Curtin University Researchers Find Way to Keep Crops Disease-Free

Researchers from Curtin University have found a way to breed disease-resistant wheat with no downside, a finding that will help breeders produce crops with less disease losses. The team led by Professor Richard Oliver found that by taking away disease-sensitivity genes from the wheat germplasm, pathogens found it difficult to latch onto wheat and cause damage.

Professor Oliver said that previously, breeding for resistance to Yellow (Tan) Spot and Septoria nodorum Blotch was very time-consuming as no molecular markers were in use. He added that the key is to supply breeders with specific proteins that the fungi use to cause disease. The team looked at yield loss of different cultivars when subjected to disease and stress pressures. They then compared cultivars with disease-sensitivity genes to cultivars that lacked these particular genes, and found that the cultivars lacking the gene showed no yield loss and in some instances increased yields in the presence of disease. The team concluded that if a sensitivity gene was eliminated, there would be minimal associated risks and it would be a safe and straightforward strategy for improving disease resistance.

For more details about this research, read the news release available at: http://news.curtin.edu.au/media-releases/genetic-discovery-keep-crops-disease-free/.