Fields of Research

Plant physiology
Crop and pasture improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Plant cell and molecular biology
Gene expression (incl. microarray and other genome-wide approaches)
Crop and pasture biochemistry and physiology
Plant developmental and reproductive biology
Developmental genetics (incl. sex determination)
Horticultural crop growth and development
Genetics
Horticultural crop improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Genomics
Genome structure and regulation
Biochemistry and cell biology
Cell metabolism
Gene mapping
Medical biotechnology
Protein trafficking
Plant pathology
Microbial genetics
Plant biology

Research Objectives

Grain legumes
Environmentally sustainable plant production
Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Field grown vegetable crops
Integration of farm and forestry
Horticultural crops
Linseed
Native forests
Lupins
Other plant production and plant primary products
Grains and seeds
Hardwood plantations
Lucerne
Pasture, browse and fodder crops
Non-cereal crops (non-cereal crops for hay/silage/green feed)
Barley
Processed fish and seafood products
Expanding knowledge in the agricultural, food and veterinary sciences

Career Best Publications

A conserved molecular basis for photoperiod adaptation in two temperate legumes; National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America. Proceedings
Conservation of Arabidopsis Flowering Genes in Model Legumes; Plant Physiology
DIE NEUTRALIS and LATE BLOOMER 1 Contribute to Regulation of the Pea Circadian Clock ; Plant Cell
Light regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis in pea is mediated through the COP1/HY5 pathway; Plant Cell
The Medicago FLOWERING LOCUS T Homolog, MtFTa1, Is a Key Regulator of Flowering Time; Plant Physiology
The Pea GIGAS Gene Is a FLOWERING LOCUS T Homolog Necessary for Graft-Transmissible Specification of Flowering but Not for Responsiveness to Photoperiod; The Plant Cell
The pea photoperiod response gene STERILE NODES is an ortholog of LUX ARRHYTHMO1[W][OPEN]; Plant Physiology
VEGETATIVE1 is essential for development of the compound inflorescence in pea; Nature Communications

Research Publications

Medicago truncatula SOC1 genes are up-regulated by environmental cues that promote flowering; Frontiers in Plant Science
Molecular Tools for Understanding, Prediciting and Managing Flowering and Reproductive Development in Brassica oleracea
A comprehensive draft genome sequence for lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), an emerging health food: insights into plant-microbe interactions and legume evolution; Plant Biotechnology Journal
A conserved molecular basis for photoperiod adaptation in two temperate legumes; National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America. Proceedings
A critical role of the soybean evening complex in the control of photoperiod sensitivity and adaptation; National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America. Proceedings
A Dominant Mutation in the Pea PHYA Gene Confers Enhanced Responses to Light and Impairs the Light-Dependent Degradation of Phytochrome A; Plant Physiology
A more severe allele at the ls locus; Pisum Genetics
A novel viparous mutant (vip); Pisum Genetics
A novel viviparous pea mutant; Australian Society of Plant Physiology
A role for ethylene in the phytochrome-mediated control of elongation; ComBio2005
A role for ethylene in the phytochrome-mediated control of vegetative development; The Plant Journal
A role for ethylene in the phytochrome-mediated control of Vegetative Development; 3rd International Conference on Legume Genomics and Genetics
A study of gibberellin homeostasis and cryptochrome-mediated blue light inhibition of hypocotyl elongation; Plant Physiology
Allele specific phenotypes in lh mutants of pea; ComBio 2004
Altered expression of an FT cluster underlies a major locus controlling domestication-related changes to chickpea phenology and growth habit; Frontiers in Plant Science
Ancient relaxation of an obligate short-day requirement in common bean through loss of CONSTANS-like gene function; Current Biology
Axillary Meristem Development. Budding Relationships between Networks Controlling Flowering, Branching, and Photoperiod Responsiveness; Plant Physiology
BIGGER ORGANS and ELEPHANT EAR-LIKE LEAF1 control organ size and floral organ internal asymmetry in pea; Journal of Experimental Botany
Blue and red photoselective shadecloths modify pea height through altered blue irradiance perceived by the cry1 photoreceptor; Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology
Chapter 19. Photomorphogenesis and photoperiodism in plants; Photobiology: The Science of Light and Life
Characterisation of a light-hypersensitive mutant of pea; 37th Annual ASPP Conference
Characterization of QTL and environmental interactions controlling flowering time in Andean common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.); Frontiers in Plant Science
Characterization of two brassinosteroid C-6 oxidase genes in pea; Plant Physiology
Computational analysis of flowering in pea (Pisum sativum); New Phytologist
Conservation of Arabidopsis Flowering Genes in Model Legumes; Plant Physiology
Cryptochrome 1 contributes to blue-light sensing in pea; Plant Physiology
Development of the Casparian strip is delayed by blue light in pea stems; Planta: An International Journal of Plant Biology
DIE NEUTRALIS and LATE BLOOMER 1 Contribute to Regulation of the Pea Circadian Clock ; Plant Cell
EARLY FLOWERING3 redundancy fine-tunes photoperiod sensitivity; Plant Physiology
Ethylene signaling influences light-regulated development in pea; Plant Physiology
Expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T and LEAFY homologues are temporally associated with annual flower bud initiation in Eucalyptus globulus; IUFRO-CTIA Joint Conference: Adaptation Breeding and Conservation in the Era of Forest Tree Genomics and Environmental Change
Expression of a FLOWERING LOCUS T homologue is temporally associated with annual flower bud initiation in Eucalyptus globulus subsp. globulus (Myrtaceae); Australian Journal of Botany
Flowering time adaption in Swedish landrace pea (Pisum sativum L.); BMC Genetics
FT5a interferes with the Dt1-AP1 feedback loop to control flowering time and shoot determinacy in soybean; Journal of Integrative Plant Biology
Genetic analysis of early phenology in lentil identifies distinct loci controlling component traits; Journal of Experimental Botany
Genetic and gene expression analysis of flowering time regulation by light quality in lentil; Annals of Botany
Genetic and molecular analysis of two loci controlling flowering in garden pea, Pisum sativum; ComBio
Genetic basis and adaptation trajectory of soybean from its temperate origin to tropics; Nature Communications
Genetic basis for lentil adaptation to summer cropping in northern temperate environments; The Plant Genome
Genetic control of flowering time in legumes; Frontiers in Plant Science
Genetic control of heterochrony in Eucalyptus globulus; G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
Genetic control of the operculum and capsule morphology of Eucalyptus globulus; Annals of Botany
Genetic dissection of blue-light sensing in tomato using mutants deficient in cryptochrome 1 and phytochromes A, B1 and B2; The Plant Journal
Identification of LATE BLOOMER2 as a CYCLING DOF FACTOR homolog reveals conserved and divergent features of the flowering response to photoperiod in pea; Plant Cell
Identification of the short vegetative phase (SVP)-like MADS-box genes in pea (Pisum sativum L.); Plant Gene
Interaction of phytochromes A and B in the control of de-etiolation and flowering in pea; The Plant Journal
Interaction of phytochromes A and B in the control of de-etiolation and flowering in pea; The Molecular Basis of the Floral Transition, EMBO workshop
Interaction of phytochromes A and B in the control of de-etiolation and flowering in pea; Molecular Genetics of Model Legumes, EU Euroconference series
Interactions between ethylene, gibberellins, and brassinosteroids in the development of rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbioses of pea; Journal of Experimental Botany
Isolation and forward genetic analysis of developmental genes in pea; Legume Genomics
Isolation and functional analysis of CONSTANS-LIKE genes suggests that a central role for CONSTANS in flowering time control is not evolutionarily conserved in Medicago truncatula; Frontiers in Plant Science
Light regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis in pea is mediated through the COP1/HY5 pathway; Plant Cell
Light-Induced Nuclear Translocation of Endogenous Pea Phytochrome A Visualized by Immunocytochemical Procedures; The Plant Cell
Manipulation of the Blue Light Photoreceptor Cryptochrome 2 in Tomato Affects Vegetative Development, Flowering Time, and Fruit Antioxidant Content; Plant Physiology
Mobile flowering signals in pea
Molecular mechanisms for the photoperiodic regulation of flowering in soybean; Journal of Integrative Plant Biology
Molecular Tools for Understanding Flowering Time in Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) Hybrid Seed Crops; 28th International Horticultural Congress
Molecular tools for understanding flowering time in cauliflower hybrid seed crops; 17th Crucifer Genetics Workshop
Natural variation at the soybean J locus improves adaptation to the tropics and enhances yield; Nature Genetics
New directions for the control of flowering in pea; 18th International Conference on Plant Growth Substances
New directions for the control of flowering in pea; 2nd International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics
New lv mutants of pea are deficient in phytochrome B; Plant Physiology
Overcoming the genetic compensation response of soybean florigens to improve adaptation and yield at low latitudes; Current Biology
Parallel origins of photoperiod adaptation following dual domestications of common bean; Journal of Experimental Botany
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) in the genomic era; Agronomy
Pea LATE BLOOMER 1 is a GIGANTEA ortholog with roles in photoperiodic flowering, de-etiolation and transcriptional regulation of circadian clock gene homologs; Plant Physiology
Pea mutants with reduced sensitivity to far-red light define an important role for phytochrome A in day-length detection; Plant Physiology
Pea VEGETATIVE2 is an FD homolog that is essential for flowering and compound inflorescence development; Plant Cell
Photomorphogenesis; Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences
Photomorphogenesis
Photomorphogenesis and Photoperiodism in Plants; Photobiology
Photomorphogenesis and photoperiodism in plants; Photobiology
PhyA and cry1 act redundantly to regulate gibberellin levels during de-etiolation in blue light; Physiologia Plantarum
phya and cry1 are both required for regulation of gibbereelin levels under blue light; IPGSA Conference on Plant Growth Substances
Physiological interactions of phytochromes A, B1 and B2 in the control of development in tomato; The Plant Journal
Physiological-genetics of flowering in Pisum; Cell & Developmental Biology
Phytochrome and cryptochrome functions in crop plants; Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science
Phytochrome control of the flowering signal in pea; ASPP Meeting
Phytochromes and other photoreceptors; Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences
Phytochromes and Other Photoreceptors; Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences
Phytochromes and other photoreceptors
Regulation of Gibberellin 20-Oxidase and Gibberellin 3ß-Hydroxylase Transcript Accumulation during De-Etiolation of Pea Seedlings; Plant Physiology
Seasonal control of seed germination; New Phytologist
Shoot Architecture 1 - Regulation of stem length; Plant Architecture and its manipulation
Stepwise selection on homeologous PRR genes controlling flowering and maturity during soybean domestication; Nature Genetics
Tendril-less regulates tendril formation in pea leaves; Plant Cell
The lh mutants in pea block ent-kaurene oxidation in a tissue specific manner; IPGSA Conference on Plant Growth Substances
The chickpea Early flowering 1 (Efl1) locus is an ortholog of Arabidopsis ELF3; Plant Physiology
The cryptochrome gene family in pea includes two differentially expressed CRY2 genes; Plant Molecular Biology
The CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE module of the mediator complex promotes flowering and reproductive development in pea; Plant Physiology
The genetic architecture of flowering time changes in pea from wild to crop; Journal of Experimental Botany
The genetic control of flowering in pea; Trends in Plant Science
The loss of vernalization requirement in narrow-leafed lupin is associated with a deletion in the promoter and de-repressed expression of a Flowering Locus T (FT) homologue; New Phytologist
The Medicago FLOWERING LOCUS T Homolog, MtFTa1, Is a Key Regulator of Flowering Time; Plant Physiology
The Pea GIGAS Gene Is a FLOWERING LOCUS T Homolog Necessary for Graft-Transmissible Specification of Flowering but Not for Responsiveness to Photoperiod; The Plant Cell
The pea photoperiod response gene STERILE NODES is an ortholog of LUX ARRHYTHMO1[W][OPEN]; Plant Physiology
The phytochrome - deficient pcd2 mutant of pea is unable to convert biliverdin 1Xa to 3(Z)-phytochromobilin; The Plant Journal
The phytochrome-deficient pcd1 mutant of pea is unable to convert heme to biliverdin IXa; The Plant Cell
The role of BoFLC2 in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) reproductive development; Journal of Experimental Botany
The role of cryptochrome 2 in the control of flowering in Arabidopsis; Journal of Plant Physiology
Tomato contains homologues of Arabidopsis cryptochromes 1 and 2; Plant Molecular Biology
Two modes of the light-induced phytochorome A decline - with and without changes in the porportion of its isoforms (phyA' and phyA'): evidence from fluorescence investigations of mutant phyA-3D pea; Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, B: Biology
Update on the genetic control of flowering in garden pea; Journal of Experimental Botany
Update on the genetics of flowering; Pisum Genetics
VEGETATIVE1 is essential for development of the compound inflorescence in pea; Nature Communications

Research Projects

ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Clocks in crops: exploring the role of circadian rhythms in crop adaptation; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Comparative Genetics of Flowering and Photoperiod Responsiveness in Legumes; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Genetic Control of Flowering and Photoperiodism in Pea; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Genetic Control of Flowering in Legumes; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Genetic Control of Flowering in Soybean; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Genetic Regulation of Photomorphogenesis in legume crops to meet changing agronomic needs; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Genetics, genomics and evolution of flowering time control in legumes; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Improving the adaption and profitability of high value pulses (chickpea and lentil) across Australian agroecological zones; Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC)
Integrated Genetic Regulation of Photomorphogenesis in Pisum; Australian Research Council (ARC)
International Congress on legume genetics and genomics, USA 2010; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Mobile Signals and the Environmental Control of Flowering - a Comparative Genetic Analysis; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Molecular Pathways Controlling Light-regulated Development in Legumes; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Molecular Tools for Understanding, Predicting and Managing Flowering and Reproductive Development in Brassica Oleracea; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Molecular Tools for Understanding, Predicting and Managing Flowering and Reproductive Development in Brassica Oleracea - Stage 1; Rijk Zwaan (RZ)
New genetic mechanisms linking flowering, growth habit and yield in legumes; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Rising Stars; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
GRDC National Workshop on Pulse Phenology

Research Candidate Supervision

Auxin Biosynthesis- Genes, Interactions and Mutatants
Auxin-Gibberellin Interactions in Barley
Blue-light photoreceptors and development of the garden pea
Genetic control of flowering time in legumes
Genetic Control of Flowering Time in Lentil (Lens culinaris)
Genetic Control of Inflorescence Development in Pea
Genetic Control of Photoperiod Responsiveness in Pea
Molecular and Physiological Studies of Pisum Mutants
Molecular characterisation of photomorphogenic mutants of Pisum.
Molecular Evolution and Genetic Control of Flowering in the Eucalyptus globulus Species Complex
Molecular Tools for Understanding and Predicting Flowering in Cauliflower
Mutagenesis. Polyploidy and Reproductive Biology of Hop (Humulus lupulus, L.).
New Australian Thraustochytrids- A Renewable Source of Biofuels, Omega-3 Oils and other Bioproducts
Physiology and Management of Flowering Time in Brassica oleracea.
The Genetic Control of Phase Change and Development Timing in Pea (pisum sativum)
The Regulation of Growth and Development in Pisum sativum