Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Australian Satire'

This thesis examines the contemporary interplay between satire and politics, arguing that it has contributed to three significant shifts within political discourse. Firstly, certain satires are now being used as trusted, legitimate sources of political information and truth. Secondly, politicians increasingly engage with satire in ways that suggest a political attempt at co-option. Finally, online “citizen satire” has, due to the global flow of information, started to contribute to political debates in offline traditional media.

This thesis examines the changing relationships between television, politics, audiences and the public sphere. Premised on the notion that mediated politics is now understood “in new ways by new voices” (Jones, 2005: 4), and appropriating what McNair (2003) calls a “chaos theory” of journalism sociology, this thesis explores how two different contemporary Australian political television programs (Sunrise and The Chaser’s War on Everything) are viewed, understood, and used by audiences. In analysing these programs from textual, industry and audience perspectives, this thesis argues that journalism has been largely thought about in overly simplistic binary terms which have failed to reflect the reality of audiences’ news consumption patterns. The findings of this thesis suggest that both ‘soft’ infotainment (Sunrise) and ‘frivolous’ satire (The Chaser’s War on Everything) are used by audiences in intricate ways as sources of political information, and thus these TV programs (and those like them) should be seen as legitimate and valuable forms of public knowledge production. It therefore might be more worthwhile for scholars to think about, research and teach journalism in the plural: as a series of complementary or antagonistic journalisms, rather than as a single coherent entity.

This thesis examines the changing relationships between television, politics, audiences and the public sphere. Premised on the notion that mediated politics is now understood “in new ways by new voices” (Jones, 2005: 4), and appropriating what McNair (2003) calls a “chaos theory” of journalism sociology, this thesis explores how two different contemporary Australian political television programs (Sunrise and The Chaser’s War on Everything) are viewed, understood, and used by audiences. In analysing these programs from textual, industry and audience perspectives, this thesis argues that journalism has been largely thought about in overly simplistic binary terms which have failed to reflect the reality of audiences’ news consumption patterns. The findings of this thesis suggest that both ‘soft’ infotainment (Sunrise) and ‘frivolous’ satire (The Chaser’s War on Everything) are used by audiences in intricate ways as sources of political information, and thus these TV programs (and those like them) should be seen as legitimate and valuable forms of public knowledge production. It therefore might be more worthwhile for scholars to think about, research and teach journalism in the plural: as a series of complementary or antagonistic journalisms, rather than as a single coherent entity.

This exegesis covers a period of research and art practice spanning from 2004 to 2007. I have combined visual arts with theoretical research practice that considers the notion of Australian colonialism via a post colonial construct. I have questioned how visual arts can convey various conditions relationships between settler and Indigenous cultures and in doing so have drawn on both personal art practice and the works of Australian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. These references demonstrate an ongoing examination of black and white relations portrayed in art, ranging from the drawings of convict artist, Joseph Lycett, through to the post federation stance of Margaret Preston, whose works expressed a renewal of interest in Indigenous culture. In applying a research approach, I have utilised a Narrative Enquiry methodology with a comparative paradigm within a Creative Research framework, which allows for various interpretations of my themes through both text and visuals. These applications also express a personal view that has been formed from family and workplace experiences. These include cultural influences from my settler family history and settler historical events in general juxtaposed with an accumulated knowledge base that has evolved from my personal and professional experience within Indigenous arts and education. I have also cited examples from Australian colonial and postcolonial art and literature that have influenced the development of my visual language. These include applying stylistic approaches that incorporate various artistic aspects of figuration and the Picturesque and literal thematic mode based on satire and social commentary. Overall, my research work also expresses an ongoing and evolving process that has been guided and influenced by current Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian postcolonial critical thinking and arts criticism, assisting within the development of my personal views and philosophies .This process has supported the formation of a belief system that I believe has matured throughout my research and art practices, providing a personal confidence to assert my own analytical stance on colonial history.

This study arose out of what I saw as a gap in the criticism of Patrick White's fiction in which satire and its related subversive forms are largely overlooked. It consequently reads five of White's post-1948 novels from the standpoint of satire. It discusses the history and various theories of satire to develop an analytic framework appropriate to his satire and it conducts a comprehensive review of the critical literature to account for the development of the dominant orthodox religious approach to his fiction. It compares aspects of White's satire to aspects of the satire produced by some of the notable exemplars of the English and American traditions and it takes issue with a number of the readings produced by the religious and other established approaches to White's fiction. I initially establish White as a satirist by elaborating the social satire that emerges incidentally in The Tree of Man and rather more episodically in Voss. I investigate White's sources for Voss to shed light on the extent of his engagement with history, on his commitment to historical accuracy, and on the extent to which this is a serious high-minded historical work in which he seeks to teach us more about our selves, particularly about our history and identity. The way White expands his satire in Voss given that it is an eminently historical novel is instructive in terms of his purposes. I illustrate White's burgeoning use of satire by elaborating the extended and sometimes extravagant satire that he develops in Riders in the Chariot, by investigating the turn inwards upon his own creative activity that occurs when he experiments with a variant subversive form, satire by parody, in The Eye of the Storm, and by examining his use of the devices, tropes, and strategies of post-modem grotesque satire in The Twyborn Affair. My reading of White's novels from the standpoint of satire enables me to identify an important development within his oeuvre that involves a shift away from the symbolic realism of The Aunt's Story (1948) and the two novels that precede it to a mode of writing that is initially historical in The Tree of Man and Voss but which becomes increasingly satirical as White expands his satire and experiments with such related forms as burlesque, parody, parodic satire, and grotesque satire in his subsequent novels. I thus chart a change in the nature of his satire that reflects a dramatic movement away from the ontological concerns of modernism to the epistemological concerns of post-modernism. Consequent upon this, I pinpoint the changes in the philosophy that his satire bears as its ultimate meaning. I examine the links between the five novels and White's own period to establish the socio-historical referentiality of his satire. I argue that because his engagement with Australian history, society, and culture, is ongoing and thorough, then these five novels together comprise a subjective history of the period, serving to complement our knowledge in these areas. This study demonstrates that White's writing, because of the ongoing development of his satire, is never static but ever-changing. He is not simply or exclusively a religious or otherwise metaphysical novelist, or a symbolist-allegorist, or a psychological realist, or any other kind of generic writer. Finally, I demonstrate that White exceeds the categories that his critics have tried to impose upon him.

Chestnut rot of Castanea sativa Mill. (European chestnut) and Castanea crenata Siebold and Zucc. (Japanese chestnut) x Castanea sativa hybrids is a significant problem facing the Australian chestnut industry. It affects the chestnut kernel, manifesting as pale, medium and dark brown lesions occurring on the endosperm and embryo. Previous surveys of Melbourne Markets showed losses to chestnut rot up to 40% (Anderson 1993)*. This equates to losses of $5.2M in 2010; using projected production figures (HAL 2007). This research project was undertaken to create a better understanding of the scope and distribution of the chestnut rot problem in south-eastern Australia; clarify the confusion surrounding the taxonomy of the chestnut rot pathogen; elucidate the infection process and disease cycle; investigate the effectiveness of flotation disease grading as a post-harvest method of removing rotten chestnuts; and provide recommendations to growers on how to reduce the incidence of chestnut rot in their orchards. Twenty-two orchards were surveyed in 2008 and 21 in 2009, across New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC) (Chapter 2). The highest incidence of chestnut rot at individual orchards was 72%. Incidence varied widely between and within orchards between the two years sampled. Chestnut rot was present in all of the sampled 2 orchards. The important commercial varieties Decoppi Marone (DM), Purton’s Pride (PP), Red Spanish (RS) all displayed examples of both high incidence (>1%), and acceptable incidence (0-1%). This indicates these varieties are susceptible under the right conditions. There was a positive correlation between incidence and December rainfall of the previous year, indicating environmental factors as key to the infection process. In 2008 and 2009, surveys of Sydney Markets showed incidence >1% (2008: varieties DM, PP; 2009: varieties RS, PP), indicating that these varieties were capable of being affected by chestnut rot. Chestnut rot has recently been reported as caused by two fungal species, minorly in New Zealand by Diaporthe castaneti Nitschke. and majorly in Australia and New Zealand by Gnomonia pascoe prov. nom. (Smith and Ogilvy 2008). The current study only observed one causal agent of chestnut rot in Australia, the novel taxon, Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi sp. nov. Isolates of G. smithogilvyi were obtained from tissues including rotten chestnuts collected in surveys of NSW and VIC, as ascospores from dead burrs from NSW, and as endophytes from asymptomatic female and male flowers, leaves, and stems from NSW. Morphology and phylogenetics were used to elucidate the taxonomy of the fungus. Morphological examination of G. smithogilvyi included the teleomorph from burrs (perithecia, asci, ascospore characters), and the anamorph in culture (colony, conidiomata and conidia characters). The RNA polymerase II (rpb2), internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 3 2 encompassing the 5.8S rDNA (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α), and beta-tubulin (β-tubulin) gene loci were sequenced and analysed in the context of the Diaporthales Nannf., Gnomoniaceae Winter. and Gnomoniopsis Berl. All of the chestnut rot isolates, ascospore isolates, and endophyte isolates on Castanea sativa, and Castanea crenata x C. sativa hybrids in Australia (NSW and VIC) were identified as G. smithogilvyi. An ITS phylogeny analysing the G. smithogilvyi isolates from the current Australian study with isolates of Gnomoniopsis on C. sativa from India, C. sativa from Italy, and C. crenata, C. sativa, and Castanea sp. from New Zealand (Chapter 3) grouped the Australian isolates, the Indian isolates, 17 of the 19 Italian isolates, and 3 of the 4 New Zealand isolates in the same lineage with 100% maximum parsimony (MP) bootstrap support, and 1.0 Bayesian posterior probability (BP). This suggests all these isolates belong to the genus Gnomoniopsis, and are highly likely to be G. smithogilvyi. A multi-gene phylogeny needs to be completed with all of these isolates to unequivocally determine if they are G. smithogilvyi. One of the 4 New Zealand isolates grouped with Gnomoniopsis paraclavulata in this analysis indicating that there is likely to be more than one species of Gnomoniopsis on Castanea spp. in New Zealand. Subsequent to the publication of G. smithogilvyi (Shuttleworth et al. 2012a), Gnomonia pascoe prov. nom. and a recently published taxon reported as the casual agent of nut rot of Castanea sativa in Italy, Gnomoniopsis castanea were all found to be synonyms of G. smithogilvyi based on 4 morphology and a two gene phylogeny (ITS, tef1-α) (Chapter 3). Chapters 3, 4 and 5 isolated the G. smithogilvyi in its anamorph form from rotten chestnuts, in its teleomorph form as a saprobe on dead burrs, and as an endophyte isolated from asymptomatic floral and vegetative chestnut tissues. Historically, there has been significant movement of chestnuts and budwood from Europe to Australia. It is therefore possible that the G. smithogilvyi was imported to Australia from Europe. The fungus could also potentially have been introduced from Japan, China, or the USA as Castanea from these countries have all been transported to Australia. There is also a possibility that the fungus has an endemic Australian origin. Further work with native plant species needs to be completed to determine if this is the case. The fungus could also have been transported between orchards in Australia and New Zealand by exchange of chestnuts and budwood between the two countries. G. smithogilvyi was isolated as an endophyte from various vegetative and floral tissues of Castanea in December 2008, and February, April, August, and December 2009 from an orchard in Mullion Creek, NSW (Chapter 4). The ranking of highest to lowest isolation frequency in chestnut tissues was female flowers (December 2008), mature burr equators, mature pedicels, living male flowers, dead male flowers, terminal leaf margins (April 2009), dead styles, dormant terminal buds, immature burr equators, pedicels (February 2009), leaf mid-veins, current-year stems (August 2009, 5 February 2009), and mature shell equators (April 2009). All other tissue types had ≤20% isolation frequency including current-year stems (December 2008, April 2009), 2 year-old stems, petioles, mature kernels, female flowers (December 2009), immature shell equators, living male flowers (December 2009) and 3 and 4 year-old bark. The endophyte was not isolated from 3 and 4 year-old xylem. There was a decreasing trend of isolation with increasing age of chestnut tissues in four of the five months. There was also a 72% reduction in isolation frequency from female flowers between 2008 (82%) and 2009 (10%), indicating a dynamic distribution of the fungus in chestnut flowers that changes over time. It also suggests a seasonal infection of female chestnut flowers. All tested varieties (DM, PP, RS) had the chestnut rot endophyte isolated from their tissues, indicating that they have the potential to be affected by chestnut rot. The observation of chestnut rot perithecia on burrs is central to the hypothesis of a floral infection by ascospores. This study observed G. smithogilvyi on dead burrs and branches in Mullion Creek, NSW (Chapters 3, 4). This observation of perithecia and ascospores on burrs supports the hypothesis of a floral infection. Ascospore infection of chestnut flowers has previously been found to be the primary stage of infection leading to chestnut rot. In this study ascospores were captured on PDA plates in a closed chamber laboratory experiment with chestnut burrs containing overwintered perithecia and ascospores of the G. smithogilvyi (Chapter 5). Three 6 colonies of the G. smithogilvyi anamorph grew in the second week of incubation. The incubation temperature was stable for the duration of the experiment at 23oC, suggesting fluctuations in temperature are not required for ascospore release, with moisture and humidity likely to be more important. A isolate that was grown from an ascospore was identified using morphological and molecular techniques. A segment of the ITS region of rDNA was sequenced and analysed. The captured ascospore isolate was morphologically identical to G. smithogilvyi, and it grouped next to G. smithogilvyi in the maximum parsimony (MP) ITS phylogenetic tree indicating the isolate is G. smithogilvyi. This experiment indicates that ascospores are released from the dead burrs into the air where they can potentially infect chestnut flowers, again supporting the floral infection hypothesis. Ascospores were found to be the primary source of inoculum in the infection of chestnut flowers, leaves and stems in December, leading to chestnut rot symptoms the following year. Chestnut rot ascospores were captured using a Burkard Volumetric Spore-Trap in an orchard in Mullion Creek, NSW (Chapter 5). The instrument was also used to determine daily patterns in ascospore capture from the orchard atmosphere. The highest mean hourly frequency of ascospore capture was 165 ascospores per m3 of air at 10pm. The time period of peak ascospore capture was between 8-11 pm and between 7-9 am. These times of ascospore capture correspond to sunset and the hours following sunset, and the hours following sunrise. No rain fell during the sampling 7 period, indicating ascospores are released even in the absence of rain. Flotation disease grading is a post-harvest method used to separate rotten chestnuts from healthy ones. Chestnuts that float are considered rotten, those that sink considered healthy. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of flotation disease grading as a post-harvest method of removing chestnuts affected by chestnut rot (Chapter 6). Hot water treatment of chestnuts has also been found to be effective against fungal growth on chestnut shells and therefore a desirable treatment method used in combination with flotation disease grading. The temperatures tested were 4oC, 30oC, 50oC, 60oC, and 70oC. Both floating and sinking chestnuts were affected by chestnut rot. The method was most discriminating with water at 70oC, although 22 out of 80 of the chestnuts that sank were rotten in this treatment. The method was observed to work well on chestnuts that are highly desiccated, but less effectively on chestnuts with minor chestnut rot symptoms. However, there are many more rotten non-desiccated chestnuts than desiccated ones. This is a problem because non-desiccated rotten chestnuts increase in chestnut rot with increasing time in storage, especially after 60 days (Anderson 1993). Flotation disease grading needs to be used with caution as the method can potentially reduce grower profits by identifying healthy chestnuts as rotten and mis-identifying rotten chestnuts as healthy. Potential losses from mis-identified chestnuts in this experiment was calculated as 160-260 kg of chestnuts per metric tonne (t), valued at $800-$1300 per t.

Salinity is a limiting factor for rice production globally. Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) is highly sensitive to salinity. I studied the salt tolerance of Australian wild Oryza species to identify diversity in salt tolerance and target genes for molecular breeding. I first performed two physiological salt-screening experiments on nine wild accessions from a range of sites across northern Australia for growth responses to NaCl up to 120 mM. Screens at 40–100 mM NaCl revealed considerable variation in salt sensitivity in accessions of O. meridionalis (Om) and O. australiensis (Oa). Growth of an Oa accession (Oa-VR) was especially salt tolerant compared with other accessions, including a salt-tolerant ‘control’ of O. sativa, Pokkali. At 80 mM NaCl, the shoot Na+/K+ ratio was the lowest in Oa-VR and Pokkali. An image-based screen was then conducted to quantify plant responses to different levels of salinity over 30 d. This revealed striking levels of salt tolerance supporting the earlier screens. Root membrane fractions of two Oa accessions with contrasting salinity tolerance (Oa-VR and Oa-D) were subjected to quantitative proteomics to identify candidate proteins contributing to salt tolerance. Plants were exposed to 80 mM NaCl for 30 d. Root proteins were analysed via tandem mass tag (TMT) labelling. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations of differentially abundant proteins showed those in the categories ‘metabolic process’, ‘transport’ and ‘transmembrane transporter’ were highly responsive to salt. mRNA quantification validated the elevated protein abundances of a monosaccharide transporter and a VAMP-like antiporter in the salt-tolerant genotype. The importance of these two proteins was confirmed by measuring growth responses to salt in two yeast mutants in which genes homologous to those encoding these two proteins in rice had been knocked out. This study provided insights into physiological and molecular mechanisms of salinity responses in Australian native rice species.

The word 'marijuana' was introduced to Australia by the US Bureau of Narcotics via the Diggers newspaper, Smith's Weekly, in 1938. Marijuana was said to be 'a new drug that maddens victims' and it was sensationally described as an 'evil sex drug'. The resulting tabloid furore saw the plant cannabis sativa banned in Australia, even though cannabis had been a well-known and widely used drug in Australia for many decades. In 1964, a massive infestation of wild cannabis was found growing along a stretch of the Hunter River between Singleton and Maitland in New South Wales. The explosion in Australian marijuana use began there. It was fuelled after 1967 by US soldiers on rest and recreation leave from Vietnam. It was the Baby-Boomer young who were turning on. Pot smoking was overwhelmingly associated with the generation born in the decade after the Second World War. As the conflict over the Vietnam War raged in Australia, it provoked intense generational conflict between the Baby-Boomers and older generations. Just as in the US, pot was adopted by Australian Baby-Boomers as their symbol; and, as in the US, the attack on pot users served as code for an attack on the young, the Left, and the alternative. In 1976, the 'War on Drugs' began in earnest in Australia with paramilitary attacks on the hippie colonies at Cedar Bay in Queensland and Tuntable Falls in New South Wales. It was a time of increasing US style prohibition characterised by 'tough-on-drugs' right-wing rhetoric, police crackdowns, numerous murders, and a marijuana drought followed quickly by a heroin plague; in short by a massive worsening of 'the drug problem'. During this decade, organised crime moved into the pot scene and the price of pot skyrocketed, reaching $450 an ounce in 1988. Thanks to the Americanisation of drugs policy, the black market made 'a killing'. In Marijuana Australiana I argue that the 'War on Drugs' developed -- not for health reasons -- but for reasons of social control; as a domestic counter-revolution against the Whitlamite, Baby-Boomer generation by older Nixonite Drug War warriors like Queensland Premier, Bjelke-Petersen. It was a misuse of drugs policy which greatly worsened drug problems, bringing with it American-style organised crime. As the subtitle suggests, Marijuana Australiana relies significantly on 'alternative' sources, and I trawl the waters of popular culture, looking for songs, posters, comics and underground magazines to produce an 'underground' history of cannabis in Australia. This 'pop' approach is balanced with a hard-edged, quantitative analysis of the size of the marijuana market, the movement of price, and the seizure figures in the section called 'History By Numbers'. As Alfred McCoy notes, we need to understand drugs as commodities. It is only through a detailed understanding of the drug trade that the deeper secrets of this underground world can be revealed. In this section, I present an economic history of the cannabis market and formulate three laws of the market.

[Truncated abstract] In southern Western Australia the replacement of deep-rooted native vegetation with annual species has resulted in rising water tables and increased salinity due to insufficient water use. The area has a Mediterranean-type climate where rainfall during summer is generally low but variable resulting in limited plant growth. However, if rainfall does occur it potentially can contribute to to the increased water excess or drainage by increasing the soil water content before the main drainage period in winter. The first study investigated factors controlling soil water content changes during the fallow (December to May) in annual farming systems. This was achieved by examining variation in available soil water storage to a depth of 1.0-1.5 m at three sites within 13 seasons. Reasons for the variation were examined using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM). This study also investigated the relationship between soil water content at the end of the fallow period (1 May) and the amount of drainage below 2.5 m by using APSIM coupled to historical weather records at three locations. At the end of the fallow a mean of 24 mm (or 25%) of rainfall during the fallow was retained in the soil. Losses of soil water during the fallow were due to evaporation (mean of 60 mm), transpiration from plant cover (mean of 12 mm) and drainage below the root zone and run off (combined mean of 13 mm). Soil water accumulation during the fallow period had a significant impact on simulated drainage under wheat in the following growing season. Every 1 mm increase in soil wetness at the end of the fallow resulted in a 0.7-1 mm increase in simulated drainage during the growing season. ... Variation in the water excess due to variation in rainfall was greater than the reduction in water excess due to lucerne. This makes the decisions about when to grow lucerne to reduce water excess difficult if livestock enterprises are less profitable than cropping enterprises. The findings of this PhD indicate that lucerne does have a place in Mediterranean-type environments because of its greater water use than current farming practices. However, its use needs to be strategic and the strategy will vary from region to region. For example, in the low rainfall region lucerne sowings need to be matched with high soil water contents and phase length will generally be short (2-3 years). In comparison at high rainfall regions lucerne will need to be grown for longer or combined with other strategies to increase water use.

The word 'marijuana' was introduced to Australia by the US Bureau of Narcotics via the Diggers newspaper, Smith's Weekly, in 1938. Marijuana was said to be 'a new drug that maddens victims' and it was sensationally described as an 'evil sex drug'. The resulting tabloid furore saw the plant cannabis sativa banned in Australia, even though cannabis had been a well-known and widely used drug in Australia for many decades. In 1964, a massive infestation of wild cannabis was found growing along a stretch of the Hunter River between Singleton and Maitland in New South Wales. The explosion in Australian marijuana use began there. It was fuelled after 1967 by US soldiers on rest and recreation leave from Vietnam. It was the Baby-Boomer young who were turning on. Pot smoking was overwhelmingly associated with the generation born in the decade after the Second World War. As the conflict over the Vietnam War raged in Australia, it provoked intense generational conflict between the Baby-Boomers and older generations. Just as in the US, pot was adopted by Australian Baby-Boomers as their symbol; and, as in the US, the attack on pot users served as code for an attack on the young, the Left, and the alternative. In 1976, the 'War on Drugs' began in earnest in Australia with paramilitary attacks on the hippie colonies at Cedar Bay in Queensland and Tuntable Falls in New South Wales. It was a time of increasing US style prohibition characterised by 'tough-on-drugs' right-wing rhetoric, police crackdowns, numerous murders, and a marijuana drought followed quickly by a heroin plague; in short by a massive worsening of 'the drug problem'. During this decade, organised crime moved into the pot scene and the price of pot skyrocketed, reaching $450 an ounce in 1988. Thanks to the Americanisation of drugs policy, the black market made 'a killing'. In Marijuana Australiana I argue that the 'War on Drugs' developed -- not for health reasons -- but for reasons of social control; as a domestic counter-revolution against the Whitlamite, Baby-Boomer generation by older Nixonite Drug War warriors like Queensland Premier, Bjelke-Petersen. It was a misuse of drugs policy which greatly worsened drug problems, bringing with it American-style organised crime. As the subtitle suggests, Marijuana Australiana relies significantly on 'alternative' sources, and I trawl the waters of popular culture, looking for songs, posters, comics and underground magazines to produce an 'underground' history of cannabis in Australia. This 'pop' approach is balanced with a hard-edged, quantitative analysis of the size of the marijuana market, the movement of price, and the seizure figures in the section called 'History By Numbers'. As Alfred McCoy notes, we need to understand drugs as commodities. It is only through a detailed understanding of the drug trade that the deeper secrets of this underground world can be revealed. In this section, I present an economic history of the cannabis market and formulate three laws of the market.

This project is a comprehensive study on salinity tolerance in Australian wild rice species and the potential applications of CRISPR/Cas9 on improving salinity tolerance in cultivated rice. Salinity tolerance mechanisms in wild rice were investigated by using a high throughput screening technique to assess the morphological and physiological responses. The knowledge of mechanisms from wild rice was manipulated in cultivated rice using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. The results of this study indicate the potential of wild rice as a genetic resource and CRISPR/Cas9 as an approach to improve salinity tolerance in cultivated rice Oryza sativa L.

[Truncated abstract] Industrial processing to refine alumina from bauxite ore produces millions of tonnes of refining residue each year in Australia. Revegetation of bauxite residue sand (BRS) is problematic for a number of reasons. Harsh chemical conditions caused by residual NaOH from ore digestion mean plants must overcome extremely high pH (initially >12), saline and sodic conditions. At such high pH, manganese (Mn) is rapidly oxidised from Mn2+ to Mn4+. Plants can take up only Mn2+. Thus, Mn deficiency is common in plants used for direct BRS revegetation, and broadcast Mn fertilisers have low residual value. Added to this, physical conditions of low water-holding capacity and a highly compactable structure make BRS unfavourable for productive plant growth without constant and large inputs of water as well as Mn. However, environmental regulations stipulate that the residue disposal area at Pinjarra, Western Australia, be revegetated to conform with surrounding land uses. The major land use of the area is pasture for grazing stock. Hence, pasture revegetation with minimum requirement for fertiliser and water application is desirable. This thesis investigates a number of avenues with potential for maintaining a productive pasture system on BRS whilst reducing the current level of Mn fertiliser and irrigation input. Emphasis was placed on elucidation of chemical and physical factors affecting Mn availability to plants in BRS

This thesis focuses on the fact that although David Williamson’s popular appeal is attested to by his continuing commercial success in a career of over thirty-five years, a consistent stream of adverse criticism has nevertheless been levelled at his work on the basis of perceived superficiality and glibness. The term 'sugared placebos' was employed to describe the truncation of characterisation and treatment of ideas in Williamson’s work (Fitzpatrick 'Styles of Love: New Directions in David Williamson' 416). In examining and explaining the presence of satire and farce in his plays, this thesis interrogated the nature of both satire and farce to establish the accuracy of the term ‘sugared placebos’ when applied to Williamson’s work, and suggests that instead what is produced is a valuable curative. The thesis involved examining the concept of superficiality as a basis of criticism in a postmodern world and sought to connect this perceived superficiality with the presence of satire and farce in Williamson’s work. The naturalist text of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts was evaluated to establish the validity of stereotypes and genre-blending in a foundational naturalistic text. Using Ghosts as a paradigm against which to compare Williamson’s work, it was established that through a confluence of satire, farce, and irony Williamson creates his unique interpretation of “naturalism” by reflecting the patterns of behaviour of certain individuals in social situations. The study found that like Ibsen before him, Williamson also contends that individuals are strongly conditioned by their society and the enduring and universal emotions they carry from their deep past are endemic of all cultures at all times. A further outcome from the study revealed that far from being 'superficial' Williamson’s use of satire and farce renders his naturalism ironic, while at the same time providing a deep and profound social commentary. In addition, it was found that Williamson’s characters, although robustly Australian and located in the history of their times have, become iconic representations of universal verities that present audiences with deeper truths about their humanity.

Смаковська А. І. Засоби передачі гумору в тексті австралійського анекдоту : кваліфікаційна робота магістра спеціальності 035 "Філологія" / наук. керівник Т. О. Козлова. Запоріжжя : ЗНУ, 2021. 52 с.
EN : The work is presented on 52 pages of printed text. The list of references includes 73 sources. The presented paper is dedicated to the analysis of such a topical problem as the linguistic means of humoristic effects in Australian jokes. The object of the work can be defined as modern humorous texts and jokes. The main aim of the paper consists in analyzing the means and methods of creating a humorous effect in the texts of Australian English-language jokes. It determined the accomplishment of such objectives as: – providing the most relevant meaning of comic and humor; – analysis and classification of lexical means of transmitting humor in anecdotes; – identifying the functional properties of humor in modern communication; – analysis of cultural values of Australian society. The definition of a «humor» is offered in the work. Comic techniques are realized in the texts of English jokes at different levels – phonetic (mostly with homophones), lexical and semantic (pun, oxymoron, metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, use of epithets), syntactic (repetitive constructions, comparisons), text (paradox, alogism, allusion, mixing styles). Lexical means proved to be effective, and proper names are widely used (anthroponyms, toponyms, chrononyms, ethnonyms, zoonyms, etc.). The scientific novelty lies of the presented research in trying to analyze one's own means of conveying humor in the text of an Australian anecdote and in proposing one's own solutions in the differentiation of jokes.
UA : Робота викладена на 52 сторінках друкованого тексту. Перелік посилань містить 73 джерела. Об’єкт дослідження: сучасні гумористичні тексти і анекдоти. Мета роботи: аналіз засобів та прийомів створення гумористичного ефекту в текстах австралійських англійськомовних жартів. Теоретико-методологічні засади: надання найбільш релевантного значення комічного та гумору, аналіз та надання класифікації лексичних засобів передачі гумору в анекдоті, виявлення функціональних властивостей гумору у сучасній комунікації, аналіз культурних цінностей австралійського суспільства. Отримані результати: Прийоми комічного реалізуються в текстах англійськомовних анекдотів на різних рівнях – фонетичному (здебільшого за допомогою омофонів), лексико-семантичному (через каламбур, оксиморон, метафору, метонімію, гіперболу, уживання епітетів), синтаксичному (де гумор реалізується у конструкціях-блендах, синтаксичних повторах, порівняннях), текстовому (парадокс, алогізм, алюзія, змішування стилів). Дієвими виявилися лексичні засоби, а серед них – власні назви (антропоніми, топоніми, хрононіми, етноніми, зооніми тощо). Дієвими є герої анекдотів, якими часто стають відомі сучасні або історичні особистості, прославлені політичні діячі минулого, втілюють певні риси, якості, дії, які в чомусь протирічять стереотипним уявленням носіїв лінгвокультури про соціально схвальну поведінку, цінності тощо.

Lucerne is a deep-rooted perennial pasture that is promoted to land managers in southern Australia to mitigate the effects of dryland salinity, a problem of national significance caused by the replacement of native trees and shrubs with annual crops and pastures. In recent years, the acceptance of climate change has provided further rationale for increasing the use of perennial legumes in our farming systems. Perennial legumes have a role in offsetting C02 emissions by sequestering C and N in soil, and provide new, resilient options for future farming in a warmer and more variable climate. This research has focused on evaluating the diverse range of germplasm found in lucerne (Medicago sativa spp.) for a range of attributes in order to determine its compatibility with existing and future farming systems in southern Australia. Regional field evaluation at 8 sites in southern Australia showed that lucerne is a broadly adapted and robust plant. After 3 years, plant density ranged from 2-55 plants / m2 with differences in persistence attributed to tolerance to a combination of stresses including soil acidity, saline and sodic subsoils, drought conditions and persistent heavy grazing. Highly winter-active lucerne (class 9-10) was confirmed to be the most suitable group for short phase rotations in southern Australia, providing grazing is well managed. This germplasm was less persistent than other winter activity groups, but produces more total herbage yield in environments with winter dominant rainfall patterns. Highly winter-active lucerne has poor persistence under continuous grazing, but this may aid in its removal when used in rotation with crops. Winteractive germplasm (class 6-8) was more grazing tolerant and persistent, making it the most suitable group for longer phase rotations (>4 years), or where more flexible grazing management practices are required (i.e. 35 days grazing followed by 35 days recovery). Individual grazing tolerant plants from this group were selected and randomly inter-mated to form new breeder’s lines in the development of a grazing tolerant cultivar. For the first time, the high water-use of a farming system involving wheat overcropped into lucerne is presented. Lucerne over-cropped with wheat used an additional 43-88 mm of water in comparison to continuous wheat at Roseworthy and Katanning respectively. Over-cropping reduced wheat yield by 13-63%, but it can be more efficient in terms of land area to grow lucerne and wheat as a mixture than on separate parcels of land. Very winter-dormant lucerne (class 1-2) appears to be less competitive with winter cereal crops during wheat establishment. It may also be possible to reduce lucerne’s competition with wheat at the critical stage of anthesis, with low spring yielding lucerne varieties identified in this research (SA37908). This group of plants provides excellent potential for the development of high water-use farming systems because they are grazing tolerant and persistent, and have summer forage production and sub-soil water extraction rates that are equivalent to winter active lucerne. The research has been used to identify the perfect ideotype for lucerne in phase farming and over-cropping systems, which can be used to set targets in future breeding programs. The research also highlights current opportunities for the integration of lucerne into southern Australian farming systems to help curb the spread of dryland salinity and reduce the impact of climate change.
Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2008

Lucerne is a deep-rooted perennial pasture that is promoted to land managers in southern Australia to mitigate the effects of dryland salinity, a problem of national significance caused by the replacement of native trees and shrubs with annual crops and pastures. In recent years, the acceptance of climate change has provided further rationale for increasing the use of perennial legumes in our farming systems. Perennial legumes have a role in offsetting C02 emissions by sequestering C and N in soil, and provide new, resilient options for future farming in a warmer and more variable climate. This research has focused on evaluating the diverse range of germplasm found in lucerne (Medicago sativa spp.) for a range of attributes in order to determine its compatibility with existing and future farming systems in southern Australia. Regional field evaluation at 8 sites in southern Australia showed that lucerne is a broadly adapted and robust plant. After 3 years, plant density ranged from 2-55 plants / m2 with differences in persistence attributed to tolerance to a combination of stresses including soil acidity, saline and sodic subsoils, drought conditions and persistent heavy grazing. Highly winter-active lucerne (class 9-10) was confirmed to be the most suitable group for short phase rotations in southern Australia, providing grazing is well managed. This germplasm was less persistent than other winter activity groups, but produces more total herbage yield in environments with winter dominant rainfall patterns. Highly winter-active lucerne has poor persistence under continuous grazing, but this may aid in its removal when used in rotation with crops. Winteractive germplasm (class 6-8) was more grazing tolerant and persistent, making it the most suitable group for longer phase rotations (>4 years), or where more flexible grazing management practices are required (i.e. 35 days grazing followed by 35 days recovery). Individual grazing tolerant plants from this group were selected and randomly inter-mated to form new breeder’s lines in the development of a grazing tolerant cultivar. For the first time, the high water-use of a farming system involving wheat overcropped into lucerne is presented. Lucerne over-cropped with wheat used an additional 43-88 mm of water in comparison to continuous wheat at Roseworthy and Katanning respectively. Over-cropping reduced wheat yield by 13-63%, but it can be more efficient in terms of land area to grow lucerne and wheat as a mixture than on separate parcels of land. Very winter-dormant lucerne (class 1-2) appears to be less competitive with winter cereal crops during wheat establishment. It may also be possible to reduce lucerne’s competition with wheat at the critical stage of anthesis, with low spring yielding lucerne varieties identified in this research (SA37908). This group of plants provides excellent potential for the development of high water-use farming systems because they are grazing tolerant and persistent, and have summer forage production and sub-soil water extraction rates that are equivalent to winter active lucerne. The research has been used to identify the perfect ideotype for lucerne in phase farming and over-cropping systems, which can be used to set targets in future breeding programs. The research also highlights current opportunities for the integration of lucerne into southern Australian farming systems to help curb the spread of dryland salinity and reduce the impact of climate change.
http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1344608
Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2008

Dryland salinity is a major and expanding threat to agricultural land in Australia. Animal production from forages grown on saline land is perhaps its most promising economic use. Glycophytic forage legumes have been evaluated under saline conditions mainly for agronomic characteristics and, to a lesser extent, for nutritive quality to animals. Plant growth and its nutritive quality are interrelated, but a decline in yield in response to salinity may be associated with effects on the chemical constituents of the plant since soil salinity affects plant metabolism. This research aimed to investigate changes in the components of yield and nutritive value of two legumes species. Lucerne ( Medicago sativa ) and Melilotus ( Melilotus albus ) were exposed to different levels of NaCl in the range of 0 to 110 mM NaCl. The research tested the hypothesis that the components of plant nutritive value are not as sensitive to salinity as shoot biomass production since the adaptive mechanisms of the plant lessen harmful effects of the salts. For both plant species, salinity decreased leaf and stem dry matter production, but increased leaf - to - stem ratio. In addition, salinity resulted in earlier flowering in Melilotus. Mineral composition was the most sensitive component of forage quality. Calculated sodium chloride concentrations were up to 125 g / kg DM in lucerne and 39 g / kg DM in Melilotus when irrigated with 110 mM NaCl. The concentrations of calcium and magnesium decreased in both species and approached the marginal range for animal production. Zinc concentration also decreased while potassium decreased in stems of lucerne only. The digestible organic matter ( DOMD ) in response to salinity varied between species. At the highest salt concentration, the whole shoot ( i.e., leaf and stem ) of lucerne decreased up to 4 percentage units while Melilotus increased by 6 percentage units. In lucerne, DOMD was influenced by a high concentration of soluble ash in leaf and stem and, in Melilotus, by an increase in the organic matter content of leaf and a reduction in lignin concentration in stem, which favoured higher digestibility. These results were supported by a histological study in which an increase in starch in Melilotus leaf, and a lower proportion of xylem in relation to parenchyma in stems, was measured. Crude protein concentration was not compromised and, in relation to Melilotus, coumarin concentration did not increase with salinity. In conclusion, the reduction in DM production of species with similar salt tolerance does not necessarily correspond to an equivalent reduction in nutritive value. This research represents the most detailed study into effects of salinity on glycophytic forage legumes. Results show that while some aspects of forage quality ( e.g., minerals composition and energy ) are strongly influenced by salinity, other aspects ( e.g., protein ) remain relatively unaffected. These findings have implications for development of productive grazing systems on saline agricultural land.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references (17 leaves)
iv, 250, [22] leaves : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Plant Science, 1998

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) has a considerable amount of genetic diversity for many agronomic and physiological traits. This diversity is highlighted through the considerable genotype by environment interaction influences on yield observed in Europe, North America, and the subtropical regions of Australia. There is a need to quantify the influence of genotype by environment interactions on yield and key physiological processes in the cool temperate dairy regions of Australia. This information will ensure that appropriate cultivars can be selected and best management practices developed so that lucerne can become a greater component of the dairy feedbase. Field experiments indentified that genotype by environment interactions occur in cool temperate regions, with winter dormant genotypes adapted to low yield potential environments, and winter active genotypes adapted to high yield potential environments. Irrigation was identified as a major management input determining genotype by environment interactions. The relative influence of each yield component was not affected by a genotype by environment interaction, and mass per shoot consistently had the greatest impact on yield accounting for up to 80% of the variability in yield. Cultivar influenced taproot sugar and starch concentrations only with irrigation. SARDI 10 (a highly-winter active cultivar) had lower taproot sugar concentration and SARDI 7 (a winter active cultivar) had lower taproot starch concentrations than the other cultivars. When not irrigated over summer, taproot soluble protein concentrations of Grasslands Kaituna (a semi-winter dormant cultivar) were greater than SARDI 10. All cultivars had a greater abundance of vegetative storage proteins (VSPs) in taproots and enhanced phenotypic and genetic expression of winter dormancy under dryland conditions. Glasshouse experiments revealed that increasing water deficits during regrowth decreased mass per shoot and shoots per plant. Water deficits of 75% or less of the replacement water requirement decreased total plant photosynthesis only through a reduction in leaf area and not by a decrease in either net carbon dioxide exchange rate or efficiency of photosystem II. Taproot starch concentration decreased and soluble sugar concentration increased with increasing water deficit. Plants receiving 25% of their water requirement accumulated soluble proteins seven days earlier than fully watered plants. Water deficits of 50% or less than the replacement water requirement also increased the abundance of VSPs, but VSP accumulation patterns and gene transcript levels were similar irrespective of drought treatment. With water deficit, the cold acclimation responsive gene CAR1 had a fivefold increase in expression in taproots of Grasslands Kaituna but not SARDI 10. These experiments have shown that in the cool temperate dairy regions of Australia, under dryland conditions, the more winter dormant cultivars should be grown, while if irrigation is available, winter active cultivars should be grown. In addition this study has highlighted that, for winter dormant cultivars, cold acclimation genes impart the ability to adapt to dry conditions.

The Australian rice industry faces tremendous pressure for incremental increase in water use efficiency. Rainfed (RF) rice production could provide opportunities for diversifying the options for the rice industry to address the issue of water shortage. Rice varieties for RF production need to be developed to extend the rice industry to Australian wet-tropical regions. Achieving economic yields and matching grain quality to market standards are some of the challenges for RF rice production. Thirteen RF rice genotypes obtained from Australian Agricultural Technologies Limited (AAT) were evaluated during 2013 – 2015 in central and north Queensland locations as RF and supplementary/strategic irrigation (SI) crops, and were assessed for their yield potentials and grain quality performances. The results from varietal trials under RF and SI showed large genetic variation, primarily associated with grain types (GT), for yield and grain quality attributes. The long grain (LG) types recorded significantly greater (6.7 fold) yield response to SI (3.16 vs 0.47 t/ha) compared to the medium grain (MG) type varieties (1.8 fold yield in SI) (4.37 vs 2.49 t/ha). The RF yields under the drier tropical environment of Alton Downs (AD) were limited by a short growing season and low rainfall which impacted on late maturing LG type indica varieties. However, greater yield was recorded for early maturing, MG type japonica varieties. The effect of SI on grain quality was not as strong as the effects on the yields. Among the milling characteristics millout, was significantly greater for LG compared to MG type (0.58 vs 0.47) under the SI. Among the chemical characteristics, the SI rice showed greater gelatinisation and pasting temperature compared to RF rice, particularly in the second year, due to earlier planting, therefore, LG type varieties escaped low temperature stress. The effects of SI on physical, cooking and nutritional characteristics were not significantly. Given the short window of the warm, wet season (January – May) at AD, the performance of LG types was significantly favoured by SI. The LG type were generally late maturing, and therefore, flowering and grain filling coincided with cold spells, particularly for late planted crops. Hence, a RF cropping option at AD is favourable for short duration MG type varieties. In the varietal evaluations under RF production over multiple seasons of three years, RF yield was 1.38 – 1.43 t/ha. The overall yield of MG type was significantly greater compared to LG type (2.49 vs 0.47 t/ha). In the first season (planting February 2013), none of the LG type produced yield; however, in the second and third season (planted in January and November), LG type varieties produced yields of 0.12 – 0.66 t/ha. These longer term yield data for LG types clearly demonstrated that the commercial harvest of LG as a rainfed crop in central Queensland could not be a viable option. Among the MG types the higher yielding varieties were AAT-4 and AAT-19 (2.92 t/ha), followed by AAT-6 and AAT-17. In spite of the low yield, the milling ratio/millout was significantly higher in LG types compared to MG varieties. The Year (Y) x Grain type (GT) x Variety (V) interaction for milling ratio was due to the fact that the varietal effect was significant in both grain types, as LG variety AAT-12 recorded the highest millout (~0.60), whereas MG variety AAT-4 maintained lowest mill out (0.40) in the first year. Similarly, chalkiness was significantly higher for MG compared to LG (14% vs 7%) types. The grain chemical characteristic measured as alkali spreading value was significantly greater for MG compared to the LG varieties (6.01 vs 1.60 score). The amylose content differed significantly due to YxGTxV interactions suggesting greater genotype x environmental effects. Amylose content was greater in year1 followed by year2 and year3, and was generally higher for LG compared to MG. However, the highest amylose containing LG varieties AAT-15 and AAT-16 in 2013 and 2014 showed significant reduction of amylose in 2015 but the amylose content of LG AAT-18 recorded consistently higher amylose (24%) in all 3 years. The gelatinisation temperature (GeT) of LG type lines was significantly greater than that of the MG types (74.2 °C vs 70.2 °C). In summary, the yield performance of LG type at AD was low, primarily governed by a smaller planting window for late maturing rice varieties. Some of the MG type varieties, e.g., AAT-4 recorded the highest but economically marginal yield, but the MG types suffered from poor grain quality associated with the lowest millout and higher chalkiness; both of these contributed negatively to marketable yield. Hence, a RF rice crop performance under a dry tropical environment with limited rain and a short planting window can be a significant limitation for development of the RF rice industry. The AAT rice varietal evaluations in contrasting RF environments of AD (c. 593 mm rain) and wet tropical South Johnstone (SJ) (c. 876 mm rain) showed that paddy yield in the SJ was 2.4 times greater than at AD (4.66 vs 1.92 t/ha), and the yield difference between the LG and MG in the wet tropics was not significant (4.92 vs 4.36 t/ha), demonstrating the opportunity of commercial RF rice crops for both grain types. Significant effects of the growing environment were noted on grain quality parameters. Millout was consistent across the locations; however, a greater millout was recorded for LG compared to MG type (0.56 vs 0.50). Although greater chalkiness was recorded for MG compared to LG types at AD (27% vs 13%), no difference between GT for GeT was recorded at SJ. The GeT varied between 71.3 and 80.0 °C and differed due to GT x V interaction; the greatest GeT (80.2 °C) was recorded for AAT-4 at both locations. The amylose content is related to cooking and nutritional quality, but did not vary significantly due to V and locations. The effect of growing location was significant for cooking time, suggesting that grain from AD took longer to cook (42 vs 29 minutes). Nutrition characteristics, primarily the protein, nitrogen and sulphur concentrations of the grain were higher at SJ, irrespective of the GT compared to AD where the protein, nitrogen and sulphur concentration decreased in MG compared to LG varieties, showing significant L x GT interactions. Under the environment of SJ, the yield and grain quality of LG varieties were enhanced when compared to AD. The results showed that AAT RF rice varieties in SJ could produce a feasible crop, with acceptable level of milling recovery, and grain quality traits comparable to those of the commercially recommended varieties such as Topaz and Doongara in tropical Australian north Queensland.

Aerobic rice is becoming a more promising rice cultivation system due to increasing water scarcity for irrigation and occurrence of drought, especially in Australia. Rice cultivation on aerobic soil under rainfed conditions has shown potential for successful rice cultivation in tropical climate. Strategic irrigation during the critical growth period can help reduce the water demand on farm. Central Queensland has an annual rainfall of ca. 800 mm, and about 600 mm occurs during the wet season from December to March; whereas parts of the wet tropical north Queensland receive ca. 3000 mm annual rainfall, and about 1893 mm during the wet season from December to March. The study was carried out at Alton Downs, central Queensland (dry tropics) and South Johnstone, north Queensland (wet tropics) to investigate the phenological, physiological and agronomical responses of 13 different rice varieties with a view to identifying suitable varieties for dry land cultivation. The objectives were to assess rice varieties under i) rainfed conditions in the wet and dry tropics, ii) rainfed conditions and strategic irrigation condition in the dry tropics, and to iii) identify the physiological, phenological and agronomical traits of rice adaptation under aerobic conditions in the dry and wet tropics. In the dry tropics, the strategic irrigation was provided by drip irrigation and was scheduled when the rice plants showed water deficit symptoms (corresponding to the refill point at 21 mm /100 mm soil water). The average yield of rice varieties under strategic irrigation was significantly higher and the variety best yield (AAT 4) produced up to 5.23 t/ha in the year 2015 under strategic irrigation. The average yield of varieties was increased from 1.5 times (AAT 4) to 16.8 times (AAT 15) with strategic irrigation, as compared to rainfed conditions. The average water productivity was increased by 100 % in 2014 and by 110.3 % in 2015 using strategic irrigation as compared to rainfed. The average water productivity was 0.24 t/ML (in 2014) and 0.61 t/ML (in 2015) under strategic irrigation, whereas it was 0.12 t/ML (in 2014) and 0.29 t/ML (in 2015) under rainfed conditions. The high yielding varieties were early flowering types, which escaped the terminal drought caused by lower rainfall during the flowering stage, whereas the late varieties such as AAT 10, AAT 11 and AAT 15 were among the highest yielders in the wet tropics under rainfed conditions. The greater yield was associated with greater panicle fertility, leaf area index , higher photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency during flowering, and one of the high yielding varieties (AAT 3) had the highest photosynthetic rate during the grain filling period in both strategic irrigation and rainfed conditions. Root dry weight and root weight density in the top soil layer at 0–15 cm were found to be related to yield under strategic irrigation, but the varietal characteristic of deep rooting was not correlated with yield. It is important to consider variations in flowering time, yield potential and drought patterns while developing varieties for aerobic conditions, as the drought reduced the panicle filling percentage to 1% under rainfed conditions. The variety with most stable and consistent yield at Alton Downs was AAT 6, and had the lowest coefficient of variation across the years whereas the variety AAT 13 was found to be more responsive with better growing conditions at Alton Downs under rainfed conditions. The varieties when sown late, late flowering varieties were subjected to cold and terminal drought reducing the yield. AAT 6 and AAT 13 are both early flowering varieties. In the wet tropical environment, the crop received rainfall until harvesting time. The favourable physiological characteristic of high yielding varieties such as AAT 4 and AAT 6 in the dry tropics was greater water use efficiency, and the agronomic characteristics were higher panicle fertility, higher effective tillers per plant and grains per panicle. In the wet tropics (South Johnstone), the high yielding variety AAT 10 was characterised by high harvest index, longest panicle length, higher effective tillers, higher panicle fertility and higher water use efficiency. In South Johnstone, the days to flowering did not have any effect on the yield of varieties. The varieties those producing least yield under rainfed conditions at Alton Downs were among the highest yielders in South Johnstone. The high yielding varieties maintained greater effective tillers per plant, heavier 1000 grain weight, greater harvest index and fertility. Reliable soil moisture favoured photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency and the associated larger flag leaf area contributed significantly to higher yields at wet tropical South Johnstone as compared to dry tropical Alton Downs. Strategic irrigation in dry tropical environments could allow plants to cope with water stress caused by less rainfall during the grain filling period. Similar yield was achieved under strategic irrigation for late flowering varieties as under rainfed conditions for early flowering varieties. The varieties responded with an average increase of 11.87 kg/ha and 15.80 kg/ha with each additional 1 mm water application in 2014 and 2015 respectively. This shows that there is great commercial scope for strategic irrigation during water deficit periods, created by little or no rainfall, during critical crop growth periods for rice in the dry tropical environment of central Queensland. In conclusion, this thesis increases the understanding the role of strategic irrigation and varietal characteristics for rice cultivation under the dry tropical agro‐ecological domain of central Queensland and the wet tropical conditions of north Queensland. Higher productivity of aerobic rice in dry tropical central Queensland is achieved with early flowering varieties, supported by strategic irrigation management during the water shortage periods, with higher water use efficiency, greater number of spikelets, higher panicle fertility. In the wet tropical environment of northern Queensland, yield variation between varieties was not significantly affected by the days to flowering. However, further study for selection of varieties from more diverse germplasm for plant water status and fertility, and different water management strategies under aerobic conditions needs, to be explored, to achieve the rice yield that can assure the commercial opportunity for rice production in the dry and wet tropical environments of Queensland, Australia.