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Caroline Donald
Expertise:
In 2004, Caroline received the prestigous VG 07125 Best practice IPM strategies for control of major soilborne diseases The project team aim to develop and encourage adoption of effective IPM strategies for key soilborne pathogens including Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and Sclerotinia in vegetable crops. VG 07010 Enhancing the plant immune response for improved disease control Boosting the plant immune response may soon provide long-lasting suppression of clubroot Systemic aquired resistance (SAR) is a “whole-plant” resistance response similar to the immune response in animals and is important for plants to resist and recover from disease. The research team have triggered resistance to clubroot in the brassica Arabidopsis. Half of the treated plants did not show any symptoms of the disease … (see right) Other studies show it is possible to initiate resistance to clubroot in broccoli seedlings. Studies are continuing to confirm the nature of the aquired resistance and to optimise seedling treatment conditions.
VG 06092 IPM Gap Analysis for Vegetable Pathology This 12-month scoping study identified short and long term priorities for vegetable IPM pathology. The study included:
The study reviewed current knowledge of vegetable pathology and prioritised gaps for future research.. A model for adoption of IPM in Australian conditions is also presented. VG 04059 In-field clubroot diagnostic test The The test kit includes plastic test strips and an extraction solution costs about $10 and takes only three minutes. Once growers have an idea of the clubroot status of their paddocks they can decide if they need to send samples in to a lab for a more detailed report. The on-farm kit is based on antibodies and was developed in the UK, based on the clubroot DNA testing technology developed in Australia. The kit is still “in development” and is not yet being offered commercially. VG 04014 ‘Better Brassicas’ CLUBROOT is a devastating and persistent soil-borne disease which is particularly severe in older market garden areas. Infection occurs on roots at any stage of growth. Symptoms are not obvious until the final stages, when plants are stunted and wilt, particularly in hot-dry weather, with characteristic galls and a single-clubbed taproot. When the roots of infected plants decay, they release millions of spores into the soil, ready for another cycle. Eleven Better Brassica Project workshops were conducted over five weeks, attracting 193 growers across Australia. Workshop participants received presentation packs containing:
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Researchers have identified 12 common cruciferous weeds and 10 non-cruciferous
VG 03022 Improved soil test for clubroot This laboratory test provides an estimate of the amount of the clubroot pathogen within 48 hours of a soil sample being received. This will enable growers to identify the clubroot risk and apply the most cost-effective control strategy. Field testing conducted at 51 sites across Australia showed that clubroot DNA could not be reliably extracted from certain soils, despite its presence being confirmed. The extraction procedure was modified to provide VG 00044 Clubroot is the most serious disease of vegetable brassica crops.. In Australia it is estimated that clubroot is responsible for losses of 5-10% of the national crop. This project, has addressed the short, medium and long-term needs of the brassica industry to manage this disease by developing management strategies that encompass whole production systems – seed – transplant – mature crop. This has been achieved through:
Recommendations contained within this report will virtually eliminate clubroot as a problem in nurseries and provide Australian growers with the most advanced in-field methods to combat this disease. Factsheets Farm series:
Nursery series: VG 99008 A rapid diagnostic test for clubroot (Faggian & Parsons, 2002) Clubroot can survive in soil for up to 20 years, even without a host. This project developed an accurate test for clubroot to estimate the risk of disease prior to planting. VG 99008 final report – extract Other Work (DPI Victoria)
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