Overview
Background
Overview
Dr Borrell obtained bachelor and master’s degrees in Agricultural Science at The University of Melbourne, focusing on the Green Revolution genes (Rht1 and Rht2) in wheat for his thesis. He then completed a PhD at The University of Queensland on improving the efficiencies of nitrogen and water use for rice in the semi-arid tropics. Andrew was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study the impact of rice research in Asia and the US on rice production in the Australian tropics. Much of his post-doctoral research has focused on improving drought adaptation in sorghum, rice, wheat and barley.
Dr Borrell is a crop physiologist and Centre Leader of the Queensland Government’s Hermitage Research Facility, a centre of excellence for crop improvement in water-limited environments. For more than a decade, Andrew has led an international project (Australia/US) aimed at discovering key genes underpinning the stay-green drought adaptation trait in cereals, using sorghum as a model crop. Prior to this, he conducted research to better understand the physiological basis of stay-green in sorghum. Dr Borrell began his career as a rice agronomist with the Queensland Government.
Dr Borrell co-leads projects in sub-Saharan Africa and India to develop drought-adapted sorghum germplasm. In addition to drought physiology in major cereals, Andrew has supervised a research program aimed at discovering frost adaptation in winter cereals at heading stage. He has also worked extensively in South-East Asia for the past 25 years developing sustainable cropping systems, including recent research on rice production and adaptation to climate change in Vietnam. Dr Borrell has served as Secretary-General of the Asian Crop Science Association.
Availability
- Professor Andrew Borrell is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Research Interests
Producing more food with less water is one of the major challenges facing humanity. My research involves elucidating the physiological/molecular basis of drought adaptation in cereals, including the discovery of genes and gene networks that regulate adaptation, e.g. the stay-green drought adaptation trait in sorghum, wheat and barley; root architecture in sorghum, wheat and barley; early vigour in barley. Strong international collaborations to advance these areas of research include partners in USA (Texas A&M University), India (ICRISAT, IIMR), and Ethiopia (EIAR, Jimma University) with funding from GRDC, TAMU, GCP, ACIAR and BMGF. Other research interests include the efficiency with which resources (radiation, water and nitrogen) are utilized by crop plants, and developing sustainable cropping systems. This research has focused on developing novel water-saving strategies for climate-smart rice production in Australia and Asia. International partners for this research have included Indonesia (University of Mataram, Lombok), Vietnam (VAAS), and Norway (NIBIO), with funding from GRDC, ACIAR and NIBIO. Photosynthesis is another research interest, with particular focus on extending the duration of photosynthesis in C3 (wheat) and C4 (sorghum) plants. This research is funded by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis.
Works
Search Professor Andrew Borrell’s works on UQ eSpace
2016
Conference Publication
Rapid phenotyping combined with speed breeding to improve stay-green and root adaptation of wheat in water-limited environments
Christopher, J., Richard, C., Chenu, K., Christopher, M., Borrell, A. and Hickey, L. (2016). Rapid phenotyping combined with speed breeding to improve stay-green and root adaptation of wheat in water-limited environments. 7th International Crop Science Congress, Beijiing, China, 14-19 August 2016. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
2016
Book Chapter
Climate-smart rice-production systems: studying the potential of alternate wetting and drying irrigation
Krishna Reddy, K., Tesfai, Mehreteab, Borrell, Andrew, Nagothu, Udaya Sekhar, Suresh Reddy, K. and Gurava Reddy, K. (2016). Climate-smart rice-production systems: studying the potential of alternate wetting and drying irrigation. Climate change and agricultural development: improving resilience through climate smart agriculture, agroecology and conservation. (pp. 206-231) edited by Udaya Sekhar Nagothu. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315685953-18
2016
Conference Publication
Stay-green and root trait physiology combined with crop modelling to improve crop adaptation
Christopher, J. T., Richard, C., Veyradier, M., Hickey, L., Christopher, M., Borrell, A. K. and Chenu, K. (2016). Stay-green and root trait physiology combined with crop modelling to improve crop adaptation. ComBio Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 3-7 October 2016. Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).
2015
Journal Article
Post-head-emergence frost in wheat and barley: defining the problem, assessing the damage, and identifying resistance
Frederiks, T. M., Christopher, J. T., Sutherland, M. W. and Borrell, A. K. (2015). Post-head-emergence frost in wheat and barley: defining the problem, assessing the damage, and identifying resistance. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66 (12), 3487-3498. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erv088
2015
Conference Publication
High-throughput phenotyping of wheat seminal root traits in a breeding context
Richard, Cecile, Hickey, Lee, Fletcher, Susan, Chenu, Karine, Borrell, Andrew and Christopher, Jack (2015). High-throughput phenotyping of wheat seminal root traits in a breeding context. Agriculture and Climate Change - Adapting Crops to Increased Uncertainty (AGRI 2015), Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15-17 February 2015. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.179
2015
Conference Publication
Rapid phenotyping combined with speed-breeding to improve root adaptation of wheat in water-limited environments
Christopher, J., Richard, C., Chenu, K., Christopher, C., Borrell, A. and Hickey, L. (2015). Rapid phenotyping combined with speed-breeding to improve root adaptation of wheat in water-limited environments. 9th Symposium for the International Society of Root Research, Canberra, Australia, 6-9 October 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Integrating Rapid Phenotyping and Speed Breeding to Improve Stay-Green and Root Adaptation of Wheat in Changing, Water-Limited, Australian Environments
Christopher, J., Richard, C., Chenu, K., Christopher, M., Borrell, A. and Hickey, L. (2015). Integrating Rapid Phenotyping and Speed Breeding to Improve Stay-Green and Root Adaptation of Wheat in Changing, Water-Limited, Australian Environments. Agriculture and Climate Change conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 15-17 February 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Integrating rapid phenotyping and speed breeding to improve stay-green and root adaptation of wheat in changing, water-limited, Australian environments
Christopher, Jack, Richard, Cecile, Chenu, Karine, Christopher, Mandy, Borrell, Andrew and Hickey, Lee (2015). Integrating rapid phenotyping and speed breeding to improve stay-green and root adaptation of wheat in changing, water-limited, Australian environments. Agriculture and Climate Change - Adapting Crops to Increased Uncertainty (AGRI 2015), Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15-17 February 2015. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.246
2014
Journal Article
Drought adaptation of stay-green cereals is associated with canopy development, leaf anatomy, root growth and water uptake
Borrell, Andrew K., Mullet, John E., George-Jaeggli, Barbara, van Oosterom, Erik J., Hammer, Graeme L., Klein, Patricia E. and Jordan, David R. (2014). Drought adaptation of stay-green cereals is associated with canopy development, leaf anatomy, root growth and water uptake. Journal of Experimental Botany, 65 (21), 6261-6263. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eru232
2014
Journal Article
Stay-green alleles individually enhance grain yield in sorghum under drought by modifying canopy development and water uptake patterns
Borrell, Andrew K., van Oosterom, Erik J., Mullet, John E., George-Jaeggli, Barbara, Jordan, David R., Klein, Patricia E. and Hammer, Graeme L. (2014). Stay-green alleles individually enhance grain yield in sorghum under drought by modifying canopy development and water uptake patterns. New Phytologist, 203 (3), 817-830. doi: 10.1111/nph.12869
2014
Conference Publication
Phenotyping novel stay-green traits to capture genetic variation in senescence dynamics
Christopher, John T., Veyradier, Mathieu, Borrell, Andrew K., Harvey, Greg, Fletcher, Susan and Chenu, Karine (2014). Phenotyping novel stay-green traits to capture genetic variation in senescence dynamics. Interdrought IV Conference, Perth, WA Australia, 2–6 September 2013. Clayton, VIC Australia: C S I R O Publishing. doi: 10.1071/FP14052
2014
Conference Publication
The stay-green trait in cereals: integrating from cell to whole plant
Borrell, v, Van Oosterom, Erik J., Mullet, John, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, Hammer, Graeme, Klein, Patricia and Jordan, David (2014). The stay-green trait in cereals: integrating from cell to whole plant. 7th European Workshop on Plant Senescence, Aarhus, Denmark, 10-14 November 2014.
2013
Journal Article
QTL for root angle and number in a population developed from bread wheats (Triticum aestivum) with contrasting adaptation to water-limited environments
Christopher, Jack, Christopher, Mandy, Jennings, Raeleen, Jones, Shirley, Fletcher, Susan, Borrell, Andrew, Manschadi, Ahmad M., Jordan, David, Mace, Emma and Hammer, Graeme (2013). QTL for root angle and number in a population developed from bread wheats (Triticum aestivum) with contrasting adaptation to water-limited environments. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 126 (6), 1563-1574. doi: 10.1007/s00122-013-2074-0
2013
Conference Publication
Improving cereal productivity with stay-green technology.
Borrell, A., Hammer, G., Van Oosterom, E., George-Jaeggli, B., McLean, G., Hamlet, S., Hunt, C., Mace, E., Mullet, J., Klein, P., Weers, B. and Jordan, D. (2013). Improving cereal productivity with stay-green technology.. 2013 QAAFI Annual Research Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, 6-7 August 2013.
2013
Conference Publication
Focusing reproductive cold stress research on the main target
Frederiks, Troy, Christopher, Jack and Borrell, Andrew (2013). Focusing reproductive cold stress research on the main target. WBA2013: Wheat Breeders Assembly 2013, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 16-19 July, 2013. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Wheat Breeding Society Of Australia.
2013
Conference Publication
An Integrated Approach to Sorghum Crop Improvement in Australia
Jordan, D., Mace, E., Borrell, A., Cruickshank, A., Chapman, S., van Oosterom, E. and Hammer, G. (2013). An Integrated Approach to Sorghum Crop Improvement in Australia. 4th International Conference on Integrated Approaches to Improve Crop Production under Drought-Prone Environments (InterDrought-IV), Perth, WA, Australia, 2 - 6 September 2013.
2013
Conference Publication
Fine-mapping candidates for 'stay-green' in sorghum reveals genes associated with canopy development and root growth
Borrell, A. K., Christopher, J. T., Veyradier, M., Harvey, G., Fletcher, S., Christopher, M., Jennings, R., Hammer, G. L. and Chenu, K. (2013). Fine-mapping candidates for 'stay-green' in sorghum reveals genes associated with canopy development and root growth. ID4: InterDrought-IV Conference 2013. The 4th International Conference on Integrated Approaches to Improve Crop Production under Drought-Prone Environments, Burswood, WA, Australia, 2-6 September, 2013.
2013
Conference Publication
Sorghum crop improvement in Australia: integrating breeding, genomics, physiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and simulation modelling
Jordan, D., Mace, E. and Borrell, A. (2013). Sorghum crop improvement in Australia: integrating breeding, genomics, physiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and simulation modelling. 2013 Annual Meeting of the Sorghum Research Institute, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Science, Shenyang, China, 28-30 January, 2013.
2013
Conference Publication
Development and evaluation of drought-adapted sorghum germplasm for Africa and Australia – Phase II.
Borrell, A., Coulibaly, S., Teme, N., George-Jaeggli, B., Hamlet, S., George, P. and Jordan, D. (2013). Development and evaluation of drought-adapted sorghum germplasm for Africa and Australia – Phase II.. 2013 General Research Meeting (GRM), Lisbon, Portugal, 27 - 30 September 2013. Generation Challenge Program, CGIAR.
2013
Conference Publication
Stay-green traits in wheat are linked to yield in well-watered environments
Christopher, Jack, Chenu, Karine, Veyradier, Mathieu, Christopher, Mandy, Jennings, Raeleen, Harvey, Greg, Fletcher, Susan and Borrell, Andrew (2013). Stay-green traits in wheat are linked to yield in well-watered environments. WBA2013: Wheat Breeders Assembly 2013, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 16-19 July, 2013. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Wheat Breeding Society Of Australia.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Andrew Borrell is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Genetic control of stomatal conductance in sorghum and its effects on drought adaptation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Jordan, Professor Emma Mace, Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Dr Alex Wu
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Doctor Philosophy
Harnessing natural genetic variation and genome engineering to optimise barley root systems
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ian Godwin, Dr Karen Massel, Dr Peter Crisp, Professor Lee Hickey, Dr Hannah Robinson
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Manipulation of plant architecture genes in sorghum to manage drought adaptation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ian Godwin, Dr Erik Van Oosterom
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
New insights into designer root systems for durum wheat improvement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Jordan, Professor Emma Mace, Associate Professor Andries Potgieter, Dr Samir Alahmad, Professor Lee Hickey
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Building Blocks for Designer Ideotypes: Dissecting Plant Architecture Genes using CRISPR/Cas9
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Professor Lee Hickey, Dr Karen Massel, Professor Ian Godwin
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2023
Master Philosophy
Investigating the genetics and value of root traits to support yield in barley
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ian Godwin, Dr Samir Alahmad, Professor Lee Hickey
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Hyperspectral sensing methods and genome-wide association studies to improve photosynthetic capacity in sorghum
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Graeme Hammer, Dr Alex Wu, Associate Professor Andries Potgieter, Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating root traits for drought adaptation in barley: an insight into the genetics influencing root system architecture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Kelly, Professor Lee Hickey
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Breeding wheat for drought adaptation: Development of selection tools for root architectural traits
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Lee Hickey, Associate Professor Karine Chenu
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Andrew Borrell directly for media enquiries about:
- Climate-smart crops
- Discovering genes for drought adaptation in cereals
- Drought adaptation in crops
- Root architecture in crops
- Science and food security
- Stay-green trait
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