University of Tasmania, Australia

Cauiflower researcher set to travel

The Farrer Memorial Trust was established in 1911 to perpetuate the memory of William James Farrer and to encourage and inspire agricultural scientists.

The $4000 scholarship will allow Stephen to present his work on the genes controlling flowering time in cauliflowers at two international conferences - the International Horticultural Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, and the Crucifer Genetics Workshop in Saskatoon, Canada.

During his three week trip, Stephen will also travel to the Netherlands to meet with industry partners Rijk Zwaan at their plant breeding facilities, and visit colleagues at the Laboratory of Plant Breeding at Wageningen University. Stephen’s trip has also been supported by the UTAS Graduate Research Candidate Conference Scheme.

“My research looks at the problem of uneven flowering in hybrid cauliflower seed production,” Stephen said. “When parent lines fail to flower at the same time, it can lead to low seed yields or even complete crop failures. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control flowering in cauliflower will enable better management of flowering in field situations and inform breeding programmes.”

Stephen’s research involves characterising physiological differences in reproductive development in a range of cauliflower lines provided by industry partner Rijk Zwaan and examining how these differences may relate to the functionality and expression of key flowering genes.

Find out more about the Farrer Memorial Trust