Understanding an exotic disease: Initiation of sex and infection by the sugarcane smut Ustilago scitaminea. Australian sugar exports generate almost $2 billion in annual sales, making the sugar industry a critical facet of the Australian economy. In 2006, Australia's primary sugar producing region came under threat when an outbreak of sugarcane smut caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea first appeared in Queensland. Management of this potentially devastating disease has focused on breeding pr ....Understanding an exotic disease: Initiation of sex and infection by the sugarcane smut Ustilago scitaminea. Australian sugar exports generate almost $2 billion in annual sales, making the sugar industry a critical facet of the Australian economy. In 2006, Australia's primary sugar producing region came under threat when an outbreak of sugarcane smut caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea first appeared in Queensland. Management of this potentially devastating disease has focused on breeding programmes aimed at developing resistant sugarcane cultivars, a complex process hampered by a lack of information about the mechanisms of smut resistance. Our research will provide key insight into the mechanisms by which U. scitaminea infects sugarcane, directing future breeding efforts and protecting this valuable industry against further outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Development of symbiont based approaches to pest and disease control in sugarcane. This project aims to develop a new approach to the control of insect damage to sugarcane in Australia. It focuses on the manipulation of bacteria that are intimately associated with insects that feed on sugarcane, so as to decrease their ability to cause crop damage both directly through feeding and indirectly through the transmission of disease