Professor Peter J. Sharp

Research interests

I am interested in molecular plant breeding to improve not only quality of the crops, but also to increase adaptation of the varieties. My research is focused wheat genetics and is in two main areas: the identification and use of molecular markers in wheat breeding, and the identification of useful genetic variation in wheat. The molecular marker work is largely on identification of molecular markers linked to quality and disease resistances. My work to identify sources of variation has been concentrated on starch properties, but has expanded to other traits. In addition to molecular marker technology, I use the tools of TILLING (mutagenesis coupled with high through-put SNP screening), and proteomics as tools in finding and following genetic variation.

Background

Peter Sharp’s career began with completing a BAgSc(Hons), majoring in Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University of Adelaide, and doing a PhD in genetics at the same university. He was employed at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge (UK) for 6 years and joined the University of Sydney in 1989. Peter Sharp was appointed as a Professor of Molecular Plant Breeding in 2003. Professor Sharp has gained recognition as a world leader in plant and molecular genetics and plant biotechnology, particularly in the application of the latest advances in basic research for the improvement of commercial crops.

He is the Director of the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute, that has two sites, at Cobbitty near Sydney, and at Narrabri, in the north-west of NSW.

Recent publications

• Dong C, Dalton-Morgan J, Vincent K, Sharp P. 2009 A modified TILLING method for wheat breeding. The Plant Genome 2: 39-47.
• Mak YM, Willows RD, Roberts TH, Wrigley CW, Sharp PJ, Copeland L. 2009 Germination of wheat: a functional proteomics analysis of the embryo. Cereal Chemistry 86: 281-289.
• Cane, K., Sharp, P.J., Eagles, H.A., Eastwood, R.F., Hollamby, G.J., Kuchel, H., Lu, M., Martin, P.J. The effects on grain quality traits of a grain serpin protein and the VPM1 segment in southern Australian wheat breeding. (2008) Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 59, pp. 883-890.
• Tan, M.-K., Sharp, P.J., Lu, M.-Q., Howes, N. Genetics of grain dormancy in a white wheat (2006) Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 57, pp. 1157-1165.
• Akbari M, Wenzl P, Caig V, Carling J, Xia L, Yang S, Uszynski G, Mohler V, Lehmensiek A, Kuchel H, Hayden MJ, Howes N, Sharp P, Vaughan P, Rathmell B, Huttner E, Kilian A. 2006 Diversity arrays technology (DArT) for high-throughput profiling of the hexaploid wheat genome. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 113: 1409–1420.
• Hayden, M.J., Stephenson, P., Logojan, A.M., Khatkar, D., Rogers, C., Elsden, J., Koebner, R.M.D., Snape, J.W., Sharp, P.J. Development and genetic mapping of sequence-tagged microsatellites (STMs) in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (2006) Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 113, pp. 1271-1281.

Contact

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