QAAFI Annual Report 2017
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ANNUAL REPORT 2017 High impact science Index for sustainable About QAAFI 4 QAAFI Mission 5 Vice-Chancellor’s Message 6 agriculture and food Research Themes 7 2017 in Review 7 Message from the Minister 8 Director’s Column 10 We are a research institute of The University of Queensland, New appointments 11 one of the world’s leading research providers in tropical Research Highlights 12 and sub-tropical agriculture and food production. We work across crops, horticulture, animals, and nutrition and Discovery 18 food sciences, and are supported by industry and the Smashing the avocado bottleneck 20 Northern beef genomics: Case study 22 Queensland Government. Naturally Nutritious 24 Flour Power 26 Cover image Wheat grown under lights Crop simulation software 28 for 22 hours a day in a UQ Complex traits in cattle 29 laboratory. Speed breeding is an accelerated breeding tool that is now being coupled with AI and genomic selection, Impact 30 to cut the length of time Delivering on investment 32 it takes to introduce new Sorghum: Case study 34 wheat varieties from 12 years to two or three. Speed Speed breeding 36 breeding has been described Pimelea: Case study 38 as sowing the seeds for the next Green Revolution, and Sorghum – the new superfood? 40 a game-changer reminiscent of Norman Borlaug’s shuttle breeding technique. Photo: Hannah Hardy, UQ. Engagement 42 TropAg: Science to nourish the world 44 Working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 46 Food Evolution movie screening 48 Rural Press Club breakfast 49 Nan-Bio hub launch 50 Australia-China starch research 51 Learning 52 Student profile: Cécile Godde 54 Student profile: Caspar Roxburgh 56 Student profile: Oliver Meldrum 57 Supporting Information 58 QAAFI Research Staff 59 QAAFI Honorary and Adjunct Appointments 60 QAAFI Affiliates 61 QAAFI Technical and Operations Staff 61 Research Higher Degree Students 2017 62 Publications 68 2 QAAFI QUEENSLAND ALLIANCE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INNOVATION HIGH IMPACT SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD 3 ABOUT QAAFI Our mission is to significantly improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food sectors through high-impact science. Our vision is sustainable agriculture and food achieved through science and innovation. We aim to be a world leading research institute in plant science, animal science, and nutrition and food sciences, delivering outcomes in discovery, learning, and engagement. Research Industry QAAFI quality + impact = mission Research themes Agriculture and food sciences at UQ are helping to meet the growing global demand for sustainable, nutritious, safe food. QAAFI plays an important role building industry partnerships in Queensland and globally, and in developing research solutions and new technologies to improve decision making, increase productivity and better predict climatic change. We have world-leading research capabilities across crop, horticulture, animal and food sciences. Crop improvement Pests and diseases Crop physiology and modelling Production systems Farming systems Animal welfare Soils nutrition Centre for Centre for Crop Animal Science Science Weed biology and management QAAFI Emerging technologies Smart Selections Centre for Centre for Horticultural Nutrition and Plant protection Science Food Sciences Naturally nutritious Vice-Chancellor’s message Horticulture crop breeding and agronomy Uniquely Australian With the global population rapidly approaching eight billion and particular pressure being experienced in the tropics and subtropics, the work of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) is of the utmost priority. 2017 in review QAAFI is a stand-out generator of innovation and impact in Another significant achievement of the year was the international tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food sciences. Its people conference in tropical agriculture, TropAg2017, which attracted to Brisbane 720 delegates from 44 countries. strive not only to improve the competitiveness and sustainability $ $ of Queensland’s tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and food QAAFI’s proven capacity to deliver globally-significant solutions by generating new knowledge and partnered innovation is among the sectors, but also to help meet the growing global demand for $40 million income 384 industry $280 million income 14 research themes many factors that make it a significant contributor to UQ’s strategic sustainable, nutritious and safe food. in 2017 presentations contracted to date objectives. Harnessing the collective strengths of the Department of The quality of its endeavour is reflected in the University’s high Agriculture and Fisheries and The University of Queensland (UQ), global rankings, which include first in Australia and fifth in the QAAFI forges direct links to the agriculture and food industries and world in the field of agriculture.1 with local and global not-for-profits. I congratulate and thank Professor Robert Henry and the diverse 478 people 187 active 40+ participating 1 research QAAFI team for their many successes in 2017. I also thank our Since 2009 it has contracted $280 million to invest in research, and research contracts countries centre in China colleagues in the Queensland Government, and our industry and in 2017 attracted $40 million. philanthropic collaborators, for their on-going support for QAAFI’s During 2017, QAAFI and UQ established a new Centre for brilliant initiatives. Horticultural Science to meet the growth in demand for vegetables, Professor Peter Høj fruit and nuts. The new centre will build on Queensland’s strengths Vice-Chancellor and President in the banana, avocado, citrus and macadamia food industries, and 238 students 13 Facilities UQ is #1 in agriculture UQ is #5 in agriculture supervised to date across Queensland in Australia* globally* help create new industries. 1 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities 2017, rank by field *Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities 2017, rank by field - NTU 6 QAAFI QUEENSLAND ALLIANCE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INNOVATION HIGH IMPACT SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD 7 Message from the Minister Queensland’s agricultural industries continue to go from strength to QAAFI in Queensland strength and there can now be no doubt that it is a key driver of our › Mareeba › Toowoomba economy. › Charters Towers › Nambour For 2017–18, the total value of Queensland’s Our ongoing collaboration with the The Queensland Government, along with › Rockhampton › Warwick primary industry commodities (combined University of Queensland (UQ) and industry QAAFI, Meat & Livestock Australia via › Bundaberg › Dutton Park gross value of production and first-stage in QAAFI, a dedicated agricultural and food the MLA Donor Company, will invest $6.2 › Gatton › St Lucia processing) is forecast to be $19.87 billion, research institute, has generated $280 million by June 2021 to improve the genetic › Kingaroy › Coopers Plains 11 per cent greater than the average for the million in total research income. rate of gain of beef cattle in the northern past five years. Formed in 2010 by the Queensland beef industry. Queensland is Australia’s largest producer Government and UQ – a global leader Another focus for investment by the and exporter of beef, with more than three- in tropical agriculture and food research Queensland Government is the banana quarters of the state’s $5.2 billion beef – QAAFI brings together expertise and industry, by way of disease detection, exports going to Asian markets, and one of equipment from UQ, partnered with the diagnostics and capacity to respond to the largest producers of pork. facilities and knowledge of DAF’s research disease outbreaks. teams, to work collaboratively on key The state is one of the largest producers challenges facing the agricultural industries. The total investment of approximately $9.2 of fruit and vegetables, and over 95 per Cairns million (present value terms) in banana Mareeba cent of Australia’s bananas are grown in QAAFI represents one of our largest and biosecurity has been estimated to produce Queensland. Queensland is also the biggest most important university partnerships. We total net benefits of approximately $70.8 producer of tropical fruits like mangoes, have invested in around 90 agricultural and million (present value terms) providing a pineapples and avocados in Australia. food innovation projects with QAAFI that benefit-cost ratio of approximately $7.7 to are delivering a direct positive impact to Agriculture is vital to Queensland, and my $1 of research investment funding. Queensland’s agricultural industries. department, the Department of Agriculture Impacts such as these highlight the Townsville and Fisheries (DAF), seeks to create the One example of this is our co-investment, fruitful alliance between the Queensland conditions for successful agribusiness and along with the Grains Research and Government and QAAFI. supply chains that facilitate innovation and Development Corporation, the Department Charters Towers productivity. of Primary Industry in New South Wales I congratulate Professor Robert Henry and and QAAFI, is in the sorghum pre-breeding the team at QAAFI for their innovative An important strategy in achieving this program run out of Hermitage Research research to boost industry, and ensure objective is our investment in the research Mackay Facility near Warwick. the sustainable management of natural and development capability in Queensland, resources in