Shane Campbell

“Improved grazing practices for dairy pastures in sub-tropical and tropical regions of Australia”

Starting date: from October 2024 to January 2025

Location: University of Queensland-Gatton, Queensland, Australia

In recent years, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF) Dairy Research Team has been investigating a new grazing approach for dairy pastures in sub-tropical environments. Rather than grazing annual ryegrass and kikuyu-based pastures down to a pre-determined height, pasture intake and diet quality can be improved if animals are able to eat only the top leafy stratum of the available pasture and are not forced to eat the less nutritious stemmy stratum.

The objectives of this PhD are to:

1. Build on the findings from the ryegrass and kikuyu research and identify other warm-season perennial pastures species with high yield, quality, and palatability of the top leafy stratum (TLS). A wide range (> 10) of pasture species will be compared, and a grazing trial will be undertaken to determine which pasture species are preferentially grazed by dairy cattle.
2. Compare the long-term effects of this new grazing approach against traditional grazing management, in terms of pasture and animal productivity of dairy cows grazing annual ryegrass and kikuyu. A full lactation study will be undertaken on both species with the two grazing strategies compared in terms of pasture intake, diet quality, milk yield and composition, feed cost and profitability.

This PhD will be jointly supervised by QDAF and University of Queensland (UQ) Researchers based at UQ’s Gatton Campus. Funding is available for the operational costs of this project, but the selected student will need to apply for a competitive UQ Graduate School Scholarship through either a domestic or international round.

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from potential PhD Students with a strong academic track record and an interest in dairy and pasture science. In the first instance, please reach out to either Dr Dannylo Sousa (Dannylo.Sousa@daf.qld.gov.au) from QDAF or Dr Shane Campbell (shane.campbell@uq.edu.au) from UQ, who will be able to provide more information and guidance.

Biology and management of prickly lettuce in the northern grain region of Australia

Project description

Weeds pose the most significant biological challenge for Australian grain growers, resulting in annual costs exceeding $3.3 billion. Specifically, in the northern grain region of Australia, particularly Queensland, the emergence of prickly lettuce as a troublesome weed species demands immediate attention. Addressing this issue requires the creation of integrated weed management strategies tailored to effectively control this species. However, the development of such strategies hinges upon a comprehensive understanding of the biology and ecology of prickly lettuce, which is currently lacking, especially concerning the weed populations in the northern region. This project aims to bridge this knowledge gap by conducting a thorough study of the biology and ecology of prickly lettuce. Subsequently, it will leverage this information to devise integrated management options specifically designed to tackle this pervasive weed.

Scholarship

This is an Earmarked scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.

The scholarship includes:

• living stipend of $33,641 per annum tax free (2024 rate), indexed annually
• your tuition fees covered
• single overseas student health cover (OSHC).

Learn more about the Earmarked scholarship

Supervisors: Professor Bhagirth Chauhan and Dr. Shane Campbell