Hacking into secrets of Australian native plants for climate-resilient agriculture

This project aims to obtain detailed understanding of the chemical processes by which the air pollutants ozoneand nitrogen dioxide damage plants. Through an interdisciplinary approach involving physical organic chemistryand analytical biochemistry, this project intends to discover important reactions between plant biomolecules andair pollutants, identify biochemical mechanisms for pollution damage in crop model plants and reveal the plantdefence mechanism at the molecular level. Expected outcomes include the much-needed scientific foundations tosupport the development of more pollution-resilient crops in the future, ultimately enabling a breakthrough for thetriple challenge of environmental pollution, climate change and food security.