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2008 Fellowship
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14 April 2008
Young scientists share historic national award
Two young scientists with differing ways of improving farm productivity have been jointly awarded a major national scholarship.
Sonia Graham and Dion Nicol have been acknowledged for their post-graduate research work by winning the AW Howard Memorial Research Fellowship, a $15,000 bursary presented in Adelaide this month.
Ms Graham, 27, is undertaking her PhD at the Charles Sturt University, having graduated from the University of Sydney, while Mr Nicol, 25, is a graduate of Curtin University and has commenced his PhD study at the University of WA.
They were presented with their fellowship by Trust chair, and South Australian Research and Development Institute Executive Director Prof Rob Lewis. The funding is for three years, and will be used to help finance their ongoing research and field trials.
Ms Graham’s thesis aims to tackle the working relationships that are in place to control a major destructive weed in Australia, serrated tussock. The weed spreads across farming lands, making large areas of NSW and Victoria unproductive.
“My research looks at the way that farmers and government (local and state) work together to control serrated tussock,” she said.
“It is unpalatable to sheep and cattle and spreads very easily, so farmers are forced to spend millions of dollars each year trying to control serrated tussock. I’ll be talking to landholders, local farming groups and government agencies to look at how they can work together to more effectively control the spread of it.”
Mr Nicol’s research has a greater focus on making low-rainfall regions more productive. Using a combination of field and glasshouse experiments in his native WA, he is investigating how native legumes can be planted as an alternative to lucerne in low rainfall environments, and particularly in soils where there are chemical constraints restricting root growth of current crop and pasture species.
His research focuses on how the native Cullen cinereum & Cullen graveolens legumes, which are commonly found in wild, low rainfall populations, could be a future profitable crop for the southern Australian WA wheatbelt.
“Cullen species were highly productive and lasted longer than almost all other herbage. If successful, these plants could provide an income to farmers from stored soil moisture that is currently unavailable and also reduce the risk of land turning saline,” he said.
Both scientists also acknowledge the fine line farmers must walk when balancing productivity with sustainability, and hope their fellowships will encourage future research into new and innovative pasture solutions.
“The Trust is fully supportive in trying to increase the sustainability in farming systems through encouraging research in pastures. It also allows many students and researchers to attend international conferences and develop networks and also increase their knowledge of advances being made overseas that may be of value to Australia,” Mr Nicol said.
“Many primary producers are aware that they need to get the balance right between sustainability and productivity. They work closely with the land and know that they need to look after it to make sure that they can continue to farm it,” Ms Graham said.
The AW Howard Memorial Research Fellowship, established in 2003, commemorates the unique contribution of the late Amos Howard, a South Australian Farmer, in the use of subterranean clover as a pasture plant in Australia.
Further details - AW Howard Memorial Trust chairperson, Prof Rob Lewis, (08) 8303 9397.
Dion Nicol, 0427 487 005
Sonia Graham, 02 6242 1767
