Improved Disease control in Hydroponic Production

Hydroponic production systems offer optimal conditions for rapid growth, protection from adverse weather and greater water use efficiency. The most important limitation for hydroponic production production is water borne disease. Water borne disease can rapidly spread causing up to 100% crop failure.

Biological Control of Eucalypt Pests Overseas and Australia

This project aims to address the growing need for a coordinated approach to research into the biological control of Australian eucalypt insect pests by scoping the formation of a Centre in Australia which would (a) coordinate the evaluation and provision of biological control agents (initially to South Africa and Brazil, but in future years more widely), (b) research the role natural enemies play in pest population regulation in Australian eucalypt plantations and how this may be enhanced as a management tool, and (c) form a network focussed on forest biosecurity with an emphasis on eucalypt pests and pathogens.

Genetic Options for nematode control

Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus thornei and P. neglectus) cause severe economic loss in wheat in Australia. This project aims to develop adaptaed wheat lines with resistance and tolerance to both species. These lines will be made available to Australian wheat breeding companies for further crossing and development of resistant and tolerant wheat varieties. Sources of resistance will be synthetic hexaploid and landrace wheats from the Middle East. Suitable double haploid populations will be phenotyped for the development of molecular markers to resistance and tolerance genes. The value of resistance and tolerance will be extended to growers through collaboration in demonstration trials with NGA and ORANA and presentations at GRDC Updates.