This project is closed.
Project summary
- Program
- PhD
- Location
- St Lucia or Gatton
- Research area
- Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
Project description
High soil strength (HSS) restricts root growth and crop access to soil nutrients and water. While deep tillage can increase yields in HSS, these effects are inconsistent and can be short-lived and problems associated with tillage such as efforts to implement and concerns about erosion persist. Despite the long-term recognition of the need to identify how plant root systems penetrate HSS and compacted soil layers and to identify crop types/genotypes with greater ability to do so, progress in achieving this goal has been slow. Recent progress in the development of non-destructive, high-throughput root imaging systems (MRI and x-ray CT) offers a promising alternative to traditional root coring and destructive sampling methods to visualize root-soil interactions that are very labour-intensive and slow. These new procedures, especially when combined with the use of intact soil cores that maintain the physicochemical of the soil profile, allow an in-situ 3D visualisation of roots growing in soil.
Some crops and crop varieties have root traits that improve their ability to extract resources from the soil-root interface in high soil strength and compacted soils, which can potentially improve agricultural productivity and profitability. However, we have a poor understanding of i) which root traits are most important in high-soil strength soils and how these affect water and nutrient extraction; ii) which wheat varieties, have the greater ability to penetrate high-strength soils; and iii) how much root growth in HSS reduces shoot growth, independent of water and nutrient supply.
Glasshouse experiments will use a multi-pronged approach including root physiology, and anatomy using traditional and non-destructive imaging (3D image, MRI and CT) to understand the morphological mechanisms by which different wheat cultivars overcome high soil strength and quantify comparative intra-, and inter-species differences in root anatomy and shoot growth as that relates to HSS.
Scholarship
This is an Earmarked scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.
The scholarship includes:
- living stipend of $36,400 per annum tax free (2025 rate), indexed annually
- your tuition fees covered
- single overseas student health cover (OSHC).
Learn more about the Earmarked scholarship.
Supervisor
Principal supervisor
Preferred educational background
Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.
We take into account your:
- previous academic record
- publication record
- honours and awards
- employment history.
A working knowledge of root imaging, high soil strength soil, water and plant interactions would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field(s) of soil, agronomy, physiology and the potential for scholastic success.
A background or knowledge of soil-water-plant interactions is highly desirable.
How to apply
This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 2, 2025. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 31 December, 2024 30 September, 2024.
You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.
Before you apply
- Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
- Prepare your documentation.
- Contact Dr Yash Dang (y.dang@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.
When you apply
You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.
In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:
- My higher degree is not collaborative
- I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
- UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.