DrGhazanfar Khan

We use systems genetics to uncover how plants detect, interpret, and adapt to environmental stress signals to regulate growth.

Nutrient signalling in plants

Phosphorus is crucial for crop production, yet current varieties utilize less than one-third of the applied phosphate fertilizer. This inefficiency not only threatens global phosphorus reserves, expected to deplete in a few decades, but also contributes to significant environmental pollution. Excess phosphorus often runs off into waterways, leading to harmful algal blooms and impacting ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. My lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of phosphate uptake and starvation signalling that drive changes in plant growth. By identifying and understanding the genetic factors involved, we aim to develop crop varieties with improved phosphorus efficiency. Our research focuses on creating strategies that minimize environmental impact, enhance nutrient use, and tackle both resource scarcity and pollution issues.

Herbicide tolerance in plants

Weeds cost Australian agriculture ~$5 billion annually. Herbicides are the most efficient and cost-effective solution for weed control, enabling large-scale broad-acre agriculture and yielding significant productivity gains. However, the emergence of widespread herbicide-resistance in weeds poses significant challenges to agricultural sustainability. It is imperative to simultaneously understand weed resistance mechanisms and to explore novel management strategies to eradicate herbicide-resistant weeds. My lab investigates the molecular mechanisms and genetic factors behind herbicide resistance. We develop tools to engineer herbicide tolerance in crops, ensuring that herbicides effectively control weeds without harming the crops themselves. By understanding how plants develop resistance, our research also informs strategies to maintain sustainable farming practices and reduce the risk of weed resistance emergence.