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Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Energy Sources for the Western Australian Transport Sector. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12145565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Environmental obligation, fuel security, and human health issues have fuelled the search for locally produced sustainable transport fuels as an alternative to liquid petroleum. This study evaluates the sustainability performance of various alternative energy sources, namely, ethanol, electricity, electricity-gasoline hybrid, and hydrogen, for Western Australian road transport using a life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework. The framework employs 11 triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability indicators and uses threshold values for benchmarking sustainability practices. A number of improvement strategies were devised based on the hotspots once the alternative energy sources failed to meet the sustainability threshold for the determined indicators. The proposed framework effectively addresses the issue of interdependencies between the three pillars of sustainability, which was an inherent weakness of previous frameworks. The results show that the environment-friendly and socially sustainable energy options, namely, ethanol-gasoline blend E55, electricity, electricity-E10 hybrid, and hydrogen, would need around 0.02, 0.14, 0.10, and 0.71 AUD/VKT of financial support, respectively, to be comparable to gasoline. Among the four assessed options, hydrogen shows the best performance for the environmental and social bottom line when renewable electricity is employed for hydrogen production. The economic sustainability of hydrogen fuel is, however, uncertain at this stage due to the high cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs). The robustness of the proposed framework warrants its application in a wide range of alternative fuel assessment scenarios locally as well as globally.
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Mia MS, Liu H, Wang X, Zhang C, Yan G. Root transcriptome profiling of contrasting wheat genotypes provides an insight to their adaptive strategies to water deficit. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4854. [PMID: 32184417 PMCID: PMC7078264 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61680-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Water deficit limits plant growth and productivity in wheat. The effect of water deficit varies considerably in the contrasting genotypes. This study attempted comparative transcriptome profiling of the tolerant (Abura) and susceptible (AUS12671) genotypes under PEG-simulated water stress via genome-wide RNA-seq technology to understand the dynamics of tolerance mechanism. Morphological and physiological analyses indicated that the tolerant genotype Abura had a higher root growth and net photosynthesis, which accounted for its higher root biomass than AUS12671 under stress. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a total of 924 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were unique in the contrasting genotypes under stress across time points. The susceptible genotype AUS12671 had slightly more abundant DEGs (505) than the tolerant genotype Abura (419). Gene ontology enrichment and pathway analyses of these DEGs suggested that the two genotypes differed significantly in terms of adaptive mechanism. Predominant upregulation of genes involved in various metabolic pathways was the key adaptive feature of the susceptive genotype AUS12671 indicating its energy-consuming approach in adaptation to water deficit. In contrast, downregulation the expression of genes of key pathways, such as global and overview maps, carbohydrate metabolism, and genetic information processing was the main strategy for the tolerant genotype Abura. Besides, significantly higher number of genes encoding transcription factors (TF) families like MYB and NAC, which were reported to be associated with stress defense, were differentially expressed in the tolerant genotype Abura. Gene encoding transcription factors TIFY were only differentially expressed between stressed and non-stressed conditions in the sensitive genotype. The identified DEGs and the suggested differential adaptive strategies of the contrasting genotypes provided an insight for improving water deficit tolerance in wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Sultan Mia
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Department of Plant Breeding, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
| | - Hui Liu
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia. .,The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Xingyi Wang
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Chi Zhang
- Beijing Genomics Institute-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Guijun Yan
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia. .,The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
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Pennacchi JP, Carmo‐Silva E, Andralojc PJ, Lawson T, Allen AM, Raines CA, Parry MAJ. Stability of wheat grain yields over three field seasons in the UK. Food Energy Secur 2019; 8:e00147. [PMID: 31244999 PMCID: PMC6582621 DOI: 10.1002/fes3.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ensuring food security in a changing climate is a major contemporary challenge and requires development of climate-resilient crops that perform well under variable environments. The hypothesis that yield stability in suboptimal conditions is linked to yield penalties in optimal conditions was investigated in field-grown wheat in the UK. The phenotypic responses, rate of wheat crop development, and final grain yield to varying sowing date, rainfall, air temperature, and radiation patterns were studied for a panel of 61 elite commercial wheat cultivars grown in the UK in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Contrasting climatic patterns, particularly rainfall accumulation and distribution over the season, influenced the relative performance of the cultivars affecting the duration of grain development stage and impacting on productivity. Indices for crop productivity, yield stability, and performance under suboptimal conditions revealed four cultivars with a combination of stable and high relative grain yields over the three seasons: Gladiator, Humber, Mercato, and Zebedee. Genetic similarity between cultivars partially explained yield performance in the contrasting seasons. The year of release of the cultivars correlated with grain yield but not with yield stability, supporting the contention that breeding for yield potential does not select for climate resilience and yield stability of crops. Further analysis of the outstanding cultivars may unravel target traits for breeding efforts aimed at increasing wheat yield potential and stability in the changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Paulo Pennacchi
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
- Plant Biology and Crop ScienceRothamsted ResearchHarpendenUK
| | | | | | - Tracy Lawson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of EssexColchesterUK
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Medina S, Vicente R, Nieto-Taladriz MT, Aparicio N, Chairi F, Vergara-Diaz O, Araus JL. The Plant-Transpiration Response to Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) in Durum Wheat Is Associated With Differential Yield Performance and Specific Expression of Genes Involved in Primary Metabolism and Water Transport. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 9:1994. [PMID: 30697225 PMCID: PMC6341309 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of plant transpiration was proposed as a key factor affecting transpiration efficiency and agronomical adaptation of wheat to water-limited Mediterranean environments. However, to date no studies have related this trait to crop performance in the field. In this study, the transpiration response to increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of modern Spanish semi-dwarf durum wheat lines was evaluated under controlled conditions at vegetative stage, and the agronomical performance of the same set of lines was assessed at grain filling as well as grain yield at maturity, in Mediterranean environments ranging from water stressed to good agronomical conditions. A group of linear-transpiration response (LTR) lines exhibited better performance in grain yield and biomass compared to segmented-transpiration response (STR) lines, particularly in the wetter environments, whereas the reverse occurred only in the most stressed trial. LTR lines generally exhibited better water status (stomatal conductance) and larger green biomass (vegetation indices) during the reproductive stage than STR lines. In both groups, the responses to growing conditions were associated with the expression levels of dehydration-responsive transcription factors (DREB) leading to different performances of primary metabolism-related enzymes. Thus, the response of LTR lines under fair to good conditions was associated with higher transcription levels of genes involved in nitrogen (GS1 and GOGAT) and carbon (RCBL) metabolism, as well as water transport (TIP1.1). In conclusion, modern durum wheat lines differed in their response to water loss, the linear transpiration seemed to favor uptake and transport of water and nutrients, and photosynthetic metabolism led to higher grain yield except for very harsh drought conditions. The transpiration response to VPD may be a trait to further explore when selecting adaptation to specific water conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Medina
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru
| | - Rubén Vicente
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Nieves Aparicio
- Agricultural Technology Institute of Castilla and León (ITACYL), Valladolid, Spain
| | - Fadia Chairi
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Omar Vergara-Diaz
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Luis Araus
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
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Cowling WA, Li L, Siddique KHM, Banks RG, Kinghorn BP. Modeling crop breeding for global food security during climate change. Food Energy Secur 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/fes3.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wallace A. Cowling
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture M082The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
- UWA School of Agriculture and EnvironmentThe University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - Li Li
- Animal Genetics and Breeding UnitUniversity of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Kadambot H. M. Siddique
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture M082The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
- UWA School of Agriculture and EnvironmentThe University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - Robert G. Banks
- Animal Genetics and Breeding UnitUniversity of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Brian P. Kinghorn
- School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
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Cole MB, Augustin MA, Robertson MJ, Manners JM. The science of food security. NPJ Sci Food 2018; 2:14. [PMID: 31304264 PMCID: PMC6550266 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-018-0021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We need to feed an estimated population in excess of 9 billion by 2050 with diminishing natural resources, whilst ensuring the health of people and the planet. Herein we connect the future global food demand to the role of agricultural and food science in producing and stabilising foods to meet the global food demand. We highlight the challenges to food and agriculture systems in the face of climate change and global megatrends that are shaping the future world. We discuss the opportunities to reduce food loss and waste, and recover produce that is currently wasted to make this the new raw ingredient supply for the food industry. Our systems-based perspective links food security to agricultural productivity, food safety, health and nutrition, processing and supply chain efficiency in the face of global and industry megatrends. We call for a collaborative, transdisciplinary approach to the science of food security, with a focus on enabling technologies within a context of social, market and global trends to achieve food and nutritional security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Barry Cole
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia, 11, Julius Avenue, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113 Australia
| | - Mary Ann Augustin
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia, 11, Julius Avenue, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113 Australia
| | - Michael John Robertson
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia, 11, Julius Avenue, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113 Australia
| | - John Michael Manners
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia, 11, Julius Avenue, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113 Australia
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Hochman Z, Gobbett DL, Horan H. Climate trends account for stalled wheat yields in Australia since 1990. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2071-2081. [PMID: 28117534 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Global food security requires that grain yields continue to increase to 2050, yet yields have stalled in many developed countries. This disturbing trend has so far been only partially explained. Here, we show that wheat yields in Australia have stalled since 1990 and investigate the extent to which climate trends account for this observation. Based on simulation of 50 sites with quality weather data, that are representative of the agro-ecological zones and of soil types in the grain zone, we show that water-limited yield potential declined by 27% over a 26 year period from 1990 to 2015. We attribute this decline to reduced rainfall and to rising temperatures while the positive effect of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations prevented a further 4% loss relative to 1990 yields. Closer investigation of three sites revealed the nature of the simulated response of water-limited yield to water availability, water stress and maximum temperatures. At all three sites, maximum temperature hastened time from sowing to flowering and to maturity and reduced grain number per m2 and average weight per grain. This 27% climate-driven decline in water-limited yield is not fully expressed in actual national yields. This is due to an unprecedented rate of technology-driven gains closing the gap between actual and water-limited potential yields by 25 kg ha-1 yr-1 enabling relative yields to increase from 39% in 1990 to 55% in 2015. It remains to be seen whether technology can continue to maintain current yields, let alone increase them to those required by 2050.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zvi Hochman
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - David L Gobbett
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Heidi Horan
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
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