Cotton biologist Demi Sargent has been recognised for her expertise and passion for protecting the cotton industry, taking home the CRDC-supported ABARES Science and Innovation 2021 award last month.
Growing up on a small dairy farm in northern Victoria, Ms Sargent saw the impact of drought on farmers first-hand and made it her mission to tackle the issue.
"My dad really struggled to grow crops that were plentiful enough and supply water to our cattle," she said.
My dad really struggled to grow crops that were plentiful enough and supply water to our cattle.
- Cotton biologist Demi Sargent
"Trying to make enough money to sustain a family of six... that was really difficult."
Now, the young biologist wants to help protect the cotton industry from the effects of climate change.
Ms Sargent's science award project will examine a process known as mesophyll conductance, which is a limiting step in photosynthesis.
"It's one of the major gateways for CO2 to enter the plant," she said.
"Firstly, the CO2 will pass into little pores called stomata. Then once it's inside those pores, the CO2 will diffuse through the cell walls. That process is called mesophyll conductance."
In standard cotton cultivars, mesophyll conductance doesn't change when the temperature rises.
But a chance discovery in Ms Sargent's PhD research revealed an opportunity to boost mesophyll conductance in hot weather.
"What we found is that this could be increased substantially with increasing temperature," she said.
Ms Sargent said she will use the award to measure the rate of mesophyll conductance under hot, dry conditions, in a cotton cultivar and other species.
Her research also includes using microscopy to study variations in the cell wall, cell membrane and chloroplasts of the plants.
Ms Sargent said the results of these studies could potentially supercharge a plant's ability to process CO2, greatly increasing its ability to tolerate drought and heat stress.
The award was presented to Ms Sargent at the ABARES Outlook virtual conference on March 4.
Federal Agriculture Minister and Maranoa MP David Littleproud and CRDC executive director Ian Taylor attended the event.
Ms Sargent will receive a CRDC grant to undertake research as part of her award.
