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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
Honorary Senior Lecturer
Divisional Visitors
PhD Student
Postdoctoral Fellows
Technical Assistants
Technical Officers
| 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 |
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.
Food for the future demands radical agriculture: the C4 rice challenge
Event | Thu 26 April 2018
Discovered 50 years ago in Australia, C4 Photosynthesis is one of the most efficient ways plants transform sunlight into food.
Turbocharging photosynthesis the key to a food secure world
Story | Friday 5 February 2021
Australian agriculture plays a key role towards providing food for the planet but it is also expected to be one of the world's most impacted areas from climate change.
Seeing the light: Better plants, better future
Story | Wednesday 3 February 2021
Increasing food production is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The Australian Academy of Science has produced a video featuring researchers who are from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the ANU Research School of Biology.
