsthemorphological, physiological, growth and developmental attributes resulting from the interactions between genome andenvironment.Becauseofthelargespatio-temporalvariationinenvironment,bothbioticandabiotic,thephenotype(e.g.yield)ofanindividualcanbeveryplastic.Understandingthemechanismunderpinningthephenotypicplasticity(e.g.yieldvariation)anditsdeterminantsremainsthemajorbottleneckforbreeding.Overthepasttwodecades,genomicsrevolutionproducedalargebodyofgenomesequenceandgeneexpressiondatabutitislargelyunexploitedforcropimprovement.Theinabilitytostudyplantfunctionsdynamically in largegeneticpopulations in thefieldremainstherealbottleneck forourunderstandingof“genome-phenome”relationships.Recentlywestudiedgeneticvariationforresponseofsugarcanetowaterandnitrogendeficitbydifferentphenotypingtechnologies.Theysuccessfullydiscriminatedtestgenotypesforgrowthandtraitvariationinthefield.Thispaperreviewsthestatusandthepotentialapplicationsofphenomicsinsugarcane,andhighlightsthebreakthroughsinothercrops.


312 Sensitivityandplasticityofsugarcaneleafmetabolismduringstress

Ms Annelie Marquardt1,2,ProfRobertJHenry2,ProfFrederikCBotha1,2

1Sugar Research Australia, Brisbane, Australia, 2Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), Brisbane, Australia

Yieldimprovementsinsugarcanehavebeennegligibleinthepastthreedecadesasbreederscopewithnewpestsanddiseases,as well as changing environmental conditions. Sugarcane production is increasingly forced intomoremarginal, higher stressenvironments.Generally,wehavea limitedunderstandingofthemolecularmechanismsthatunderpinthecrop’sresponsetostress.Agoodunderstandingofthesebiochemicalmechanisms,andassociatedgeneexpression,supportsandencouragesthedevelopmentofsugarcanebreedingandmanagementstrategies. Inthisstudythemetabolic impactsofstressesonsugarcaneleavesaredescribed,withemphasisontheC4spatialseparationofcarbonfixationanddecarboxylation.InallC4-species,PEPcarboxylase(PEPC)inthemesophyllistheprimaryenzymeofCO₂fixation.TheproductofPEPC,oxaloacetate(C4-organicacid),isthenshuttledtothebundlesheathcellswhereCO₂isreleasedviaadecarboxylationreaction.Therearethreedifferentpathwaysthroughwhichthisshuttlinganddecarboxylationcanoccurandplantsareclassifiedbasedonthedominantpathway.Wehaveusedtranscriptomeandproteomedatatoreconstructthecarbonfixationpathways,lightreactionsandmitochondrialpathwaysin sugarcane leaves at different stages of development and stress.We show there is variation and flexibility in shuttling anddecarboxylationpathwaysunderthedifferentphysiologicalconditions.Inthelightreactions,thephotosystemII(PSII)componentoftheelectrontransportchainisparticularlysensitivetostress.Thesechangesinphotosyntheticactivityalsocoincidewithmajorshiftsincarbonpartitioning.


313 Usinggenomicsequencingtounderstandthesugarcanegenomestructure

Dr Karen Aitken1,DrJiriStiller1,DrPaulBerkman1,DrAnneRae1

1CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, Australia

Sugarcanehas a complexpolyploidhybrid genomeof 10Gbpwhichmakes sequencingandassembling the genomeamajorchallenge.Despite thiswehavegenerateda sugarcaneassembly that represents97%of sugarcanegenes.Theassemblywasgeneratedusingbothwholegenomeshotgun(WGS)sequencegeneratedfromarangeofDNAfragmentsizesbetween180bpand32,000bp,andPacBiolongreadtechnologywithanaveragereadlengthof7282bp.AsugarcaneGbrowsehasbeendevelopedwhichaligns thesugarcaneassembly to thecurrentsorghumgenomesequencetheclosestdiploidrelativetosugarcane.TheGbrowseallowsthemultipleallelesofgenesthatarepresentinthepolyploidgenomeofsugarcanetobeinterrogated.Analysisofthisdatahasidentifiedlargenumbersofsinglenucleotidepolymorphisms(SNPs),whicharecurrentlybeingtestedforassociationwithdesirabletraitsamongstapopulationofplantlines.Adefinedgenomesequencewillbeusedbymanyresearcherstoidentifythebasis of traits and to capitaliseon knowledgeof traits from related crops suchas sorghum.Previousworkhas identifiedquantitative trait loci (QTL) for traits suchasbiomass in sugarcane.Bioinformatic tools cannow identify theunderlyinggenesequencesfromthesugarcanegenomesequence.Inasimilarway,thesugarcanehomologuesofgenesthatareknowntoenhanceproductivityinotherspeciescannowbeidentified.Inadditiontorevealingunderlyingbiologicalmechanisms,thesegeneswillbevaluableastargetsforselectionorgeneticmodificationtoenhancevarietydevelopment.


314 TheImportanceofAssessingAnimalWelfare

Alan J Tilbrook

Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Australia

The livestock industries globally are striving to continuously improve the welfare of their animals. This is a direct result ofincreasedpublicawarenessandconcernoveranimalwelfare.Thelivelihoodsofproducersandprocessorscanbedramaticallyandcatastrophicallyalteredbyrapidsocialmedia-inducedchanges inconsumerbehaviour.Thesignificanceofthisrisk isveryreal. Indeed,a recenteconomicappraisalof theAustralianredmeat industriesshowedthat there isnogreater riskcurrentlyfacingtheredmeatindustriesinAustraliathanthatofnotengaginginanimalwelfareresearchanddevelopment.Thisriskfaroutweighsanygainduetoimprovedproductivity.Inordertoimprovethewelfareofanimalsitisvitaltobeabletoreliablyandaccuratelyassesstheirwelfare.Thisisanarearequiringasubstantialresearcheffort.Wearetakingamultidisciplinaryapproachtodevelopthemeanstounderstandboththebiologicalfunctioning(physiologyandbehaviour)andaffective(emotional)statesofanimalsthroughoutthesupplychain.Inadditiontoascientificapproach,webelievethatacriticalfeaturetoachievingimprovedanimalwelfareistoengagewiththeentirevaluechain,whichincludesthepublic,consumers,processors,retailors,producersandaccreditors.Ourresearchwithcattle,sheepandpigsutilizesnovelscientificandtechnologicalapproachestoprovidethepracticalmeans to assessphysiological, behavioural andemotional functioningunderextensive and intensive conditions. Theultimateobjectiveistoprovideasuiteofmeasuresthatwillprovidearobustandrepeatablemeanstoassessanimalwelfareinpractice.


315 AnimalwelfareissuesinthegrazingbeefindustryofnorthernAustralia

Michael McGowan1,GeoffryFordyce2,DaveSmith3,KierenMcCosker4,TamsinBarnes5

1The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3Dept Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Charters Towers, Australia, 4Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Katherine, Australia

Themajorproperty-levelanimalwelfareissuesintheextensivebeefproductionregionsofnorthernAustraliaarehighmortalityrates in breeding females and young calves, and pain associated with dehorning, castration, branding and spaying. A largeepidemiologicalstudyofcommercialbeefbreedingherdsfoundthat25%ofherdshadapercentagemissingness(estimateofmortality)ofpregnantcowsofatleast12%,and25%ofherdshadapercentagefoetalandcalflossofatleast15%.Aged(>11yearsold)cows,cowscalvingduringthemid-dryseasonorinpoorbodycondition,latepregnant/lactatingfemalesgrazingphosphorusdeficientpasturesduringthewetseason(withtheassociatedriskofbotulism),pregnantfemalesgrazingpoorqualitydryseasonpastures,dystocia,musteringlatepregnant-earlylactatingcows,poorudderandteatconformation,andcastrationanddehorningareimportantfactorsassociatedwithincreasedmortalityinbreedingfemalesandcalves.

Most calves born in northernAustralia need to be dehorned because they derive their tropical adaptation fromBos indicusgenotypes.Dehorningandcastrationareconductedeitheratthetimeofbrandingormorecommonlyatthetimeofweaningwhenmanycalveswillbeatleast6monthsofage.Currentlyinthemajorityofcasestheseproceduresareconductedwithouteitherlocalanaesthesiaorsystemicanalgesia.Similarly,surplusheifersandagedcowsarespayedinmanycaseswithouteitherlocalanaesthesiaorsystemicanalgesia.


316 Proteomicstodetectbiomarkersofpainandinflammationincattle

MrsPriyaGhodasara1,DrPaulMills1,Dr Nana Satake1,DrPawelSadowski2,DrStevenKopp1

1The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia, 2Central Analytical Research Facility, QUT, Brisbane, Australia

Cattle are routinely subjected to painful surgical husbandry procedures, such as castration and dehorning. Quantifying theeffectivenessofpainreliefinterventionsduringtheseproceduresischallenging,duetothesubjectivityandcomplexityofpainperceptioninanimalsandtheinherenttendencyforpreyspeciestosuppresstheirbehaviouralresponses.Therefore,thereareobviouslimitationsintheuseofbehaviouralobservationsandroutinebiochemicalorimmunologicalassaysrestrictedtoindividualtargets(e.g.plasmacortisol)fordetectingandquantifyingtheresponsetopainandstress.Oneapproach,increasinglyusedinhumanbiomedicine,istodevelopanarrayofplasmabiomarkers,whichcollectivelyrespondtoastimulus.Nextgenerationmassspectrometrytechniques,suchasSWATH-MS,canbeappliedtoquantitativeprofilingofproteins(proteomics),lipids(lipidomics)andmetabolites(metabolomics)inanunbiasedmannerandenablesimultaneousevaluationofhundredstothousandsofvariousmarkers in virtually unlimited number of samples and thus providemore holistic representationof the physiological change.SWATH-MSanalysisrequiresoneoffconstructionofspectrallibrarieswhichcanbeexpandedastheprojectdevelopsandsharedbetweenlaboratories.Inthisstudy,SWATH-MSapproachhasbeenappliedtomonitorproteinsthatformapartofthesystemicresponsetopainandinflammationandareputativetargetsofanalgesicdrugs.Wedescribethedevelopmentofthefoundationaldataandtoolsthatdonotonlypermitmorethoroughunderstandingofpainandinflammationincattlebutalsohaveapotentialtoadvanceveterinarymedicineinamannerthathasnotbeenpossiblebefore.


317 Cagerowarrangementaffects theperformanceof layinghens in thehothumidtropics

Dr Siaka Diarra1,MrsRanitaDevi1,MrsSamanthaRogers1,MsPapayaiaVaeluagas1,MrJuniorMolis1

1School of Agriculture and Food Technology, Apia, Samoa

Althoughthetraditionalcagesystemofhousinglayinghensisgraduallybeingfacedoutduetowelfarereasons,cagesarestillcommoninmostdevelopingtropicalcountriesindifferentarrangements.Ina12-weekexperiment,theeffectsofathreecagerowarrangementonhen-dayproductionandeggqualitiesofShaverBrownhenswasstudied.Datawerecollectedfrom2layershedshousing9,000hensina3-cagerowarrangement(southernrow,northernrowandmiddlerow)with3,000hensperrow.Datawereanalysedforarandomizedcompleteblockdesignwherecagerowswerethetreatmentsandweekstheblocks.Resultsshowednosignificanteffectsofcagerowarrangementonfeedintake,hen-dayproduction,percentyolkandHaughunit(P>0.05).Eggweight,eggmassandpercentshellweresignificantlyreducedandfeedconversionratioincreasedonthemiddlerow(P<0.05).Eggweight,eggmass,percentshellandfeedconversionratiodidnotdifferbetweenthesiderows(P>0.05).Theseresultssuggestthatbatterycagerowarrangementmaynotaffecttherateoflaybuteggweight,eggmassandefficiencyoffeedutilisationmaybeadverselyaffectedinhenshousedinthemiddlerow.Thesefindingshavebotheconomicandwelfareimplications.


318 Applicationsofendocrinephysiologyconceptstoevaluatestressandwelfareofproductionlivestock

Dr Edward Narayan1

1School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

AnimalhealthandwelfareareimportantcomponentsofqualitylivestockproductioninAustraliaandwelfareiscarefullymonitoredbyhighstandardrulesandregulations.Stress isaphysiologicalprocesswhichenablesanimalstorespondtochanges intheirenvironmenthoweverlong-termactivationofthephysiologicalstressresponseduringexposuretonoxiousstimulus(e.g.climatechange,physicalmismanagement)could leadtonegative impactsontheanimal’shealthandwell-being.Thestressendocrinesystem(hypothalamo-pituitaryadrenal-HPAaxis)isresponsibleforregulatingthephysiologicalstressresponseinanimals.Secretionofstresshormonesorglucocorticoidsaltergeneexpressionthatmaybeneededfor immuneresponseandenergysupply forincreasedmetabolicdemandwhileanimals face-offwith stressors. TheHPAaxisnormallyoperateswithinhomeostasis rangehoweverprolongedexposuretophysicalandenvironmentalstressorscausesthephysiologicalstressresponsetoturnmaladaptive,causingnegativeeffectsonreproduction,immunefunction,satietyandbehaviour.Simplyput,itisessentialtomonitorstressinproductionlivestocksothatproducersandconsumersareawarethattheanimalsare“happy=physiologicalwellness”. Recentinnovationsintheemergingfieldofnon-invasivestressendocrinologyhaveimprovedlaboratorytechniquesthatcanrapidlyandreliablyquantifystresshormonesinanimalsthroughmeasurementsofsteroidsinnon-invasivebiologicalsamplessuchasfaeces,woolandhair.Myresearchlabrunsunderthethematicareaof“StressPhysiology”andthroughthispresentationIwilldescribeanddiscusstherecentapplicationsofnon-invasiveendocrinologyforstressassessmentsinproductionlivestocktomonitorhealthandwelfare.


319 Feather-eating is related to stress level and sucrose preference in layinghens

Mr Sungbo Cho1,DrEugeniRoura1


Featherpeckingbehaviour in layinghensmaybeassociatedwith stress level. It hasbeen reported that featherpeckingwaspositively correlated with plasma corticosterone. Stress hormone receptors were found in the tongue, especially related toTas1r3-expressing taste cells (a common receptor for sweetandumami taste), thus,potentiallyaffecting taste sensitivityanddiet selection.Wehypothesized that theseeffectsondiet selectionmayultimatelyexplainaberrant foragingbehaviourssuchas featherpecking/eating (FE). Therefore,we compared corticosterone levelsbetweenFEandnon-feathereating (NFE)birdsusinganon-invasivemethod:eggalbuminanalysis.Adoublechoicetestwascarriedoutin96individualmaturehenstostudytheirnutrientpreferencesincludingsucrose(at1,5or17%).Attheendofthetrialthehenswereeuthanisedandtheirfeatherconsumptionassessedbynecropsy.NFEhensshowedsignificantlyhigherpreferenceforsucrosethanFEbirds(p<0.05).Andthecorticosteronelevelwashigherinnon-feathereatersthanfeathereaters(p<0.05),indicatingNFEwereunderhigherstress.Wespeculatethatthehigher levelofstressrelatestobeingobjectiveoffeatherpullingandpecking.ThehigherstressstatusandsucrosepreferenceinNFEareconsistentwithstressexperimentsinrodentswhichindicatedthatchronicstressincreasedsucroseconsumption.Therefore,higherstressstatusmightberelatedtoasucroseappetiteinNFE,victimfromfeatherpeckingbehaviour.


320 Tropicalrice:Challengesforquality

Prof Melissa Fitzgerald1,DrVeneaDaraDaygon1,DrMariafeCalingacion1

1University of Queensland, University Of Queensland, Australia

Aromaticricecommandsthehighestpricesinbothdomesticandinternationalmarketsbecauseconsumersprizeboththemouth-wateringaromaanddelicateflavourof the rice.Themajoraromaticcompound in fragrant rice is2-acetyl1-pyrroline (2AP).Usingapanelof380diversevarietiesofrice,metabolomicsprofilingofvolatilecompoundsfromthegrain,andgenomewideassociationwith33000singlenucleotidepolymorphisms(SNPs),theobjectivesofthisstudyweretoidentify(i)sensorytraitsthatdescribejasminerice;(ii)thevolatilecompoundsthatdefinethosesensorytraits,and(iii)geneticmarkersforthosecompounds.The sensory descriptors fell into three clusters,with Cluster 1 describing high quality jasmine rice, Cluster 3 describing non-fragrantrice,andlowerqualityjasminericesfallingbetweenthedescriptorsinClusters1and2.Thecompoundsthatmoststronglydiscriminatedthehighqualityjasminericesfromtheothersampleswere2APandfourothercompounds,twoofwhichrequiredhigh resolutionplatforms to reveal theirmolecular structureandannotation. Thesefive compoundsassociatewith the sameSNPonchromosome8,severalarefragrantwithalowodourthreshold,andtheyprovidenewinformationaboutthepathwayof2APsynthesis.ThreeQTLwerefoundthatassociatewithhighorlowamountsofthefivecompounds.Another20metabolitesassociatedeitherpositivelyornegativelywithhighquality jasmine fragrance. Significantgeneticassociations couldbe foundforsomeofthesecompounds.Bycombiningtheseplatforms,wedelivernewandvaluabletoolstobreedersforselectinghighlyfragrantrice.


321 Starchesinriceendosperm:Diversityandimprovement

Prof Qiao-Quan Liu1,2,DrChang-QuanZhang1,DrQian-FengLi1,ProfMing-HongGu1

1College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China, 2Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane,, Australia

Riceisoneofthemostimportantfoodsintheorientalworld,andmorepeoplesprefertoconsumericewithgoodsensoryandhealthcharacteristics.Starchisthemajorcomponentofriceendosperm,andthecompositionandstructureofstarchplayadominantrole in thequalityof the ricegrains, aswell as their industryapplication. In theworld, thereareabundant ricegermplasms,includinglotsoflocallandraces,andthegrainqualityvariationoccurredwidelyamongtheselandraces.Thus,itisveryimportanttominenovelallelesofstarchquality-relatedgenesforricequalityimprovement.Ourresearchfocusedonthestarch-synthesisrelatedgenes(SSRGs),andcarriedouttominenoveldiversityofsuchgenesforqualityimprovementofbothjaponicaandindicaricecultivars.Byusingre-sequencingandrelatedapproaches,theallelicvariationofSSRGsamongricegermplasmswereanalyzedandseveralnewallelesweremined.Ourresultsshowedthattherehasacertainimpactoftheallelicvariationsongrainquality.Theresultswillbeveryusefulnotonlytobreednewricecultivarswithgoodsensoryand/orproperties,butalsotounderstandthegeneticdiversityofgrainqualityinrice.


322 Opportunitiesandchallengesofestablishinganorthernriceindustry

Mr Russell Ford1

1Rice Research Australia, Jerilderie, Australia

Mostoftheworldsriceisgrownundertropicalorsub-tropicalconditionsasfoundinNorthernAustraliaformuchoftheyear.

PastexperiencesinNorthAustraliahasshownthatmuchofthedevelopmenttoasuccessfulriceindustryhasbeenlimitedbypests,disease,suitablevarietiesandlackofinfrastructure.

The latestefforts ingrowingrice inNorthernAustraliahavemainlybeenfocusedongrowingrice inanAlternateWettingandDrying(AWD)growingsystem,whereadryersurfacehelpsalleviateproblemsfrombirdpressureandworksinwithmanyofthecurrentfarmingsystemssuchassugarcaneandpulses.

TheopportunityexiststodeliveraNorthernricefarmingsystemthatcandeliveraprofitableoptionforinclusioninagricultureacrossNorthAustralia.Reliabilityofrainfallandwater,alongwithheatandsuitablesoils,arekeydriversinfindingasuitablesystemforNorthernRice.OvercomingsomeofthechallengesanddeliveringasafeandbalancedRiceRecipefortheNorthisthefocusoverthenextfewyears.


323 Designingtropicalriceforimprovednutritionandpalatability

Prof Robert G Gilbert1,2,DrChengLi2,MrShiyaoYu1,DrHongyanLi3

1The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China, 3Beijing Technology & Business University, Beijing, China

Thequalitytraitwhichhasreceivedthemostattentionfromricebreedershasbeenyield.Nutritionalqualityisalsoimportant,especiallyslowdigestibility(higherresistantstarch).Currentriceswithveryslowdigestibilityarehigh-amylosetypes,whichhaveunacceptablepalatability.Ricedigestibilityisstronglydependentonthestarchchainlengthdistribution,especiallyhavingmorelongeramylopectinchainsandmoreshorteramylosechains(e.g.[1-3]).Longamylosechainsgive lowpalatability,forreasonsthat are becoming understood on amolecular basis [4, 5]. This new knowledge is available for rice breeders andmolecularbiotechnologists(includingnewtechnologies[6-7])toselectanddevelopimprovedricevarietiesfortropicalagriculture.Thiscanincludebothnewtypesofwildrice[8],aswellasconventionaldomesticatedvarietiesgrownintropicalconditions.

[1]XLShu,GJiao,MAFitzgerald,CZYang,QYShu,DXWu,Starch/Staerke58(2006)411.

[2]Z.A.Syahariza,S.Sar,M.Tizzotti,J.Hasjim,RGGilbert,FoodChem.136(2013)742.

[3]K.Wang,J.Hasjim,A.C.Wu,R.J.Henry,RGGilbert,J.Agric.FoodChem.62(2014)4443.

[4]H.Li,M.A.Fitzgerald,S.Prakash,T.M.Nicholson,RGGilbert,ScientificReports7(2017)43713.

[5]H.Li,S.Prakesh,T.H.Nicholson,M.A.Fitzgerald,RGGilbert,FoodChem.196(2016)702.

[6]C.Li,RGGilbert,Planta243(2016)13.

[7]C.Li,…RGGilbert,PLoSOne10(2015)e0125507.

[8]T.Tikapunya,…R.J.Henry,RGGilbert,CarbohydratePolymers172(2017)213.


324 Australianwildrice:Diverseandtasty

Mr Ali Mohammad Moner1,MsTiparatTikapunya1,MrsHaybaBadro1,MrsMartaBrozynska1,MrAgneloFurtado1,HSymth1,QQLiu2,RGGilbert1,ProfRobertHenry1

1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072 Australia, St Lucia, Australia, 2Better Cereal Centre, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China

AustralianwildricesincludeAgenomepopulationsthataretheclosestrelativesofdomesticatedrice.GenomesequencinghasindicatedthattheAustraliantaxaarepartofsistercladestotheotherAgenomespeciesdiverginginthelast1.5-3millionyears.RecentanalysishasexamineddiversityintheAustralianpopulationsatthegenomelevelandexploredgrainqualitytraits.Thisresearchhasconfirmedthepresenceofnoveldiversityatthegenome,starchstructureandqualitytraitlevel.Grainsizeiswithinthenormalrangesofdomesticatedrices.Theamylosecontentofthegrainsisgenerallyveryhighwithadiversityofstarchfinestructures,someofwhicharesignificantlydifferentfromthoseofdomesticatedricesandthusmayhaveadvantageousnutritionalproperties.Genomeanalysishasconfirmedthepresenceofnovelstarchbiosynthesisgenes.Sensoryevaluationsuggeststhatthesericesareattractiveforconsumptionintheirpresentformaswildricesandwillbeusefulassourceofextensiveandnoveldiversityfordomesticatedriceimprovement.


325 Where the rubber meets the road: Implementing molecular markertechnologiesintheAustralianricebreedingprogram

Dr Ben Ovenden1

1Nsw Department of Primary Industries, Yanco, Australia

Therapidemergenceofnewmolecularmarkertechnologieshasthepotentialtorevolutioniseplantbreedingprograms,howevertheincorporationofthesenewtechnologiesintovarietydevelopmentsystemshaslonglaggedthedevelopmentphase.

TheAustralianricebreedingprogramhas integratedmolecular technologiesatmultiplepointsalongthebreedingpipelinetoincreasebreedingefficiencyandgeneticgain.Molecularcharacterisationofgeneticdiversityallowsbreederstounderstandthepotentialaswellaslimitationsofbreedinggermplasm.Markerassistedbackcrossingandgenomicselectionincreasegeneticgainduringbreedinglinedevelopment.Wholegenomeprofileinformationisalsousedtoincreasetheefficiencyoffieldtrialdesignsandpureseedproduction.

Implementationofmarkertechnologiesinthericebreedingprogramhasbeenfacilitatedbythecontemporaneousimplementationofadatamanagementsystemtomanagegeneticinformation.Trainingplantbreedersindatamanagementandtheadoptionofnewmarkertechnologiesisanopportunitytomorefullyrealisethepotentialofthesetechnologiesinplantbreedingprograms.


326 TheroleofAustralia’sgenebanksandcropwildrelativesinallourfutures

Dr Sally Norton1,DamianWrigley2

1Australian Grains Genebank, Agriculture Victoria, Horsham, Australia, 2Australian Seed Bank Partnership, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australia

Plantbreedersneedasmuchdiversityas they canget todevelop themoreproductive, resilientandnutritiousvarieties thatare needed to feed the growingworld population under pressures such as reduced arable land and the expected effects ofclimatechange.Throughhistorymuchofthisgeneticdiversityhasbeenprovidedbylandraceandheirloomvarieties,however,amuchwiderdiversityoftraitsexistwithincropwildrelatives(CWR),thecousinsofcultivatedcrops.ThesuccessfuluseofCWRisdependentontheiravailabilityforresearchfromgenebanks,andthesubsequentinformationonthetraitstheycanprovidetoplantbreeders.AlthoughnomajorfoodcropsoriginatedinAustralia,thereisarichdiversityofwildrelativesofbanana,cotton,macadamia,millets,mungbean,pigeonpea,rice,sorghum,soybeanandyam.TheseCWRarepredominantlyspreadacrossthetropical regionsofnorthernAustralia,witha recent gapanalysisofCWRdiversity showing theyareunderrepresented in theworld’sgenebanks.TheAustralianGrainsGenebankhascollectionsofmanyoftheseCWRspecies,andhasacollaborativeprogramtocollectandconservethepriorityspecies,identifiedduringthegapanalysessotherepresentativediversityisconserved.Oncetheyhavebeenevaluated,theseCWRwillprovidevaluabletraitsforimprovedproductivityunderarangeofbioticandabioticconstraints.


327 Drought proofing sorghum: Multiscale phenotyping and genotyping fornodal root angle

Dr Vijaya Singh1

1QAAFI-CPS, Brisbane, Australia

Geneticimprovementofdroughtresistanceinsorghumisessentialtoenhanceproductionunderwaterlimitingenvironments.Recentresearchhasdemonstratedthattheangleofthefirstflushofnodalrootsisakeydeterminantofspatialpatternsofwateracquisitioninmatureplantsandcanimprovedroughtadaptation.Herewesummarisestudiesonthegeneticcontrolofnodalrootangleinsorghumseedlingsanditseffectsonwaterextractionofmatureplants.Phenotypingfornodalrootangleinsmallsoilfilledchambersatseedlingstageindicatedextensivegeneticvariation(15°-50°)withhighheritability.Selectedlineswhengrowninlargechamberswerepredictiveoftheamountandtimingofwateruptakeinadultplantswithnarrowrootanglerelatedwithdeeprootdevelopment.FurtherphenotypingandgenotypingofamappingpopulationidentifiedfourQTLsfornodalrootangle,whichexplained58.2%ofphenotypicvariance.TheseQTLsco-locatedwithQTLsforstaygreenandcorrelatedwithgrainyielddatafrombreedingtrialsinthefield.Thenew,morehigh-throughputphenotypingplatformhasbeenveryeffectiveinphenotypingmultiplecomplementarypopulationstoelucidatetheunderlyinggeneticarchitectureofnodalrootangle.GWASinasorghumNAMpopulation,aDiversityPanelandelitebreedingpopulationshasidentifiedcommongenomicregionsassociatedwithnodalrootangle.Itisanticipatedthattheidentificationofgeneticregionscontrollingnodalrootanglewillsupportmolecularbreedingfordroughtadaptationbymanipulationofroottraits.


328 Interoperableinfrastructure–AvisionforDivSeek

Mr Robert Davey1

1Earlham Institute, United Kingdom

The academic and commercial crop research communities are becoming increasingly reliant on, and responsible for, largerandmorecomplexdatasets.Thesedata range fromhighly-curatedcentralised resourcesmanagedbydedicated specialists toheterogeneousbundlesoftabular, image,orbinaryfilesthataregeneratedandstoredby individualresearchers,breeders,orcollaborativegroups. Integrationof thesemulti-scale resourceswill be vital tomeet thedemandsof scientists andbreeders,makingthevastcorpusofknowledgeaccessiblesothatintuitivedatarepresentationandeffectivedatainterrogationispossible.However,dataintegrationisnotoriouslychallenging,withmuchresearchhavingbeenundertakeninthelast20yearstogeneratestandardstoformcommonwaysofconsistentlydescribingresearch,computationalinfrastructuretohouseanddisseminatedata,andsoftwaretoolstofacilitatecomplexanalysisandvisualisation.Tobringtheseeffortstotheforefrontofcropresearch,astronglycoordinatedandopenlycollaborativeeffortisrequired.


329 Speedbreedingtoaccelerategenebankdepositsintofarmerfields

Dr Lee Hickey1,MsAmyWatson1,MrAdnanRiaz1,MrEricDinglasan1,MsDilani Jambuthenne1,DrOlgaAfanasenko2,DrOlgaMitrofanova3,DrKaiVoss-Fels1,DrEvansLagudah4,DrSambasivumPeriyannan1,4,ProfIanGodwin5

1The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, St Lucia, Australia, 2Department of Plant Resistance to Diseases, All-Russian Research Institute for Plant Protection, St Petersburg, Russia, 3N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, St Petersburg, Russia, 4Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Agriculture & Food, Canberra , Australia, 5The University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Science (SAFS), St Lucia, Australia

Thehumanpopulationisexpectedtoreachninebillionbytheyear2050,andwillstrainglobalresources.Modernplantbreedingandaswitchtomonoculturecroppinghasgreatlyimprovedyieldandquality,butlackofgeneticvariationhasleftcropsvulnerabletorapidlyevolvingdiseasesandclimatechange.Fortunately,diverselandracesselectedandgrownbyfarmerspriortomodernbreedingarepreservedinnumerousgenebanksaroundtheworld.Yetdespitethepotential,theyaretremendouslyunderutilised.Thelackofinformationavailableforaccessions,lackofhigh-throughputphenotypingmethods,andthelengthytimerequiredtoeffectivelybackcrosstargettraitsintoadaptedgermplasm,haspresentedmajorchallengesandprovidelittleincentiveforplantbreederstoutilisethesegeneticresources.Anewmethodforrapidgenerationadvance,called‘speedbreeding’,usesextendedphotoperiodsandcontrolledtemperaturetoacceleratethegrowthofplants,enablingupto6generationsofspringwheat,barleyand chickpeaper year and four generations of canola. This creates an excitingopportunity to harness geneticdiversity lyingdormantingenebanksandintroducenewallelesintomodernbreedinggermplasmpools.Wepresentsomecasestudiesthatintegratetheuseofspeedbreeding,genomicsandphenotypingtoolstospeedupthediscoveryandutilisationofnovelgenesforresistancetomajorfoliardiseaseofwheatusingacollectionofgenebankaccessionssourcedfromtheN.I.VavilovInstituteofPlantGeneticResources(VIR)inStPetersburg,Russia.


330 Thegenomicsofricegeneticresources

Prof Robert Henry1

1The University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Australia

Rice is a keyglobal food cropwithawell characterisedgenome.Howevermuchcanbegained from theuseof genomics tofurtherexplorethewiderricegenepool.TheAgenomeOryzaspeciescompriseaprimarygenepoolforrice.Recentgenomesequencinghasdemonstratedthatdomesticatedjaponica,indicaandausricesarederivedfromseparatewildgenepools.Thisis despite keydomesticationgeneshaving a commonancestry. Sequencingand re-sequencingofwildA genome specieshasrevealedextensivegeneticdiversityinwildpopulationsinAustralia,AsiaandAfrica.SouthAmericanpopulationsremainpoorlycharacterized.Chloroplastandnucleargenomesshowdifferentevolutionaryhistories in thewildpopulations.Divergenceandintrogressionareevidentwithhybridpopulationsbeingidentifiedinthewilddemonstratingactiveevolutionofthesetaxa.DenovosequencingofwildOryzaallowstheseprocessestobecharacterized.Understandingtheseprocessesmaybeusefulinsupportingriceimprovementandbetterutilizinggeneticresources.Oryzaspeciesthataremoredistantlyrelatedtodomesticatedricealsorepresentanimportantgeneticresourcewithmanytraitsofinterest.


331 Unlockinggenomicdiversitywithoutassemblyoralignment

MrKevinMurray1,DrChristfriedWebers1,2,DrChengSoonOng1,2,DrJustinBorevitz1,Dr Norman Warthmann1

1The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 2Data61 CSIRO, Canberra, Australia

Geneandseedbankspreservethegermplasmoftheworld.Thephenotypicandgenotypicdiversityinthoserepositorieshasbeenexploitedinthepastandwillbekeyforfuture-proofingourecosystemsandagriculturalproduction.

Entiregenebankcollectionsarecurrentlybeing interrogatedbyDNAsequencing inorder tounravelpopulationstructureandkinshipandtoenableapproachestoassociategenotypewithphenotype.Acceleratedprogressinsortingthroughthesamplesandimprovingtheassociatedmetadatarequirescomputationallyefficient,bias-freeapproachesandwholegenomesequencingdata.Currentbestpracticesaredependentonalignmenttoreferencegenomes,whichareoftenunavailable,inappropriate,andinanycasecanintroducebias.

Rapidandunbiasedestimationofgeneticrelatednessbyassembly-andalignment-freemethodshasthepotentialtoovercomethisreferencegenomebias,todetectmix-upsearly,andtoverifythatbiologicalreplicatesbelongtothesamegeneticlineagebeforeconclusionsaredrawnusingmislabelled,ormisidentifiedsamples.Wepresentonesuchmethod:kWIP,thek-merWeightedInnerProduct(kWIP),anassembly-,andalignment-freeestimatorofgeneticsimilarity.kWIPcombinesaprobabilisticdatastructurewithanovelmetric,theweightedinnerproduct(WIP),toefficientlycalculatepairwisesimilaritybetweensequencingrunsfromk-mercounts.Itproducesadistancematrix,whichcanbefurtheranalysedandvisualised.Nopriorknowledgeoftheunderlyinggenomesisrequiredandapplicationsincludedetectingsampleidentityandmix-up,non-obviousgenomicvariation,andpopulationstructure.

kWIPiswritteninC++,licensedundertheGNUGPL,andisavailablefromhttps://github.com/kdmurray91/kwip

Documents

Book of oral abstracts - Tropical Agriculture Conference€¦ · 140 Tropical horticulture – Exploring new approaches for sustainable funding of plant breeding in developing countries