Dr Tariq Chattha
Summary
I have a passion to: develop high performance plant based technologies suited to heat prone water deficit environments, and promote knowledge and introduce innovations to improve energy harvest from plant based renewable energy resources.
Research interests
I am interested, and involved in the utilization of genetic resources for the changing global climate. The issues immediately emerging out of recent changes in environment changes have favored the adoption of resource conservation farming. There is a need to promote knowledge about the available options, and to create novel genetic variability befitting to the new scenarios.
Conservation agriculture has improved the sustainability of cropping systems and reduced the costs of production. However, with the exception of improved disease resistance, the ability of the plant breeders to breed cultivars better adapted to these systems is still to be investigated. The development of better adapted cultivars is dependent upon the existence of genotype x tillage interactions among the breeder’s parental materials. We are conducting experiments to test the efficacy of field crops’ germplasm to adapt to various conservation agriculture regimes.
While a variety of approaches are available to create genetic variability and improve selection, we are focusing on defining the ‘target population of environment’ (TPE) and progressing towards the development of breeding program gene pool, identification of suitable land races, development of synthetic hexaploid wheat, and alien introgression.
Our current national and international projects include:
- Genotype x Tillage interactions in broad acre crops and their implications for cultivar improvement.
- The potential of Indian mustard for biodiesel production in northwestern NSW.
- Generating new wheat germplasm with enhanced drought/heat tolerance using AB genome genetic diversity.
- Development of UG-99 resistant wheat germplasm.
Background
Tariq Chattha was a research officer for the soil salinity research institute in Pakistan from 1988 to 2000. He came to the University of Sydney that same year as a research fellow working on determination of starch quality, and development of new wheat germplasm. In 2003 he was appointed as an associate professor in Pakistan, and in 2004 he returned to USyd as a visiting scientist. In January of 2009 he became a research scientist for the Faculty.
Contact
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