Project overview
Wheat growers across Western Australia are no strangers to the challenges of farming in acidic soils, which can limit plant access to water and nutrients. PhD candidate Huyen Pham, from The University of Western Australia, is studying a natural root trait known as rhizosheath – the soil layer that sticks to plant roots, helping wheat access water and nutrients more efficiently, especially under dry conditions.
By studying wheat lines bred from Australian and Brazilian parent plants, Huyen is investigating how larger rhizosheaths improve crop resilience. Experiments using field soil and controlled lab setups show that wheat lines with larger rhizosheaths develop stronger roots, grow better, and yield more grain in acidic soils.
This research will help wheat breeders and ulitimately farmers choose wheat varieties that perform well in Western Australia’s challenging conditions, improving productivity and drought resilience.
Expected outcomes
The project aims to illustrate the capacity for the SMART SPRAYS technology to increase rainfall capture into the soil and through to the plant.
Activity 1. This project will demonstrate and test (from laboratory to field) a non-toxic, bioplastic-based spray that forms a water barrier that can be easily applied with existing farm equipment. This technology will be assessed for its capacity to harvest rainfall from the mound into the furrow and decrease water evaporation from within the soil.
Activity 2. This project will assess the ease of use of the SMART SPRAYS technology, particularly its ability to be deployed with existing farm infrastructure with minimal modification.
Activity 3. This project will assess the capacity of SMART SPRAYS to increase crop productivity. This is of critical importance to the region as climate predictions indicate that the south-west of Western Australia will continue to experience a drying climate.
This project seeks to answer the following questions:
- How can more rainfall be converted into a saleable product (food, feed, fibre, fuel)?
- How can Australia combat a declining rainfall through greater retention and use of available water?
This project is supported by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, and the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration.
FAQs
Why SMART SPRAYS?
Smart sprays have the potential to reduce evaporation and redirect water for increased crop yield and profit.
Smart sprays components:
- Biodegrade in marine, soil, and compost environments into CO₂, water, and biomass.
- Do not degrade into microplastics in the environment.
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and have a decreased carbon footprint as no fossil fuel feedstock is used.
- Do not need to be retrieved from the field – they will biodegrade in situ.
The main component of SMART SPRAYS can be produced by microorganisms through the use of a wide variety of renewable feedstocks, like organic wastes, waste canola oil, brewers waste and glycerol, creating a circular economy.
What’s the different between plastics and bioplastics?
Plastics and bioplastics can be categorised based on their origin/feedstock (biobased vs. fossil fuel based) and their degradation properties (biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable).
Feedstocks
Fossil-based feedstocks: Derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
Biobased feedstocks: Derived from plants, algae, or agricultural waste products.
Differences in degradation
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
What’s the different between compostable and biodegradable?
Biodegradable materials are those that can be fully broken down into natural substances, such as water and carbon dioxide, by naturally occurring microorganisms. In waste management, the term “biodegradable” is broadly used to describe materials that degrade either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. The key distinction is that compostable materials are designed to break down within a specific timeframe under controlled composting conditions, where factors like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity are optimised to accelerate decomposition and biomass formation.
Certified compostable
Compostable refers to a product’s ability to biodegrade into non-toxic, natural elements within a defined timeframe under specific composting conditions. Both fossil-based and bio-based bioplastics can be certified as compostable. However, compostability claims should only be made if the product has been certified to a recognised standard, such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010.
Biobased bioplastic biodegradable
Smart sprays belong to this category.
Bioplastics made from bio-based feedstocks that fully break down into natural substances, either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. PHA bioplastics, in particular, are known to degrade effectively in both soil and marine environments.
Fossil-based bioplastic biodegradable
Fossil-based biodegradable plastics make up a relatively small category, which includes materials like PBAT and PCL. While PBAT is both biodegradable and compostable, improper disposal can still have environmental consequences, as its degradation requires specific conditions to occur efficiently.
Biobased bioplastic non-biodegradable
Bioplastics can be derived from bio-based feedstocks while remaining non-biodegradable. These materials are chemically identical to traditional fossil-based plastics.
Conventional plastics non-biodegradable
These materials do not biodegrade. In Australia, 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste are discarded each year, with only 13% recycled, while the remaining 87% ends up in landfill.
Reference: State of Bioplastics in Australia, CSIRO, 2024 with permission.
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
News
- Article, Bursary, Bursary - UWA - Huyen Pham
- Article, Bursary, Bursary - UWA - Huyen Pham
Resources
- Webinar
- Podcast
- Webinar
External resources
- Not all Water is equal: Water quality is the key to WaterSmart Dams (and Farms)
- WaterSmart Farms: Reverse Osmosis trials giving rural communities fresh water for the future
- WaterSmart Farms: Unlocking Opportunities with Desalination – From Stockwater to Spray Quality
- WaterSmart Farms Deep Drilling project with Dr. Richard George
- WaterSmart Farms: Wongutha CAPS
Collaborators
Project team
Professor Daniel Murphy
Murdock University
Cheryl Rimmer
Murdoch University
Samantha Vijoen
Murdoch University
Alex Gulizia
Murdoch University
Contact
Huyen Pham
PhD candidate, University of Western Australia
huyen.pham@research.uwa.edu.au
Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique
The UWA Institute of Agriculture,
School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia
kadambot.siddique@uwa.edu.au
Mary-Anne Glanzlowe
Extension Specialist and Knowledge Broker, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
mary-anne.glanzlowe@gga.org.au
0400 191 378