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.
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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
- mining the genome of the blackleg fungus to identify genes involved
in disease. Features of the genome sequence are described in Nature
Communications
- identifying fungal effectors and other disease determinants in
L. maculans and a closely related species L. biglobosa
'canadensis'.
- characterising
secondary metabolite gene clusters in the blackleg fungus
- developing
tools for understanding pathogenicity mechanisms of another important
fungal pathogen of canola, Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum.
We
are also studying the systematic and conservation genetics of the
ectomycomyrhizal fungus, Laccaria, in collaboration with
Dr
Tom May, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
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