Dr Darren Plett

Technology and Development Lead

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Darren's research goal is to improve the yield of crops to provide more food for an expanding world population. He is using plant phenotyping and agricultural biotechnology technologies to improve the tolerance of crop plants to stresses such as low soil nutrients, drought and salinity.

Darren obtained his BSc and MSc degrees at the University of Manitoba, Canada. In his MSc thesis he investigated the potential effects of climate change on leaf lipid and seed oil quality in canola. He then moved to Australia and completed a PhD project with the goal of improving salinity tolerance in rice through cell type-specific expression of genes encoding sodium transporters. Since 2008 he has been employed by the Universities of Adelaide and Melbourne to improve abiotic stress tolerance and nutrient uptake in cereal crops.

Currently, Darren is the Technology and Development Lead at the Plant Accelerator. He is identifying and developing new phenotyping technologies which will enable discovery of traits to improve agricultural crop productivity.

Career
Publications
Supervision
Professional Activities
Contact

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Appointments

Date	Position	Institution name
2019	Technology and Development Lead	University of Adelaide
2018 - 2019	Senior Research Associate	University of Melbourne
2013 - 2018	ARC Senior Research Associate	University of Adelaide
2008 - 2012	Postdoctoral Research Associate	University of Adelaide

Education

Date	Institution name	Country	Title
2004 - 2007	University of Adelaide, Adelaide	Australia	PhD
2001 - 2003	University of Manitoba, Winnipeg	Canada	MSc
1998 - 2001	University of Manitoba, Winnipeg	Canada	BSc

Research Interests

Agricultural Biotechnology Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Plant Physiology

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Journals

Year	Citation
2020	Munns, R., Day, D., Fricke, W., Watt, M., Arsova, B., Barkla, B., . . . Tyerman, S. (2020). Energy costs of salt tolerance in crop plants. New Phytologist, 225(3), 1072-1090. DOI Scopus10 WoS11 Europe PMC1
2019	Tyerman, S., Munns, R., Fricke, W., Arsova, B., Barkla, B., Bose, J., . . . Wen, Z. (2019). Energy costs of salinity tolerance in crop plants. New Phytologist, 221(1), 25-29. DOI Scopus7 WoS5 Europe PMC1
2019	Hamam, A., Coskun, D., Britto, D., Plett, D., & Kronzucker, H. (2019). Plasma-membrane electrical responses to salt and osmotic gradients contradict radiotracer kinetics, and reveal Na <sup>+</sup> -transport dynamics in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Planta, 249(4), 1037-1051. DOI
2018	Xu, B., Waters, S., Byrt, C., Plett, D., Tyerman, S., Tester, M., . . . Gilliham, M. (2018). Structural variations in wheat HKT1;5 underpin differences in Na+ transport capacity. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 75(6), 1133-1144. DOI Scopus8 WoS9 Europe PMC5
2018	Tiwari, J., Plett, D., Garnett, T., Chakrabarti, S., & Singh, R. (2018). Integrated genomics, physiology and breeding approaches for improving nitrogen use efficiency in potato: translating knowledge from other crops. Functional Plant Biology, 45(6), 587-605. DOI Scopus4 WoS4
2018	Plett, D., Holtham, L., Okamoto, M., & Garnett, T. (2018). Nitrate uptake and its regulation in relation to improving nitrogen use efficiency in cereals. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 74, 97-104. DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2017	Schilling, R., Tester, M., Marschner, P., Plett, D., & Roy, S. (2017). AVP1: one protein, many roles. Trends in Plant Science, 22(2), 154-162. DOI Scopus21 WoS21 Europe PMC13
2017	Sabermanesh, K., Holtham, L., George, J., Roessner, U., Boughton, B., Heuer, S., . . . Garnett, T. (2017). Transition from a maternal to external nitrogen source in maize seedlings. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 59(4), 261-274. DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2016	George, J., Holtham, L., Sabermanesh, K., Heuer, S., Tester, M., Plett, D., & Garnett, T. (2016). Small amounts of ammonium (NH⁺₄) can increase growth of maize (Zea mays). Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 179(6), 717-725. DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC1
2016	Plett, D., Baumann, U., Schreiber, A., Holtham, L., Kalashyan, E., Toubia, J., . . . Kaiser, B. (2016). Maize maintains growth in response to decreased nitrate supply through a highly dynamic and developmental stage-specific transcriptional response. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 14(1), 342-353. DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC2
2016	Plett, D., Holtham, L., Baumann, U., Kalashyan, E., Francis, K., Enju, A., . . . Kaiser, B. (2016). Nitrogen assimilation system in maize is regulated by developmental and tissue-specific mechanisms. Plant Molecular Biology, 92(3), 293-312. DOI Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2015	Adem, G., Roy, S., Plett, D., Zhou, M., Bowman, J., & Shabala, S. (2015). Expressing AtNHX1 in barley (Hordium vulgare L.) does not improve plant performance under saline conditions. Plant Growth Regulation, 77(3), 289-297. DOI Scopus16 WoS15
2015	Garnett, T., Plett, D., Heuer, S., & Okamoto, M. (2015). Genetic approaches to enhancing nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in cereals: challenges and future directions. Functional Plant Biology, 42(10), 921-941. DOI Scopus23 WoS20 Europe PMC7
2015	Garnett, T., Plett, D., Conn, V., Conn, S., Rabie, H., Rafalski, J., . . . Kaiser, B. (2015). Variation for N uptake system in maize: genotypic response to N supply. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6(Nov), 936-1-936-13. DOI Scopus12 WoS9 Europe PMC6
2014	Schilling, R., Marschner, P., Shavrukov, Y., Berger, B., Tester, M., Roy, S., & Plett, D. (2014). Expression of the Arabidopsis vacuolar H⁺-pyrophosphatase gene (AVP1) improves the shoot biomass of transgenic barley and increases grain yield in a saline field. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 12(3), 378-386. DOI Scopus61 WoS55 Europe PMC37
2014	Byrt, C., Xu, B., Krishnan, M., Lightfoot, D., Athman, A., Jacobs, A., . . . Gilliham, M. (2014). The Na⁺ transporter, TaHKT1;5-D, limits shoot Na⁺ accumulation in bread wheat. The Plant Journal, 80(3), 516-526. DOI Scopus64 WoS62 Europe PMC39
2013	Garnett, T., Conn, V., Plett, D., Conn, S., Zanghellini, J., MacKenzie, N., . . . Kaiser, B. (2013). The response of the maize nitrate transport system to nitrogen demand and supply across the lifecycle. New Phytologist, 198(1), 82-94. DOI Scopus53 WoS51 Europe PMC39
2012	Cotsaftis, O., Plett, D., Shirley, N., Tester, M., & Hrmova, M. (2012). A two-staged model of Na+ exclusion in rice explained by 3D modeling of HKT transporters and alternative splicing. PLoS One, 7(7), 1-10. DOI Scopus90 WoS83 Europe PMC57
2012	Munns, R., James, R., Xu, B., Athman, A., Conn, S., Jordans, C., . . . Gilliham, M. (2012). Wheat grain yield on saline soils is improved by an ancestral Na+ transporter gene. Nature Biotechnology, 30(4), 360-364. DOI Scopus326 WoS298 Europe PMC173
2011	Cotsaftis, O., Plett, D., Johnson, A., Walia, H., Wilson, C., Ismail, A., . . . Baumann, U. (2011). Root-specific transcript profiling of contrasting rice genotypes in response to salinity stress. Molecular Plant, 4(1), 25-41. DOI Scopus78 WoS70 Europe PMC40
2010	Plett, D., Johnson, A., Jacobs, A., & Tester, M. (2010). Cell type-specific expression of sodium transporters improves salinity tolerance of rice. GM crops, 1(5), 273-275. DOI Scopus3 Europe PMC2
2010	Plett, D., Toubia, J., Garnett, T., Tester, M., Kaiser, B., & Baumann, U. (2010). Dichotomy in the NRT gene families of dicots and grass species. PLoS One, 5(12), 1-10. DOI Scopus73 WoS70 Europe PMC46
2010	Plett, D., Safwat El Hussieny, G., Gilliham, M., Moller, I., Roy, S., Shirley, N., . . . Tester, M. (2010). Improved salinity tolerance of rice through cell type-specific expression of AtHKT1;1. PLoS One, 5(9), 1-8. DOI Scopus89 WoS70 Europe PMC57
2010	Plett, D., & Moller, I. (2010). Na⁺ transport in glycophytic plants: what we known and would like to know. Plant Cell and Environment, 33(4), 612-626. DOI Scopus124 WoS108 Europe PMC48
2010	Plett, D. C., & Moller, I. S. (2010). Na+ transport in glycophytic plants: what we know and would like to know (vol 33, pg 612, 2010). PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, 33(11), 2000. DOI WoS1

Book Chapters

Year	Citation
2018	Hansen, N., Plett, D., Berger, B., & Garnett, T. (2018). Tackling Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal Crops Using High-Throughput Phenotyping. In A. Shrawat, A. Zayed, & D. Lightfoot (Eds.), Engineering Nitrogen Utilization in Crop Plants (pp. 121-139). Switzerland: Springer. DOI Scopus2
2017	Plett, D., Garnett, T., & Okamoto, M. (2017). Molecular genetics to discover and improve nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants. In M. Hossain, T. Kamiya, D. Burritt, L. -S. Tran, & T. Fujiwara (Eds.), Plant Macronutrient Use Efficiency: Molecular and Genomic Perspectives in Crop Plants (pp. 93-122). Cambridge: Elsevier. DOI Scopus1
2010	Plett, D., Berger, B., & Tester, M. (2010). Genetic determinants of salinity tolerance in crop plants. In M. Jenks, & A. Wood (Eds.), Genes for Plant Abiotic Stress (pp. 83-111). USA: Blackwell Publishers Inc. DOI
2009	Plett, D., Berger, B., & Tester, M. (2009). Genetic Determinants of Salinity Tolerance in Crop Plants. In Genes for Plant Abiotic Stress (pp. 81-111). DOI Scopus3

Conference Papers

Year	Citation
2006	Jacobs, A., Lunde, C., Juttner, J., Comis, A., Drew, D., Plett, D., & Tester, M. (2006). Functional Analysis Of A Sodium Transport Gene Expressed In Model And Crop Species. In Proceedings of the Plant & Animal Genomes XIV Conference. San Diego, CA.

Patents

Year Citation
2006 Tester, M., Jacobs, A., Plett, D., & Johnson, A. (2006). WO/2006/133488, Cell specific, inducible or repressible, expression system.

Year	Citation
2006	Tester, M., Jacobs, A., Plett, D., & Johnson, A. (2006). WO/2006/133488, Cell specific, inducible or repressible, expression system.

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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Date	Role	Research Topic	Program	Degree Type	Student Load	Student Name
2019	Co-Supervisor	Plant Phenotyping, Data Analysis and Modelling to Improve Drought and Heat Tolerance in Field Crops	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Florian Carl-August Tanner

Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Date	Role	Research Topic	Program	Degree Type	Student Load	Student Name
2015 - 2018	Co-Supervisor	Identification and characterisation of vacuolar proton-pumping pyrophosphatase genes in bread wheat	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Daniel Menadue
2015 - 2019	External Supervisor	Quantifying Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Wheat Using High-Precision Phenotyping	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Nicholas John Sitlington Hansen
2014 - 2016	Co-Supervisor	Characterisation of Glutamine Synthetase to Map New Regulatory Loci Modulating Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Hexaploid Wheat	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Jonathan Castel Djietror
2011 - 2014	Co-Supervisor	Nitrate and Ammonium Interactions in Maize	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Dr Jessey George
2011 - 2014	Co-Supervisor	Evaluating the abiotic stress tolerance of transgenic barley expressing an Arabidopsis vacuolar proton-pumping pyrophosphatase gene (AVP1)	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Dr Rhiannon Kate Schilling
2011 - 2014	Co-Supervisor	The Responses of Maize Roots to Nitrogen Supply	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Kasra Sabermanesh
2011 - 2015	Co-Supervisor	Long- and short-term nitrate uptake regulation in maize	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Luke Reid Holtham
2009 - 2013	Co-Supervisor	Characterisation of AtPQL1, AtPQL2 and AtPQL3 as Candidate Voltage Insensitive Non-Selective Cation Channels (vi-NSCCs)	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Miss Monique Kirsten Shearer

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Committee Memberships

Date Role Committee Institution Country
2005 - 2014 Member PhD student Advisory Committee ACPFG Australia

Date	Role	Committee	Institution	Country
2005 - 2014	Member	PhD student Advisory Committee	ACPFG	Australia

Position: Technology and Development Lead
Phone: 83131134
Email: darren.plett@adelaide.edu.au
Campus: North Terrace
Building: Plant Accelerator
Org Unit: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Dr Darren Plett

Appointments

Education

Research Interests

Journals

Book Chapters

Conference Papers

Patents

Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Committee Memberships

Connect With Me

External Profiles