Queensland, Australia
April 22, 2009
The discovery of a hormone that
controls how plants form branches and the use of a legume tree
in biodiesel production are just two of the major scientific
breakthroughs to come out of the
University of Queensland's ARC Centre of Excellence in
Integrative Legume Research (CILR) this year.
Established with a $10 million Australian Research Council (ARC)
grant in 2003, the Centre is a partnership that brings together
leading plant research scientists located at UQ, the Australian
National University, the University of Melbourne and the
University of Newcastle.
Awarded a further $6.9 million for the period 2008 to 2010, and
with cash contributions from partner universities and state
governments, the CILR will spend a total of $38 million on
research.
The money has been well spent with the Centre now firmly
established as one of the world's leading legume research
centres.
Since its inception, the CILR has published an exceptional 327
scientific peer reviewed articles – more than one article every
week for six years.
The Centre has also given 154 international conference
presentations, produced 75 international poster presentations
and graduated 45 PhD or Masters students and 34 Honours students
- a significant contribution to the growth of human capital and
the future of plant science.
All that work has brought about some discoveries that are bound
to impact on society in the future.
Perhaps the most significant development was the discovery of a
new plant hormone that inhibits shoot branching in plants, as
featured on the cover of the journal Nature, by Associate
Professor Christine Beveridge and her colleagues.
These hormones, called strigolactones, were discovered by
analysing the branching behaviour of garden peas and could be of
significant potential to the horticultural and forestry
industries.
The Centre, primarily through work at the UQ Node, also achieved
a number of successes in its biofuel program focussing on the
legume tree Pongamia pinnata.
Significant industry interest has stimulated funding for the
program with a major plantation established in central
Queensland with a commercial partner, and an experimental plot
evaluating the legume's carbon sequestration and nitrogen gain
established at UQ's Gatton campus.
In the case of carbon sequestration, the legume removes CO2 from
the atmosphere and stores it in soil; nitrogen gain refers to
the legume's ability to return nitrogen to the soil they grow
in, acting like a fertiliser.
More information about the ARC Centre of Excellence for
Integrative Legume Research and its contributions to the
community through research and teaching can be found in the
Centre's 2008 Annual Report. |
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