NSW Department of Primary Industries technical officer Ashlea Webster has been recognised as an agricultural innovator in the 2019 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
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Recipient of the AgriFutures Australia Award, Ms Webster is developing a speedy and portable soil test to replicate complex laboratory analysis as part of her work with the DPI Australian Inoculants Research Group.
Ms Webster said it was exciting to have the opportunity to carry out this research, expand her skills and engage with farmers.
"I hope to be able to deliver an innovative and useful testing method to legume growers, helping them to optimise farming decisions, with a focus on reducing nitrogen input and promoting sustainability," she said.
"The funding is for a 12 month project, so all going well, I am hoping to have the assays developed, ready to conduct field trials with the AIRG team this time next year."
Ms Webster's research aims to unlock the DNA code of key rhizobia and build a portable device to test rhizobial soil activity in the field and give farmers results in a matter of hours.
“Rhizobia inoculants play an import role in legume production, working in a symbiotic relationship with plants, allowing legumes to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and grow,” she said.
“Rhizobia contribute billions to Australian agriculture each year and my aim is to deliver cost-effective technology which will help farmers gain an immediate insight into the relationship between their soil and plants."
ms Webster said farmers would be able to use the results to better inform crop management decisions.
“Using genomic sequences of the DNA of 21 rhizobia strains, the project will develop molecular assays which can determine which strains are working in the crop and soil.
“We are using a small thermocycler, a machine used in molecular biology to make copies of a specific DNA segments, and will be able to run diagnostic tests using power from a car battery or solar panel.”
Once the test has been developed the plan is to use this portable device in the paddock to support farmers growing legume crops by ensuring the right bacteria are working to help crops fix as much nitrogen as they can.
