Dr David Chagné and Dr Karin Müller were awarded funds as part of the Catalyst Seeding category, which helps fund pre-research strategic partnerships with a view to possibly developing full collaborations over time.

Dr Chagné will use the funding to research computational methods for polyploid genetics, with a specific focus on exemplar species such as blueberry, potato, kiwifruit, oat and cotton.

“Polyploid species have more than two paired sets of chromosomes, with some having particularly complex genomes,” says Dr Chagné. “At the moment it is very difficult to carry out genetic research on polyploid species, because most bioinformatics tools are developed for or adapted from those used in human genetic applications. Yet, many polyploid species happen to be very important global crops.”

The research will focus on adapting bioinformatics methods for polyploid genomics, enabling whole genome sequencing and the application of genetic markers to improve crop breeding for traits such as disease resistance and yield.

Dr Müller will explore ways to improve groundwater management from a science and policy perspective, with the aim of providing a foundation for improving management techniques and stakeholder engagement to help regulators and resource managers.

“Freshwater quality and availability is an important resource management issue, and there is a growing awareness of the vulnerability and limited renewability of groundwater, which is actually a vital component in the freshwater cycle,” says Dr Müller. “Along with research partners at Landcare Research and the University of California, we will review regulation frameworks in groundwater management, look to plug knowledge gaps, and identify new pathways to develop advanced groundwater management tools that meet the challenge of protecting this key resource for future generations, while maintaining the economic viability of the primary industries.”