Seed funding has been awarded to three new research projects at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) to help advance sustainable agricultural practices.
The funding was provided through the JM Roberts Charitable Trust, which was established in 2003 by the late John Roberts, a Tasmanian orchardist and farmer, to support environmental sustainability, agricultural innovation, and the education of young people about the importance of landcare.
Since 2020, the JM Roberts Charitable Trust has generously provided $20,000 of seed funding to TIA each year, supporting a total of 12 projects.
"John devoted most of his life to farming, which instilled in him the importance of looking after the environment. He was a man before his time and certainly took sustainability to another level in establishing the trust during his lifetime," said Brian Faulkner, Trustee of the JM Roberts Charitable Trust.
"This funding gives our researchers greater flexibility to explore new and innovative ideas that have the potential to transform Tasmanian agriculture," said TIA Director, Professor Mike Rose.
"The projects often act as critical proof-of-concept studies, helping projects to gain traction and generate the preliminary data which may pave the way for larger competitive grants in the future."
In 2025, a total of $20,000 has been allocated across three projects.
Codling moth monitoring for sustainable apple management
Dr Justin Cappadonna, TIA Entomologist, was awarded $7,000 for real-time codling moth monitoring for sustainable apple management.
Dr Cappadonna's project will test the practical application of automated sensor technology to detect codling moths in Tasmanian apple orchards. Codling moths are one of the most damaging pests of apple crops.
"Apple growers keep a close eye on codling moth numbers in their orchards in an effort to prevent infestations. But manually checking traps is slow, expensive, and discoveries often come too late. This project will test the use of automated sensors that may help pinpoint exactly when and where moth populations begin to rise. Hopefully, this technology will help protect apples before pest numbers get out of hand," Dr Cappadonna said.
Impacts of water stress regimes on root morphology of pyrethrum
Asharp Godwin, TIA Research Fellow in Horticultural Crop Science, was awarded $6,500 to investigate the impacts of water stress regimes on root morphology of pyrethrum.
Asharp's research will explore how the roots of pyrethrum plants respond to water stress, providing valuable insights to help growers implement sustainable irrigation strategies. Pyrethrum is a world-class export crop primarily grown in North-West Tasmania.
"This is the first study to examine how excess and deficit levels of water stress from irrigation affects pyrethrum root morphology and development. The findings will contribute to more sustainable strategies for irrigation in rotational cropping systems, helping to improve productivity and mitigate soil degradation in a changing climate," Asharp said.
Rapid approach for screening soil toxicity resilient crops and pasture
Dr Chenchen Zhao, TIA Research Fellow in Plant Genetics, was awarded $6,500 to develop a rapid approach for screening soil toxicity resilient crops and pasture.
Dr Zhao's project addresses the major challenge of toxic metal build-up in soils resulting from waterlogging. This form of soil toxicity causes significant crop yield losses and has not been addressed enough through research.
"Our aim is to better understand soil toxicity profiles under waterlogging and to develop a laboratory-based screening method to help identify waterlogging-resilient crops and pastures for future breeding programs," Dr Zhao said.
