GRDC launches new oat research consortium to tackle Septoria avenae leaf blotch

A new research consortium worth more than $4 million is the latest weapon in the fight against a stubble-borne disease thought to infect about 90 per cent of WA’s oat crops. Septoria avenae leaf blotch is the most common oat disease in WA, causing yield losses of up to 50 per cent in susceptible varieties. Launched this week, the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s Oat Septoria Research Consortium aims to close knowledge gaps on the disease, which occurs throughout cereal growing areas and is most severe in high rainfall areas. Australian oat varieties traditionally have poor genetic resistance to Septoria and growers can risk developing fungicide resistance from using too much chemicals to fight the disease. GRDC genetic technologies manager Michael Groszmann said the $4.18m consortium will focus on finding disease-resistant genes in oats, and how to best breed them. “If we can better understand the pathogen virulence mechanisms at the genomic level, it will enable improved identification of novel resistance mechanisms in the oat plant host,” Dr Groszmann said. “In addition to reducing yield losses, new resistant varieties will allow growers to minimise reliance on fungicides to reduce costs, ensure functional chemistry remains in reserve if needed and safeguard the oat industry against market changes that may limit the use of or access to fungicides.” The OSRC is the second oat research consortium established by GRDC this year, after the launch of the Oat Grain Quality Consortium in April. As part of the OSRC, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, Murdoch University, the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Curtin University’s Centre for Crop and Disease Management will lead three programs. The programs will focus on accelerating transfer of resistant sources to Australian oat breeders, the discovery of improved sources for Septoria resistance, and the identification of oat sensitivity loci corresponding with newly discovered fungal effectors. Dr Groszmann said recent investments in oats research had been “designed strategically” with industry partners. “This portfolio of research will benefit the entire Australian oat supply chain by providing breeders with new traits that align with grower and market demands, making Australian oats a more attractive commodity for wider cultivation,” he said.