Dr Rob Walker

Dr Rob Walker: improving salt tolerance and water use efficiency

Dr Rob Walker is increasing our understanding of how plants tolerate salinity and limited water availability, particularly how some plants can limit the uptake of salt and how this contributes to salt tolerance.

• 20 January 2012

Overview

• Current activities
• Background 
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Salinity is a threat to sustainable production in some viticultural regions of Australia.

Dr Rob Walker is working to understand the basis for genetic variation in salt tolerance and screening for more salt tolerant rootstocks will help to reduce the risks associated with this difficult problem.

The recent drought in Australia and associated water restrictions in major production regions has highlighted the need for more water use efficient varieties.

Understanding water use efficiency in relation to rootstock and scion genotype and the interaction with management practice and environment will make it possible to recommend better stock/scion combinations and management systems.

Background

Dr Walker is a plant physiologist with research interests in salt tolerance and water use efficiency of horticultural crops, particularly of grapevines.

This includes characterisation of salt exclusion mechanisms of specific rootstocks and in particular the role of chloride exclusion in salt tolerance.

Academic qualifications

Dr Walker has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours from the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
• Doctor of Philosophy, also from the University of Tasmania.

Achievements

Dr Walker is:

• a member of the National Horticultural Research Network (NHRN)
• an associate editor of the Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology
• an associate editor of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research.

He is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Adelaide.

He is an Adjunct Professor at:

• La Trobe University (Life Sciences), Melbourne, Victoria
• Charles Sturt University (Viticulture) Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.

See a list of recent scientific papers by Dr Walker on the next page.