Natalie MacGregor Said

Peptides to prime plant defence against viruses in vegetables. A 5-year project to develop a chemical-free and cost-effective way to tackle viruses in Australia’s multi-billion-dollar vegetable industry led by #UQ and funded by Hort Innovation and DPI.

bit.ly/4oanNMr

Bridging continents with yams. A collaboration between #UQ and the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Indigenous community of Far North Qld has turned to Nigerian expertise to renew interest in Australian yams and build First Nation enterprise.

https://bit.ly/42Xky2u

CGIAR

An integrated vision for predicting crop success. Learn about CropVision, an #ARC funded system developed at #UQ by A/Prof Andries Potgieter.
https://bit.ly/47mm7s9

Yesterday, QAAFI celebrated UQ Giving Day with a vibrant presence at the Gatton Agtech Showcase and a warm morning tea gathering at St Lucia 💜🌿All in support of QAAFI’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agribusiness Research Fund: bit.ly/4qbZE9N

Future protein foods: plant versus animal sources, nutrient release rates, and gateway products.

#UQ's Professor Mike Gidley shares his views. Read the article in Frontiers in Science.

https://bit.ly/4odUNDs

A Pacific perspective on food security. Insights from TropAg 2025 plenary speaker Dr Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni, Head of International Development for the Plant & Food Research Group at the Bioeconomy Science Institute of New Zealand.

https://bit.ly/42o4eaU

Close up view of bottle brush (Callistemon) flower which is native to Australia By popovj2 on Adobe images

Could the best housemate you’ve ever had be a houseplant? Dr Alice Hayward gives some suggestions to #UQ's Contact.

https://bit.ly/3Il0tfB

Cattle standing in a field with sunset behind them in colours of blue and pink

Calf Alive delivers flexibility for northern cattle producers. Find out more about this project on reproductive efficiency and attend the conference in Longreach in November.

https://bit.ly/3VxoaUT

Co-designing biology and technology to unlock automated plant breeding. Some thinking about ways to reshape the future in crop breeding from Dr Yasmine Lam and Professor Lee Hickey.

bit.ly/48x1mfq

Reimagining agriculture by unlocking genetic potential is the key to addressing the problems in agriculture caused by climate change, says TropAg speaker and University of Florida Prof Charlie Messina.

FInd out more about his plans for change:

bit.ly/423f0Di

The climate-resilient crop breadfruit is the focus of a collaboration between The University of Queensland and the University of the South Pacific looking into its health benefits. It could be the start of a bigger collaboration.

bit.ly/4grA1gN

Macadamia nuts still within green-coloured husk handing from a branch in a field of macadamia trees. Image: Megan Pope, UQ.

A new project from Hort Innovation led by QAAFI's Dr Mobashwer Alam will create trees that can withstand climate change, produce bigger and better-quality nuts earlier, and reduce the production cost burden for Australian growers.

bit.ly/46DSfZ6

A spread of food including fish, fruit, grains, vegetables, eggs all bunched up together in a colourful array

Building confidence in food from farm to fork.
@Cargill's Global Vice President of Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Affairs Sean Leighton is a plenary speaker at
TropAg 2025 in November.
Find out more about what he sees as a chance to lead:

bit.ly/4phWvF1

🎉 Good news! Early bird registration has been extended

You now have until 15 September to take advantage of discounted rates for TropAg2025.

📅 11–13 November 2025
📍 Brisbane, QLD
🔗 Register now: tropag.com.au/register/

#TropAg2025 #AgInnovation #FutureOfFood

Celebrating the life’s work of Professor Graeme Hammer Pioneer and visionary are some of the words colleagues choose to describe crop scientist and climate modeller, Professor Graeme Hammer from The University of Queensland.

As Prof Graeme Hammer heads into retirement, colleagues are paying tribute. His work will be celebrated next week.
📅 Thursday 28 August | 12:00–6:30pm
🔗 Tickets are sold out, but there is a waiting list: bit.ly/3GRCeok
Read some of the tributes below:
bit.ly/41gOYMk

Science, skills and collaboration are essential to transforming Africa’s livestock systems for the future, according to scientist, advisor, and farmer Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda. She'll outline her case at TropAg 2025 Nov 11-13.

bit.ly/45xTvMZ
@tropag.bsky.social

YouTube video by ABC News (Australia) Cryopreservation helping to save critically endangered Queensland tree | ABC NEWS

Researchers are using cryopreservation to save critically endangered Gossia gonoclada or angle-stemmed myrtle in south east Qld. ABC News highlights #UQResearch with Jingyin Bao and Dr Alice Hayward in cooperation with the City of Logan.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkJn...
ABC Online: bit.ly/3Jso4Lg

QAAFI is hosting a special symposium in honour of Professor Graeme Hammer’s retirement, celebrating his remarkable contributions to crop science and modelling.

📅 Thursday 28 August | 12:00–6:30pm
🔗 Tickets are sold out, but there is a waiting list: bit.ly/3GRCeok

Dodging banana diseases is value for money A report commissioned by the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation found that a banana research program has the potential to save the industry more than $52.2 million.

Value for money on banana diseases. A report commissioned by QAAFI shows UQ's banana research program saved the industry more than $50 million. More information on the research program and its success is available via the link:
bit.ly/3IZKaVl
Image:Adobe

From waste to energy - asssessing weeds suitability as a source of biofuel. This research found several species that can be converted into market grade pellets, creating a sustainable energy source that solves multiple problems.

bit.ly/3GSTEBe

Congratulations to Centre Director, Prof Christine Beveridge – a finalist in the 2025 Women in Technology (WiT) awards for Excellence in Research! She’s being recognised for her work on shoot branching, a key trait shaping plant productivity 🌱

More: wit.org.au/awards/2025-... @qaafi.bsky.social

Tackling a mystery that's killing blueberries Identifying the cause and prevalence of a costly disorder in blueberries is the goal of a team of researchers at The University of Queensland.

Tackling a mystery that's killing blueberries. A new #UQResearch project outlined in Rural Business Magazine- The Trade Magazine for Rural Merchandise. The project is led by Dr Alice Hayward.
bit.ly/4mkBvLw

Sub-soil secrets revealed in robot-driven farm research A robotic root-sensing system developed at The University of Queensland is opening up new opportunities for more productive agricultural crops.

Shedding light on crop root systems to boost yield. Meet the RootBot, an innovation that will augment the root phenotyping system developed at #UQ.

bit.ly/456hgv8

Maxing out chemical-free crop protection with dsRNAmax. A software program developed by Stephen Fletcher and validated by Dr Chris Brosnan provides tailored, safe and effective protection.

bit.ly/4kmJk1O

Listed nutrition label with finger pointing out one element

Is it time for a rethink on food nutrition labelling? #UQ's Emeritus Professor Mike Gidley says including nutrient releases rates would improve labelling and be more in line with healthy diet recommendations.

bit.ly/3TPHv2v
Image: Adobe

ARC funding announced — including 2 projects featuring QAAFI:
🌿 Dr Alice Hayward: Biotechnologies to Accelerate Plant Biodiversity Conservation.
🐖 Prof Louw Hoffman: Nanobubble technology to generate nutritional solutions for healthy pigs.

Read more: bit.ly/4l4iz3g

Pioneer varieties of legume for Australian growers The University of Queensland has developed 5 new varieties of pigeonpea as a step towards the legume being grown more widely in Australia.

Pioneers in pigeonpea. New Australian breeds of legume developed as a cropping rotation option in tropical conditions.

bit.ly/3HHV0yu

Field of native grain with blue sky behind

Returning locally extinct native grains to Queensland's grasslands is the goal of Gamilaraay man, and QAAFI PhD candidate Jacob Birch. He'll sow seed gathered on Country at UQ's Gatton campus later this year.

bit.ly/4eaaxDG

Plucking a single tail hair could allow beef producers to quickly and easily identify the most efficient cattle. This study could be a game changer for targeted nutrition in northern beef systems.

bit.ly/4jM2nm7