Centre for Plant & Water Science - Central Queensland University

Centre for Plant & Water Science - Central Queensland University Centre for Plant & Water Science - Central Queensland University

13.01.2015 Views

Centre for Plant & Water Science 2008 Annual Report Karuna Shrestha travelled to Brisbane from 14 to 15 April to attend an Endeavour Award Function. Surya Bhattarai, Jay Dhungel, Manouchehr Torabi & Laurie Tait travelled to QUT, Brisbane from 13 to 16 April 2008 for instrumentation training and Surya then travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal & Hyderabad, India to visit and attend discussions at- the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal for potential collaboration for small scale drip irrigation and oxygation; International Development Enterprises (IDE)-Nepal; the Nepal Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiatives (SIMI) Kathmandu, Nepal for potential collaboration for small scale drip irrigation and oxygation; and the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for discussion and developing the methods for drought screening. Kerry Walsh travelled to Melbourne from 21 to 25 April for X-ray fruit assessment discussions with Industry Partners. Kerry Walsh attended discussion on X-ray fruit assessment held in Sydney from 14 to 16 May. Brock McDonald visited Vermicrobe International Pty Ltd, Northern NSW and Boxsell, Brisbane and for hydroponics discussion and collection of vermiculture units, from 21 to 27 May and 20 to 23 June. Keith Harrower & Noel Sammon attended SEM training held in Gladstone on 17 July. Nanjappa Ashwath travelled to Kaniva, Victoria for bio-diesel discussions with Steve Hobbs of BE Bioenergy from 24 to 29 July. Kerry Walsh and Phul Subedi travelled to Sydney 20 to 22 August for new generation NIR work. Brett Roe attended & presented at 'Innovation in a Global Market' 2008 Brisbane Skretting Australasian Aquaculture Conference held in Brisbane from 3 to 7 August. David Midmore gave a presentation to the U3A on vermiculture and hydroponics on 4 August. Brett Roe attended a meeting re: aquaponics course development in Brisbane from 27 August to 1 September. Lance Pendergast attended a Land & Water Australia (LWA) meeting held in Canberra from 1 to 4 September. Surya Bhattarai and Jay Dhungel travelled to Canberra to attend a LWA Meeting and visited the University of Melbourne for data collection, from 1 to 7 September. Thakur Bhattarai attended a symposium and meeting on Challenges and Opportunities to Agriculture in a Changing Carbon Economy held in Brisbane from 3 to 4 September. David Midmore attended the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting at Imperial College, London from 3 to 5 September. Phul Subedi travelled to Katherine/Darwin to conduct NIR training for Calypso Growers from 6 to 22 September. Kerry Walsh visited various farms re: use of paunch and meetings with stakeholders in the Biloela area on 12 September. Surya Bhattarai & Manouchehr Torabi visited ANSTO, Sydney from 15 to 19 September, funded by AINSE, to collect data on air bubble size distribution. Nanjappa Ashwath attended a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop held in Sydney & visited landfill sites at Pomona & Nudgee, near Brisbane from 1 to 4 October. Kerry Walsh & Brock McDonald attended a Grazing Best Practice Course held in Calliope from 9 to 11 October. David Midmore gave a presentation to the Rockhampton Probus group on stevia research, on 16 October. David Midmore & Surya Bhattarai travelled to Bundaberg from 11 to 12 November to meet with John Hall CropTech, and attended meetings with DPI and a Bundaberg Campus meeting for signing of a CQUni/QDPIF agreement. David Midmore & Surya Bhattarai travelled to Stanthorpe to meet with Fred Boronio for NPSI Project discussions from 18 to 19 November. 11

Centre for Plant & Water Science 2008 Annual Report C2 Industry Collaboration Collaborative links between Centre staff and Color Vision Systems P/L & Integrated Spectronics P/L continued to strengthen as commercialisation of the NIRS technology proceeds. Fruitful interaction with the supply chain group, One Harvest, through the Calypso mango project, was underpinned by the deployment of Dr Subedi across most production regions during the mango harvest season. Links with Boxsell and Vermicrobe resulted in generous donation of equipment to support our on-campus RIRDC project on rooftop farming. Cooperation with Midell Developments Pty and Powerlink allowed for productive support of PhD programmes, as did the link with Sanitarium, Netafim and Seair (Canada). C3 Research Training The Centre continued to foster postgraduate training, with one PhD awarded, and one MSc and two PhD theses submitted and 19 candidacies current. Table 7. Degrees Awarded, Theses Submitted & Current Students Degrees Awarded in 2008 Name Degree Supervisor(s) Thesis Title Hoffmann, M. MSc Walsh Application of tree and stand allometrics to the determination of biomass and its flux in some north-east Australian woodlands : tree and stand allometrics Sharma, A PhD Ashwath Midmore Agroforesty systems for municipal effluent disposal Subedi, P. PhD Walsh Midmore Using near infrared spectroscopy to assess fruit eating quality Thesis Submitted in 2008 Name Degree Supervisor(s) Thesis Title Makiela, S. PhD Harrower Midmore Buffel grass dieback in Central Queensland Qureshi, S PhD Midmore Newby Sequiera Tait, L. MSc Walsh Burrows Pest management in small-scale tropical vegetable systems with particular reference to whitefly, Bermesia Fabaci, Biotype B control in cucurbits Stand structure and population dynamics of woodland communities in north-eastern Australia based on an established network of permanently position vegetation transects Current Students Name Degree Supervisor(s) Thesis Title Bhattarai, T PhD Midmore Lockie Assessment of sustainability of community forestry in Nepal Churilova, E. MSc Midmore Roe Dhungel, J. PhD Midmore Bhattarai Walsh Gautam, R. PhD Ashwath Midmore Hathurusingha, S. PhD Ashwath Midmore Effect of vermicast (vermiculture effluent) on the yield and uptake of nutrients in hydroponically grown plants for commercially adopted NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) systems Innovative aeration of irrigation water Native ground cover species for revegetation under high voltage powerlines in Queensland Biodiesel potential of Beauty leaf tree (Calophyllum inophyllum). 12

<strong>Centre</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Plant</strong> & <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Science</strong> 2008 Annual Report<br />

Karuna Shrestha travelled to Brisbane from 14 to 15 April to attend an Endeavour Award Function.<br />

Surya Bhattarai, Jay Dhungel, Manouchehr Torabi & Laurie Tait travelled to QUT, Brisbane from<br />

13 to 16 April 2008 <strong>for</strong> instrumentation training and Surya then travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal<br />

& Hyderabad, India to visit and attend discussions at- the International <strong>Centre</strong> <strong>for</strong> Integrated<br />

Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal <strong>for</strong> potential collaboration <strong>for</strong> small<br />

scale drip irrigation and oxygation; International Development Enterprises (IDE)-Nepal; the<br />

Nepal Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiatives (SIMI) Kathmandu, Nepal <strong>for</strong> potential<br />

collaboration <strong>for</strong> small scale drip irrigation and oxygation; and the International Crop Research<br />

Institute <strong>for</strong> Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) <strong>for</strong> discussion and developing the methods <strong>for</strong><br />

drought screening.<br />

Kerry Walsh travelled to Melbourne from 21 to 25 April <strong>for</strong> X-ray fruit assessment discussions<br />

with Industry Partners.<br />

Kerry Walsh attended discussion on X-ray fruit assessment held in Sydney from 14 to 16 May.<br />

Brock McDonald visited Vermicrobe International Pty Ltd, Northern NSW and Boxsell, Brisbane<br />

and <strong>for</strong> hydroponics discussion and collection of vermiculture units, from 21 to 27 May and 20<br />

to 23 June.<br />

Keith Harrower & Noel Sammon attended SEM training held in Gladstone on 17 July.<br />

Nanjappa Ashwath travelled to Kaniva, Victoria <strong>for</strong> bio-diesel discussions with Steve Hobbs of BE<br />

Bioenergy from 24 to 29 July.<br />

Kerry Walsh and Phul Subedi travelled to Sydney 20 to 22 August <strong>for</strong> new generation NIR work.<br />

Brett Roe attended & presented at 'Innovation in a Global Market' 2008 Brisbane Skretting<br />

Australasian Aquaculture Conference held in Brisbane from 3 to 7 August.<br />

David Midmore gave a presentation to the U3A on vermiculture and hydroponics on 4 August.<br />

Brett Roe attended a meeting re: aquaponics course development in Brisbane from 27 August to 1<br />

September.<br />

Lance Pendergast attended a Land & <strong>Water</strong> Australia (LWA) meeting held in Canberra from 1 to 4<br />

September.<br />

Surya Bhattarai and Jay Dhungel travelled to Canberra to attend a LWA Meeting and visited the<br />

<strong>University</strong> of Melbourne <strong>for</strong> data collection, from 1 to 7 September.<br />

Thakur Bhattarai attended a symposium and meeting on Challenges and Opportunities to<br />

Agriculture in a Changing Carbon Economy held in Brisbane from 3 to 4 September.<br />

David Midmore attended the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting at Imperial College,<br />

London from 3 to 5 September.<br />

Phul Subedi travelled to Katherine/Darwin to conduct NIR training <strong>for</strong> Calypso Growers from 6 to<br />

22 September.<br />

Kerry Walsh visited various farms re: use of paunch and meetings with stakeholders in the Biloela<br />

area on 12 September.<br />

Surya Bhattarai & Manouchehr Torabi visited ANSTO, Sydney from 15 to 19 September, funded<br />

by AINSE, to collect data on air bubble size distribution.<br />

Nanjappa Ashwath attended a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop held in Sydney & visited<br />

landfill sites at Pomona & Nudgee, near Brisbane from 1 to 4 October.<br />

Kerry Walsh & Brock McDonald attended a Grazing Best Practice Course held in Calliope from 9<br />

to 11 October.<br />

David Midmore gave a presentation to the Rockhampton Probus group on stevia research, on 16<br />

October.<br />

David Midmore & Surya Bhattarai travelled to Bundaberg from 11 to 12 November to meet with<br />

John Hall CropTech, and attended meetings with DPI and a Bundaberg Campus meeting <strong>for</strong><br />

signing of a CQUni/QDPIF agreement.<br />

David Midmore & Surya Bhattarai travelled to Stanthorpe to meet with Fred Boronio <strong>for</strong> NPSI<br />

Project discussions from 18 to 19 November.<br />

11

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!