Early-career researchers showcased their work across key areas including Australian agricultural market economics, native seedling mechanics, sustainable farming systems, crop improvement and agricultural innovation at an event hosted by The University of Western Australia’s Institute of Agriculture.

The 20th Annual Postgraduate Showcase brought together students, emerging researchers, academics, industry leaders and government representatives to celebrate the depth, diversity and future direction of agricultural research at UWA’s Bayliss Lecture Theatre on May 27.

PhD students presented their work demonstrating the significant contributions being made by the next generation of researchers.

Image: Associate Professor, Bryan Boruff, Brayn Hau, Professor Brajesh Singh,  Patrick Gong, Stephanie Lye, Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique, Oanh Nguyen, Dr Bob Olivier, UWA Pro-Chancellor, Amber Balfour-Cunningham, Emeritus Professor Graeme Martin, Yadav Padhyoti.

Hackett Professor and IOA Director Kadambot Siddique said the showcase featured some of UWA’s best PhD students who shared their research in agriculture and related areas.

“Over the past 20 years, this event has showcased a total of 144 postgraduate students and many of them are now occupying prominent positions with Australia and globally,” Professor Siddique said.

Pro-Chancellor of UWA Dr Bob Olivier, who had a farm upbringing, opened the event highlighting the vital role of agricultural research and innovation in supporting WA’s future.

“People often say Western Australia grows wheat where wheat shouldn’t grow, what made this possible is the partnership between courageous farmers, research and higher education institutions like UWA and industry leadership,” Dr Olivier said.

“Combining research, innovation and practical application have helped to create a productive and resilient agricultural sector.”

Professor Brajesh Singh, from the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment and IOA, chaired the first session and introduced Amber Balfour-Cunningham, who presented her research on The enemy of my enemy: monitoring parasitoid wasps of diamondback moth in WA Canola, which gave insights on biological pest control in Canola crops.

Patrick Gong, from UWA’s School of Molecular Science, shared his research on Engineering genetic circuitry for programmable control of plant traits and biomolecule production.

Bryan Hau, from UWA’s School of Molecular Science, presented Identification and characterisation of the molecular drivers of malting performance in Hordeum vulgare, which highlighted the molecular quality of malting barley.

The final session was chaired by Associate Professor Bryan Boruff, Head of the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment.

Oanh Nguyen explored adoption of digital platforms in wineries in her presentation Understanding customer relationship management platform adoption among Western Australian wineries.

Yadav Padhyoti presented Inefficiencies in Australian agricultural markets and their implications to Australian growers, which examined the gap between Australian farmers and agricultural markets stakeholders.

Stephanie Lye, from UWA’s School of Engineering, presented Investigating the mechanics of seedling emergence of Australian native species to improve restoration outcomes in degraded landscapes.

A special recognition was extended to Emeritus Professor Graeme Martin for his expert coaching in science communication, which helped presenters refine and strengthen their work.

Watch the event recording on the Institute’s YouTube Channel.