School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
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This collection contains Honours, Masters and Ph.D by coursework theses from University of Adelaide postgraduate students within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. The material has been approved as making a significant contribution to knowledge.
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Item Open Access Analysis of genetic and epigenetic variability of grapevine cultivar Shiraz in Barossa Valley(2016) Xie, Huahan; Rodriguez Lopez, Carlos Marcelino; Konate, Moumouni; School of Agriculture, Food and WineThe wine industry in Australia has rapidly increased in past decades and wine quality is the key factor to settle an appropriate price for wine. The wine quality mostly relies on the quality of grape in different environmental condition, whereas this specific environmental conditions are described as Terroir. In this study, we applied both Methylation Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism (MSAP) and methylation sensitive Genotyping by Sequencing to investigating the variation of DNA methylation between plants of Shiraz variety collected from 22 vineyards of six regions in the Barossa Valley. Results shows that different DNA methylation patterns of regions were obtained due to their various environmental conditions. However, two vineyards show a significant difference compared to other vineyards which may due to accumulated somatic mutation. To reduce genetic effect, we selected samples which were the same clones with the same pruning method. The result suggests that different farm managements can induce variability in DNA methylation. Since both environmental conditions and farming systems define a terroir, we infer that DNA methylation may play an important role in this concept.Item Open Access Analysis of key glycosyltransferase (GT) families in barley.(2008) Tan, Hwei-Ting; Burton, Rachel Anita; Fincher, Geoffrey B.; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThis research was performed over 10 months as part of a Masters in Biotechnology (Plant Biotechnology). This thesis was previously assessed and updated in accordance with the corrections suggested by the examiners. The main focus of the research is essentially the same as proposed initially in the literature review, although slight modifications have been made in the methodology and the focus of the study has been further narrowed. Only the E. coli expression system was used to express the proteins instead of both Pichia pastoris and E.coli. Also, one glycosylsyltransferase (GT) family, GT43 and one clade of GT47 family were characterized instead of three. Thus, the title in the manuscript is narrower as opposed to the title of the thesis. Although the research manuscript contained herein will provide the first draft of a future publication to be submitted to Plant Physiology, due to time constraints, all the data required for the publication has not been finalised. Further experiments are needed to verify and obtain more comprehensive data for the study. However, data which was collected but is not included in the manuscript due to space constraints is provided within the appendices such as the transcript profiling of glycosyltransferase family GT61 genes. Protein expression of genes in this family could not be achieved as amplification of the GT61 cDNA was not successful. The research manuscript begins by outlining the significance of heteroxylans in plant cell wall biology and in the utilization of cereals and grasses, and pointed to glycosyltransferases that had been implicated in their synthesis. The results of the study consisted of phylogenetic and bioinformatic analysis of barley GT43 family and one clade of barley GT47 family, transcript profiles of the GT43 and GT47 genes in a series of barley tissues, heterologous expression and the purification of two proteins of interest, and finally an assay of the purified proteins. In addition, the appendices contain data collected for family GT61, nucleotide and protein sequences for all the GT genes studied, buffer list, Plant Physiology’s “instructions for authors” acknowledgements, and a dedication.Item Open Access Analysis of the stress-inducible promoter of TdDHN8/WCOR410 from wheat using transient expression assays.(2008) Yang, Nannan; Lopato, Sergiy; Eliby, Serik; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThe master research project went through eight months from February 5th to September 27th, and has successfully been completed as we planned at the beginning. The research was mainly focusing on the analysis of a new wheat promoter, pTdDHN8/WCOR410, which was originally presumed as a drought-inducible promoter. As a backup research plan, we also tested nine lines of the T1 transgenic barley plants transformed with the pRab17-GUS fusion under 250mM salt stress. We spent nearly five months to optimize the experimental conditions of transient expression assay using cell suspension cultures that are rarely used for the analysis of inducible promoter in plants. The effort included: 1) which plant tissue was optimum to characterize the activity and inducibility of the TdDHN8/WCOR410 promoter; 2) how to minimize the factors that affected the transformation efficiency in cell suspension cultures via particle bombardment; 3) how to precisely induce the osmotic stress in the growth medium. Finally, we efficiently optimized the experiment conditions, paving the way to further dissect the TdDHN8/WCOR410 promoter activity using transient expression assay in cell suspension cultures. In term of the backup research, we got four transgenic plants that were qualified using GUS staining assay, and they have been transplanted into soil for T2 seeds. In the present thesis, the revised version of literature review, which has been examined by Dr. Andrew Jacobs, Dr. Oliver Cotsaftis, and Prof. John Randles on March, is present in the first part. The second part is the revised manuscript of the TdDHN8/WCOR410 promoter analysis according to the format of The Plant Journal. The final version of my master thesis was revised based on the critical suggestions by Prof. Peter Langridge, Dr. Oliver Cotsaftis, and Dr. Bujun Shi. Although some big progress was made in last few months, yet we recognize that more hard work is still needed to address the problem of the big variation of transformation efficiency in cell suspension cultures via particle bombardment, and extend our findings in the thesis in the next few months. At the end of my master study, I thank those lovely persons who help me for the master research in plant genomics center. The big gratitude are also given to our program coordinator Dr. Amanda Able for her assistance during my two-year master study in The University of Adelaide, and my supervisors Dr. Sergiy Lopato and Dr. Serik Eliby for their kindness and patience in my master research project.Item Open Access The Arabidopsis Ca²⁺ / H⁺ exchangers, AtCAX1 and AtCAX3, are shown by co-localisation, interaction and complementation to participate in plant Ca²⁺ homeostasis.(2008) Hocking, Bradleigh; Able, Amanda Jane; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThis research was performed over 10 months as part of a Masters in Biotechnology (Plant Biotechnology). The literature review was previously assessed but has been modified somewhat to address small changes in the research focus of the project. Although the research manuscript contained herein will provide the first draft of a future publication in Plant Cell and Physiology Journal, due to time constraints, additional data relevant to that publication may be collected. Additional data that has been collected which was not conclusive or integral to the focus of the research manuscript is provided within the appendices. The research manuscript details investigations into the interactions of Arabidopsis calcium transporters, while the appendices contain additional information pertaining to protoplast transformations, plasmid construction and plant media recipes.Item Open Access Assessing the adoption of NEWEST rice and likelihood and extent of gene flow between NERICA 4 and selected rice varieties in Ghana(2016) Nunoo, Joseph; Roy, Stuart John; Asante, Maxwell; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine• Trials of NEWEST rice are ongoing in Ghana and there is the need to carry out risk assessment on the GM rice before adoption and commercialisation. The objective of this project was to study farmer’s perception on NEWEST rice in Ghana. The likelihood and extent of gene flow between NERICA 4 and selected rice varieties in Ghana was also studied. • 150 farmers were surveyed across five major rice growing areas. To study the likelihood of gene flow, manual crossing was carried out by crossing NERICA 4 with NERICA 1, Togo Marshall, AgraRice, Amankwatia and Jasmine 85 and genotyped using SSR markers. The extent of gene flow was studied by planting NERICA 4, from NERICA 1, Togo Marshall, AgraRice, Amankwatia and Jasmine 85 at 2 m, 4 m, 6 m, 8 m, and 20 m in the field.• The survey found that 59 % of farmers were not aware of the existence of GM crops. 80 % of farmers were willing to adopt NEWEST rice because it is high yielding. Results of the manual crossing shows that all varieties crossed with NERICA 4 had a degree of success. The seed set ranged from 5- 37.5 %. Gene frequencies observed on the field was 14 % - 100 %. NERICA 4 alleles were found among all the varieties.• Ghanaian farmers are willing to adopt NEWEST rice due to its potential to increase yield. It is recommended that an isolation distance of 10 m from NEWEST rice should be maintained to prevent outcrossing.Item Open Access Barley cellulose synthases involved in secondary cell wall formation and stem strength : generation of cDNA constructs for functional analysis.(2008) Varanashi, Partha; Hrmova, Maria; Fincher, Geoffrey B.; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThis research was performed over 10 months as part of a Masters in Biotechnology (Plant Biotechnology). The literature review was previously assessed in accordance with the correction suggested by the examiners. The main focus of the project remains very similar to that of the research proposal. However the goals were not achieved according to the time deadline stated in the research proposal. Hence protein purification was could not be carried out. Although the research manuscript contained herein will provide the first draft of a future publication to be submitted to Plant journal, due to time constraint, all data relevant to that publication has not been collected. However, additional data which was not conclusive was collected and this is provided within the appendices. The research manuscript outlines stages involved in the construction and heterologus expression of barley CesA4 cDNA. While the appendices contain additional data from HvCesA4 protein structure prediction, media recipes, in-silico representation of the HvCesA4 constructs with respective vectors.Item Open Access Cloning of barley COBRA genes and study their functions.(2008) Liang, Bing; Zhang, Qisen; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThis research was performed over 10 months as part of a Masters in Biotechnology (Plant Biotechnology). The literature review was previously assessed and the research focus has not changed. Although the research manuscript contained herein will provide the first draft of a future publication in the Plant Journal, due to time constraint, all data relevant to that publication has not been collected. However, additional data were collected and provided within the appendices. The research manuscript presents the cloning of five COBRA genes and a study of the features of COBRA family genes. It also reports root hair phenotype observation of Arabidopsis AtCOBRA mutant lines. The appendices contain all the collected ESTs sequences for a future reference by people continuing the work.Item Open Access Compost addition and pre-planning soil moisture conditions alter soil nutrients, plant growth and nutrition, and the formation of mycorrhizas(2016) Ngo, Thi Thanh Hue A; Cavagnaro, Timothy; School of Agriculture, Food and WineComposts are important materials to improve soil fertility. The release of nutrients from composts is affected by soil moisture. Recent work has shown that soil moisture conditions prior to planting can have a profound impact on soil nutrients, plant growth and nutrition, which is defined as the carry-over effect of soil moisture. However, the carry-over effect of soil moisture, especially in compost-amended soils has not been fully investigated. The present research aimed to investigate how soil moisture conditions prior to planting can alter available nutrients in the soil with and without compost addition. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which are abundant in the rhizosphere of most terrestrial plants, play an important role in nutrient uptake of plants. Thus, this study also investigated whether the pre-planting moisture conditions and compost addition affect the formation of mycorrhizas. A pot experiment was set up in a glasshouse-controlled condition over 88 days of the experiment. Soil moisture conditions were manipulated as wet (75% of field capacity (FC)), dry (25% FC) and cycle (one wet-dry cycle between 75% and 25% FC) treatments during pre-planting period. Soil moisture then was maintained constantly at 75% FC for all pots during planting period. Tomato and wheat were used as model plants to test potential carry-over effects of compost addition and pre-planting moisture conditions on plants. Overall, the results indicate a clear effect of soil moisture conditions prior to planting on plant growth and nutrition and mycorrhizal colonisation. The N content of plants was clearly associated with N availability in the soil. However, the P content of plants was not correlated with plant-available P in the soil. Tomato and wheat expressed superior growth in the pre-planting dry conditions where mycorrhizal colonisation of roots was also greatest, despite low available N nutrient in the soil at the time of planting. The study suggests that there is a possible synergistic effect of compost and mycorrhizal application in plant growth that needs to be further investigated.Item Open Access "Crop-to-wild gene flow": a case study of NEWEST transgenes' escape into wild rice (Oryza longistaminata) in Ghana(2016) Oppong, Gavers Kwasi; Rodriguez Lopez, Carlos Marcelino; School of Agriculture, Food and WineBackground: To boost local rice production in Ghana, to meet demand, there are plans to introduce transgenic rice. Confined Field Trials (CFTs) of rice lines transformed for Nitrogen-Use Efficiency, Water-Use efficiency and Salt Tolerance (“NEWEST” rice), are on-going. NEWEST rice is multi-stacked with genes that make the plant better utilize available nitrogen, water and bind to excess salt in the soil which restore saline soils over time. Perceived ecological risk such as gene flow to wild species is associated with the release of transgenic crops. In Ghana the presence of the wild rice (Oryza longistaminata) has been reported. It is important to know whether NEWEST transgenes will escape to wild rice through gene flow, and the consequences on the weediness of wild rice in the case of NEWEST transgenes escape to the wild rice. Methodology/key findings: In a survey of wild rice distribution in Ghana, we observed infestation of O. longistaminata in cultivated rice. The availability of nitrogen, water and salt was experimentally manipulated to determine their effect on the weediness of wild rice (O. longistaminata). The wild plants had a better growth with more access to water and nitrogen and were severely inhibited by salinity (p<0.05). Hand hybridization between cultivated rice and O. longistaminata was confirmed in this study with a success rate of 20 %. Gene flow frequency under field conditions was performed using 6 highly polymorphic SSR markers. We observed moderate gene flow under field conditions with an average of 10.17 migrants per generation. Significance/conclusion: NEWEST genes may have the potential to increase the weediness of O. longistaminata if incorporated. Gene flow between NEWEST and wild rice can occur, which may lead to improved tolerance in wild rice. Mitigation strategies should be put in place before NEWEST rice is introduced to prevent the risk of transgene escape.Item Open Access Distribution of wild rice species and hybridization between cultivated rice and Oryza longistaminata in Tanzania.(2014) Kilewa, Ramadhan Ally; Preston, Christopher A.; School of Agriculture, Food and WineWild rice species of genus Oryza are distributed across Asia, Central and South America, Australia and Africa. Wild rice species, such as O. longistaminata, with an AA genome can hybridize with cultivated rice under field conditions and produce F₁ hybrids. Such hybridization may cause ecological and evolutionary consequences. An understanding of the distribution of wild relatives of rice and hybridization between cultivated rice and its wild relatives is an important aspect for biosafety in assessing risks caused by gene escape from crop to wild relatives. Despite the presence of five wild rice species in Tanzania, little is known about the distribution of wild rice species that are weeds of rice, or hybridization between cultivated rice and O. longistaminata under field conditions. The aim of this study was to generate baseline data on the distribution of wild rice species and hybridization between cultivated rice and O. longistaminata under field conditions. A field survey was conducted in 28 rice fields from seven regions and hybridization was determined by morphological and molecular analysis. Oryza punctata, Oryza barthii and O. longistaminata were common wild rice species that are weeds of cultivated rice and hybridization between cultivated rice and O. longistaminata were detected under field conditions. Frequencies of hybridization were estimated as 2.2% for crop-to-wild and 0.1% for wild-to-crop. Wild rice species found growing proximity to cultivated rice and hybridization occurs in Tanzania under field conditions with a noticeable frequency from crop-to-wild and wild-to-crop.Item Open Access The effect of Phytate reduction on Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) grain germination(2016) Amedu, Josephine; Burton, Rachel Anita; School of Agriculture, Food and WineSorghum quality is improved by reducing anti-nutritional components, including phytates that sequester cations such as iron, zinc and calcium, to make nutrients more bioavailable for absorption. The current study investigated the quality and germination of a transgenic variety developed by the Africa Biofortified Sorghum project, aimed at developing sorghum varieties with reduced phytate content. However, results showed a significantly higher phytate content in transgenic grains (p<0.05) when compared with the wild type (WT). Furthermore, phytate in transgenic grains was less susceptible to degradation over 96 hrs of germination when compared with WT. Further study focused exclusively on WT grain where starch degradation was limited in the first 72 hrs but significantly increased by 96 hrs. This decrease in starch content strongly correlated (r²=0.93) with α-amylase activity that peaked at 115 CU/g at 96 hrs. (1,3;1,4)-β- glucan levels changed a little during germination, remaining at approximately 0.5% (w/w) even in the presence of increased beta-glucanase activity. Fluorescent microscopy showed that (1,3;1,4)-β- glucan and arabinoxylan around the pericarp, aleurone layer and embryo changed marginally over 96 hrs of germination. While treatment with GA repressed α-amylase activity, starch degradation patterns resembled untreated samples. GA induced lower, but same secretion patterns of endo-(1,3;1,4)-β-glucanase as untreated samples but delayed degradation pattern of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan. These results suggest that the germination process in sorghum grain may be more similar to events in barley than previously reported.Item Open Access Epigenetic analysis of an early flowering phenotype in Corymbia ficifolia induced by in vitro micropropagation(2016) Delano, Paulina Vielma; Delaporte, Kate; School of Agriculture, Food and WineDuring development, plants go through a period of vegetative growth (juvenile phase) followed by a period of reproductive growth period (adult phase). In perennial woody species, such as the ornamental eucalypt species Corymbia ficifolia, the juvenile phase can last for four or more years making breeding programs expensive, challenging and time consuming. This prolonged juvenile phase makes the production of early flowering lines desirable. Previous studies in model plants have suggested that phase change is regulated by genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms. During the development of a micropropagated C. ficifolia hybrid line, it was observed that some clones exhibited an early phase change, resulting in the production of flowers 24-30 months after deflasking, as opposed to the usual four years (48 months). To understand the underlying molecular mechanism of this early phase change, the methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) method was used to analyse changes in DNA methylation patterns between three C. ficifolia phenotypes early flowering (EF), normal flowering (NF), and unknown (UK). This method studies genome wide methylation, however it is limited to the recognition sites of the HapII and MspI restriction enzymes. Interestingly, our results show that the main contributor to the variation in DNA methylation patterns among in vitro propagated plants was the environment in which plants were grown after in vitro culture. Additionally, higher levels of epigenetic somaclonal variability in EF clones than in their NF counterparts suggests that such changes could be linked to the early flowering phenotype observed.Item Open Access Heterologous Expression and Functional Analysis of Plantago GT61 and DUF579 Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana(2017) Herliana, Lina; Burton, RachelMucilage released from Plantago ovata seed (psyllium) has been used for maintaining human health as a dietary fibre supplement. Heteroxylan is the main component, and its substitution affects solubility and viscosity of the end product. However, little is known about genes involved in xylan substitution so phylogenetic and transcript information were used to identify candidate genes in the GT61 and DUF579 families and their functions were tested in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Plantago GT61_7, driven by a seed-coat promoter (ProDP1) was transformed into Arabidopsis using a floral dip and spray method. Ruthenium red staining of wild-type and T2 seeds from multiple independent transgenic lines showed a significant difference in the thickness of the adherent mucilage layer. The difference in mucilage phenotype suggests that GT61_7 may have a role in xylan substitution that affects seed coat adherence. This preliminary result needs to be examined using immunolabeling and monosaccharide analysis. For the DUF579 gene AT1G71690, a genome editing approach was adopted. Three single guide RNAs were designed using online tools and in silico analysis was performed to predict any changes in coding and protein sequences by each guide RNA. To test them in vitro, the CRISPR/Cas9 constructs were successfully delivered to protoplast cells using the Transient Expression in Arabidopsis Mesophyll Protoplast (TEAMP) method. However, an analysis using Tracking of Indels by Decomposition(TIDE) showed no evidence of edits in the DUF569 genomic DNA extracted from the protoplasts. Increasing the transfection efficiency or redesigning the sgRNA could lead to improved CRISPR/Cas9 activity.Item Open Access Identification and localization of vacuolar organic acid carriers in grapevine berries.(2008) Rongala, Jayachandra; Hayes, Matthew; Ford, Christopher Michael; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine : Plant and Food ScienceThis research was performed over 10 months as part of Masters of Biotechnology (Plant Biotechnology). The literature review was previously assed by the examiners and suggested changes and updates were made accordingly. The present research manuscript herein provides the first draft of a future publication in Plant Physiology, due to time and some unexpected factors the project was not completed and all the data was not included in the manuscript, but the materials, methods and the outline was briefly explained in the “appendices” section. The research manuscript outlines the introduction, results, discussion, material and methods. All the results are included in the sequential flow of my project except for the last part; functional expression in xenopus oocytes, which was included in the appendices.Item Open Access Impact of in vitro induced epigenetic variation on the nutritional value of three Ghanaian sweet potato genotypes: implications on biofortification(2016) Akomeah, Belinda; Ramesh, Sunita A.; Quain, Marian D.; School of Agriculture, Food and WineBiofortification aims to increase crop nutritional value to combat nutrient deficiency. Due to the prevalence of viruses, healthy cultivars of biofortified genotypes are produced through micropropagation techniques. However, during micropropagation, plants are exposed to conditions that could induce somaclonal variation, and result in phenotypic changes affecting the crop’s nutritional value. Currently, sweet potato (Ipomoea batata) is biofortified for enhanced beta-carotene content to alleviate Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD). Undesired somaclonal abnormalities acquired during in vitro culture could alter key nutrients such as beta-carotene, protein, or zinc. Therefore, it is important to ensure the clonal fidelity of the micropropagated biofortified lines. This study assessed the extent of in vitro induced epigenetic variation in the genome of meristem-cultured plants, and its correlation with the nutritional composition in three Ghanaian sweet potato genotypes (Bohye, Ogyefo and Otoo). Micropropagated plants presented no observable leaf and storage root abnormalities, but relatively lower levels of iron, protein, zinc, and glucose. Methylation Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism analysis showed a high level of in vitro induced molecular variation in micropropagated plants. Ogyefo showed the least viral incidence and epigenetic differentiation but the most profound nutritional changes, while Bohye showed the highest epigenetic variability. Further analysis indicated that epigenetic, rather than genetic, accounts for most of the observed variability. Taken collectively, this study offers an insight into the impact of micropropagation in methylation profiles, and its correlation to root quality in the improved sweet potato genotypes. The implications of these results to the ongoing bio-fortification projects are also discussed.Item Open Access Impact of Roundup and Clearfield herbicides on soil nutrients, and the biomass, activity and diversity of soil microorganisms(2016) Jiang, Jian; Cavagnaro, Timothy; School of Agriculture, Food and WineRoundup and Clearfield are herbicides that have been widely used globally and their use is expected to increase in the coming years. However, these herbicides may affect soil microbes that are important for soil health because of their roles in cycling carbon and soil nutrients. There have been no studies to explore the effect of Clearfield on microorganisms. In this study, the effect of Roundup and Clearfield GM resistant herbicides on microorganisms was investigated. The experiments were designed to measure soil nutrients (available phosphorus and nitrogen), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial activity (respiration and enzymes) in the soil every 7 days over a 28 day period. Soil microbial diversity was also measured at 28 days using an amplicon sequencing based approach. The results revealed no positive or negative effects of either herbicide at their recommended and five times recommended rates. This study was conducted on soil samples in the lab, but a larger scale studies on the agronomic effects of the two herbicides on microbes in field environments are recommended.Item Open Access Intergenomic SNPs reveal putative spontaneous chromosomal interchanges between chromosomes 7A and 7D of wheat(2016) Nguyen, Phuoc Xuan; Mather, Diane Elizabeth; School of Agriculture, Food and WineLangdon 7D(7A) and 7D(7B) durum substitution lines were crossed with DBA-Aurora durum wheat to introgress a lutein esterification gene,TaGelp1, from chromosome 7D onto its homoeologues 7A and 7B. Genotyping-by-sequencing based on DNA samples from durum wheat and bread wheat revealed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) among the group-7 chromosomes. Sixteen KASP markers were developed and to be able to differentiate among these chromosomes. Nine 7A-7D markers were used to characterise progeny populations to search for dissociation of molecular markers which may indicate chromosomal recombination. Evidence of possible 7A-7D recombination was found in a small number of progeny (less than 4%). Most of the putative marker dissociations were in the centromeric region but one plant was found to carry only a small distal fragment of 7DS including TaGelp1. The findings suggest crossing normal durum with Langdon 7D(7A) combined with KASP marker assistance can be applied as a method to introgress and assess genes from chromosome 7D onto its homoeologues without resorting to use of wheat with the Ph1 deletion.Item Open Access The isolation and structural elucidation of Agrocinopine C(1983) Savage, Anna Elizabeth; Tate, Max; Dept. of Agricultural Biochemistry, Waite Agricultural Research InstituteAgrocinopine C and D are- members of the most recently discovered class of opines, the Agrocinopines. These compounds are of interest, not only because of their opine nature, but also because they interact with the biological control agent of crown gall, Agrocin 84, altering its toxicity. In the present investigation Agrocinopine C has been isolated, and purified by a combination of anion and cation exchange chromatography and H.V.P.E. Degradative and physicochemical studies have shown that Agrocinopine C consists of D-glucose-2-phosphate, linked in a phosphodiester bond to the sixth carbon of the glucose moiety of a sucrose molecule. Agrocinopine D is closely related, the only difference being the loss of the fructose moiety of the sucrose molecule.Item Open Access Lifestyle based segments in the South Australian wine market and their impact on wine retailing.(2002) Johnson, Trent Edward; Bruwer, Johan de Wet; Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and OenologyDuring August and September 2001, 363 wine consumers shopping for wine at eight wine retail stores in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia, were extensively surveyed about their activities, interests and opinions about wine and their wine purchasing behaviour. The study consisted of two major parts. The first was to identify the segments that form the South Australian wine market and the second was to identify the preferred risk reduction strategies of each of those segments and link those to the wine retail environment. The underlying assumption was that retailers could manipulate their retail mix to encompass the preferred strategies of their target market, thus providing the basis for a potential competitive advantage. This data was analysed and the major results are summarised below. The study identified five distinct segments, each with their own characteristics and behaviours. These were: • Segment 1 – Conservative, Wine Knowledgeable Wine Drinkers (20.9% of the total market) These consumers are generally well educated, knowledgeable and predominantly male, whose buying habits are reasonably predictable from year to year. They are the consumers who may previously have been stereotyped as “connoisseurs”. • Segment 2 – Image Oriented, Knowledge Seeking Wine Consumers (22.3%) These are likely to be tertiary educated, professional consumers whose purchases are dictated by opinion leaders. They have some wine knowledge and are actively seeking to increase that knowledge. They are concerned with the image associated with drinking wine. • Segment 3 – Basic Wine Drinker (16.8%) This consumer is not concerned with any of the “airs and graces” associated with drinking wine. They drink wine because they enjoy it and they are likely to make their wine purchases from a number of safe brands that have previously met their needs. vii • Segment 4 – Experimenter, Highly Knowledgeable Wine Drinker (19.0%) These consumers have become somewhat “bored” with what they perceive as the run of the mill wines on offer and are seeking new and different wines to excite their palates. They are very wine knowledgeable and seek out other people with knowledge to assist in their quest for different wines and as a result, they tend to experiment when purchasing wine. • Segment 5 – Enjoyment Oriented, Social Wine Drinkers (20.9%) These consumers are predominantly female and enjoy a glass of wine with their friends on a weekend. Their purchasing behaviour can be spontaneous and the packaging and labelling of the wine plays a part in their decisions, indicating that they might be attracted to the so-called “concept” brand category on the market. From a wine industry perspective, this construct of the market is important, as segments 1, 2 and 4 all have an average spend per bottle of wine in excess of $20. This indicates that they purchase wine in the super premium category and above, the categories in which many of the boutique and smaller producers have positioned their products. The knowledge that about 60% of the market are potential customers may prove comforting to these producers. The second part of the study revealed that the two most preferred strategies were that consumers seek information about their purchases prior to buying and that they sought reassurance through tasting prior to buying. The incidence of the use of these strategies increased as the price of the wine increased. When the practical implications for wine retailers were examined, the data revealed that each segment relied on the assortment of wines on offer as their risk reduction strategy of choice. This had different implications for individual wine retailers, depending on their positioning and target markets. The implications for each of the segments are summarised as: • Segment 1 – Conservative, Wine Knowledgeable Wine Drinkers A range of super premium wines from the larger producers. viii • Segment 2 – Image Oriented, Knowledge Seeking Wine Consumers An assortment of medal and trophy winning wines and wines that have received favourable press coverage. • Segment 3 – Basic Wine Drinkers An assortment of commercial wines. • Segment 4 – Experimenter, Highly Knowledgeable Wine Drinkers A range of wines perceived as new, innovative, different or exciting. • Segment 5 – Enjoyment Oriented, Social Wine Drinkers A range of more commercial wines that should include some concept brands that appeal to mainly female consumers. The research study also examined the relationship between a consumer’s level of wine knowledge and the quality of the wine they consumed. It concluded that a consumer with a greater level of wine knowledge is likely to spend (on average) more per bottle of wine than a consumer with less wine knowledge. This research study was made possible through the auspices of the Liquorland/Vintage Cellars Retail Management Scholarship, 2001. As this research study was one of the largest of its kind ever undertaken on the Australian wine market, the full details are contained within the body of this dissertation.Item Open Access Meta-barcoding for assessment of risks posed by genetically modified crops to farmland arthropods.(2015) Akankunda, Trace; Keller, Michael Anthony; School of Agriculture, Food and WineThe rate of adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops continues to grow at unprecedented rates 19 years after their first commercialisation. As global coverage of GM crops increases, concerns about their potential effects on the environment and specifically agro-ecosystem health intensify. To address these concerns, researchers have called for increased monitoring of agro-ecosystems to detect unforeseen adverse effects of GM crops. To date, only Europe has a statutory requirement for developers of GM products to conduct post market environmental monitoring (PMEM) in order to assess potential risks associated with their products. This might be due to lack of robust and cost effective methods for conducting PMEM. Here we propose the use of a modified meta-barcoding pipeline on an Illumina MiSeq platform as a comprehensive and cost effective approach for conducting PMEM on farmland arthropod communities. We test the method’s capacity to generate baseline data on a selection of indicator arthropod groups following guidelines issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). We use arthropod communities of coffee plantations in the south and south-western regions of Uganda as an exemplar for the approach. We modify the sample preparation steps of the meta-barcoding pipeline to reduce sequencing cost and successfully adapt the MiSeq Reporter program to classify arthropods using COI sequence reads produced by the MiSeq. We compile baseline data on the diversity and distribution s of six generalist predators, two parasitoids, two pollinators, four common pests and three herbivores of the coffee crop system using incidence counts. We demonstrate the method’s capacity to monitor arthropod communities at the genus and species level and discuss the application of the baseline data collected for GM risk assessment.