News

Opinion: There's life at uni in lockdown

Life in lockdown. Plenty of time for contemplation and to consider the things that matter to us most. I've been at university now for 40 years (I think that's two life sentences). Admittedly only seven of those years were as an actual officially recognised student, but even the last 33 years have been a wonderful learning experiences.

National wheat yield forecast predicts spatially variable season

Published on: 8 May 2020

The May 2020 national wheat outlook is predicting an overall average yield across Australia’s wheat belt but with significant regional variability, according to crop-climate researchers at The University of Queensland.

Potential exotic virus threats to lucerne seed production in Australia

Published on: 1 May 2020

A project to protect the Australian lucerne seed industry from possible exotic disease incursions including alfalfa dwarf disease (ADD) has scanned lucerne paddocks for viruses associated with the damaging disease.

Combating Pimelea toxicity

Published on: 30 April 2020

To date, the most promising rumen fluid sample to overcome Pimelea toxicity, came from Dorper sheep. More rumen fluid samples are still to be tested.
21 bacterial species have been isolated from the rumen fluid samples. The most promising of these are being tested for their ability to degrade the toxin in Pimelea, which is simplexin. Over time, the most promising bacterial species may be developed into a rumen inoculum (drench).

Gene editing opens faster, cheaper way to introduce new crop traits

Published on: 22 April 2020

CRISPR gene editing technology has the potential to dramatically increase the number of traits that can be introduced into agricultural crops, far quicker and cheaper than genetically modified (GM) technology has been able to achieve, according to Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) director of crop science, Professor Ian Goodwin.

Science helps farms adapt to drought

Published on: 22 April 2020

A new crop is making its way onto Australian farms as more severe drought causes a rethink of the crops best suited for cultivation in the northern growing region.

Kakadu plum value chain

Published on: 21 April 2020

This project brings together existing partners the UQ QAAFI, Kindred Spirits Enterprises – Traditional Homeland Enterprises (T.H.E.) and Charles Darwin University to review the existing value chains within the established Kakadu Plum (KP)/ Gubinge (Terminalia ferdinandiana) industry to address the issue of supplying consistently high quality KP/ Gubinge products to ensure a more reliable supply of products which can better capture market access and grow customer loyalty.

Disease management lifts macadamia industry confidence

Published on: 21 April 2020

Australia’s native macadamia nuts are worth over $250 million in exports a year, and research to improve disease management is helping to step up the crop’s productivity to further increase its value.

Costly pig lung disease puzzle solved

Published on: 17 April 2020

Queensland researchers have discovered that a previously unrecognised bacterium is responsible for the signs of lung disease found in pig carcases, rather than a similar, internationally recognised infection that the animals had been vaccinated against.

Could Queensland be facing another devastating outbreak?

Published on: 14 April 2020

As African swine fever sits on Queensland’s doorstep in Papua New Guinea, what chance do our authorities have of stopping the pig-killing disease from entering the country and decimating our pork industry?

Residue blankets curb pre-emergents

Published on: 14 April 2020

Leaving crop residue on the soil’s surface might inhibit the effectiveness of some pre-emergent herbicides, according to new research from Queensland.

A Brisbane scientist was advised to wear a mask, so she made her own

Dr Parkinson, who researches pest and disease threats to avocados and is not a medical mask expert, said she was advised by her GP to begin wearing masks for her own safety during the pandemic.

New research finds Australian pork flavour signature

Published on: 1 April 2020

Native macadamia nuts could prove the key to developing a distinctively Australian pork flavour profile as a premium product in both domestic and international markets.

Genetic remix may deliver new all-climate wheat

Published on: 30 March 2020

Greater drought resilience is being bred into Australia’s wheat crops. A plant’s genetics can affect its susceptibility to environmental stresses, including to drought, which is becoming a major drag on the world’s food production systems, limiting yield increases and bringing food insecurity ever closer to a critical tipping point.

Jungle rice (Echinochloa colona) (C) Feedipedia

Weed resistance warning

Published on: 27 March 2020

A weed of Australia’s northern grain regions is displaying strong glyphosate resistance and could become a national headache, according to Queensland research.

UQ Australia’s top performer in agriculture and environmental science

Published on: 3 March 2020

The University of Queensland was ranked as Australia’s top university for Agriculture and Forestry, Environmental Sciences and Sports-Related subjects for the second consecutive year in the 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Nutritional strategies to support productive farming systems

Published on: 27 February 2020

Prof Mike Bell from UQ-QAAFI and DAF's David Lester and Doug Sands discuss if we have successful fertility management systems? Collectively, the findings from this research, backed by the underlying regional trends in soil fertility and the drivers for successful rainfed cropping in our region, provide some useful insights into what are likely to be the critical success factors for future fertiliser management programs.

Modern crop breeding for future food security

Farmers around the world have recently experienced significant crop losses due to severe heat and drought. Such extreme weather events and the need to feed a rapidly growing population have raised concerns for global food security. While plant breeding has been very successful and has delivered today’s highly productive crop varieties, the rate of genetic improvement must double to meet the projected future demands. Here we discuss basic principles and features of crop breeding and how modern technologies could efficiently be explored to boost crop improvement in the face of increasingly challenging production conditions.

Broome diaries: In Search of Bushfoods in the Kimberley region of Broome, Western Australia

Dr Smita Chaliha, is a Research Officer for the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences at QAAFI. She is originally from the North-eastern state of Assam in India, and has been living in Australia since 2006. She has been working on Australian native foods since 2010. She was also the first PhD student studying the nutritional and bioactive potential of Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana), a well know Australian native fruit. This blog documents her experience while on a fieldtrip to the Kimberley regions of Broome, Western Australia from 26 January to 2 February, 2020.

QLD research makes breakthrough in boosting sorghum protein content

Queensland research makes breakthrough in boosting sorghum protein content

Published on: 13 February 2020

Researchers from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation have announced a major breakthrough in lifting the protein content of sorghum using gene editing.