In this section:
VO Sadras' Research Lines
Funding
River Murray Improvement Program
Grains R&D Corporation (GRDC)
Grape and Wine R&D Corporation (GWRDC)
South Australia Grain Industry Trust Fund (SAGIT)
Water use efficiency of dryland and irrigated cropping systems
Aims: (a) Cereal-based systems in Australia: revise current theory; quantify climatic constraints to WUE, upper limits, and gaps between potential and actual; crop management to improve WUE. (b) FAO paper 33 “Yield response to water”, including “Grapevine” chapter and development of AquaCrop model.
Research partners: Qld DPI, FAO Land & Water Division; CSIRO; Univ Adelaide, NSW DPI; Hart Field Site, Nebraska University
Key papers
Doherty D, Sadras, VO, Rodriguez D, Potgieter A 2010. Quantification of wheat water-use efficiency at the shire-level in Australia. Crop & Pasture Science, 61, 1-11.
Sadras VO. 2009. Does partial root-zone drying improve irrigation water productivity in the field? A meta-analysis. Irrigation Science 27: 183-190.
Sadras VO, Rodriguez D (2007). The limit to wheat water use efficiency in eastern Australia. II. Influence of rainfall patterns. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58: 657-669.
Rodriguez D, Sadras VO (2007) The limit to wheat water use efficiency in eastern Australia. I. Gradients in the radiation environment and atmospheric demand. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58: 287-302.
Sadras VO, Angus JF (2006) Benchmarking water use efficiency of rainfed wheat in dry environments. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57: 847-856
Maternal effects in wheat
Aims: Quantify the magnitude of maternal effects on wheat grain yield, explore the underlying mechanisms including seed composition and epigenetics (DNA methylation) and assess opportunities for agronomic exploitation of maternal effects.
Adaptation of filed pea to low rainfall environments
Aims: Identify secondary traits for adaptation to Australian low rainfall environments in field peas, develop practical phenotyping techniques
Research partners: University of Adelaide, Victoria DPI
Physiology of yield and adaptation to stress in grain and horticultural crops
Aim: Characterise phenological, morphological and physiological traits associated with high yield potential, and adaptation to environmental stresses (water deficit, extreme temperatures, salinity)
Research partners: Universities of Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Kentucky, Minnesota, Lleida, Advanta Seeds, CIMMYT, INTA, ACPFG
Key papers
Sadras VO, Trentacoste ER (2011) Phenotypic plasticity of stem water potential correlates with crop load in horticultural trees. Tree Physiology, in press
Trentacoste ER, Sadras VO, Puertas CM (2011) Effects of the source:sink ratio on the phenotypic plasticity of stem water potential in olive (Olea europaea L.). Journal of Experimental Botany in press
Harris B, Sadras VO, Tester M. (2010). A water-centred framework to assess the effects of salinity on the growth and yield of wheat and barley. Plant and Soil 336: 377-389
Sadras VO, Denison RF. (2009). Do plant parts compete for resources? An evolutionary perspective. New Phytologist 183, 565-574.
Sadras VO, Reynolds M, De la Vega AJ, Petrie PR and Robinson R. (2009). Phenotypic plasticity of phenology and yield in wheat, sunflower and grapevine. Field Crops Research 110: 242–250.
Sadras VO, Egli DB (2008). Seed size variation in grain crops: allometric relationships between rate and duration of seed growth. Crop Science 48: 1-8.
Sadras VO (2007) Evolutionary aspects of the trade-off between seed size and number in crops. Field Crops Research 100: 125-138
Physiology of yield and adaptation to stress in grapevine
Aim: Quantify the effect of high temperature on grapevine phenology, physiology and wine attributes
Research partners: Treasury Wines, University of Adelaide, INTA Mendoza, CSIRO
Key papers
Sadras VO, Petrie PR (2011) Quantifying the onset, rate and duration of sugar accumulation in berries from commercial vineyards in contrasting climates of Australia. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research in press
Sadras VO, Petrie PR (2011) Climate shifts in south-eastern Australia: early maturity of Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon is associated with early onset rather than faster ripening. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research in press
Sadras VO, Soar CJ (2009). Shiraz vines maintain yield in response to a 2-4 C increase in maximum temperature at key phenostages. European Journal of Agronomy 31, 250-258.
Sadras, V. O., Collins, M., and Soar, C. J. (2008). Modelling variety-dependent dynamics of soluble solids and water in berries of Vitis vinifera Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 14, 250-259.
Petrie PR, Sadras VO (2008) Advancement of grapevine maturity in Australia between 1993 and 2006: putative causes, magnitude of trends and viticultural consequences Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 14: 33-45.
Sadras VO, McCarthy MG (2007) Quantifying the dynamics of sugar concentration in berries of Vitis vinifera cv Shiraz: a novel approach based on allometric analysis Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 13: 66-71.
Sadras VO, Soar CJ, Petrie PR (2007) Quantification of time trends in vintage scores and their variability for major wine regions of Australia. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 13: 117-123.
Sadras VO et al. (2007) Quantifying phenotypic plasticity of berry traits using an allometric-type approach: A case study on anthocyanins and sugars in berries of Cabernet Sauvignon. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 13: 72-80.
Dryland farming systems of the Pampas
Aim: Investigate soil x climate x management x genotype interactions aiming at increasing cropping frequency, increasing capture and efficiency in the use of resources and enhanced profitability
Research partners: University of Mar del Plata, INTA Balcarce
Key papers
Caviglia OP, Sadras VO, Andrade FH, 2011. Yield and quality of wheat and soybean in sole- and double-cropping. Agron. J. 103, 1081-1089.
Echarte L, Della Maggiora A, Cerrudo D, Gonzalez VH, Abbate P, Cerrudo A, Sadras VO, Calvino P (2011) Yield response to plant density of maize and sunflower intercropped with soybean. Field Crops Res. 121, 423-429
Monzon JP, Sadras VO, Abbate PA, Caviglia OP (2007) Modelling management strategies for wheat-soybean cropping systems in the Southern Pampas. Field Crops Research 101: 44-52
Nitrogen use efficiency in grain crops
Aim: Identify sources of variation and gaps between potential and actual NUE, and dominant constraints in Mediterranean environments; light profiles and N distribution in canopies.
Research partner: University of Lleida, Qld DPI
Key papers
Sadras VO, Rodriguez D. 2010. Modelling the nitrogen-driven trade-off between nitrogen utilisation efficiency and water use efficiency of wheat in eastern Australia. Field Crops Research 118, 297–305.
Savin R, Sadras VO, Slafer GA (2006) Do Mediterranean environments set up an upper limit in wheat nitrogen-use efficiency? In: IX Congress of the European Society of Agronomy. Bibliotheca Fragmenta Agronomica volume 11, Book of proceedings, Part I, Warsow, Poland, pp 339-340
