Abstract  - Source-to-sink allocation of, and sink-to-sink competition for, photoassimilates, mainly in the form of sucrose, play a key role in determining energy and resource distribution in plants for growth and reproduction. We aim to optimise this ‘budget’ allocation for improving yield and resilience through (i) understanding how sugar metabolism, transport and signalling regulate plant development and (ii) dissecting the molecular network underpinning resource partitioning in plants during evolution and domestication. In this presentation, I will highlight some of the progress we made on the roles of sugar metabolic enzymes, transporters, plasmodesmata as well as extra- and intra-cellular sugar signalling in seed, fruit and cotton fibre development and stress responses.

Biography - Prof Yong-Ling Ruan did his BSc and MSc at Zhejiang University in China and PhD at University of Newcastle, Australia in Plant Physiology. Following his postdoc at the University of Florida, USA, he worked at CSIRO Plant Industry for 10 years before joining the University of Newcastle as Associate Professor and then Professor, leading a group on molecular regulation of assimilate allocation. Yong-Ling recently joined RSB ANU as an Honorary Group Leader & Professor.

Yong-Ling has served on ARC College of Experts and was the founding Director of Australia-China Research Centre for Crop Improvement. He is currently an editor of Molecular Plant and senior editor of Journal of Plant Physiology.