Research
Improving crop productivity and stress tolerance is crucial to underpin sustainable agriculture and social stability worldwide. The issue has become particularly urgent in recent years in light of (i) the demand to double world crop yield by 2050 to feed more people with less arable land and (ii) the increased incidents of Global warming-associated drought, salt and heat stresses and pathogen and pest infections. China and Australia are two major countries where agriculture plays key roles in their economy but faces similar challenges as how to improve crop yield, quality and stress tolerance for food, feed, fuel, fibre and other end products. To tackle this grand challenge, plant biologists and crop scientists from both countries have initiated strategic collaborative research in recent years with complementary expertise and facilities. The collaboration has begun to yield valuable outcomes and opened enormous opportunities and potentials for crop genetic improvement.
Current Research activities include:
- Group mission for enhancing ACRCCI research capability
- Regulation of development and yield formation by sugar metabolism, and signalling
- Manipulating nutrient partitioning for high productivity in grain legumes
- Improving heat tolerance of plant reproductive organs
- Plant energy metabolism
- Transfer cell biology and biofuel production
- Water and ion transport
- drought, heat , cold and salt stress tolerance
Research of ACRCCI members are supported by ARC, GRDC, DIISRTE, NSFC; 973 and 863 programs - see individual members' websites for details.
