Overview
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We study fungal diseases of the
oilseed crop canola (Brassica napus), an important Australian industry, in terms of
both export income and as a break crop controlling root diseases of cereals. The
fungus Leptosphaeria maculans causes blackleg, the major disease
of canola world wide (Life
cycle). We are applying
molecular genetic techniques to the blackleg fungus with the overall objective of
developing improved strategies for control of this important disease. |
Our research is funded by the
Australian Grains Research and Development
Corporation. Our activities include:
- monitoring virulence of populations of the blackleg
fungus and developing strategies to deploy durable blackleg resistance in
canola cultivars, with Dr Steve Marcroft, Marcroft Grains Pathology, Horsham
and Dr Phil Salisbury, Melbourne School of Land and Environment, The University
of Melbourne and DPI, Victoria.
- characterising fungal pathogenicity genes.
- jointly leading the Leptosphaeria maculans Genome Initiative with Dr
Thierry Rouxel and Dr Marie-Helene Balesdent ,
INRA, Versailles, France, Dr Joelle Anselem,
URGI, Versailles, and Richard Oliver,
Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens,
Murdoch University to annotate the L. maculans genome.
- characterising the
biosynthetic gene cluster for the blackleg toxin, sirodesmin,
with Prof. Soledade
Pedras , University of
Saskatchewan, Canada and understanding the role of this toxin in blackleg
disease.developing tools
for understanding pathogenicity mechanisms of another
important fungal pathogen of canola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
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