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Graham Douglas Bonnett

 

 

ADDRESS                        CSIRO Plant Industry

                                    Queensland Biosciences Precinct

                                    306 Carmody Road

                                    St Lucia

                                    QLD 4067

 

TELEPHONE            (07) 3214 2352 BH            (07) 3217 7850 AH

 

FACSIMILE                        (07) 3214 2920

 

EMAIL                        This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

DATE OF BIRTH            19 April 1964

 

NATIONALITY            BRITISH

                                    Permanent resident of Australia

 

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

1985           B.Sc (Hons) Leeds - Agricultural Science (Crops)

1989            Ph.D Leeds

Accumulation, storage and mobilization of water-soluble carbohydrates in stems of winter barley.

 

PRESENT EMPLOYMENT

2008-   Research Program Leader: Integrated Crop Physiology and Genetic Improvement group and Senior Principal Research Scientist. CSIRO Plant Industry, Brisbane.

Stream Leader: Plant Fibres and biofactories for new agricultural and industrial products (Theme 1040).

2009      Queensland Smithsonian Fellow at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

2006-2008   Research Program Leader: Integrated Crop Physiology and Genetic Improvement group. CSIRO Plant Industry, Brisbane.

Stream Leader: Plant Fibres and biofactories for new agricultural and industrial products.

2003- 2006  Principal Research Scientist CSIRO Plant Industry, Brisbane

                 Leader Sugarcane Improvement sub-program

 Sub-program leader within CRC SIIB (Cooperative Research Centre for

 Sugar Industry Innovation Through Biotechnology).

      2006 Coordinator of Plant Industry  Theme 1039  - Advanced Genetics delivering Quality Crops for Health and Consumer choice

2001-2002  Principal Research Scientist CSIRO Plant Industry, Townsville

                   (Leader Sugarcane Improvement sub-program)

2000-2001  Senior Research Scientist CSIRO Plant Industry, Townsville.

1996-2000  Senior Research Scientist CSIRO Tropical Agriculture, Townsville.

1995-1996  Research Scientist CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures,      Townsville

1993-1995  Research Scientist CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, Canberra

1989-1993  Research Fellow School of Agriculture and Forestry, The University of Melbourne.

 

COMPETETIVE RESEARCH CONTRACTS HELD

As principal investigator

1991           R.W.S. Nicholas Agricultural Science Scholarship, $21,750.

1992           William Buckland Foundation Equipment grant. $21,000.

1996-1998 Determination of the leaf sheath environment that leads to a high level of

polysaccharide impurity. Sugar Research and Development Corporation (CC023) $96,000.

1998-2003 Predicting the incidence and magnitude of polysaccharide impurities and identifying the causal field factors.  Sugar Research and Development Corporation (CTA034) $461,000.

1999-2002 Environmental stimuli for sugarcane suckering in the wet tropics. Sugar

Research and Development Corporation (BSS221) $255,000.

2004-2005 Sugarcane Metabolomics. The University of Melbourne/CSIRO collaboration scheme. $10,000 with Dr Ute Rossener.

2005-2009     Increased CCS, cane yield and water use efficiency by exploiting interactions between genetics and management. Sugar Research and Development Corporation $767,033.

2006-2010 Understanding the reproductive biology and ecology of sugarcane to manage the safe release of genetically modified cultivars. Sugar Research and Development Corporation $513,000.

2008-2011     Pathways to exploiting enhanced photosynthetic efficiency for higher sucrose and biomass yield. Sugar Research and Development Corporation $488,250.

2008-2011 SmutBuster: Accelerating breeding of smut-resistant sugarcane varieties. Sugar Research and Development Corporation $2,000,000.

 

As named investigator/collaborator

1992-1995 Grasses that will allow improved utilization of senescent summer pasture by sheep. Australian Wool Research and Promotion Organisation (CIC 69). $220,000

1993-1995  Regulation of hydrolysis of fructans in grasses. Australian Research Council. $204,000  Due to a move to CSIRO by both the principal investigator and myself, the award had to be returned.

1998-1999 Whole of industry economic evaluation of new varieties. Sugar Research and Development Corporation (CTA041) $81,000.

2000-2003 Integrated management of ash and colour in the field. Sugar Research and Development Corporation (CTA053), $375,000.

2003-2010 CRC for Sugar Industry Innovation Through Biotechnology. $28 Million Federal Government CRC scheme.

 

RESEARCH  ADMINISTRATION

Refereed research papers for:           

Proceedings of the National Academy of Science                        Agronomy Journal

Journal of Experimental Botany                                                Functional Plant Biology Plant Cell and Environment                                                            Physiologia Plantarum

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research                                    Annals of Botany

Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists                        Journal Scientia Agricola

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science            New Phytologist

European Journal of Agronomy                                                Field crops Research

Tropical Plant Biology                                   

Plant Biotechnology Journal

 

Co-editor special edition of Field Crops Research 92 (2-3) 115-336. Sugarcane physiology: Integrating from cell to crop to advance sugarcane production.                                                                       

Reviewed research funding proposal for:

Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, New Zealand.

Third World Academy of Science

PhD students supervised

5

 

Research Students examined

PhD            2

 

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

The Society for Experimental Biology            The Australian Society of Plant Scientists

Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (Director ASSCT Ltd 2002-2004)

International Society of Sugarcane Technologists

Australian Institute of Company Directors

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

International Journals

 

  1. Incoll LD, Bonnett GD, Gott, Beth. 1989.  Fructans in the underground storage organs of some Australian plants used for food by aborigines. Journal of Plant Physiology 134 196-202.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Incoll LD. 1992.  The potential pre-anthesis and post-anthesis contributions of stem internodes to grain yield in crops of winter barley.  Annals of Botany, 69 219-225.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Incoll LD. 1993.  Effects on the stem of winter barley of manipulating the source and sink during grain-filling. I. Changes in dry matter, accumulation and loss of mass from internodes. Journal of Experimental Botany, 44 75-82.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Incoll LD. 1993.  Effects on the stem of winter barley of manipulating the source and sink during grain-filling. II. Changes in the composition of water-soluble carbohydrates of internodes. Journal of Experimental Botany, 44 83-91.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1993.  Fructan-hydrolyzing activities from Lolium rigidum Gaudin. New Phytologist 123, 443-451.

 

  1. Simpson RJ, Bonnett GD. 1993. Fructan exohydrolase from grasses.  New Phytologist 123, 453-469.

 

  1. St. John, JA, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1993.  Fructosyltransferase activities from Lolium rigidum Gaudin. New Phytologist 123, 705-715.

 

  1. Ilgoutz SC, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1993.  Some colligative properties of fructans: Implications for ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) grown under cool conditions.  In A Fuchs (ed), Inulin and Inulin containing Crops. Studies in Plant Science, Vol 3.  Elsevier Sci. Publ., Amsterdam, 115-120.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1993.  Fructan exohydrolase from plants of Lolium rigidum Gaud.  In A Fuchs (ed), Inulin and Inulin containing Crops. Studies in Plant Science, Vol 3.  Elsevier Sci. Publ., Amsterdam, 199-204.

 

  1. Incoll LD, Bonnett GD. 1993.  Occurrence of fructans in food plants.  In A Fuchs (ed), Inulin and Inulin containing Crops. Studies in Plant Science, Vol 3.  Elsevier Sci. Publ., Amsterdam, 309-322.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Sims IM, St. John JA, Simpson RJ. 1994.  Purification and characterization of fructans with ß-2,1- and ß-2,6-glycosidic linkages suitable for enzyme studies.  New Phytologist 127: 261-267.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1995.  Fructan exohydrolase activities from Lolium rigidum that hydrolyze ß -2,1- and ß -2,6-glycosidic linkages at different rates.  New Phytologist 131, 199-209.

 

  1. St. John JA, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1996.  A method for rapid quantification of sucrose and fructan oligosaccharides suitable for enzyme and physiological studies.  New Phytologist 134, 197-203.

 

  1. St. John JA, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ, Tanner GJ. 1997.  A fructan:fructan fructosyltransferase activity from Lolium rigidum.  New Phytologist 135, 235-247.

 

  1. St. John JA, Sims IM, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1997.  Identification of products formed by a fructan:fructan fructosyltransferase activity from Lolium rigidum.  New Phytologist 135, 249-257.

 

  1. St. John JA, Sims IM, Bonnett GD, Simpson RJ. 1997.  Synthesis of fructans by partially purified fructosyltransferase activities from Lolium rigidum.  New Phytologist 136, 39-51.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Sims IM, Simpson RJ, Cairns AJ. 1997.  Structural diversity of fructan in relation to the taxonomy of the Poaceae.  New Phytologist 136, 11-17.

 

  1. Cairns AJ, Bonnett GD, Gallagher JA, Simpson RJ, Pollock CJ. 1997. Fructan biosynthesis in excised leaves of Lolium temulentum.  VII.  Sucrose and fructan hydrolysis by a fructan-polymerizing enzyme preparation.  New Phytologist 136 61-72.

 

  1. Campbell JA, Kerslake RG, Tuckett PG, Bonnett GD.  1997. A controlled environment facility for investigating sugarcane physiology. Sugar Cane 1997(6) 4-8.

 

  1. Willenbrink J, Bonnett GD, Willenbrink S, Wardlaw IF. 1998.  Changes of enzyme activities associated with the mobilization of carbohydrate reserves (fructans) from the stem of wheat during kernal filling. New Phytologist 139, 471-478.

 

  1. Robertson MJ, Bonnett GD, Huges RM, Muchow RC, Campbell JA. 1998. Effects of temperature on leaf area expansion in sugarcane: controlled-environment, field and model analyses. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 25, 819-828.

 

  1. Bonnett GD. 1998.  Rate of leaf appearance in sugarcane, including a comparison of a range of varieties. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 25, 829-834.

 

  1. Bonnett, GD, Salter B, Albertson PL. 2001. The biology of suckers: late-formed shoots in sugarcane. Annals of Applied Biology 138, 17-26.

 

  1. Casu, RE, Dimmock, CM, Chapman, SC, Grof, CPL, McIntyre, CL, Bonnett, GD, Manners, JM. 2004. Identification of differentially expressed transcripts from maturing stem of sugarcane by in silico analysis of stem expressed sequence tags and gene expression profiling. Plant Molecular Biology 54, 503-517.

 

25.  Iskandar HM, Simpson RS, Casu RE, Bonnett GD., Maclean DJ, Manners JM. 2004. Comparison of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression in sugarcane. Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 22 325-337.

 

  1. Vickers, JE, Grof, CPL, Bonnett, GD, Jackson, PA, Knight, DP, Roberts, SE, Robinson, SP. 2005. Overexpression of Polyphenol oxidase in transgenic sugarcane results in darker juice and raw sugar. Crop Science 45 354-362.

 

  1. Vickers, JE, Grof, CPL, Bonnett, GD, Jackson, PA, Morgan, T.F. 2005. Effects of tissue culture, biolistic transformation, and introduction of PPO and SPS gene constructs on performance of sugarcane clones in the field. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56 57-68.

 

  1. Inman-Bamber NG, Bonnett GD, Smith MD, Thorburn PJ.  2005. Sugarcane physiology: Integrating from Cell to Crop to Advance Sugarcane Production. Field Crops Research 92 115-117.

 

  1. Casu Manners, JM, Bonnett, GD, Jackson, PA McIntyre CL, Dunne R, Chapman, SC, Rae, AL, Grof, CPL. 2005. Genomics approaches for the identification of genes determining important traits in sugarcane.  Field Crops Research 92 137-148.

 

  1. Berding N, Hurney AP, Salter B, Bonnett GD. 2005. Agronomic impact of sucker development in sugarcane under different environmental conditions. Field Crops Research 92 203-218.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Salter B, Berding N, Hurney AP. 2005. Environmental stimuli that promote sucker initiation in sugarcane. Field Crops Research 92 219-230.

 

  1. Rae, AL, Grof, CPL, Casu RE, Bonnett GD. 2005. Sucrose accumulation in the sugarcane stem; pathways and control points for transport and compartmentation. Field Crops Research 92 159-168.

 

33.  Bonnett GD, Hewitt ML.  2005. Numbers of pink sugarcane mealybug, Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell) (Hemiptera:Pseudococcidae), differs within seasons and among regions and stages of the sugarcane crop cycle. Australian Journal of Entomology 44, 304-309.

 

34.  Lakshmanan P, Geijskes RJ, Aitken KS, Grof CPL, Bonnett GD, Smith RG. 2005. Invited review - Sugarcane biotechnology: the challenges and opportunities. In Vitro Plant Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant. 41 345-363.

 

  1. Jackson PA, O’Shea MG, Rattey A, Bonnett GD, Lindeman F, Cox M, Vickers J, Morgan T. 2006. Effect of genotype and genotype x nitrogen rate interactions on colour in juice and raw sugar from sugarcane. Crop Science, 46:886-892.

 

  1. Grof CPL, So CTE, Perroux JM, Bonnett GD, Forrester RI. 2006. The five families of SPS genes in Saccharum spp. are differentially expressed in leaves and stem. Functional Plant Biology 33 605-610.

 

  1. McIntyre CL, Jackson M, Cordeiro G, Amouyal O, Elliot F, Henry RJ, Casu RE, Hermann S, Aitken KS, Bonnett GD. 2006. The identification and characterisation of alleles of sucrose phosphate synthase gene family III in sugarcane. Molecular Breeding 18 39-50.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Hewitt ML, Glassop D. 2006. The effects of high temperature on the growth and composition of sugarcane internodes. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 57 1087-1095.

 

  1. Casu RE, Jarmey JJ, Bonnett GD, Manners JM. 2007. Identification of transcripts associated with cell wall metabolism and development in the stem of sugarcane by Affymetrix Gene Chip expression profiling. Functional and Integrative Genomics 7 153-167.

 

  1. Fong Chong B, Bonnett GD, Glassop D, O’Shea MG, Brumbley SM.  2007. Growth and metabolism in sugarcane are altered by the creation of a new hexose-phosphate sink. Plant Biotechnology Journal 5 240-253.

 

  1. Glassop D, Roessner U, Bacic A, Bonnett GD. 2007. Changes in the sugarcane metabolome with stem development. Are they related to sucrose accumulation? Plant and Cell Physiology 48 573-584.

 

  1. Jackson MA, Rae AL, Casu RE, Grof CLP, Bonnett GD, Maclean DJ. 2007. A bioinformatic approach to the identification of a conserved domain in a sugarcane legumain that directs GFP to the lytic vacuole. Functional Plant Biology. 34 633-644.

 

  1. Grof CPL, Albertson PL, Bursle J, Perroux JM, Bonnett GD, Manners JM.  2007. Sucrose-phosphate synthase, a biochemical marker of high sucrose accumulation in sugarcane. Crop Science 47 1530-1539.

 

  1. Inman-Bamber, NG, Bonnett GD, Spillman MF, Hewitt ML, Jackson J. 2008 Increasing sucrose accumulation in sugarcane by manipulating leaf extension and photosynthesis with irrigation. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 59 13-26.

 

  1. Salter B, Bonnett G.D, Lawn R.J. 2008 Morphology of young sugarcane stalks produced at different stages of development. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 59 149-156.

 

  1. Bonnett G.D, Nowak E, Olivaries-Villegas J.J, Berding N, Morgan T, Aitken K.S. 2008. Identifying the risks of transgene escape from sugarcane crops to related species, with particular reference to Saccharum spontaneum in Australia. Tropical Plant Biology  1 58-71.

 

  1. Aitken KS, Hermann S, Karno, Bonnett GD, McIntyre CL, Jackson PA. 2008. Genetic control of yield related stalk traits in sugarcane. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 117 1191-1203.

 

  1. Mudge SR, Osabe K, Casu RE, Bonnett GD, Manners JM, Birch RG. 2009. Efficient silencing of reporter transgenes coupled to known functional promoters in sugarcane, a highly polyploidy crop species. Planta  229 549-558.

 

  1. Inman-Bamber NG, Bonnett GD, Spillman MF, Hewitt ML, Xu J. 2009. Genotype x water stress interactions influencing sucrose accumulation in sugarcane stalks. Crop and Pasture Science 60 (4) in press.

 

  1. Rae, AL, Jackson MA, Nguyen CH, Bonnett GD. 2009. Functional specialisation of vacuoles in sugarcane leaf and stem. Tropical Plant Biology in press

 

 

Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologists (refereed)

 

  1. Jackson P, Bonnett G, Chudleigh P, Hogarth M, Wood A. 2000. The relative importance of cane yield and traits affecting CCS in sugarcane varieties. Proc. Aust. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol 22, 23-29.

 

  1. Salter B, Bonnett GD. 2000. High soil nitrate concentrations during autumn and winter increase suckering.  Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologists 22, 322-327.

 

  1. Bohl HP, Bonnett GD, Fanning DJ, Rayment GE, Davidson AB 2002. Biological oxygen demand and sugars in irrigation water runoff from sugarcane fields. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 24, 297-303.

 

  1. Burry, RK., Bonnett GD. and Holtum JAM. 2004. Reassessing Waterlogging: Methods to compare the response of different sugarcane genotypes. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 26 CD

 

  1. Jackson, P.A., O’Shea H.G., Lindeman P.F., Rattey, A, Vickers J, Bonnett G. 2004. Effects of varieties and nitrogen fertilizer rate on colour and conductivity levels in sugarcane.  Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologists. 26 CD

 

  1. Bonnett GD., Berding N. Slater B, Hurney A. 2004. Suckering in the wet tropics: Consequences, environmental stimuli and potential solutions. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologists. 26 CD

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Hewitt ML, Salter B, Glassop D, Jackson PA, Foreman JW, Vickers JE, Grof CPL. 2005. Townsville Tall Plant Facility – Examples of its application for sugarcane research. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 27: 189-198.

 

  1. Rae AL., Bonnett GD.  Karno. 2006. Understanding stem development and sucrose accumulation to increase CCS. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 28 327-335.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Berding N, Morgan T, Fitzgerald P. 2007. Implementation of genetically modified sugarcane – the need for a better understanding of sexual reproduction. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 29 258-266.

 

  1. M. Pribil Hermann SR., Dun GD,  Karno, Ngo C, O’Neill, S,, Wang L, Bonnett GD, Chandler PM, Beveridge CA, Lakshmannan. 2007. Altering sugarcane shoot architecture through genetic engineering: prospects for increasing cane and sugar yield. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 29 251-257.

 

  1. Inman-Bamber NG, Bonnett GD, Thorburn PJ, Garside A, Berding N, Attard SJ 2008. Pointers for better farming and research from sugarcane physiology. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 30 231-240.

 

Other conference papers

 

  1. Simpson RJ, Pearce GR, Bonnett GD. 1990.  Opportunities to improve feeding value of annual ryegrass.  Proceedings of the annual ryegrass workshop. Waite Agricultural Research Institute, Adelaide. pp. 219-226.

 

  1. Bonnett GD, Stevenson KR, Simpson RJ. 1993.  Improvement of the feeding value of senescent grass pastures by molecular genetic manipulation.  Proceedings of the XVII International Grasslands Congress 1993: 1093-1095.

 

  1. Incoll LD, Bonnett GD. 1996.  Fructans in the Compositae - a short review.  In P.D.S. Caligari and D.J.N. Hind (eds). Compositae: Biology and Utilization. Proceedings of the International Compositae Conference, Kew, 1994. (D.J.N. Hind, Editor in Chief), Vol 2 pp. 401-413.  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

 

  1. Campbell JA, Bonnett GD. 1996.  Sugarcane growth in a controlled environment II: Comparison with growth in field environments.  In Sugarcane: Research Towards Efficient and Sustainable Production. Wilson JR, Hogarth DM, Campbell JA and Garside AL (Eds). CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures, Brisbane pp.77-81.

 

  1. Jackson P, Bonnet G, Chudleigh P, Wood A, Hogarth M. 1999. Whole of industry economic evaluation of new sugarcane varieties.  11th Australian Plant Breeding Conference Proceedings Adelaide, 19-23 April 1999 Volume 2.

 

  1. Bonnett G, Casu R, Rae A. Grof C, Glassop D, McIntyre L, Manners J. 2004. Identification of genes contributing to high sucrose accumulation in sugarcane. Proceedings of the 4th International Crop Science Congress.

 

  1. Manners J, McIntyre L, Casu R, Cordeiro G, Jackson M, Aitken K, Jackson P, Bonnett G, Lee S, and Henry R. 2004. Can genomics revolutionise genetics and breeding in sugarcane? Proceedings of the 4th International Crop Science Congress.

 

  1. Inman-Bamber NG, Bonnett GD, Singels A, Thorburn PJ. 2005. Directions for R&D and cane growing from an International review on sugarcane physiology. Proceedings of the South African Sugarcane Technology 79 473-490.

 

  1. Fitzgerald P and Bonnett G. 2007. Research Strategies for future Farming Systems – GM sugarcane. In Research and Development Strategies to Advance the Australian Sugarcane Industry. SRDC Technical Report 1/2007. pp 94-115. SRDC, Brisbane.

 

  1. Rae AL., Bonnett GD.  Karno. 2007. Understanding stem development and sucrose accumulation to increase CCS. Sugar Cane International. 25 (3) 3-7. (reprinted from Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 28 327-335.).

 

  1. Inman-Bamber NG, Bonnett GD, Thorburn PJ, Garside A, Berding N, Attard SJ 2008. Pointers for better farming and research from sugarcane physiology. Sugar Cane International  26 (4) in press (reprinted from Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 30 231-240.).