Combining molecular plant physiology and breeding to improve canola (Brassica napus) performance in dry environments.

油菜籽是澳大利亚最重要的油料作物，每年播种140万公顷，价值5.6亿美元。限制澳大利亚油菜籽生产的主要非生物因素是水分供应。蒸腾效率是提高粮食作物抗旱性的一个有潜力的性状。本项目旨在通过间接选择碳同位素鉴别方法筛选具有改良TE的油菜种质。此外，我们将利用广泛的芸苔-拟南芥基因组合成来定位和改变TE相关基因的表达，并以拟南芥为模型。长期目标是提高澳大利亚油菜籽的可靠性和整体粮食产量。

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.