Wheat diseases cost Australian cereal growers about $1 billion a year, with stripe rust being the second-largest contributor. However, the cost would be far greater without existing control strategies and the research behind them. While fungicides can effectively control rust diseases, high production costs and the emergence of pathogen resistance pose challenges.

Consequently, genetic resistance remains the cornerstone of integrated rust management – a strategy that has successfully prevented major rust outbreaks and associated economic losses since the 1970s.

The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute Cobbitty (PBIC), through its historic flagship – the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program (ACRCP) – supported by GRDC, offers a range of tools and services to support breeders in rust-resistant germplasm development.

One of these supports is rust screening services. The objectives are to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of rust-susceptible cereals planted, and to provide high-quality screening data to breed cultivars that are resistant to the rust pathotypes identified in Australia. The program runs on a cost-recovery, fee-for-service model subsidised by GRDC.

PBIC senior research fellow Dr Davinder Singh says the program is important not only for Australian plant breeders but also for the growers because it enhances crop resilience and productivity.

Cereal testing is carried out in the field and in the greenhouse. Additionally, breeder-submitted materials can be analysed for key molecular markers associated with resistance, enhancing the precision and effectiveness of rust resistance evaluation.

Received seed is sown in disease-screening nurseries at the Cobbitty field sites and/or in the greenhouse, inoculated with the appropriate rust pathotype(s), and assessed for rust response.

Over the past 15 years, about 1.5 million breeding lines of wheat, barley and oats have undergone field testing.

More information: Dr Davinder Singh, davinder.singh@sydney.edu.au;
Dr Muhammad Gill, muhammad.gill@sydney.edu.au (for screening needs)