Evaluating Salinity Tolerance in Diverse Taro (Colocasia) Wild Relatives to Enhance Food Security in the Pacific Islands

Dr Bradley Campbell is a Research Fellow based at the Centre for Crop Science at Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation

ABSTRACT
A leading threat to the Pacific region is the risk of rising sea levels and increased cyclone activity due to climate change. Toxic levels of salt can impact the cultivation of major food crops such as taro (Colocasia spp.). Wild relatives of taro are native or naturalised to Australia and are often found growing in areas with regular tidal intrusion suggesting these species may have adapted to salinity. Our project will identify and conserve taro wild relatives growing in saline habitats in and around South-East Queensland.

PROFILE
Dr Bradley Campbell is a Research Fellow in QAAFI, UQ, with over 10 years' experience in plant molecular biology research. His research involves the use of genomic tools for crop improvement, with an emphasis on the sustainable production of crops. He has extensive experience focused on genomics and its relationship to diversity in both agricultural and health settings. His current projects involve the genotyping of the Pacific Islands in vitro taro collection for germplasm preservation and breeding purposes, and investigation into infrared spectral cameras and their applicability to taro salinity screening.

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UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation hosts science seminars across the disciplines of animal, horticulture, crop, food and nutritional sciences. With a range of speakers from Australia and abroad, the series explores how high-impact science will significantly improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the tropical and sub-tropical food, fibre and agribusiness sectors. 

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The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation is a research institute at The University of Queensland supported by the Queensland Government via the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.