Driving innovation and industry adoption
The Centre for Horticultural Science delivers improvements to productivity, profitability and sustainability of horticulture industries. Our world-class researchers drive innovation and industry adoption to increase the competitiveness of Australia’s horticultural industries globally.
We work in close collaboration with government, industry and growers to boost innovation, productivity and economic growth.
Research Highlights
A process similar to that used to store human embryos is being used by scientists at The University of Queensland to save native Australian plants under threat from the invasive fungus, myrtle rust. Teams from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation and Botanic Gardens of Sydney are cryogenically preserving tissue from some of the most impacted plants of the Myrtaceae family, including native guava and many rainforest shrubs and trees.
A new breeding strategy to reboot Australia’s passionfruit industry is being led by researchers at The University of Queensland. The five-year project is funded by Hort Innovation and headed by Dr Mobashwer Alam from Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, who aims to create at least two new high-quality varieties of the fruit in the next few years with more to follow.
Research Impact
Case studies
A software package developed and validated at The University of Queensland can tailor safe, effective and chemical-free crop protection using RNA interference (RNAi).
Researchers from The University of Queensland have developed a treatment that can both prevent and cure infection caused by an invasive fungal disease devastating native Australian plants.
Future-proofing the burgeoning macadamia industry is the focus of a long-term breeding program led by researchers at The University of Queensland.