Centre for Horticultural Science - Winter Research Programs

Primary Supervisor: 
Dr Chris O'Brien | c.obrien4@uq.edu.au
Dr Anne Sawyer | a.sawyer@uq.edu

Please contact Dr Chris O'Brien and Dr Anne Sawyer before submitting an application.(c.obrien4@uq.edu.au & a.sawyer@uq.edu)

Duration: 4 weeks (20 - 30 hours per week); On-site (Long Pocket Campus)

Avocado is a high-value subtropical crop in Queensland. We have developed a tissue-culture propagation pipeline for avocado which allows us to grow hundreds of plants from a single cutting, accelerating the production of key rootstocks. The aim of this project is to investigate whether hydroponics can further accelerate growth of these rootstocks out of tissue culture. The project will involve learning how to grow plants in hydroponics and the use of a LI-COR to measure photosynthetic activity.

Expected outcomes: Scholars will learn tissue culture, plant physiology and hydroponic techniques. Students may be asked to give an oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitability: The project is open to applications from students with a background in plant sciences.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Karl Robinson | k.robinson2@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr Karl Robinson before submitting an application (k.robinson2@uq.edu.au).

Duration: 4 weeks (30 hours per week); On-site (St Lucia Campus)

Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) and Pepino Mosaic Virus (PepMV) are plant virus that infect tomatoes and other solanaceous crops, causing significant economic losses to horticultural industries in Europe. Recent incursions into Australia represent a significant biosecurity threat of unprecedented economic importance to the Australian horticultural industries nationwide. This project aims to further explore the utility of novel viricidal RNA effector applications against these viruses in hydroponic growing systems focusing on the uptake, distribution and persistence of molecules in plants. There is also scope for the student to undertake produce surveys.  This project will result in real-world outcomes, informing future project applications by translating and expanding our current virus targeting range to a potential world leading crop protection technology. The student will work closely with other members of the Robinson Plant Virology Group to produce high value science and develop a highly productive research career.

Expected outcomes: It is expected that the student will learn valuable techniques and strong skills in experimental design, molecular biology (cloning, PCR, qRT-PCR, sequencing, RNA/DNA extractions), basic microbiology, bioreactor operation, GH operations and the overarching application of RNAi for crop protection. 

Suitability: This project is open to applications from 3rd - 4th year undergraduate, or masters student, with a background in microbiology, molecular biology, Plant Science or biotechnology.

Primary Supervisors: 

Dr Albert Chern Sun Wong | albertchernsun.wong@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr Albert Chern Sun Wong before submitting an application (albertchernsun.wong@uq.edu.au)

Duration: 4 weeks (20 - 30 hours per week); On site (Long Pocket Campus)

Australia's rarest macadamia (Macadamia jansenii) conservation faces major bottlenecks such as seed banking incompatibility (recalcitrance), very low seed production in the wild, propagation challenges, and low survival rate (5%) of trees propagated from cuttings. At present, field banking offers the only insurance option for Macadamia. However, cutting-planted field populations face significant ongoing threats such as fire and disease and take at least 10 years to become self-sustaining. Therefore, alternative strategies to efficient propagate M. jansenii and provide extra insurance against extinction of this species are crucial. To date, there has been no successful deployment of tissue culture technology for M. jansenii. This project aims to develop a tissue culture protocol for M. jansenii, which is difficult to propagate and cannot be conserved via seed banking.

Expected outcomes: Scholars will gain skills in plant tissue culture and experimental design. Students may be asked to give an oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitability: The project is open to applications from students with a background in plant sciences.

Primary Supervisors: 

Prof Paul Gauthier | p.gauthier@uq.edu.au
Dr Anne Sawyer | a.sawyer@uq.edu.au

Please contact Prof Gauthier and Dr Sawyer before applying (p.gauthier@uq.edu.au, a.sawyer@uq.edu.au)

Duration: 4 weeks (20-30 hours per week); on site (Long Pocket)

Protected cropping environments are conducive to disease epidemics due to favourable conditions for pathogens, intense production practices and in some systems recirculation of water and air. The aim of this project is to investigate major diseases of hydroponically grown plants such as avocado and to explore sustainable control strategies such as RNA sprays. The project will involve hydroponics, fungal isolation and culturing, and disease protection assays.

Expected outcomes: Scholars will learn plant pathology, plant physiology and hydroponic techniques. Students may be asked to give an oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitability: The project is open to applications from students with a background in plant sciences.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Inigo Auzmendi | i.auzmendi@uq.edu.au

Students are welcome to conact Dr Inigo Auzmendi (i.auzmendi@uq.edu.au) to disucss further

Duration: 4 weeks (30 hours per week); on site (St Lucia), remotely or hybrid

Plants assimilate carbon for maintenance and growth through photosynthesis. Estimating photosynthesis is not straightforward in horticultural plants with a complex canopy structure like avocado, macadamia and mango, because individual leaves within the canopy present different photosynthetic characteristics. The project will involve the use of virtual plants to simulate photosynthesis of individual leaves and whole canopy. The results of these simulations will be used to evaluate several biochemical and physiological photosynthesis models under various management conditions.

Expected outcomes: Scholars may gain skills in online tools for remote collaboration, simulation software, understanding photosynthesis, data analysis, fruit tree management, and computer simulations using virtual plants. Scholars with previous knowledge in programming can learn to develop their own photosynthesis models. Students may be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitability: This project is open to applications from 3rd and 4th year students with a background in plant science. Students might have previous programming knowledge or not.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Inigo Auzmendi | i.auzmendi@uq.edu.au

Students are welcome to conact Dr Inigo Auzmendi (i.auzmendi@uq.edu.au) to disucss further

Duration: 4 weeks (30 hours per week); on site (St Lucia), remotely or hybrid

The analysis of fruit tree growth data can be useful to better understand the underlying physiology, as well as to parameterize mathematical models of fruit tree growth and phenology. However, the acquisition of plant growth data at short intervals, i.e., daily, can be a laborious task. The implementation of an automatic system could greatly benefit data acquisition in the field during the whole growing season. This project will include the design and implementation of a programable system using microcontrollers to record photographs automatically. This system will be installed and tested to monitor and collect growth data in macadamia or mango plants.

Expected outcomes: Scholars may gain skills in tools for remote collaboration, electronics, programming, as well as plant physiology and data collection. Students may be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitability: This project is open to applications from 3rd and 4th year students with a background in engineering, computational science, and/or quantitative biology or previous experience with electronics and programming. It is suitable for students interested in understanding how sensors and automatisms can be applied to study biological systems.