Safeguarding Australia's native plant biodiversity from a fungal pandemic. Myrtle rust is a fungal plant disease that is capable of infecting at least 382 native species, threatening Australia's nativ

Description

Safeguarding Australia's native plant biodiversity from a fungal pandemic. Myrtle rust is a fungal plant disease that is capable of infecting at least 382 native species, threatening Australia's native plant biodiversity. This project aims to identify and characterise novel disease resistance sources in native plant species against myrtle rust. The expected outcomes include the first molecular identification of myrtle rust resistance genes in up to five native species and the first identification of recognised fungal proteins by one of these resistance gene products. With breakthrough knowledge in host genomics and fungal infection, project benefits include new conservation strategies to protect threatened and endangered species. This provides a critical advancement towards Australia’s goal of zero extinctions.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3108 - Plant Biology. Lead: Dr Ashley Jones