Fungi defence against quarantine threats

Fungi defence against quarantine threats
7/05/2008 10:36:00 AM
A key diagnostic tool which could help speedily resolve threats to Australian quarantine or export trade crises has been developed by Queensland and international scientists.
Qld Department of Primary Industries principal plant pathologist Dr Roger Shivas has co-authored the book, ‘Fungi of Australia: The Smut Fungi’ with German mycologist and world expert Dr Kálmán Vánky.

The book details long-term research into Australian smut fungi in the first comprehensive guide of these important plant pathogens for almost 100 years.

The book and a CD provide interactive keys that allow quick and accurate identification of all known species of smut fungi in Australia.

The CD was co-authored with DPI&F senior research scientist Dr Dean Beasley who has crafted over 1000 images in the first ever diagnostic key of this kind for a group of plant pathogens.

Dr Shivas anticipates that the book will become an essential resource for resolving quarantine and trade issues, as well as identifying smut fungi and the diseases they cause.

He said the rapid and accurate identification of new and unusual smut fungi will allow industry to move quickly to stop new invasions.

Dr Shivas says that the book and CD take the taxonomy of fungi into the 21st Century.

“Now anyone with basic training in plant health will be able to quickly and with reasonable confidence identify all the Australian species of smut fungi.

“There are 296 species of smut fungi in Australia from covered smut which attacks barley to the recently arrived sugarcane smut.

“Smuts are parasites usually of cereals and grasses that form black powdery masses of spores which spread the disease in the air, seeds and soil.” Dr Shivas said.

Smut fungi can cause diseases in cereal crops that could devastate yields if left untreated.

Using effective fungicidal seed treatments and the development of smut resistant varieties has reduced the importance of smut diseases in recent years.

Some exotic smut fungi still threaten Australian crops however.

“The seriousness of the threat posed by smuts to Australia’s billion dollar wheat industry was highlighted in 2004 when a shipment of Australian wheat was rejected by an importing country because it allegedly contained spores of the Karnal bunt smut fungus.

“The issue was only resolved when common contaminant spores were shown to have been confused with those of Karnal bunt.”

Dr Shivas said that event convinced him that an easy-to-use and reliable means of identifying smut fungi was needed.

* The book and CD are available from CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood VIC 3066 (sales@publish.csiro.au).

SOURCE: Queensland Country Life