Sowing a greener future
In a world grappling with escalating climate change and global agricultural concerns, the Waite’s research is vital to addressing modern-day food and biodiversity needs.
Horticulturist Dr Kate Delaporte says nurturing Australia’s native biodiversity can play an important role in how we move into the future and restore our environment. With expertise studying eucalypts and other native cut flowers, Kate is now on a mission to spotlight the often-overlooked heroes of local biodiversity – Australia’s native plants.
In her research, Kate emphasises the role of plants in reshaping our approach to environments, from expansive agricultural fields to humble home gardens. Describing them as “essentials for human happiness”, Kate focuses on plants that produce food and other essentials.
Originally specialising in plant development of Australian-cut flowers, focusing on eucalypts and other small trees, by the end of her PhD, Kate hybridised many new plants that were ready for commercialisation. Australian plants were in the global spotlight then, and there has been a huge demand for amenity horticulture – such as parks, gardens, home gardens, cut flowers and nursery plants – as well as nutraceuticals, which include superfoods and food crops.
“My research has always been about finding new things to fit into our environment to help humans,” Kate says. “I realised how important plants are to people, even just looking at them and being in nature, or having trees that provide biodiverse habitats for our native fauna, as well as providing good things for humans, like shade, clean air, and beauty. And that’s a really important research area for me – bringing new plants into an existing system.”
As Australia faces the impending loss of its urban forest due to climate change, Kate is researching alternative tree species resilient to extreme temperatures. She says climate change could potentially result in a 60 per cent loss of urban forests in the next decade, and a big part of her work and research is trying to alert people to the legitimate concern that as the climate changes and we experience more consecutive hot days, the trees become a risk.
The solution, Kate says, is to look to alternative tree species found in places like Alice Springs, Port Augusta and the Great Victoria Desert and bring these into Adelaide because they’re already resilient to temperature extremes. “It’s an example of how the stuff is already there. We just need to look at things differently,” she says.
Despite securing funding in June 2023, obtaining financial support for research that’s not food can be challenging. This forced Kate to diversify, and she is currently undertaking studies in Australian native plants that are also food sources. This includes tapping into plants that sustained First Nations peoples for tens of thousands of years.
“We’ve overlooked native foods. We’ve pulled them out, we’ve destroyed them, and we really need to bring them back,” Kate says. “We are now looking at bringing back plants that have existed in Australia as food crops under First Nations development into mainstream food production.
“It’s challenging because those plants are growing out in the wild. There’s a level of domestication that needs to occur for all these new-old foods to fit into the commercial system. It’s all about helping us become more sustainable, resilient and regenerative. Bringing nature back to help us survive and help everything on the planet survive.”
Shifting public perception is a challenge, but Kate has a plan. “It’s about targeting plants that already exist and bringing them into development and cultivation,” she says.
Kate’s unwavering passion for Australian plants extends beyond their cultivation; it’s about nurturing a mindset that recognises and embraces the richness of our natural flora, fostering a sustainable and resilient future. It is the work of sowing seeds of transformation in the collective consciousness.
When it comes to food sustainability, Research Program Manager at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Sam Catt, knows the importance of crop development. Sam leads the National Faba Bean Breeding Program at the Waite, spanning more than four decades. It’s a breeding program that is consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation in agricultural practices.
The program focuses on developing new varieties tailored for Australian growers. As beans are high protein, Sam says they will be key to addressing the growing demand for plant-based protein sources. The versatility of the faba bean extends beyond traditional consumption and can also be used to make products with concentrated and purified forms of protein for different uses.
Sam’s research involves factors like yield improvement, disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, drought tolerance, nutritional composition, and flavour profile adjustments. He says it’s important to adapt to changing market demands. “We’re starting to look at a lot of seed quality traits, the nutritional composition, with the newer interest in plant-based proteins,” he says. And as the program evolves, there is a shift towards newer technologies, showcasing a commitment to staying at the forefront of agricultural innovation.
“If we can understand those genes and how they might behave and interact with the environment, we might be able to modify them so that the plant produces more flowers and therefore more grain."Dr Scott Boden
Beyond immediate implications for agriculture, faba beans hold promise as a sustainable and strategic crop. Sam envisions a future where they significantly contribute to plant-based protein markets, reducing reliance on imported soybeans and aligning with consumers’ growing preference for locally produced products.
Professor Rachel Burton leads ground-breaking research at the Waite, focusing on molecular biology and plant genomics. The research extends to industrial hemp, contributing to climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture.
Rachel says broadening crop diversity will enhance overall agricultural resilience, with research exploring the multifunctional aspects of plants and how they may contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture. This is about “future-proofing” the role of agriculture through the development and provision of emerging crops that farmers can choose to grow, allowing them to diversify in the face of climate change.
Industrial hemp, one of the main crops in her research, is a key example, and one which Rachel believes will be an area of growth over the next decade.
“As well as growing cannabis for recreational and medicinal uses, the low-THC hemp can be grown as a fibre crop for clothing, building materials like hempcrete, packaging, or material for acoustics in cars. It is also an oil seed with an ideal ratio of omega 3 to 6 fats and is high in protein,” she says. “Over the next decade, what we’re doing with industrial hemp should really kick in.”
The shift from traditional cereal-focused research to diverse crops aligns with the commitment to tackling contemporary environmental challenges. Dr Scott Boden, an ARC Future Fellow at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, focuses on the genetic regulation of inflorescence architecture, flowering time, and grain quality in wheat, aiming to improve the yield and nutrition of grain. Scott’s focus lies in unravelling the genetic mechanisms dictating the timing and quantity of flowers – crucial factors influencing a plant’s reproductive cycle.
Written by Anna Kantilaftas
Photography by Isaac Freeman
“If we can understand those genes and how they behave and interact with the environment, we might be able to modify them so that the plant produces more flowers and therefore more grain,” he says.
This quest for boosting yield holds the promise of improving the nutritional content of wheat crops and addressing the global challenge of feeding more people. “All of my research is targeted at this goal of increasing food production by 60 to 70 percent by 2050,” Scott says.
The Waite emerges as a dynamic powerhouse in the realm of sustainable agriculture, addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and the increasing demand for food security. Through the pioneering efforts of dedicated researchers, the Waite showcases a strong approach towards cultivating a resilient and sustainable future.
As we navigate an era defined by environmental uncertainty, the Waite’s contributions extend far beyond the boundaries of its campus. It stands as a beacon of hope, offering tangible solutions and fostering a collective consciousness that prioritises the resilience and sustainability of our planet’s agricultural practices and our changing world.