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| CSIRO | SOLVE | Issue 4 Aug 05 | |
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ARTICLE
AGROFORESTRY: Microbe Technology Gets a Handle on Soil Salinity
By Rebecca Thyer
A new technology to make better use of eucalyptus oil in higher-value applications such as herbicides or antibiotics could open the door to more effective use of trees to combat soil salinity. Dryland salinity is one of the toughest environmental problems facing Australia, with costs rising and not many profitable options for reversing the trend. This has prompted the formation of the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program (JVAP), managed by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. JVAP is working to find a commercial answer with CSIRO Molecular Science, which has developed a rapid ‘discovery’ technology. While extensive planting of eucalypts is needed to rebalance soil hydrology, it lacks a commercial spin-off to help pay for such large-scale landscape restoration. Eucalyptus oil is one obvious possibility, but until now it has been a difficult substance with which to work. To unlock its potential new uses, the oil has to be converted into “something more user-friendly for chemists to work with,” explains CSIRO Molecular Science project leader Professor Michael Zachariou. “As there are no ‘handles’ on the eucalyptus cineole molecule itself, chemists cannot ‘grab’ it and use it easily in experiments.” However, using their Evolver™ technology, the CSIRO team discovered microbes that live on the oil and were able to modify them to create functional handles, allowing scientists to work more easily with the oil. Evolver™ is a ‘speedy-discovery’ technology that can isolate unique microbes and enzymes capable of transforming compounds under various reaction conditions. Professor Zachariou says the technology allows CSIRO to help clients quickly discover biocatalysts – microbes and enzymes – in just a two- to three-week timeframe. “This cuts normal discovery time of two to six months down to an eighth of that time.” As the system is generic, it can also be used in the bioremediation, pharmaceutical, chemical and agricultural industries. Through the Evolver™ technology, JVAP has learnt that modified eucalypt oil could potentially become a herbicide or be used in antibiotic manufacturing. Being able to find an immediate commercial solution to Australia’s salinity problem is vital, says JVAP research manager Dr Rosemary Lott. “Given the scale of the issue, we need to find a high-volume commercial product. Evolver™ technology has potentially taken a couple of years off our exploration work. “We’re now looking forward to the next stage of the project – doing more commercial-style testing to see how these compounds compete with other commercial applications.” Professor Zachariou says the JVAP work was completed in nine months. “That’s very rapid and means JVAP can find solutions to an important environmental problem in a faster timeframe. “For clients it’s a quick answer to complex questions. They know in just two to three weeks if something is going to work or not.”
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