Combining Molecular Plant Physiology And Breeding To Improve Canola (Brassica napus) Performance In Dry Environments (2005-2009)
Abstract
Canola is Australia s most important oilseed crop with 1,400,000 hectares sown annually worth $560m. The major abiotic factor limiting canola production in Australia is water availability. Transpiration efficiency (TE) is a trait with potential to contribute to improved drought tolerance of grain crops. This project seeks to select canola germplasm with improved TE by indirect selection for carbon-isotope-discrimination. In addition we will use the extensive Brassica-Arabidopsis genome synteny to locate and alter the expression of genes involved in TE using Arabidopsis as a model. The longterm aim is to improve the reliability and overall grain production of canola in Australia.
