Although a number of research groups around the world are now investigating the agricultural potential of mycorrhizal Sebacinales, no work has yet been undertaken in Australia. This is despite Australia having a source of diverse isolates of these fungi. Verbruggen et al. (2014) noted that Sebacina spp. are ubiquitous in plants in natural systems but they appear to disappear with intensive farming. Thus being able to re-establish these important plant partners in agricultural crops could prove to be critical for sustainable farming in Northern Australia, particularly under the climatically variable and stressful conditions in this region. In this study, a number of sebacinoid mycorrhizal fungi will be sourced from native plant taxa from south-east Queensland. These fungal taxa will be identified via DNA extraction, PCR amplification and sequencing of taxonomically important rDNA regions. Identified sebacinoid taxa will be then tested for their capacity to improve plant biomass and tolerance to drought stress by inoculating plants and growing them under varied watering regimes. The plant species to be used include Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris, Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Cowpea (Vigna unguicalata), important pasture species in the Northern region. Plants with improved drought tolerance will be investigated further via brightfield and fluorescence microscopy to document the anatomical features of the interaction between the symbionts. Real Time RT-PCR will also be used to identify gene targets (e.g. aquaporins, 14-3-3 proteins) that are modified via the mycorrhizal fungal-induced response.
Outcomes of this project will include isolation and identification of a range of new species of Sebacinales fungi, advances in understanding the biology of plant mycorrhizal associations and the development of a sustainable method of improving growth and stress tolerance in a range of agriculturally important plant species.
Reference: Verbruggen et al. (2014). New Phytologist 203:1036-1040.

Assoc Prof John Dearnaley

• Centre for Crop Health
• Institute for Agriculture and the Environment

• Crop and Pasture Production
• Microbiology

• Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
• Master of Research (MRES)