It was an event that saw GRDC chair John Woods tear up his speech to speak from the heart and CCDM director Professor Mark Gibberd reflect proudly on a decade of extraordinary grains research.

A monumental milestone for internationally acclaimed grains research achieved through industry collaboration, strategic vision and skilled and motivated researchers was celebrated in April with the 10th anniversary of the Centre for Crop and Disease Management.

CCDM director Professor Mark Gibberd began the celebration, held at Curtin’s Bentley campus in the GRDC-invested Building 304, by reflecting on how CCDM was an initiative of GRDC and Curtin University founded with a long-term, clear vision for the grains industry. The partnership built on the university’s  long history of research and education in agribusiness, pathology and agronomy.

“These became CCDM’s core foci with the objective to deliver adoptable outputs to industry, capacity building through engaging experts across topics, and co-designing research and extension with industry,” Professor Gibberd said.

The Centre was launched on 1 April 2014 as a bilateral investment with GRDC. It started with nine work programs that have evolved to four: fungicide resistance, cereal diseases, canola and pulse diseases, and supporting- foundation projects. Over its 10 years the centre staff has tripled to over 100 and now includes a data analytics unit.

Professor Gibberd has led the Centre from its inception and his pride in the research teams and what they have delivered for industry was evident. “I am proud to be part of a Centre making a difference to the prosperity of Australian grain growers,” he said.

Our team has strived to apply multidisciplinary approaches to managing diseases associated with crop production. We greatly appreciate our local, Australian and global partnerships as they have helped us to demonstrate return on investment in research over the long term, and helped us gain a national and international profile.

Curtin University Vice Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne emphasised CCDM’s role in Curtin University’s broader mission to drive innovation and impact and its close collaboration with GRDC.

“I would like to thank you (GRDC) for recognising the importance of our research for Australian growers and having confidence that we will grow and become a force, not just nationally, but globally too,” she said.

Professor Hayne commended the CCDM team, and Professor Gibberd’s determination to ensure discoveries turn into impact.

GRDC chair and grower John Woods has also been involved with CCDM from its inception. “We can view the CCDM acronym through a lens of abilities and values,” he said. “C for capacity, capability, credibility, collaborative and critical to industry. D for delivery, determined and driven. M for momentum for Mark and his management group.

With an in-depth understanding of CCDM and its achievements over its 10-year history, John Woods, GRDC chair, abandoned his prepared speech. Photo: CCDM

“And M also for mates, because a true partnership has developed over 10 years with GRDC enabling robust conversations, respect and an enduring, like-minded relationship.”

Mr Woods said CCDM had worked with industry to position itself as a leader in crop disease research. Its work on fungicide resistance and pathogen effector (disease-causing proteins) discovery had not only advanced scientific understanding but also delivered practical benefits to Australia’s growers.

CCDM has become a flagship investment for GRDC and now with a foundational analytics investment in the portfolio there is additional opportunity to drive outcomes and impacts for crop diseases that cost up to $1.5 billion per annum.

Achievements

Nine videos showcasing CCDM’s research breakthroughs and their impacts on agriculture were spread through the formal speeches.

Key achievements include:

• effector-receptor discoveries– the identification of multiple necrotrophic effectors and their corresponding receptor genes in wheat pathogens. This gives breeders precise markers to develop disease-resistant varieties (see Case study 1);
• fungicide resistance management – implementing comprehensive monitoring and management strategies to address fungicide resistance, ensuring sustainable crop protection practices (see Case study 2); and
• education and training – through the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN).

It was also an opportunity to recognise the people behind CCDM’s achievements. Dr Huyen Phan was presented with the Director’s Award for Excellence for for her contribution to effector discovery and new knowledge of cereal pathosystems, enabling access to varieties with significantly improved disease resistance.

Dr Mark Derbyshire was awarded the Level C and D Academic Staff Member Award for contributing to CCDM’s research impact through publications in prestigious academic journals. This has built strong networks with international research leaders and establishing long-term partnerships with industry.

The Level A and B Academic Staff Member Award went to Dr Katherine Zulak for her work on the application of new fungicide resistance technology and in exposing undergraduate students to CCDM research, enhancing both teaching and research.

Communications Officer Lisa Smith was presented with the General and Professional Staff Member Award for increasing engagement in CCDM research through new media channels and raising CCDM’s industry profile.

In the same category, Senior Research Officer Julie Lawrence was also awarded the General and Professional Staff Member Award for outstanding contributions to CCDM staff cohesion and laboratory functionality and safety.

And for meritorious work in pathogen genetics and genomics, Johannes Debler was presented with the Higher Degree Research (HDR) Student Award.

CCDM impact

Case study 1: Fungicide resistance management

Limited availability of cheap and effective chemistry and tight crop rotations have accelerated fungicide resistance in Australia.

The Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) has an established track record of delivering management alternatives to combat this issue. Its research team, led by Associate Professor Fran Lopez-Ruiz, develops strategies for the detection of fungicide resistance and provides seasonal monitoring in major grain diseases. Working with the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN), the team quickly communicates resistance updates to growers, enabling timely practice changes.

To further enhance control strategy adoption, CCDM has partnered with the Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) program and the geospatial technology company NGIS to develop a fungicide resistance visualisation tool for growers.

The tool provides a map of where fungicide resistance has been identified in Australia and a risk calculation based on a combination of factors, including fungicide resistance levels, agronomic practices and pathogen biology across key pathosystems like wheat powdery mildew, barley net form and spot form net blotch, and wheat Septoria tritici blotch.

The visualisation tool, to be released later this year, will help map fungicide resistance and estimate risks to help growers make informed disease-management. As more data is integrated, and alongside AFREN’s extension packages, decisions around crop and chemical use have become data-driven, which is enhancing fungicide resistance management.

CCDM impact

Case study 2: Disease effectors

Yellow spot (YS) and Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) are major fungal diseases that cause necrosis on wheat varieties with matching susceptibility genes. The Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) has a long history for discovering effectors – proteins that cause disease – in pathogens and the receptor genes that detect the effectors, in wheat. To date, CCDM has identified nine major necrotrophic effector-receptor gene interactions in these pathogens. These discoveries have lead to near-perfect markers, enabling wheat breeders to eliminate susceptible loci and enhance resistance to SNB and YS, thereby reducing economic losses for Australian growers.

The latest discoveries include SnTox8 in the SNB pathogen and ToxF in the YS pathogen and their interaction with 2AL Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) – a particular gene region in wheat.

The research team, led by Dr Huyen Phan, has now found the location of the Snn8 sensitive receptor gene in the 2AL QTL. With the identification of Snn8 and other receptors in wheat chromosomes, good molecular markers can be developed, providing breeders with essential tools to improve wheat disease resistance.

In 2023, the team identified another novel effector in the SNB pathogen, named SnTox9 with the novel interaction with wheat gene Snn9 yet to be characterised in 2024.

Effector-receptor discoveries and yield markers used by breeders to improve wheat resistance, is fostering a future in which crop diseases can be managed through genetics – the most economical and sustainable solution.

More information: Megan Jones, megan.d.jones@curtin.edu.au, ccdm.com.au