Research Expertise

The research programs at Muresk have a dual focus: agribusiness/rural science; applied biological science. The opportunityto combine these two research areas in collaborative projects and postgraduate programs is a major strength of Muresk. The graduate studies program is an important component of Muresk's research profile. Research interests of Muresk staff are currently focused on eight main areas.

Main areas of research at Muresk:

1. Agribusiness
   Agribusiness marketing, supply chain management, marketing and policy analysis, consumer attitudes and behaviour, cool chain logistics, agricultural knowledge and information systems, quality assurance, industry analysis and development, sustainable systems and rural development.

2. Agriculture
   Agronomy, intercropping, agroforestry, allelopathy, organic farming systems, soil science, biosolid and other waste utilisation, landcare and salinity, animal nutrition and production, pasture and grazing management, wool technology and rangeland management.

3. Aquatic Science and Resource Management
   Aquaculture technology, coastal zone management, hatchery management, crustacean farming techniques, shellfish and fin-fish aquaculture, fisheries resource management, fisheries nutrition, polyculture, aquaculture production systems, aquatic environmental management and seafood science.

4. Environmental Biology
   Aquatic science, ecotoxicology and fish biology, impacts of chronic pollution on fish, physiological and biochemical markers, phytoplankton blooms, water quality, artificial wetlands, salt lakes, marine pollution, entomology, insect ecology, pest control, mine rehabilitation, Mulga research, animal physiology, natural products biology, plant ecology and plant propagation.

5. Farming Systems
   Rural development, farm management, finance and accounting, livestock and machinery economics, socio-economic and environmental impact of policy, computer decision aids, farming systems analysis, computer modelling (simulation and mathematical programming) and adult education and extension programs.

6. Horticulture
   Production technology of fruits and vegetables, post harvest technology of horticultural crops, tropical horticulture, growth regulators in fruit crops, stress physiology of fruit crops, propagation of horticultural crops, marketing floriculture, apiculture, organic plant production systems.

7. Viticulture and Oenology
   Grape and vine physiology, plant stress responses, water relations and leaf gas exchange, stable isotope discrimination, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, small-scale wine making.
8. Rangeland ecology
   Arid landscape ecology, rangeland ecology, rangeland assessment and monitoring, rangeland natural resources management, pastoral production systems, grazing systems, grazing ecology, land rehabilitation, feral herbivore ecology and management

Whilst Muresk Institute is the main focus, agricultural research is being undertaken in a range of disciplines within Curtin: in science, health science and the humanities.

• Nutrition, Food Science and Environmental Health
  The utilisation of cereals in food production and and understanding of bio-availability and human physiological response to food. Clean air, water and food constitute the foci of environmental health.
• Spatial Sciences
  The use of technologies for precision agriculture, pasture improvement, sustainable rural development and vertebrate pests research.
• Social Sciences, Geography, Planning and Aboriginal Studies
  Rural communities, regional planning, land care and sustainability studies. This includes work within the ALCOA Research Centre for Stronger Communities (ARCSC) and Research Unit for the Study of Societies in Change (RUSSIC).
• Centre of Excellence for Cleaner Production (CECP)
  The application of Life Cycle Assessment and eco-efficiency to agricultural produce and the use of processing residues for soil improvement.
• Centre for Management of Arid Environments (CMAE)
  Rangelands science, sustainable grazing, land care and rehabilitation.
• Centre for Sustainable Mine Lakes (CSML)
  Indigenous plant production and mine site horticulture, traditional land care systems
• CRC in Desert Knowledge
• Mulga Research Centre
  

Core Assets for Agricultural Research:

Northam Campus:
Muresk farm
Plant, soils & animal research labs

Bentley Campus:
Environmental Biology laboratories
Curtin Aquatic Research Laboratories
Post Harvest Research Laboratory
Mulga Research Centre

Kalgoorlie:
Curtin and Agriculture WA facility for rangelands research at Kalgoorlie

Collaborative Arrangements

Collaborative arrangements are a strategic objective for Curtin and it already has facility sharing arrangements in place in Esperance, Geraldton and Margaret River, with schools, TAFE colleges and other WA universities, as well as in joint research facilities with other universities, CSIRO, industry and State agencies