Frost tolerance locus FrB2 affects wheat grain yield in Australian environments. For this complex locus, we identified a linked SNP marker which can be used for breeding and research. This will facilitate development of cultivars adapted to specific regions of Australia.

Five pairs of near-isogenic lines were developed for a major quantitative trait locus on the 3AL chromosome arm conferring pre-harvest sprouting resistance in wheat, which are being used for identification of the underlying candidate gene(s).

Six HMW-GS containing an extra cysteine residue were generated by site-directed mutagenesis at different positions of 1Cx1.1 from Ae. markgrafii. The heterologous proteins expressed in Escherichia coli were purified for incorporation into flour to test dough quality. The results showed that cysteine substituting in the N-terminal or repetitive-domain of HMW-GS could significantly improve dough quality.

Finger millet is the major staple food for millions of rural populations residing in developing tropical countries. Genetic diversity assessment using multiple markers and marker-trait association analysis is the primary tool in genomics-assisted crop improvement. Molecular characterization of Ethiopian finger millet accessions in the present study revealed abundance of rare alleles. Genome-wide association analysis depicted highly significant marker–trait associations providing a basis for future association studies in finger millet.

Narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis L.) is a promising forage legume with good tolerance to cold and drought conditions. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic diversity of local and introduced accessions of Narbon vetch using morphological and SSR markers. For the first time, results showed a significant correlation between morphological and SSR markers useful for Narbon vetch breeding program.

Effects of early-season leaf loss on cotton growth, maturity timing and lint yield were investigated using artificial defoliation in southern NSW. Repeated removals of up to 100% seedling leaves did not affect the total number of bolls shortly before harvest. However, complete defoliation delayed crop maturity by up to 18 days and 75% defoliation by up to 8 days.

Sonchus oleraceus is a troublesome weed of the northern cropping regions of Australia. This paper outlines the potential of this weed to cope up with diverse environmental conditions and discusses the management of this weed based on the results of this study.

Co-inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and rhizobium had the highest improvement to lucerne nutrients uptake and growth than each of them applied individually. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and rhizobium were observed to reduce disease severity of lucerne spring black stem and leaf spot by improving disease related enzyme activities. It is envisaged that co-inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and rhizobium have potential to be used in disease control of lucerne.

Salinity resistance and bioenergy characteristics were evaluated in Phragmites karka under saline conditions. Growth and lignocllulosic biomass were higher at moderate salinity due to optimal photosynthetic efficiency and proper oxidative balance. P. karka could produce high ligno-cellulosic biomass for biofuel using brackish water irrigation on saline soils.