TOWNSVILLE TALL PLANT FACILITY—EXAMPLES OF ITS APPLICATION FOR SUGARCANE RESEARCH

THE Tall Plant Facility (TPF) has been designed specifically as a research tool for studies with sugarcane, though it has features that make it ideal for any tall plant. It consists of three naturally lit, temperature and humidity controlled compartments that reach 6.5 m in height at the apex. PC2 quarantine standard was achieved in the design, thus allowing transgenic plants to be grown in the facility. We describe how the features of the facility have allowed it to be exploited in a variety of ways, not all of which were predicted when built. Three examples are presented. The first describes how its containment capability has allowed us to progress work rapidly while still meeting the strict quarantine procedures governing the movement of sugarcane. The last two examples describe how the features of height and good temperature control have facilitated examination of sugarcane production issues such as suckering and the effect of high temperatures as experienced in the Ord river irrigation area. Suckering occurs when sugarcane plants are relatively mature. The height of the facility allowed for the manipulation of the light environment incident on tall plants. This allowed us to evaluate the effects of light quality on sucker formation. Reduced light quantity and quality resulted in etiolation of sucker stalks but did not result in fewer suckers being produced. To study the effects of high temperature on sugarcane growth and sucrose partitioning, the average daily temperature profiles for the Ord and Burdekin districts were simulated. The experiment provided good evidence that fibre and hexose content was greater under higher temperatures while sucrose levels were reduced. The facility will be used for further physiological studies. For example, the success of the Ord and Burdekin temperature comparison makes the facility ideal for studying the physiology and genetic variation of ripening.