Unlocking yield gains with a new pathway targeting plant nitrogen usage

The Australian grains sector is an important contributor to the economy, and to food and feed both locally and internationally through substantial global exports. Nitrogen fertiliser is one of the biggest input costs for Australian grain farmers. However, inefficient crop uptake and usage of fertiliser reduces farm profits and contributes to substantial environmental damage. Developing new plant lines that are more efficient at utilising nitrogen to form grains is critical to agricultural productivity and sustainability in the context of environmental stewardship and meeting global decarbonisation targets. This project aims to provide knowledge of plant genes affecting the delivery of nitrogen to the seed and how these genes may be targeted for rapid crop improvement using modern gene editing technology. Project outputs are expected to be useful for plant breeders in the medium to long t