The Groups > Dr Tim Colmer
 

Dr Timothy Colmer
Senior Lecturer
School of Plant Biology,
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Western Australia

Australasian Editor of Annals of Botany (2001 - present).
Guest Editor with Rana Munns of a Special Issue Waterlogging and salinity tolerance in plants, Plant and Soil Vol. 253, 286 pages, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Consulting Editor, Plant and Soil, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Chair of Organising Committee for the 8th Conference of the International Society for Plant Anaerobiosis, Perth , September 2004 (see: www.ibba.cnr.it/ispa)

Personal Website address:
Email tdcolmer@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Research Aims
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The Big Question

The research focus in my laboratory is on the identification of physiological and biochemical mechanisms associated with plant adaptation to salinity and waterlogging, and the regulation of these traits. Research ranges from cellular to eco-physiological processes, since I consider that elucidation of mechanisms at several levels of organisation is essential to gain an integrative understanding of whole plant adaptation to adverse environments. A mechanistic approach should enhance strategies for improvement of stress-tolerance in crop species, and also enhance knowledge on the ecophysiology of Australian halophytes.

Current projects investigate: (i) anoxia tolerance and ion transport in rice and wheat, (ii) O 2 transport in aerenchyma and radial O 2 loss from roots of crops (esp. rice and wheat) and wetland plants (including 'wild' Triticeae), and (iii) regulation of organic solutes and ions (Na+, Cl-, K+) in crop species and Australian halophytes exposed to salinity. Multi-disciplinary projects are conducted in collaboration with key Local, National and International groups. An important example is my collaboration with Dr. Rafiq Islam (Cytogenetics; Adelaide University ) to transfer traits associated with salinity- and waterlogging-tolerance from Hordeum marinum into bread wheat.

The Short-term Goals

  • To combine our studies of root O 2 permeability as influenced by induction of barriers to radial O 2 loss, with measurements of root ion and water transport.
  • Physiological characterisations of mechanisms of salinity and waterlogging tolerance in Hordeum marinum -wheat amphiploids produced by Rafiq Islam.
  • To extend our work on the ecophysiology of Australian Halophytes.
Laboratory Members
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  • Tim Colmer
  • Louise Barton (HAL-funded Research Fellow: Nutrient and Water Use in Turf)
  • Danica Goggin (ACIAR-funded Research Officer: Waterlogging and Anoxia Tolerance in Wheat)
  • Imran Malik (GRDC-funded Research Officer: Waterlogging tolerance in H. marinum -wheat cytogenetic lines)
  • Jeremy English (GRDC-funded Research Officer: Salt x waterlogging in Hordeum -wheat cytogenetic lines)
  • George Wan (HAL-funded Research Technician: Nutrient and Water Use in Turf)
  • Kelly Shepherd (PhD Researcher: Australian halophytes, especially Salicornioideae)
  • Alaina Garthwaite (PhD researcher: Salt and waterlogging tolerance in 'wild' Hordeum species)
  • Dan Mullan (PhD researcher: Salt tolerance in wheat- Lophopyrum cytogenetic lines)
  • Claire Farrell (PhD Researcher: Sustainable salt-land rehabilitation)
  • Sharmin Islam (MSc Researcher: Salt tolerance in wheat)
Funding
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Currently Active

  • GRDC Project UWA 340 (with T. Setter & R. Islam): Improvement of waterlogging tolerance in wheat using doubled haploids from crosses with international germplasm and wide crosses with Hordeum marinum .
  • GRDC Project UWA398 (with R. Islam, R. Munns & R. von Bothmer): Development of a salt-tolerant cereal using wide crosses of wheat with 'wild' Hordeum species.
  • ACIAR Project CS1/1996/025 (with Dr. T. Setter and others): Improvement of waterlogging tolerance of cereals: a genetic approach using adaptive physiological traits.
  • HRDC Project TU00007 ($420,000): Development of nutrient management systems for the WA turf industry. In collaboration with Dr. Louise Barton, we have established a research program with the WA Turf Industry with the aim to achieve best practices in turf irrigation and nutrient management. Aspects related to the physiology of plant water use, drought tolerance and nutrition, and solute movement and other processes in soils, have been examined.

Applications Submitted or planned

  • During 2004 I plan to submit a project to ARC-Linkage on the ecophysiology of Australian Halophytes.
Techniques in the Laboratory
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Currently Active

  • Root-sleeving oxygen electrodes
  • Ion-selective microelectrodes
  • HPLC for betaines and other organic solutes
  • A range of analytical methods for inorganic nutrients
  • NMR spectroscopy (in NMR laboratory in the Chemistry Department)

In Development

  • Oxygen microelectrodes
Main areas of Expertise
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Top three :

Areas of Knowledge

  1. Mechanisms of salinity tolerance in plants (crops and halophytes)
  2. Mechanisms of waterlogging tolerance in plants (crops and wetland species)
  3. Root physiology

Technical Skills

  1. Root-sleeving oxygen electrodes
  2. Oxygen microelectrodes
  3. Ion-selective microelectrodes

A statement on the most significant contributions to this research field

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Our research on aerenchyma and barriers against radial O 2 loss (ROL) from plant roots has gained most international attention. Aerenchyma provides a low-resistance internal pathway for O 2 diffusion in roots, acting like a 'snorkel' for roots in waterlogged soils. However, a steep gradient in O 2 concentration between the root aerenchyma and external soil results in a large proportion of O 2 that enters the roots being lost to the soil, at least in poorly-adapted species. Well-adapted species, however, conserve the O 2 within the roots by forming a 'barrier' near the root exterior to restrict ROL. We have made two important discoveries on this topic: (i) the barrier to ROL can be induced by the growth conditions in several species, and (ii) some 'wild' species in the tribe Triticeae exhibit this trait. These findings have, respectively, led to: (i) improved understanding of the ecophysiology of wetland plants and development of a new hypothesis regarding traits for plants in niche wetland habitats, and (ii) a new strategy using wide-crossing of wheat with its 'wild' relatives in the genus Hordeum , for the development of more waterlogging-tolerant cereals. We are also studying whether induction of the barrier to ROL impacts on water and ion transport by roots, and plan to investigate the (molecular) genetic basis of this acclimation.

Other evidence of impact and contribution to the field
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  • Invited speaker at the 7 th Conference of the ISPA ( Netherlands , 2001).
  • Invited speaker at 7 th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference ( Netherlands , 2004)
  • Invited review on 'Long-distance transport of gases in plants' for Plant, Cell and Environment
  • Australasian Editor of Annals of Botany.
  • Consulting Editor, Plant and Soil, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
  • Guest Editor (with Rana Munns) of a Special Issue in Plant and Soil on 'Salinity and Waterlogging Tolerance in Plants'.
  • Co-editor (with Hans Lambers) of a book: 'Root Physiology - from Gene to Function' (In preparation)
  • Chair of the Organising Committee of the 8 th Conference of the International Society for Plant Anaerobiosis, to be held in Perth in September 2004. (see: www.ibba.cnr.it/ispa)
  • Invited chapters on root aeration (In: Plant Respiration, 2004) and salinity (In: Plants in Action, 1999).
  • Excellence in Teaching Award (Undergraduates) for the Faculty of Agriculture at UWA in 1997 and 2001.
Publications - Last 5 years
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Refereed Journals

  • Malik AI, Colmer TD , Lambers H, Setter TL, Schortemeyer M. 2003. Aerenchyma formation and radial O 2 loss along adventitious roots of wheat with only the apical root portion exposed to O 2 -deficiency. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 1713-1722.

  • Huang S, Greenway H, Colmer TD . 2003. Anoxia tolerance in rice seedlings: exogenous glucose improves growth of an anoxia-intolerant, but not of a -tolerant, genotype. Journal of Experimental Botany 54: 2363-2373.

  • Pathan SM, Aylmore LAG, Colmer TD . 2003. Soil properties and turf growth on a sandy soil amended with fly ash. Plant and Soil 256: 103-114.

  • Garthwaite AJ, von Bothmer R, Colmer TD . 2003. Diversity in root aeration traits associated with waterlogging tolerance in the genus Hordeum . Functional Plant Biology 30: 875-889.

  • Colmer TD . 2003. Long-distance transport of gases in plants: a perspective on internal aeration and radial oxygen loss from roots. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 17-36.

  • Colmer TD . 2003. Aerenchyma and an inducible barrier to radial oxygen loss facilitate root aeration in upland, paddy and deepwater rice ( Oryza sativa L.). Annals of Botany 91: 301-309.

  • Huang S, Greenway H, Colmer TD . 2003. Responses by coleoptiles of intact seedlings to anoxia: K+ net uptake from the external solution and translocation from the caryopses. Annals of Botany 91: 271-278.

  • Voesenek LACJ, Jackson MB, Toebes AHW, Huibers W, Vriezen WH, Colmer TD. 2003. De-submergence-induced ethylene production in Rumex palustris : regulation and ecophysiological significance. The Plant Journal 33: 341-352.

  • Makela P, Munns R, Colmer TD , Peltonen-Sainio P. 2003. Growth of tomato and an ABA-deficient mutant (sitiens) under saline conditions. Physiologia Plantarum 117: 58-63.

  • Pathan SM, Aylmore LAG, Colmer TD . 2003. Properties of several fly ash materials in relation to use as soil amendments. Journal of Environmental Quality 32: 687-693.

  • McDonald MP, Galwey NW , Colmer TD . 2002. Similarity and diversity in adventitious root anatomy as related to root aeration among a range of wet- and dry-land grass species. Plant, Cell and Environment 25: 441-451.

  • Pathan SM, Aylmore LAG, Colmer TD . 2002. Reduced leaching of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphorus in a sandy soil by fly ash amendment. Australian Journal of Soil Research 40: 1201-1211.

  • Rubinigg M, Stulen I, Elzenga JTM, Colmer TD . 2002. Spatial patterns of radial oxygen loss and nitrate net flux along adventitious roots of rice raised in aerated or stagnant solution. Functional Plant Biology 29: 1475-1481.

  • Malik AI, Colmer TD , Lambers H, Setter TL, Schortemeyer M. 2002. Short-term waterlogging has long-term effects on the growth and physiology of wheat. New Phytologist 153: 225-236.

  • Malik AI, Colmer TD , Lambers H, Schortemeyer M. 2001. Changes in physiological and morphological traits of roots and shoots of wheat in response to different depths of waterlogging. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 28: 1121-1131.

  • Gibberd MR, Gray JD, Cocks PS, Colmer TD . 2001. Waterlogging tolerance among a diverse range of Trifolium accessions is related to root porosity, lateral root formation and aerotrophic rooting. Annals of Botany 88: 579-589.

  • Colmer TD , Huang S, Greenway H. 2001. Evidence for down regulation of ethanolic fermentation and K+ effluxes in the coleoptile of rice seedlings during prolonged anoxia. Journal of Experimental Botany 52: 1507-1517.

  • Pathan SM, Aylmore LAG, Colmer TD . 2001. Fly ash amendment of sandy soil to improve water and nutrient use efficiency in turf culture. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 9: 33-39.

  • McDonald MP, Galwey NW, Colmer TD . 2001. Evaluation of Lophopyrum elongatum as a source of genetic diversity to increase the waterlogging tolerance of hexaploid wheat ( Triticum aestivum ). New Phytologist 151: 369-380.

  • McDonald MP, Galwey NW, Colmer TD . 2001. Waterlogging tolerance in the tribe Triticeae: the adventitious roots of Critesion marinum have a relatively high porosity and a barrier to radial oxygen loss. Plant, Cell and Environment 24: 585-596.

  • McDonald MP, Galwey NW, Ellneskog-Staam P, Colmer TD . 2001. Differential effects on growth and development of individual chromosomes from slow growing Lophopyrum elongatum Love when incorporated into wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). Annals of Botany 88: 215-223.

  • Visser EJW, Colmer TD , Blom CWPM, Voesenek LACJ. 2000. Changes in growth, porosity, and radial oxygen loss from adventitious roots of selected mono- and di-cotyledonous wetland species with contrasting types of aerenchyma. Plant, Cell and Environment 23: 1237-1245.

  • Colmer TD , Corradini F, Cawthray G, Otte ML. 2000. Analysis of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), betaines, and other organic solutes in plant tissue extracts using HPLC. Phytochemical Analysis 11: 163-168.

  • Gibberd MR, Colmer TD , Cocks PS. 1999. Root porosity and oxygen movement in waterlogging tolerant Trifolium tomentosum and intolerant Trifolium glomeratum . Plant, Cell and Environment 22: 1161-1168.

  • Connell EL, Colmer TD , Walker DI. 1999. Radial oxygen loss from intact roots of Halophila ovalis as a function of distance behind the tip and shoot illumination. Aquatic Botany 63: 219-228.

  • Short DC, Colmer TD. 1999. Salt tolerance in Halosarcia pergranulata subsp. pergranulata . Annals of Botany 83: 207-213.

  • Voesenek LACJ, Armstrong W, Bogemann GM, McDonald MP, Colmer TD . 1999. A lack of aerenchyma and high rates of radial oxygen loss from the root base contribute to the waterlogging intolerance in Brassica napus . Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 26: 87-93.

  • Adams MA, Chen Z, Landman P, Colmer TD . 1999. Simultaneous determination by capillary GC of organic acids, sugars and sugar alcohols in plant tissue extracts as their trimethylsilyl derivatives. Analytical Biochemistry 266: 77-84.

Book chapters

  • Colmer TD , Greenway H. 2004. Oxygen transport, respiration, and anaerobic carbohydrate catabolism in roots in flooded soils. In: Plant Respiration (M. Ribas-Carbo & H. Lambers, Eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, In press

  • Munns R, Colmer TD . 1999. Chapter sections: 17.1.3 Perspectives on salinity - Solutes and osmotic pressure; 17.2 Growth and cropping responses to salinity; 17.3 Halophytes and adaptation to salt; 17.4 Salt affected land: utilisation and reclamation. In: Plants in Action: Adaptation in Nature, Performance in Cultivation (B.J. Atwell, P.E. Kriedemann,
    C.G.N. Turnbull, Eds.), MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd. pp. 549-550, 550-557, 562-572, 572-574.
Ten career-best publications
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  • Malik AI, Colmer TD, Lambers H, Setter TL, Schortemeyer M. 2003. Aerenchyma formation and radial O 2 loss along adventitious roots of wheat with only the apical root portion exposed to O 2 -deficiency. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 1713-1722.

  • Garthwaite AJ, von Bothmer R, Colmer TD. 2003. Diversity in root aeration traits associated with waterlogging tolerance in the genus Hordeum . Functional Plant Biology 30: 875-889.

  • Colmer TD. 2003. Long-distance transport of gases in plants: a perspective on internal aeration and radial oxygen loss from roots. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 17-36.

  • Voesenek LACJ, Jackson MB, Toebes AHW, Huibers W, Vriezen WH, Colmer TD. 2003. De-submergence-induced ethylene production in Rumex palustris : regulation and ecophysiological significance. The Plant Journal 33: 341-352.

  • Rubinigg M, Stulen I, Elzenga JTM, Colmer TD. 2002. Spatial patterns of radial oxygen loss and nitrate net flux along adventitious roots of rice raised in aerated or stagnant solution. Functional Plant Biology 29: 1475-1481.

  • Colmer TD, Huang S, Greenway H. 2001. Evidence for down regulation of ethanolic fermentation and K+ effluxes in the coleoptile of rice seedlings during prolonged anoxia. Journal of Experimental Botany 52: 1507-1517.

  • Colmer TD, Gibberd MR, Wiengweera A, Tinh, TK. 1998. The barrier to radial oxygen loss from roots of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) is induced by growth in stagnant solution. Journal of Experimental Botany 49: 1431-1436.

  • Colmer TD, Fan TWM, Lauchli A, Higashi RM. 1996. Interactive effects of salinity, nitrogen and sulphur on the organic solutes in Spartina alterniflora leaf blades. Journal of Experimental Botany 47: 369-375.

  • Colmer TD, Epstein E, Dvorak J. 1995. Differential solute regulation in leaf blades of various ages in salt-sensitive wheat and a salt-tolerant wheat x Lophopyrum elongatum (Host) A. Love amphiploid. Plant Physiology 108: 1715-1724.

  • Colmer TD, Fan TWM, Higashi RM, Lauchli A. 1994. Interactions of Ca 2+ and NaCl stress on ionic relations and intracellular pH of Sorghum bicolor root tips: an in vivo 31 P NMR study. Journal of Experimental Botany 45: 1037-1044.

 

 

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