Rubisco is the most abundant protein on earth, catalysing photosynthetic CO2 fixation to provide all usable carbon in the biosphere. However, its slow and non-specific catalytic activity limits crop productivity and its resultant over-production represents a huge nitrogen cost.

The rust fungi (Pucciniales) comprise the largest order of plant pathogenic fungi and are among the most serious threats to both agricultural crops and natural ecosystems.

The Australian agrifood sector faces complex and multifaceted challenges to its continued growth and evolution, including a changing climate and geopolitical instability.

This seminar will explore photosynthetic strategies across diverse extreme environments, presenting case studies on cyanobacteria inhabiting marine oxygen deficient zones, algae growing within sea-ice and snow, and chemoautotrophic bacteria encased within ancient anoxic marine brines.

Soil salinity (soil NaCl) can significantly reduce plant growth and yield; even moderate levels can reduce the grain yield of major cereal crops by 50%. In Australia, the estimated cost of salinity on agricultural productivity is valued at $1 billion per annum.

Join a short conversation about the future ANU Plant Synbio Facility, an NCRIS-Australian Synthetic Biology Initiative.