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Research Projects
DAS00074 - Incorporating new sources of stem and leaf rust resistance from wild oat species into cultivated oat varieties (30 June 09)
This project will identify sources of stem and leaf rust resistance in wild oat species and cytogenetic techniques will be used to incorporate resistance into advanced breeding lines.
Project Supervisor: Dr Pamela Zwer
Funded by: Grains Research and Development Corporation
S6/05 - Microspore culture technologies for field pea and oat breeding (June 2008)
For both field pea and oats we have developed techniques to promote the initial growth of microspores over a 5 to 10 day period into clusters of 4 to 12 cells. The challenge over the next research phase is to prevent these cell clusters from dying and to promote their growth into callus tissue or somatic embryos followed by regeneration of new plants.
Strategies to achieve these goals include:
- modification of components of the culture medium, particularly ammonium/nitrate ratios, plant growth regulators and sugars
- adoption of 'nurse cultures' where a viable barley culture is used to support growth of pea or oat microspores
- subculturing protocols where fresh culture medium of varying composition is added to the culture at specific intervals
- adoption of highly responsive genotypes for the purpose of optimising culture protocols
- addition of components such as activated charcoal and poly vinyl pyrollidone to the medium to inactivate harmful cell metabolites.
Project Supervisor: Dr Phil Davies
Funder: South Australian Grains Industry Trust
