The Grain and Oilseed Pathology research group studies diseases affecting cereal and oilseed crops such as maize, wheat, canola and ground nuts. It focuses on understanding the causes, development, and impact of plant diseases caused predominantly by fungi and bacteria. Disease diagnosis, that includes pathogen detection and identification, understanding disease epidemiology, and determining the appropriate management strategies(agronomic practises, chemicals or biologicals) to reduce yield losses and maintain grain quality are amongst the most important activities of this group.
Some of the causal fungi associated with these crops also produce substances that are toxic to humans and animals called mycotoxins and these represent a significant food safety risk. Although numerous strategies can be employed to mitigate disease, plant resistance remains the most effective approach for complete protection to pathogens. For this reason, identifying resistant plants and understanding the plant-pathogen interactions is vital towards exploiting plant resistance as a disease management strategy.
The Grain and Oilseed Pathology research group actively conducts research on the following:
- Maize ear rots caused by Fusarium fungal species as well as the associated mycotoxins
- Wheat head blight and mycotoxin contamination caused by mycotoxigenic Fusarium species
- Aspergillus infection and aflatoxin accumulation in ground nuts
- Blackleg of canola caused by Leptosphaeria
- Sclerotinia stem rot of canola
