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Furbank Group – Improving photosynthesis and crop yield
Research in the Furbank Group focuses on the identification of enhanced photosynthetic properties in crop and model plant germplasm and improving C4 photosynthesis. In rice, the Group is using molecular techniques to install a CO2 concentrating mechanism as part of the IRRI led Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported C4 Rice Consortium. In wheat, the Group works closely with the Grains Research and Development Corporation to identify genetic variation in photosynthetic performance and develop new tools for high throughput measurement of photosynthesis.
Group Leader
Postdoctoral Fellows
Technical Officers
Honorary Senior Lecturer
Divisional Visitor
PhD Students
Technical Assistant
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| C4 Rice Project | Current |
| Decrypting chloroplast signalling networks in C4 photosynthesis at cell type-resolution | Current |
| Improving C4 photosynthesis by genetic manipulation | Current |
Australian researchers take on G20 challenge to make energy efficient wheat
Story | Thursday 12 November 2015
PS Seminar Series - A SWEET Journey from Source to Sink in Setaria viridis
Event | Wed 19 April 2023
Currently there is little known about the apoplastic transport pathways of C4 grasses and how sugars are exported from the source leaves to the sinks such as stems and seeds.
PS Seminar Series - Paying the energy cost of C4 photosynthesis
Event | Wed 12 May 2021
Photosynthetic improvement has become a major focus for researchers seeking to increase yields of crop plants.
PS Webinar Series- PhD Exit Seminar : Redesigning phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase for improved catalysis in C4 photosynthesis
Event | Fri 19 February 2021
C4 photosynthesis, a carbon concentrating mechanism, evolved as an adaptation to improve photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in terrestrial plants under conditions of low CO2, increased temperatures and varying rainfall patterns.
Special Plantae Seminar - Creating Crops for the Future: Challenges, Technology and Sustainable Solutions
Event | Wed 11 November 2020
This event is presented by Plantae, and co-hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.
PS Webinar Series: PhD Exit Webinar - Future-proofing cotton production by building resilient photosynthetic pathways
Event | Fri 14 August 2020
In order to sustain and improve cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production in future climates with increasingly hot mean annual temperatures and more frequent and extreme heatwaves, developing climate-adapted cotton cultivars is required.
PS Webinar Series: Machine Learning, Satellites, and Crops – The (very near and exciting) future of space-based plant biology
Event | Wed 29 July 2020
This seminar will discuss the terabytes of unused satellite data that observe the natural world, yet have not been widely used for field biology, in the context of agriculture.
PS Webinar Series: PhD Exit Webinar - The SWEET Journey from Source to Sink in Setaria viridis: The Role of Sugar Effluxers
Event | Fri 17 July 2020
This research project investigates how photoassimilates moves from source leaves to other sink tissues that accumulate large amounts of carbohydrates. Many sinks such as stem and seeds/grains rely on the accumulation of sugars and starch during their development as they mature and become storage tissue.
PS Seminar: Engineering crops for resistance to disease and tolerance to environmental stress
Event | Mon 11 November 2019
A major goal for food and agricultural research is to increase the resiliency of agricultural systems to adapt to rapid changes and extreme conditions. Prof. Ronald will describe how genetic approaches are being used to generate the next generation of crops that will help farmers thrive in these challenging conditions.
