Major Funded Projects

We work with a range of industries, government agencies and collaborators to develop, fund and conduct applied horticultural research. We also provide fee for service research and consultancy services to individual stakeholders and indusrty groups.

Recent collaborations include:

• AS20004 (2022 - ) Sustainably growing horticulture value in cool climate Australia (Hort Innovation)

• MT22007 (2023 - ) Expansion of flies as berry pollinators (Hort Innovation)

• P2-030 (2025 - ) Pollination of novel and emerging food crops grown under protective cropping conditions ( Future Food Systems CRC)

• Tasmanian Government Agricultural Development Fund (2023 - 2025) Development of the hoverfly, Eristalis tenax, as a complementary managed pollinator for Tasmanian cropping systems

• PH16002 (2019 - 2025) Managing flies for crop pollination (Hort Innovation)

• ST19000 (2019- 2024) Novel technologies and practices for the optimisation of pollination within protected cropping environments

• MT08081 (2009 - 2011) Improving the reliability of vegetable seed production (Hort Innovation) 

• VG06155 (2007 - 2010) Improving reliability of flowering in bolting resistant carrot seed crops (Hort Innovation)

Staff Publications

Dawson, B.M., Johnston, N.P., Cerato, S., Rowbottom, R., Spurr, C., Davis, A. and Rader, R., 2025. Adding non-floral resources increases wild insect abundance but not yield in Australian hybrid carrot crops. Basic and Applied Ecology, 84, pp.21-28. 

Davis, A.E., Schmidt, L.A., Santos, K.C., Rowbottom, R., Lucas, A., Harrington, S., Spurr, C. and Rader, R., 2025. Environmental drivers, spatiotemporal dynamics, and pollination effectiveness of insect floral visitors in Australian seed carrot agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 383, p.109553. 

Davis, A.E., Schmidt, L.A., Santos, K.C., Martin, L., Harrington, S., Rocchetti, M., Hocking, B., Wright, D., Spurr, C., Cook, D. and Rader, R., 2023. The golden native drone fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) is an effective hybrid carrot pollinator that lives within Australian crop agroecosystems. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 4(4), p.e12290. 

Davis, A.E., Schmidt, L.A., Harrington, S., Spurr, C. and Rader, R., 2023. Provisioning Australian seed carrot agroecosystems with non-floral habitat provides oviposition sites for crop-pollinating Diptera. Insects, 14(5), p.439. 

Upchurch, A, CJ Spurr, S Quarrell, RM Rowbottom and GR Allen (2023). Toward optimising reproductive output of Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae) for commercial mass rearing systems. Austral Entomology 62, 360-371. 

Liam K.K, Evans, L.J., Gee, M., Smith, T.J., Gagic, V., Lobaton, J.D., Hall, M., Jones, J., Kirkland, L., Saunders, M.E., Sonter, C., Cutting, B.T., Parks, S., Hogendoorn, K., Spurr, C.J., Gracie, A., Simpson, M., and Rader, R. (2021). The effect of protective covers on pollinator health and pollination service delivery. In: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 

Gagic, V., Kirkland, L., Kendall, L.K., Jones, J., Kirkland, J., Spurr, C.J., Rader, R. (2021). Understanding pollinator foraging behaviour and transition rates between flowers is important to maximize seed set in hybrid crops. In: Apidologie 52 p89-100.

Spurr, C.J. and Lucas, A.M. (2020) Apiaceae seed production (Chapter 3) pp18-34. In Carrots and related Apiaceae crops: Crop Production Science in Horticulture (2nd ed.). Editors Emmanuel, G. and Philipp, W.S. p372. CABI publishing, Wallingford, United Kingdom. 

Cook, D.F., Vos, S.C., Finch, J.T.D., Radar, R.C., Cook, J.M., Spurr, C.J. (2020) The Role of Flies as Pollinators of Horticultural Crops: An Australian Case Study with Worldwide Relevance. In: Insects 11 (6) p341-372.

Rix, K.D., Gracie, A.J., Potts, B.M. and Brown, P.H. and Spurr, C. and Gore, P.L. (2012) Paternal and maternal effects on the response of seed germination to high temperatures in Eucalyptus globulus. Annals of Forest Science. Published online: 16 March 2012.

Rix, K.D., Gracie, A.J., Potts, B.M., Brown, P.H. Spurr, C. J. and Gore, P. L. (2011) Germination response of Eucalyptus globulus seeds exposed to low and high temperature stress. Seed Science and Technology 39 p686-91.

Spurr, C. J. and Geard, A. (2011) Improving the reliability of vegetable seed production. Horticulture Australia Project MT08081 Final Report.

Ridge, S. Weller, J. L. Brown, P. H. Hecht, V. F. G.  Spurr, C., Driessen, R. G. and Baelde, A. (2010). Molecular Tools for Understanding Flowering Time in Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) Hybrid Seed Crops. Proceedings of the 28th International Horticultural Congress, p22-27 August 2010, Lisboa, Portugal.

Spurr, C. J. and Geard, A. (2010) Improving reliability of flowering in bolting resistant carrot seed crops. Horticulture Australia Project VG06155 Final Report.

Noakes, G., Greaves, B., Gore, P., Tibbits, W. And Spurr, C. (2009) EcoAshTM technology and genetics to value add young small diameter hardwood.

Nair, T., Wilson, S. and Spurr, C. J. (2009) Light sensitivity and germination of Eucalyptus globulus seeds. Seed Science and Technology, 37 p329-336.

Spurr, C.J. (2006) Pollination and Seed Development in Hybrid Vegetable Seed Crops. Horticulture Australia Final Report

Geard, A, Spurr, C.J. and Brown, P.H. (2005) Embryo Development and Time of Cutting in Cool Temperate Carrot Seed Crops. In: Seeds: Biology, Development and Ecology. CABI Publications

Nair, T.S., Wilson, S. and Spurr, C.J. (2005) Dormancy and Germination in Eucalyptus globulus seeds. In: Seeds: Biology, Development and Ecology. CABI Publications. 

Tajbakhsh, M., Borwn, P.H., Gracie, A.J., Spurr, C.J. Donovan, N. and Clark, R.J. (2004) Mitigation of Stunted Root Abnormality in Onion (Allium cepa L.) using Seed Priming Treatments. In: Seed Science and Technology, 32 p683-692.

Spurr, C.J., Mendham, N.J., Brown, P.H. (2003) The Effects and Management of Rutherglen Bugs (N. vinitor Bergroth) in Australian Carrot Seed Crops. Proceedings of the 34th Australian Agronomy Conference.

Spurr, C.J., Fulton, D.A., Brown, P.H., Clark, R.J. (2002) Changes in Seed Yield and Quality with Maturity in Onion (Allium cepa L., cv 'Early Cream Gold'). In: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 188 (4) p275-280.

Staff Awards

2009 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Horticulture Australia Limited Award recipient, Dr Cameron Spurr, seedPurity P/L.