Agricultural Science
The University of Adelaide is home to the largest concentration of agricultural research expertise in the Southern Hemisphere. Our researchers discover and develop science solutions to major agriculture and horticultural challenges.
We use new technologies and big data to improve agricultural decision making and champion research that delivers better crops and improved farming systems.
Our knowledge and expertise enables farmers and industry to adapt to drought and climate change better; ensure sustainable improvement of crop yield and quality; and overcome problems such as salinity, soil toxicities and nutrient limitations.
We’re developing solutions to protect plants against diseases, pests and parasites, while studying how beneficial insects interact with a wide range of ecosystems including pasture crops, vegetables, fruits and vineyards.
We deliver applied outcomes that are adopted by the scientific and agriculture communities across Australia and the world. Our experts are co-located with industry and government partners at the University's Waite and Roseworthy campuses.
Associate Professor Stuart Roy
Interim Head of the Department of Agricultural Science
Research strengths
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Farming systems
Expertise in farming systems
Our expertise on sustainable agricultural systems focuses on crop production and agronomy and is particularly relevant to dryland agricultural systems in Australia and overseas. Our internationally-recognised research also covers on biofortification, agroforestry and extension.
Our experts in weed science research address integrated weed management, herbicide resistance, weed ecology and crop-weed interactions in agricultural systems.
Lead researchers
Researcher Focus area Dr Peter Boutsalis Weed science and herbicide resistance Dr Matthew Denton Managing legumes and nitrogen fixation in farming systems A/Prof Gurjeet Gill Crop ecology and tillage systems; weed ecology and management Dr Graham Lyons Agronomic biofortification and cereal salt tolerance A/Prof Glenn McDonald Crop physiology and plant nutrition Dr Ian Nuberg International agroforestry and extension Prof Christopher Preston Weed ecology and management; management of herbicide resistance Research centres and groups
Legumes and nitrogen fixation
Guides and resources for legume growers
International agroforestry and extension systems
Research in developing countries supported by ACIAR
SA Drought Hub
South Australian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
Weed Science Research Group
Agricultural weeds of concern to growers in Australian broad-acre farming systems
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Plant biology, pathology and biochemistry
Expertise in plant science
Our plant biology and biochemistry expertise covers a broad spectrum of plant science including plant and cell physiology, membrane transport, plant reproductive biology, plant cell wall biology and biochemistry, glycoscience and cereal chemistry.
Our pathology research addresses the biology, ecology, epidemiology and plant responses to attack and provides foundations for diagnosis, control and management of plant diseases, pests and parasites. We focus mainly on viticulture, broad-acre and horticultural systems, but also consider native vegetation and post-harvest damage to stored products.
Lead researchers
Researcher Focus area Prof Amanda Able Plant-pathogen interactions; Post-harvest physiology Dr Bettina Berger Plant phenomics, salinity tolerance Dr Natalie Betts Cereal grain physiology and molecular biology Dr Jay Bose Biophysics of plant membrane transport and signalling Dr Jerome Buhl Insect collective behaviour; locust management; complex systems modelling Prof Vincent Bulone Plant and fungal cell wall carbohydrate structure and biosynthesis Prof Rachel Burton Plant cell walls, grains for health, biofuels Dr Bryan Coad Biomimetic materials for understanding plant-pathogen interactions Dr Helen Collins Cereal grain physiology and biochemistry A/Prof Christopher Ford Organic acid metabolism Prof Matthew Gilliham Transport and signalling; nutrition and stress tolerance (salinity) E/Prof Michael Keller Insect behaviour; integrated pest management; biosecurity Dr Kelvin Khoo Plant resistance against parasitic nematodes Dr Sunita Ramesh Molecular biology of membrane transport and signalling E/Prof Eileen Scott Fungal and bacterial plant pathology Dr Megan Shelden Root biology, abiotic stress tolerance A/Prof Matthew Tucker Cereal reproductive biology Prof Stephen Tyerman Plant physiology, solute and water transport, signaling Dr M Obayed Ullah Protein biochemistry and structural biology Dr Stefanie Wege Nutrient and anion transport, plant physiology and molecular biology Dr Maryam Yazdani Biological control of insect pests Prof Dabing Zhang Cereal reproductive biology Research centres and groups
Australian Plant Phenomics Facility & The Plant Accelerator®
Automated high-throughput plant phenotyping system providing a range of imaging technologies (RGB, fluorescence, infrared and hyperspectral) to facilitate innovative high-quality research into plant performance in different environments
University of Adelaide - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding
Reproductive development and breeding innovation in rice (Oryza sativa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare).
Adelaide Glycomics
Complex carbohydrate analysis
Membrane Transporter Expression Facility
Enables expression of genes in a cell system that can be robotically screened for various membrane transport activities.
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Plant breeding innovation
Growing our future
Our scientists analyse the genetic and epigenetic control of economically important plant traits such as abiotic stress, biotic stress, productivity and end-use quality. This helps us understand the causes of observed variation in plants so we can develop tools and technologies for crop improvement.
We develop improved germplasm, breeding methods and breeding technologies, plus develop new varieties of durum wheat, faba bean, almond and ornamental eucalypts.
Lead researchers
Researcher Focus areas Prof Jason Able Plant breeding, cereal epigenetics, barley quality, frost tolerance in cereals, industry relationships Prof Rachel Burton Plant cell walls, grains for health, biofuels A/Prof Kenneth Chalmers Molecular genetics for cereal breeding Dr Kate Delaporte Ornamental eucalypt breeding Dr Ian Dundas Alien introgression, cereal cytogenetics and chromosome engineering E/Prof Diane Mather Molecular genetics for plant breeding Dr Melissa Garcia Faba bean breeding A/Prof Stuart Roy Salinity tolerance in crops Dr Ryan Whitford Reproductive biology and genome editing Dr Michelle Wirthensohn Almond breeding Prof Dabing Zhang Cereal reproductive biology Research centres and groups
Australia-China Joint Research Centre on Grains for Health
Advancing research, knowledge and training in grain biology, variety development, innovative processing, health and nutritional sciences, behavioural economics.
Australian Plant Breeding Academy
A strategic partnership between the University of Adelaide and Australian Grain Technologies to lift the capability of the agrifood sector across Australia and maximises future profits for growers, through new education and breeding research.
Australian Wheat & Barley Molecular Marker Program
Mapping genes that contribute to the economically important traits - such as biotic stress traits - in cereals and the development of reliable markers for use in cereal breeding and germplasm development.
Cereal Cytogenetics Laboratory
An extensive collection of germplasm stocks of cereal varieties, including wheat-barley chromosome addition lines, and chromosome addition, substitution, translocation and recombinant lines.
University of Adelaide - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Laboratory for Plant Science and Breeding
Research into reproductive development and breeding innovation in rice (Oryza sativa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare).
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Soil science
Advances in science from the ground, up
Our researchers combine scientific expertise in:
- soil chemistry – fertilisers, contaminants and soil carbon;
- soil physics – structure and water availability; and
- soil biology – nutrient cycling, roots and rhizosphere, mycorrhizae.
We conduct research that improves understanding of soil processes and functions, leading to improved methods for soil management which is critical for sustainability of agricultural and natural ecosystems.
Lead researchers
Researcher Focus area Dr Ivan Andelkovic Environmental remediation, analytical chemistry Prof Timothy Cavagnaro Soil ecology; environmental and agricultural sustainability Dr Rodrigo Coqui da Silva Soil fertility, fertilisers and plant nutrition Dr Fien Degryse Soil chemistry and plant nutrition Dr Ashlea Doolette Soil chemistry Dr Marijana Markovic Soil ecotoxicology Prof Petra Marschner Nutrient cycling Prof Michael McLaughlin Environmental chemistry and toxicology; fertilisers and plant nutrition A/Prof Luke Mosley Soil and water geochemistry; acid sulfate soils Dr Divina Navarro Soil and environmental chemistry A/Prof Ronald Smernik Carbon cycling; organic phosphorus; organic contaminants; biochar; NMR methods Research groups and centres
Fertiliser Technology Research Centre
Novel research that's improving the quality and efficiency of fertilisers. Our scientists are international experts in soil chemistry, fertiliser technology and plant nutrition.
Soil ecology research group
Exploring the impact of environmental change and management on soil ecological processes.
Graphene Hub
Leading knowledge, research and development capabilities and critical services to assist industry commercialise graphene research.
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Entomology and pollination
What's the buzz?
Our research in entomology and pollination addresses the biology, behaviour, ecology of insects. We study insects that occur in a wide range of ecosystems, including pasture crops, vegetables, fruits, vineyards, greenhouse crops and natural ecosystems.
Key areas of interest are biological control of insects and weeds, integrated pest management, biosecurity, crop pollination and conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services delivered by insects. Our research considers beneficial parasitic wasps, predatory arthropods, crop pollinators and a wide range of pest organisms.
Lead researchers
Researcher Focus area Dr Jerome Buhl Insect collective behaviour; locust management; complex systems modelling Dr Katja Hogendoorn Behavioural ecology and evolution of native bees E/Prof Michael Keller Insect behaviour; integrated pest management; biosecurity Dr Maryam Yazdani Biological control of insect pests -
Biometry and statistics
Biometry Hub
In the era of data-rich agriculture, biometry research involves methodological statistics development and the use of modern scientific computing methods for the design and analysis of research studies and experiments conducted in the life sciences.
The University of Adelaide Biometry Hub specialises in statistical methodologies for field trials, comparative and multi-factorial experiments and field sampling in application to agriculture, horticulture, oenology and food sciences.
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Crop bioinformatics
Big data decision-making
Technological and data driven approaches have become the cornerstone of modern biology. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary science with the focus on developing and applying computationally intensive methods to solve formal and practical problems arising from the management and analysis of biological ‘big data’.
Specialising in agricultural crop bioinformatics, our team provides expertise across the intersection of molecular biology, plant breading, genetics, biochemistry, computer science, mathematics and statistics.
Waite Research Institute
The Waite Research Institute drives innovation to secure a sustainable future for Agriculture - by creating high-quality, nutritious and climate-resilient products. We do this through close partnerships with the agriculture, food and wine sectors.
Agriculture news
25
Jun
Food (science), glorious food (science)
Episode 3, In Their Element Podcast Meet Millie Shinkfield, her food and nutrition science studies gave her the appetite to pursue a career with one of Adelaide's largest food producers.