What We Do

We’ve identified sources of genetic resistance to canola and pulse diseases Through global and national collaborations we’ve successfully identified partial sclerotinia stem rot resistance in canola and ascochyta blight resistance in chickpeas and lentils, helping breeders develop more resistant canola and pulse varieties.
We’re developing management tools to improve crop yield We've screened commonly grown canola varieties with sclerotinia isolates, recording significant differences due to environmental conditions during the infection period. This finding will help growers manage the disease to improve crop performance.
We’re speeding up chickpea resistance discoveries We developed a robust and rapid method to determine ascochyta blight resistance in chickpeas at the seedling stage, speeding up the resistance breeding process from months to weeks.

Our Current Projects

Sclerotinia stem rot of canola and pulses

Building on our discovery of partial sclerotinia stem rot resistance and linking with breeders to incorporate findings into breeding programs to help develop Australian varieties with greater disease resistance.
Learn More

Ascochyta blight of chickpea and lentil

Deliver pre-breeding material with resistance to ascochyta blight, develop key research tools for effector characterisation and provide growers with advice on disease dynamics in the field.
Learn More