Blackleg is a serious problem for canola growers, with an average of 10 per cent yield loss a year.
The researchers, from the University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne, used genome sequencing to develop a screening platform that can identify the genes that underlie the resistance against blackleg in canola plants.
The resistance genes can then be deployed in breeding programs to protect canola crops nationwide, which could lead to more productive harvests and reduce the need for farmers to apply fungicide to canola crops.
UWA's Professor Jacqueline Batley said that by better understanding plants’ resistance genes, and identifying how they interacted with pathogens, it was possible to improve the crop, the yield and the economic outcomes for farmers.
“There is a global need for sustainable food production and to reduce the use of chemicals on the land with less economic loss,” Prof Batley said.
“We need to make sure that we have sources of resistance across all plant species so that we have enough food on our table in the future as the population grows.”
Prof Batley said the disease resistance research could be expanded to different species.
“Once you can understand the DNA, identify the genes and look at what’s causing certain traits, you can apply this to other species.”
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