Evaluating salinity tolerance in diverse taro wild relative to enhance food security in the Pacific Islands
Duration:
July 2021–July 2022
A major threat to the Pacific region is the risk of rising sea levels causing tidal inundations. Toxic levels of salt can impact on the cultivation of major food crops in the region such as taro (Colocasia spp.). Wild relatives of taro may hold the key to developing salinity tolerant taro for the Pacific region. In collaboration with the Pacific Community, SPC, this project aims to use a cost-effective throughput phenotyping technique to evaluate Australian and Pacific Island taro germplasm for salinity tolerance.
You will:
- Identify the key sources of salinity tolerance in taro wild relatives
- Undertake DNA fingerprinting of taro wild relatives
- Be involved in the development of a new salinity phenotyping pipeline for taro
- Undertake controlled environment phenotyping experiments in Queensland
- Facilitate the implementation of phenotyping pipeline in the Pacific
Funding Source: Australia & Pacific Science Foundation
