USQ funded to research national crop disease

USQ scientists have been awarded a major research grant to investigate ways of combating a crop disease which devastates farming communities across Australia.

Crown rot of wheat and barley, caused by the fungus Fusarium pseudograminearum, is a major soil-borne disease identified throughout the country. Infection of the stem base leads to stem discoloration, reduced grain size and white heads containing no grain in severe infections. Annual losses in farm revenue are estimated at $97 million annually.

The Crop Improvement Group at USQ, led by Centre for Systems Biology Director Professor Mark Sutherland, has previously identified chromosomal regions, in particular, cereal varieties which provide partial resistance against this disease.

'This is part of a long-term program to understand the disease interactions between the crop and the fungus and to provide cereal breeding programs across Australia with genetic tools to help select improved crop varieties,' Professor Sutherland said.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation, which funds research in the grains industries, will provide the inaugural $610,000 grant during the next five years.

'The project, Enhanced germplasm for crown rot in winter cereals through application of molecular markers, seeks to identify genetic markers that can be used by commercial plant breeders to select wheat lines with enhanced resistance to this serious disease,' Professor Sutherland said.

This project was selected as one of four nationally to be funded within GRDC’s Crown Rot Initiative Program.

The USQ Crop Improvement Group will collaborate closely with the other research providers in this program, including Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) Queensland, the University of Sydney and University of Queensland.