Towards Effective Control of Blackleg of Canola Program 1: Disease Epidemiology and Management

Blackleg disease is the major threat to the canola industry in Australia and worldwide, having caused major epidemics on several occasions. Changing farming practices to avoid inoculum, application of fungicides and the use of plant resistance genes form a basis for an integrated disease management (IDM) system for blackleg disease. This investment will provide disease management strategies for canola growers across all canola growing regions.

This investment will monitor changes in virulence of the blackleg fungal populations nationally, releasing warnings to growers when specific resistance genes are at threat of high levels of disease. In previous work it has been demonstrated that upper canopy infection (UCI) can be responsible for up to 40% yield losses through infection of upper stems, branches, flowers and pods. Factors leading to severe UCI will be determined, including how current farming practices are impacting on both crown canker severity and UCI. Best farming practices will be developed to determine how the new fungicide chemistries can be used to maximise efficacy and provide protection for both crown canker and UCI through selective application regimes. Lastly, high-throughput screening techniques will be developed to allow for screening commercial cultivars for resistance to UCI.