News

There is always a chance for a grower to move into something entirely unexpected, and that’s what coming out of a five-year cross-industry project providing research into more appealing varieties of sweet corn, strawberries and macadamias.

Profitability is linked to fertility of cows for northern beef enterprises and can be substantially improved with new breeding methods based on cutting-edge genome technology. The use of genome data is beginning to drive up the fertility of Australia’s northern cattle herds. Differences in fertility can mean up to three extra calves over a cow’s lifetime, so potential gains are large.

This research project developed an industry research framework to evaluate the potential to expand horticultural industries in Northern Australia. This final report explores three major research themes – supply intelligence, market intelligence and supply chain intelligence – as key priorities for action. 

The secret of how fibre shapes the structure of plant cell walls has been revealed, with potentially wide-ranging applications ranging from nutrition and health to agriculture.

University of Queensland PhD student Chris O’Brien has developed the first critical steps to create a cryopreservation protocol for avocado which had never been achieved until now, despite more than 40 years of research.

Rainfall during August was average for the entire winter cropping region of the state. Furthermore, rainfall during to April to August was below average across most of the cropping region and resulted in limited planting opportunities during the conclusion of the traditional sowing window period.

A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers. UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality.

Australians with COVID-19 are being urged to participate in a global survey, to help scientists learn more about the virus’s severe impact on the sense of smell and taste.

The unique flavour, texture and aroma of Australia’s famous Wagyu beef can now be marketed using a world-first flavour profile developed by The University of Queensland in partnership with the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo).

Robots working in abattoirs, sky-high vertical farms, more gene-edited foods in our supermarkets and automated farming systems could all help guarantee food supply in the next pandemic.

They may be small, but ticks are a huge expense for the cattle industry. The parasite causes loss of condition to the animal, illness and sometimes death. A Queensland scientist has spent 15 years trying to crack the code for a vaccine and early results are promising.

Science has once again validated Indigenous wisdom by identifying a rare, healthy sugar in native stingless bee honey that is not found in any other food. University of Queensland organic chemist Associate Professor Mary Fletcher said Indigenous peoples had long known that native stingless bee honey had special health properties.

There are several diseases and other physiological disorders of avocado fruit impacting the quality of product and eating experience for the consumer. Trees and fruit are pushed to their limits in terms of yields, productivity, biotic stress (diseases and insect pressure) and abiotic stress (floods, drought, low soil fertility etc).