Associate Professor Stuart Roy
Chief Investigator, ARC Training Centre for Future Crops Development
Interim Head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
Areas of Research Interest –
My research focuses on improving the yield and abiotic stress tolerance of cereals. I identify novel genes and processes through forward genetic screens, and use biotechnology to generate GMO and genome edited plants which are used in proof of concept studies to determine if the modifications have enhanced the performance of the plant. I then look for non-GM solutions to deliver germplasm to breeders.
My research spans from the lab bench, where I clone genes, to the greenhouse, where I use non-destructive phenotyping methods to characterise plant growth. Ultimately, I end up in the field, evaluating novel plant material in the environment where crops are grown.
Expertise & Skills –
- Plant Physiology
- Abiotic stress tolerance
- Cloning
- Evaluation of plants using non-destructive phenotyping
- GM Field trials
- GM stewardship and training
5 Key Research Papers –
• Borjigin C, Schilling RK, Bose J, Hrmova M, Qiu J, Wege S, Situmorang A, Byrt C, Brien C, Berger B, Gilliham M, Pearson AS, Roy SJ (2020) A single nucleotide substitution in TaHKT1;5-D controls shoot Na+ accumulation in bread wheat. Plant, Cell & Environment 43: 2158-2171
• Houston K, Qiu J, Wege S, Hrmova M, Oakey H, Qu Y, Smith P, Situmorang A, Macaulay M, Flis P, Bayer M, Roy S, Halpin C, Russell J, Schreiber M, Byrt C, Gilliham M, Salt DE, Waugh R (2020) Barley sodium content is regulated by natural variants of the Na+ transporter HvHKT1;5. Communications Biology 3: 258
• Li B, Byrt C, Qiu J, Baumann U, Hrmova M, Evrard A, Johnson AAT, Birnbaum KD, Mayo GM, Jha D, Henderson SW, Tester M, Gilliham M, Roy SJ (2016) Identification of a stelar-localized transport protein that facilitates root-to-shoot transfer of chloride in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology 170: 1014-1029
• Regmi K, Kalenahalli Y, Farias J, Li L, Kandel R, Yadav U, Sha S, Trittermann C, Short L, George J, Evers J, Plett D, Ayre B, Roy S, Gaxiola R (2020) Improved yield and photosynthate partitioning in AVP1 expressing wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 11: 273
• Schilling RK, Marschner P, Shavrukov Y, Berger B, Tester M, Roy SJ, Plett DC (2014) Expression of the Arabidopsis vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase gene (AVP1) improves the shoot biomass of transgenic barley and increases grain yield in a saline field. Plant Biotechnology Journal 12: 378-386
Available Research Projects –
• Program 3B SynBio Applications.
• Program 4 Innovate in Trait and Field Evaluation Technologies.
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE GENETIC & FIELD TECHNOLOGIES FOR FUTURE CROPS
The ARC Training Centre for Accelerated Future Crops Development is funded by the Australian Research Council under its Industrial Transformation Training Hubs Program to run from 2022 to 2027.
It is a collaboration of universities, government research agencies and the Australian grains sector’s key stakeholders in training, R&D, social engagement, responsible innovation, breeding, marketing and delivery.
It also has international partners in gene-editing, SynBio, crop breeding, and, other partnerships for co-developing deep technologies to transform the agriculture industry and global food security.