UWA Institute of Agriculture

Drying climate leads to push for water law reform

Friday, 28 March 2014

Despite the Water Corporation's heavy investment in desalination, groundwater replenishment and changes to groundwater management, important water law reforms are required to respond to pressure from climate change and population growth on the State's invaluable groundwater resources, according to researchers at The University of Western Australia.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Associate Professor Ramin Rafiei

National innovation award for ground-breaking water stress sensor

Thursday, 6 March 2014

An engineering researcher from The University of Western Australia has won an Australian Government science and innovation award for young people in agriculture to develop an intelligent sensor which will help detect water stress in grapevines in real time.

Joanna Vincent and Jean-Paul Hobbs at the Fulbright Awards ceremony

Fulbright Scholarships awarded to three from UWA

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

An internationally recognised plant nutrition expert, an Arts/Law graduate and a postdoctoral fellow from The University of Western Australia have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for 2014, joining an elite worldwide group that includes Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners in its ranks.

What's critical about the earth's outer skin?

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Researchers from The University of Western Australia have established the first Critical Zone Observatory in the southern hemisphere joining an international think tank to learn more about the earth's outer skin.

Imaging technology used to class grains and food

Friday, 21 February 2014

Scientists from The University of Western Australia are developing rapid and non-destructive ways to assess the quality of food that will deliver significant benefits to industry.

Project to assess whether we're going against the grain in training

Monday, 20 January 2014

Crop disease costs Australia millions of dollars every year and threatens Western Australia's annual yield of 11 million tonnes of wheat worth $2.8 billion. Researchers at The University of Western Australia believe they can lower the risk if they teach farmers and farm consultants, or agronomists, how better to recognise a problem in their crops as soon as they see it. Ninety per cent of WA farmers consult an agronomist.

Move over elephants – plants have memories too

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Not long after publishing a paper in a prestigious journal about plants being able to ‘talk' using sound, Monica Gagliano is back with her new findings showing that they can ‘learn'.

New national plant energy centre at UWA to lead food security innovation

Friday, 20 December 2013

A $26 million Australian Research Council grant will fund a new national Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (CoE PEB) at The University of Western Australia until 2020.

Tiny organisms may hold key to global food supply

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

A new two-nation laboratory has been established to study the micro-organisms that live in the soil and apply the knowledge to help farmers feed the world.

Matt Hipsey, Matt Hipsey, Tony Jakeman, outgoing president of the Modelling

International award for young UWA scientists

Thursday, 12 December 2013

Two early career researchers from The University of Western Australia's Faculty of Science have won an international award for Research Excellence from the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.

UWA leads international research teams on climate change

Monday, 9 December 2013

Two climate change projects led by The University of Western Australia - one a study into reporting on climate change in the media and another focusing on the challenge of ancient soils under modern land use - have been chosen for funding by the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).

Vitamin C-rich native fruit ripe for cash crop study

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

A wild Australian native fruit with 10 times more vitamin C than oranges and rich in healthy anti-oxidants will be studied by scientists led from The University of Western Australia to help develop as a potentially lucrative international cash crop for Aboriginal communities.

Rural-urban migration constrains future agricultural productivity in China

Thursday, 28 November 2013

Rising socioeconomic expectations, low incomes in agriculture and increasing economic opportunities in urban areas are causing an ever-growing number of Chinese from rural households to turn to the city for better paid jobs to supplement their farming income.

Biological scientist named State's Tall Poppy

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Professor Ryan Lister, a genome biologist and Future Fellow in the ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Energy Biology has been recognised as Western Australia's brightest young scientist in the 2013 Tall Poppy Awards.

Terry Enright, Chair of WA Committee with Crawford Fund Medal awardee Bob Gilkes

Recognition of Lifetime Contribution: Capacity building and food security

Thursday, 21 November 2013

Professor Emeritus Robert (Bob) Gilkes, former Winthrop Professor of Soil Science and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Earth and Environment at the University of Western Australia was recently presented with a Crawford Fund medal for his lifetime contribution to research supervision and mentoring of overseas students.

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