Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation - UQ eSpace

Gas-chromatography of alditol acetates on a high-polarity bonded-phase vitreous-silica column

2011-02-09T00:00:00Z

Gelatinization temperature of rice explained by polymorphisms in starch synthase

2011-02-09T00:00:00Z

Gene expresison in the liver of sheep fed diets with different protein and energy content

2013-04-12T15:10:22Z

Gene expression evidence for off-target effects caused by RNA interference-mediated gene silencing of Ubiquitin-63E in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

2011-09-04T00:00:00Z

Gene expression in the arcuate nuclei of sheep fed diets of variable protein and energy content

2013-04-12T15:13:43Z

Gene expression in the developing aleurone and starchy endosperm of wheat

2012-08-05T00:02:57Z

Wheat is a critical food source globally. Food security is an increasing concern; current production levels are not expected to keep pace with global demand. New technologies have provided a vast array of wheat genetic data; however, best use of this data requires placing it within a framework in which the various genes, pathways and interactions can be examined. Here we present the first systematic comparison of the global transcriptomes of the aleurone and starchy endosperm of the developing wheat seed (Triticum aestivum), at time points critical to the development of the aleurone layer; 6-, 9- and 14-day post-anthesis. Illumina sequencing gave 25-55 million sequence reads per tissue, of the trimmed reads, 70%-81% mapped to reference expressed sequence transcripts. Transcript abundance was analysed by performing RNA-Seq normalization to generate reads per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads values, and these were used in comparative analyses between the tissues at each time point using Kal's Z-test. This identified 9414-13 202 highly differentially expressed transcripts that were categorized on the basis of tissue and time point expression and functionally analysed revealing two very distinct tissues. The results demonstrate the fundamental biological reprogramming of the two major biologically and economically significant tissues of the wheat seed over this time course. Understanding these changes in gene expression profiles is essential to mining the potential these tissues hold for human nutrition and contributing to the systems biology of this important crop plant.

Gene expression in the medulla following oral infection of cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy

2012-02-08T12:49:19Z

Gene expression in the skin of Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle infested with the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

2009-03-24T17:39:34Z

Gene expression profiling as a tool for understanding the host response to cattle ticks

2011-10-06T00:00:00Z

Genes associated with fruit colour in Carica papaya: Identification through expressed sequence tags and colour complementation

2011-10-10T00:00:00Z

Genes of folate biosynthesis in wheat

McIntosh, Shane R. og Henry, Robert J. — 2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic alternatives to mulesing and tail docking in sheep: A review

James, P. J. — 2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

A genetic solution to breech strike control is attractive, as it is potentially permanent, cumulative, would not involve increased use of chemicals and may ultimately reduce labour inputs. There appears to be significant opportunity to reduce the susceptibility of Merinos to breech strike by genetic means although it is unlikely that in the short term breeding alone will be able to confer the degree of protection provided by mulesing and tail docking. Breeding programmes that aim to replace surgical techniques of flystrike prevention could potentially: reduce breech wrinkle; increase the area of bare skin in the perineal area; reduce tail length and wool cover on and near the tail; increase shedding of breech wool; reduce susceptibility to internal parasites and diarrhoea; and increase immunological resistance to flystrike. The likely effectiveness of these approaches is reviewed and assessed here. Any breeding programme that seeks to replace surgical mulesing and tail docking will need to make sheep sufficiently resistant that the increased requirement for other strike management procedures remains within practically acceptable bounds and that levels of strike can be contained to ethically acceptable levels.

Genetic analysis and complementation studies on a number of mutant supernodulating soybean lines

2011-07-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic analysis and phenotypic associations for drought tolerance in Hordeum spontaneum introgression lines using SSR and SNP markers

2012-09-28T13:19:06Z

Genetic analysis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, and comparison with Haemophilus spp. Taxon “Minor Group” and Taxon C

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic analysis of bovine viral diarrhoea viruses from Australia

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic and phenotypic parameters for greasy and scoured wool colour in South Australian Merino Sheep

2012-02-12T00:00:00Z

Genetic characterization of equine adenovirus type 1

2011-10-10T00:00:00Z

Two known serotypes of equine adenovirus (EAdV), equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV-1) and equine adenovirus type 2 (EAdV-2) have been isolated from horses. EAdV-1 is predominantly associated with upper respiratory tract infections while EAdV-2 appears to be associated with gastrointestinal infections in horses. In this report the EAdV-1 genome has been sequenced for the first time. The EAdV-1 genome encoded genes are characteristic of the Mastadenovirus genus such as protein V and IX. Unexpectedly, phylogenetic reconstructions also revealed a close relationship between EAdV-1 and two recently characterized bat adenoviruses. The results of this study suggest that EAdV-1 may share a common ancestor with canine and bat adenoviruses.

Genetic complementation between two viruses in an otherwise restrictive host

Bag, S. og Mitter, N. og Pappu, H. R. — 2011-10-09T00:00:00Z

Genetic control of nodal root angle in sorghum and its implications on water extraction

2012-11-15T15:18:03Z

Genotypic variability in root system architecture has been associated with root angle of seedlings and water extraction patterns of mature plants in a range of crops. The potential inclusion of root angle as a selection criterion in a sorghum breeding program requires (1) availability of an efficient screening method, (2) presence of genotypic variation with high heritability, and (3) an association with water extraction pattern. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility for inclusion of nodal root angle as a selection criterion in sorghum breeding programs. A high-throughput phenotypic screen for nodal root angle in young sorghum plants has recently been developed and has been used successfully to identify significant variation in nodal root angle across a diverse range of inbred lines and a mapping population. In both cases, heritabilities for nodal root angle were high. No association between nodal root angle and plant size was detected. This implies that parental inbred lines could potentially be used to asses nodal root angle of their hybrids, although such predictability is compromised by significant interactions. To study effects of nodal root angle on water extraction patterns of mature plants, four inbred lines with contrasting nodal root angle at seedling stage were grown until at least anthesis in large rhizotrons. A consistent trend was observed that nodal root angle may affect the spatial distribution of root mass of mature plants and hence their ability to extract soil water, although genotypic differences were not significant. The potential implications of this for specific adaptation to drought stress are discussed. Results suggest that nodal root angle of young plants can be a useful selection criterion for specific drought adaptation, and could potentially be used in molecular breeding programs if QTLs for root angle can be identified.

Genetic diversity among Banana streak virus isolates from Australia

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Banana streak virus (BSV) is an important pathogen of bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) throughout the world. We have cloned and sequenced part of the genomes of four isolates of BSV from Australia, designated BSV-RD, BSV-Cav, BSV-Mys, and BSV-GF. These isolates originated from banana cvs. Red Dacca, Williams, Mysore, and Goldfinger, respectively. All clones contained a sequence covering part of open reading frame III and the intergenic region of the badnavirus genome. The sequences were compared with those of other badnaviruses, including BSV-Onne, a previously characterized isolate from Nigeria. The BSV-RD sequence was virtually identical to that of BSV-Onne, differing by only two nucleotides over 1,292 bp. However, BSV-Cav, -Mys, and -GF were divergent in nucleotide sequence. Phylogenetic analyses using conserved sequences in the ribonuclease H domain revealed that all BSV isolates were more closely related to each other than to any other badnavirus. BSV-Cav was most closely related to BSV-Onne, and there was 95.1% identity between the two amino acid sequences. Other relationships between the BSV isolates were less similar, with sequence identities ranging from 66.4 to 78.2%, which is a magnitude comparable to the distance between some of the recognized badnavirus species. Immunocapture-polymerase chain reaction assays have been developed, allowing specific detection and differentiation of the four isolates of BSV.

Genetic diversity among banana streak virus isolates from Australia (vol 90, pg 921, 2000)

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic diversity in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis

2011-02-09T00:00:00Z

Genetic diversity of Anaplasma species major surface proteins and implications for anaplasmosis serodiagnosis and vaccine development

2011-10-13T00:00:00Z

Genetic diversity of Guignardia musae on banana based on internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA

2012-03-21T00:00:00Z

Genetic diversity of ICARDA's worldwide barley landrace collection

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genetic engineering of resistance to starch hydrolysis caused by pre-harvest sprouting

2012-09-19T00:00:00Z

Genetic impacts of the hull on barley grain quality

2011-02-09T00:00:00Z

Barley hull plays an important role in malt and feed quality and processing. In this study we measured the variation in hull content along with other grain quality traits namely, kernel discolouration and degree of pre-harvest sprouting, in a single mapping population. There were significant (p < 0.05) genetic as well as environment effects. In addition, heritability was calculated for hull content to be 29% and 47% for two years' data. From the analysis, major QTL markers were identified in controlling the expression of hull content on chromosomes 2 (2H), and 6 (6H) with significant (P < 0.05) LOD scores of 5.4 and 3.46 respectively. Minor QTLs were identified on 1 (7H), 4 (4H), 5 (1H) and 7 (5H). The region at marker Bmac310 on 4(4H) could be associated with dormancy gene SD4. A number of the QTLs also coincided with regions for either kernel discolouration or preharvest sprouting resistance (dormancy). The results indicate that variation exists for hull content, which is influenced by both growing environment as well as genetically, although the genetic variance explained less than half of the total variance. Further, hull content also impacts on other grain quality attributes including dormancy, sprouting resistance and kernel appearance.

Genetic improvement and agronomy for enhanced wheat competitiveness with weeds

2011-08-11T00:00:00Z

The rapid development of herbicide resistance in weeds, and environmental imperatives, have forced the consideration of non-chemical tactics such as crop competition for weed management. This review of wheat–weed competition examines the plant traits associated with wheat competitiveness, and the opportunities for plant breeding or manipulating crop agronomy to differentially favour the growth of the crop. Many studies have proven that enhancing crop competitive ability can reduce weed seed production and crop yield loss, although a number of difficulties in conducting this research are identified and suggestions are made for improvement. It remains to be seen whether crop competitiveness will be considered as a priority by farmers and plant breeders. Farmers require precise information on the reliability of agronomic factors such as increased crop seeding rate or choice of variety for enhancing crop competitive ability in different environments. Plant breeders need to know which plant traits to incorporate in varieties to increase competitive ability. A thorough analysis of the benefits and costs of enhancing wheat competitiveness is needed. Competitive wheat crops should be available as part of reliable and economical integrated weed management packages for farmers.

Genetic improvement of apparel and carpet wool production

2012-02-12T00:00:00Z

Genetic improvement of wool production with special reference to wool for clothing

2012-02-11T00:00:00Z

Genetic parameters and genotype x environment interaction for feed efficiency traits in steers fed grower and finisher diets

2012-02-09T14:57:59Z

The objective of this study was to examine the genetic parameters and genetic correlations of feed efficiency traits in steers (n = 490) fed grower or finisher diets in 2 feeding periods. A bivariate model was used to estimate phenotypic and genetic parameters using steers that received the grower and finisher diets in successive feeding periods, whereas a repeated animal model was used to estimate the permanent environmental effects. Genetic correlations between the grower-fed and finisher-fed regimens were 0.50 ± 0.48 and 0.78 ± 0.43 for residual feed intake (RFI) and G:F, respectively. The moderate genetic correlation between the 2 feeding regimens may indicate the presence of a genotype × environment interaction for RFI. Permanent environmental effects (expressed in percentage of phenotypic variance) were detected in the grower-fed steers for ADG (38%), DMI (30%), RFI (18%), and G:F (40%) and also in the finisher-fed steers for ADG (28%), DMI (35%), metabolic mid-weight (23%), and RFI (10%). Heritability estimates were 0.08 ± 0.10 and 0.14 ± 0.15 for the grower-fed steers and 0.42 ± 0.16 and 0.40 ± 17 for the finisher-fed steers for RFI and G:F, respectively. The dependency of the RFI on the feeding regimen may have serious implications when selecting animals in the beef industry. Because of the higher cost of grains, feed efficiency in the feedlot might be overemphasized, whereas efficiency in the cow herd and the backgrounding segments may have less emphasis. These results may also favor the retention (for subsequent breeding) of cows whose steers were efficient in the feedlot sector. Therefore, comprehensive feeding trials may be necessary to provide more insight into the mechanisms surrounding genotype × environment interaction in steers.

Genetic parameters for carcase traits of the South Australian Merino at 16-18 months of age

2012-02-12T00:00:00Z

Genetic parameters for wool production and quality traits in South Australian Merinos of the Collinsville family group

2011-08-08T00:00:00Z

Heritabilities and phenotypic and genetic correlations for fleece traits were estimated from a data set comprising 805 male and female progeny of 44 sires of the Collinsville family group. Characteristics included in the study were greasy and clean fleece weight, yield, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation of fibre diameter, resistance to compression, scoured and greasy wool colour (expressed as yellowness, lightness and yellowness index), wax content, suint content, and subjectively assessed scores for greasy colour, character, handle, quality number, condition, staple formation, tip formation and density. Heritabilities of greasy and clean fleece weight, yield, mean fibre diameter and subjectively assessed fleece scores were in broad agreement with estimates from other Merino strains, but the genetic correlations of mean fibre diameter and associated characters (handle, quality number) with clean fleece weight were lower than previous estimates. Heritabilities for scoured yellowness of wool, resistance to compression and coefficient of variation of fibre diameter, which are potential additional measurements for the specification of wool in sale lots, were 0.42 (¦. 0.14), 0.57 (¦ 0.15) and 0.47 ( ¦ 0.15) respectively. Estimated heritabilities of wax and suint content were 0.24 (¦0.11) and 0.44 ( ¦ 0.14). Although the phenotypic correlations between measures of greasy wool colour and the corresponding measures of scoured wool colour were low (less than 0.3), the genetic correlations were moderate to high (0.4-0.9). Thus selection on the basis of greasy wool colour should lead to genetic improvements in scoured colour. The genetic correlations of resistance to compression with clean fleece weight and fibre diameter were: 0.46 (¦0.21) and 0.44 (¦ 0.20) respectively, but there were no other strong, unfavourable correlations.

Genetic resources and improvement in Macadamia

2013-02-10T01:27:37Z

Genetics, genomics and breeding of oilseed Brassicas

2011-10-15T19:09:42Z

Genetics of heifer puberty in two tropical beef genotypes in northern Australia and associations with heifer- and steer-production traits

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

A total of 2115 heifers from two tropical genotypes (1007 Brahman and 1108 Tropical Composite) raised in four locations in northern Australia were ovarian-scanned every 4–6 weeks to determine the age at the first-observed corpus luteum (CL) and this was used to define the age at puberty for each heifer. Other traits recorded at each time of ovarian scanning were liveweight, fat depths and body condition score. Reproductive tract size was measured close to the start of the first joining period. Results showed significant effects of location and birth month on the age at first CL and associated puberty traits. Genotypes did not differ significantly for the age or weight at first CL; however, Brahman were fatter at first CL and had a small reproductive tract size compared with that of Tropical Composite. Genetic analyses estimated the age at first CL to be moderately to highly heritable for Brahman (0.57) and Tropical Composite (0.52). The associated traits were also moderately heritable, except for reproductive tract size in Brahmans (0.03) and for Tropical Composite, the presence of an observed CL on the scanning day closest to the start of joining (0.07). Genetic correlations among puberty traits were mostly moderate to high and generally larger in magnitude for Brahman than for Tropical Composite. Genetic correlations between the age at CL and heifer- and steer-production traits showed important genotype differences. For Tropical Composite, the age at CL was negatively correlated with the heifer growth rate in their first postweaning wet season (–0.40) and carcass marbling score (–0.49), but was positively correlated with carcass P8 fat depth (0.43). For Brahman, the age at CL was moderately negatively genetically correlated with heifer measures of bodyweight, fatness, body condition score and IGF-I, in both their first postweaning wet and second dry seasons, but was positively correlated with the dry-season growth rate. For Brahman, genetic correlations between the age at CL and steer traits showed possible antagonisms with feedlot residual feed intake (–0.60) and meat colour (0.73). Selection can be used to change the heifer age at puberty in both genotypes, with few major antagonisms with steer- and heifer-production traits.

Genetic strategies for improved beef production in challenging environments such as northern Australia and related implications for the southern United States

2011-10-05T00:00:00Z

Increasing national and international pressures are impacting the profitability and sustainability of the northern Australian beef cattle industry, and many of these pressures are similar to those faced in several areas of the world, including the USA. This paper discusses current and emerging challenges in Northern Australia in regard to its beef industry, describes a proposed strategy for enhanced genetic improvement, and draws comparisons to related issues that should be considered in the Southern United States beef industry.

Genetic variability and control of nodal root angle in sorghum

2011-09-04T00:00:00Z

Genetic variation in fatty acid composition of subcutaneous fat in cattle

2013-02-10T00:11:35Z

Genetic parameters were estimated for fatty acid composition of subcutaneous beef fat of 1573 animals which were the progeny of 157 sires across seven breeds grown out on pasture and then finished on either grain or grass in northern New South Wales or in central Queensland. There was genetic variation in individual fatty acids with estimates of heritability for the proportions of C14 : 0, C14 : 1c9, C16 : 0, C16 : 1c9, C18 : 0 and C18 : 1c9 fatty acids in subcutaneous beef fat of the order of 0.4 or above. Also substantial correlations between some fatty acids were observed. Genetic correlations between fatty acids and fat depth at the P8 site suggested that much of the genetic variation in fatty acid composition was related to changes in fatness. Selection for decreased fatness resulted in decreased proportions of C18 : 1c9 with concomitant increases in C18 : 0, C14 : 0 and C16 : 0. This suggested that selection for decreased fatness at a given weight will result in a decrease in the proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids in the subcutaneous fat in the carcass with a corresponding increase in the proportions of saturated fatty acids.

Genetic variation in trace element status of Merino sheep

2011-08-08T00:00:00Z

Genetic variation accounts for part of the differences in trace element concentrations in blood and tissues between and within breeds of livestock (see Littledike and Young 1993). The present study was undertaken to obtain preliminary estimates of the heritability of trace element concentrations in the liver of Merino sheep.

Genetic Variation Within Two Sympatric Spotted Gum Eucalypts Exceeds Between Taxa Variation

2011-03-07T00:00:00Z

Genome based selection of anti-cattle tick vaccine candidate antigens

2012-02-06T00:00:00Z

Genome diversity in wild grasses under environmental stress

2012-01-22T00:00:00Z

Genome sequencing initiatives

Edwards, David og Wang, Xiaowu — 2011-10-15T19:19:20Z

Genome sequencing approaches are changing rapidly with advances sequencing technology and bioinformatics. The sequencing of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana provided insights into the Brassica genomes but only now that the Brassica genomes are becoming available do we have a model to characterise genome variation in these species. We expect the A, C and B genome sequences to become publicly available in the next few years, and that they will provide models for the sequencing and resequencing of the important amphidiploid species. Knowledge of the genes and variation a the genome level will greatly assist breeding for improved Brassica oilseed crops.

Genome-wide association studies of female reproduction in tropically adapted beef cattle

2012-02-02T00:00:00Z

Genome-wide DNA polymorphisms in elite indica rice inbreds discovered by whole-genome sequencing

2012-08-05T00:07:34Z

Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have aided discovery of millions of genome-wide DNA polymorphisms, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions-deletions (InDels), which are an invaluable resource for marker-assisted breeding. Whole-genome resequencing of six elite indica rice inbreds (three cytoplasmic male sterile and three restorer lines) resulted in the generation of 338million 75-bp paired-end reads, which provided 85.4% coverage of the Nipponbare genome. A total of 2819086 nonredundant DNA polymorphisms including 2495052 SNPs, 160478 insertions and 163556 deletions were discovered between the inbreds and Nipponbare, providing an average of 6.8 SNPs/kb across the genome. Distribution of SNPs and InDels in the chromosome was nonrandom with SNP-rich and SNP-poor regions being evident across the genome. A contiguous 4.3-Mb region on chromosome 5 with extremely low SNP density was identified. Overall, 83262 nonsynonymous SNPs spanning 16379 genes and 3620 nonsynonymous InDels in 2625 genes have been discovered which provide valuable insights into the basis underlying performance of the inbreds and the hybrids between these inbred combinations. SNPs and InDels discovered from this diverse set of indica rice inbreds not only enrich SNP resources for molecular breeding but also enable the study of genome-wide variations on hybrid performance.

Genome-wide patterns of promoter sharing and co-expression in bovine skeletal muscle

2012-03-21T00:00:00Z

Genome-wide scan identifies loci associated with classical BSE occurrence

2012-02-09T00:00:00Z

Genomic advances will herald new insights into the Brassica: Leptosphaeria maculans pathosystem

2011-10-15T00:00:00Z