|
1. Pathology work
Title:
Collaborators – Jo Luck (VDPI),
Grant Hollaway (VDPI), Sukumar Chakraborty (CSIRO)
Objectives:
1. To
determine for the first time changes in host pathogen interaction under
elevated CO2.
2. To
investigate the effects of elevated CO2 on the durability of
partial resistance in wheat to stripe rust.
3. To add value to the main study on
modelling the likely effects of climate change on crop production in Victoria by
providing pathology expertise.
2. Insect Biology work
Collaborators – Allan Yen
(VDPI), Jo Luck (VDPI),
Objectives:
1.
To
determine changes in the composition of plant dwelling and ground-active
meso- and macro-invertebrates under elevated CO2 within a FACE
facility.
2.
To
provide data from two different climatic zones to compare with data from
the Horsham and Walpeup FACEs.
3.
To
add value to the main study on modelling the likely effects of climate
change on crop production in Victoria by providing information on the
possible effects of elevated CO2 on natural enemies of pest
insects.
3. Grain filling work
Collaborators – Victor Sadras
(SARDI), Marc Nicolas (UM), Rob Norton
Objectives:
1. To
determine the influence of CO2 enrichment on seed size
plasticity, as evaluated with allometric models of rate and duration of
seed growth;
2. To
investigate the dynamics of nitrogen (protein) in grain, accounting for
size-dependent and size-independent effects using allometric analysis;
3. To
investigate the water dynamics in grain, using allometric analysis of water
vs seed size dynamics.
4. Physiology work:
a) Are drought stress effects on wheat
photosynthesis mitigated by atmospheric [CO2]?
Collaborators: Amy Betzelberger & Lisa Ainsworth (USDA ARS), Rob Norton, Saman
Seneweera
Objectives:
1. To test the hypothesis that
elevated CO2 will increase the availability of carbon assimilates
and water soluble carbohydrates, which could provide an extra reserve of
carbohydrates for grain filling.
2. Whether elevated CO2
could overcome oxidative stress experienced under drought, which may
facilitate the high carbon at elevated CO2.
b)
How does elevated [CO2] alter the water relations and
respiration of wheat under drought?
Collaborators: Andrew Leakey, Cody Markelz (University of
Illinois), Rob Norton, Saman Seneweera
Objective:
1.
We
propose to use the Horsham FACE to test the following predictions:
Elevated CO2 will reduce stomatal
conductance and soil moisture depletion and thereby reduce the impact of
drought of stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and leaf water status.
2. Elevated [CO2] will
increase photosynthesis and the transcript abundance of metabolic enzymes
at key steps in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, driving greater allocation
of resources to osmotically active metabolites and thereby improving leaf
water status.
Wheat dark respiration
rates will be correlated with photosynthesis
in the proceeding light period and carbohydrate availability, and therefore
stimulated more by elevated CO2 in the irrigated than the
non-irrigated treatment.
c) Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency of two
wheat genotype having contrast different genetic background under elevated
CO2
Collaborators: Rob Norton, Saman Seneweera, Prof Lin Erda, Ms
Han Xue
Objective:
1.
To
investigate the photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency of genetically
contrastingtwo wheat cultivars under elevated CO2
2.
whether
these changes are related to the photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2
d) Does Photosynthetic acclimation to
rising CO2 concentration and drought explain high nitrogen
demand during grain filling
Collaborators: Saman Seneweera, Rob
Norton, Snow Barlow
Objective:
1.
Investigate whether elevated CO2
concentration influences photosynthetic acclimation to high
CO2
2.
If influenced, whether photosynthetic acclimation is
related to the changes in Rubisco turnover during leaf development;
3.
If Rubisco turnover is affected, investigate the
physiological and molecular basis of Rubisco synthesis and degradation at
elevated CO2.
4.
Investigate whether
these changes are related to a decline in grain yield and quality at
elevated CO2.
5. Soil and plant N dynamics
Collaborators: Raymond Lam, Rob Norton, Deli Chen (UM)
Objectives:
- To
examine the soil C and N dynamics under elevated CO2,
different N inputs and moisture content.
- To
estimate the effect of elevated CO2 on the emission of CO2,
CH4 and N2O from agricultural lands.
a) NDFA under elevated CO2
conditions
b) N uptake of wheat under elevated CO2
conditions
c) Degradation of organic matter under
elevated CO2 conditions
d) Measurement of the diurnal and
seasonal pattern of soil respiration
e) Evolution of trace gases under eCO2.
6. Canopy Properties and remote sensing
Collaborators: Glenn Fitzgerald, Davide Cammarano/Deli Chen (UM)
a) Canopy development
b) Sensing N differences in canopy
c) Estimation of canopy water stress
d) Final grain N estimation
7. Response of Brassica vegetable crops to elevated CO2
Collaborators: Bruce Tomkins
Data collection: Done
over the summer at Walpeup, fully funded by DPI
8. Soil FACE
Collaborators: Roger Armstrong
Data collection: Establishment
of 4 eCO2 and 4 aCO2 experimental areas in a new
experiment to investigate long term N and C dynamics.
9. Crop response to Climate Change
Collaborators: Garry O’Leary, Anwar Muhuddin, Rob Norton, Glenn
Fitzgerald
|
