Dr Glenn McDonald
School of Agriculture and Wine
The University of Adelaide

Personal website address http://www.agwine.adelaide.edu.au/research/plant/phys/pn/
Email glenn.mcdonald@adelaide.edu.au

Research Aims

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The Big Question

• What is the biological basis of adaptation and genotype x environment interactions in crop plants?

The short-term goals

• Understanding the genetic control of zinc efficiency and develop molecular markers linked to zinc efficiency
• Examine how micronutrient nutrition interacts with salt stress and boron toxicity

Team	RETURN TO TOP

• Dr Yusuf Genc
• Ms Alson Graham
• Mr Truyen Ngoc Quach

Funding

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Current

• Molecular Plant Breeding CRC: Trace element efficiency
• GRDC: Developing zinc and manganese efficient cultivars of wheat and barley

Applications submitted or planned

• GRDC: Breeding for subsoil constraints
• GRDC : Durum wheat initiative (Nutrition component)

Techniques in the Laboratory

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Currently active

• Whole plant and crop responses to abiotic stress using chlorophyll fluorescence, stomatal conductance, plant water potential, canopy temperature
• Plant nutrient analysis by ICP
• Plant growth analysis
• QTL analysis
• Field evaluation of genotypes and nutrient treatments

Main areas of expertise

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Top three areas of knowledge

1. Crop physiology, particularly crop water use and responses to water and heat stress
2. Micronutrient nutrition, especially zinc and boron, and nitrogen nutrition
3. Agronomy of field crops

Top three technical skills

1. Measurements of crop water use and plant water status
2. Screening and genetic analysis of nutritional traits
3. Field experimentation and statistical analysis

Publications - Last 5 years

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• McDonald, G. K . (2004)The effects of soil properties on variation in plant growth, grain yield and nutrient uptake. (submitted to Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture)

• Genc, Y., McDonald, G.K .and Graham, R.D. (2004). Differential expression of zinc efficiency during the growing season of barley Plant and Soil (in press)

• Khan, H, R, McDonald, G.K ., and Rengel, Z. (2004) Zinc fertilization and water stress affects plant water relations, stomatal conductance and osmotic adjustment in chickpea ( Cicer arientinum L.) (submitted to Plant and Soil)

• Genc, Y. and McDonald, G.K . (2004). The potential of synthetic hexaploid wheats to improve zinc efficiency in modern bread wheat. Plant and Soil Plant and Soil (in press)

• Eglinton, J.K., Reid, R.J., Hayes, J.E., Davies, P., Jha, D. and McDonald, G. (2003). Boron toxicity in barley: Prospects for delivering a yield advantage. Proceedings of the 11 th Australian Barley Technical Symposium, Adelaide , Australia . P42-47.

• Coventry S.J., McDonald G.K ., Barr A.R., Eglinton J.K. (2003) The determinants and genome locations influencing grain weight and size in barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.). Aust.J.Agric.Res. 54 (11-12): 1103-1115.

• Kitchen, J.L., McDonald, G.K ., Shepherd, K.W., Lorimer, M. F. and Graham, R.D (2003). Comparing wheat grown in South Australian organic and conventional farming systems. 1. Growth and grain yield. Aust. J. Agric. Res 54: 899-901.

• Genc, Y., Shepherd, K. W., McDonald, G.K .and Graham, R.D. (2003). Inheritance of tolerance to zinc deficiency in barley. Plant Breeding 122, 283-84.

• Khan, H, R, McDonald, G.K ., and Rengel, Z. (2003). Zn fertilization improves water use efficiency, grain yield and seed Zn content in chickpea. Plant and Soil 249: 389-400

• Genc, Y., McDonald, G.K .and Graham, R.D. (2002). A soil-based method to screen for zinc efficiency in seedlings and its ability to predict yield responses to zinc deficiency in mature plants. Aust. J. Agric. Res.53: 409-21.

• Rebetzke, G.J.,Appels, R., Morrison,A.D., Richards, R.A., McDonald, G , Ellis, M.H., Spielmeyer, W., Bonnett, D.G. (2001). Quantitative trait loci on chromosome 4B for coleoptile length and early vigour in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). 52: 1221-1234 Aust. J. Agric. Res.53: 409-21.

• Khan, H, R, McDonald, G.K ., and Rengel, Z. (2000). Response of chickpea genotypes to zinc fertilization under field conditions in South Australia and Pakistan . J. Plant Nutrit. 23: 1517-31.

• Genc, Y., McDonald, G.K .and Graham, R.D. (2000). Effect of seed zinc content on early growth of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) under low and adequate soil zinc supply. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 51: 37-46.

• Zubaidi, A, McDonald, G.K ., and Hollamby, G. J. (1999) Shoot growth, root growth and grain yield of bread and durum wheat in South Australia. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 39: 709-20.

• Zubaidi, A, McDonald, G.K ., and Hollamby, G. J. (1999) Nutrient uptake and distribution by bread and durum wheat under drought conditions in South Australia. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 39: 721-32.