A partnership between CSIRO, the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), the Australian National University (ANU) and Biocommons Australia will focus on unravelling the genetic profile of key Australian environmental, health and agricultural pests to develop approaches to reduce their negative impacts.

The Australian Pest Genome Partnership (APGP) has prepared its first 28 genomic datasets and will soon make these assets publicly available to organisations interested in researching ways of controlling some of Australia’s top pest and invasive species. The datasets include mosquitoes, khapra beetle, cane toads, fall armyworm, foxes, feral pigs and cats, as well as weeds such as wild radish, rye and rat’s tail grasses.

According to CSIRO, invasive species have cost Australia $390 billion over the past six decades, with weeds costing the agriculture sector at least $5 billion a year.

“The fit-for-purpose genomics database being delivered through APGP will be a game-changer in invasive species control and management,” says CSIRO senior research consultant Dr Rahul Rane.

“Genomes and genetic diversity data can tell us all manner of things, including where a particular pest species has travelled from, what environments it may thrive in, and whether it has developed resistance to chemicals and pesticides,” Dr Rane says.

“The more we know about the genetic characteristics of a pest, the better our ability to make informed decisions to effectively control or eliminate them safely.”

Global blast disease pandemic affects wheat production

An international research team collaborating across five continents is ringing alarm bells about a new global pandemic on track to devastate the world’s most important food crop, wheat.

Wheat blast fungal disease was first reported in South America in 1985 and spread unexpectedly and alarmingly into Bangladesh in 2016 and Zambia in 2018, leading to its classification as a pandemic.

Following a genome analyses, the research team identified one particular lineage of the disease doing the most damage. They also identified valuable information for future disease management strategies to control it.

Scientists warn that this lineage could strike elsewhere, lead to fungicide resistance and affect other important food crops.

The study, published in the scientific journal PLOS Biology, has highlighted two potential ways to control the disease – either incorporating the resistance gene Rmg8 in wheat breeding programs or utilising the strobilurin class of fungicide. The team argued that concerted action will be needed to contain its spread.

GM teff and safflower varieties approved for commercial use

Two new GM plants have been approved for commercial cultivation in the US. Teff, an ancient grain grown widely in north-eastern Africa because of its drought tolerance and climate adaptability, is an iron and protein-rich food source. However, productivity is limited because of its tendency to fall over, preventing proper ripening.

The GM variety, developed by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, was modified to produce shorter (semi-dwarf) plants and reduce the likelihood of lodging or stem buckling.

Moolec Science, a company that describes itself as “a science-based ingredient company producing real animal proteins in plants through molecular farming”, has produced a GM safflower plant modified to produce gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential omega-6 fatty acid, in seeds to alter their nutritional value.

Although GLA is common in plant seeds, Moolec intends to continue modifying plants to produce animal proteins using animal genes within plants.

“The green light from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service bolsters the idea of the safe use of molecular farming technology to improve the nutritional profile for end food products. Moolec is very excited that its innovative food ingredients are a key part of the bioeconomy,” says Gaston Paladini, Moolec’s chief executive officer.

Researchers provide GM animal update

Animal biotechnology researchers recently provided an overview of the most-promising developments in the research and development pipeline, where commercialisation and adoption of GM animals has been hampered by numerous regulatory hurdles. Only two GM food animals are sold in the US – a fast-growing salmon and a hypo-allergenic pig.

Change is on the way, however, as the uptake of gene editing techniques is promising faster delivery timeframes. Some of the most-developed gene editing research underway include:

• meatier produce – cows, pigs and fish with increased muscle yield (by as much as 30 per cent), after researchers copied a naturally occurring mutation;
• healthier animals – pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome through the inactivation of a gene; and
• climate-suited livestock – cattle better-adapted to hotter climates resulting from researchers mimicking a natural coat mutation.