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Alternative crops for dryland farming systems

Crop-growing regions experience increasingly dryer and warmer climates, and more lands are becoming hostile to any crop currently cultivated.

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Stomatal traits for water-use efficient crops

Water is the cost of our food. Understanding how plants use available water and convert it to food even in harsh environments is essential to develop resilient crops.

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Seed size variation in chickpea and lentil

Seed size is highly variable in most agricultural crops and affects crop productivity and quality.

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High sodium wheat for disease resistance?

In the course of ongoing salinity tolerance research, we observed variation for leaf and stem rust resistance that seemed to be related to a novel trait for sodium accumulation in bread wheat. 

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Release of PFAS from selected consumer products and building materials waste

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals with unique properties.

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Cost-effective remediation strategies to reduce release of PFAS from contaminated soil

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS are synthetic organofluorine compounds with unique properties and widespread applications in different industries.

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Improving nodulation by understanding effects of fertiliser and soil type survival of rhizobia

On average, legume crops fix about 100 kg N per hectare, which equates to $4 billion annually in Australia.

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What keeps native bees from expanding their pollen diet?

Worldwide, many bee species specialise on floral resources from local native plant species, and do not incorporate pollen from introduced species, including crops, in their diet. 

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Investigating the nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of psyllium (Plantago ovata), an emerging food and pharmaceutical crop

Plantago ovata or psyllium, is an emerging crop species in Australia. It is the source of psyllium husk, a dietary fibre-rich material used as health supplements and in the production of gluten-free food. 

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Could Covid-style PCR tests be used to screen for herbicide resistance?

While the dangers and implications of antibiotic resistance to human health are well known and publicised, far less attention has been given the increasing problem of resistance to the pesticides and herbicides vital to global food production systems. 

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