President’s Report – 2009

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – 2009

The Foundation continued its work to “Foster research into the biology and cultivation of Australian plants“. The following five publications in scientific journals, all of which acknowledged financial support from the Australian Flora Foundation, were placed on the website in 2009:
The effects of heat, smoke, leaching, scarification, temperature and NaCl salinity on the germination of Solanum centrale (the Australian bush tomato) by A.K. Ahmed et al appeared in Seed Science & Technology (2006) 34: 33-45
The diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizas of selected Australian Fabaceae by Mark Tibbett et al appeared in Plant Biosystems (2008) 142 (2):420–427
Germination in two Australian species of Frankenia L., F. serpyllifolia Lindl. and F. foliosa J.M.Black (Frankeniaceae)– Effects of seed mass, seed age, light, and temperature by Lyndlee Easton & Sonia Kleindorfer appeared in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia (2008) 132(1): 29–39
Effects of salinity levels and seed mass on germination in Australian species of Frankenia (Frankeniaceae) by Lyndlee Easton and Sonia Kleindorfer appeared in Environmental and Experimental Botany (2009) 65:345–352
Interaction effects of seed mass and temperature on germination in Australian species of Frankenia (Frankeniaceae) by Lyndlee Easton and Sonia Kleindorfer which appeared in Folia Geobot (2008) 43:383–396

In addition to these publications in refereed scientific journals, six new final reports on projects funded by the foundation were received:
Geoff Woodall ‘Cultivation of Native Potato
Lyndlee Easton ‘Life histories and reproductive biology of plants in the desert and halophytic genus Frankenia (Frankeniaceae) in Australia
Alan Lymbery ‘Measuring and managing the impact of secondary salinisation on riparian flora
Celeste Linde ‘Mycorrhizal associations of Gastrolobium vestitum
Christine Cargill ‘The biology and cultivation of Revwattsia fragilis (Watts) D.L.Jones
Melinda Perkins ‘Pollination biology of Ptilotus axillaris
They are available on the Foundation’s website

We have also awarded three new research grants, to be discussed later in this meeting.

I should like to a gratefully acknowledge the work of Peter Kellaway. Peter has been auditing our accounts on an honorary basis for many years – since before I joined the Foundation in 1999, and perhaps for much longer. He has been prompt in that the audited accounts have to be ready for the AGM, and also efficient, since the accounts have to be presented to the NSW Office of Fair Trading, and there has never been a query about them. Thank you for your many years of service to the Foundation.

And finally my thanks to each member of the Foundation, and particularly to those on the Council, for all your efforts towards fostering the aims of the Foundation.

Peter Goodwin
30th November 2009