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Wheat defence

Wheat disease is estimated to cause annual losses of over $900 million to the Australian wheat industry which constitutes almost 20 per cent of the total wheat crop.

As part of the wheat project established in 2010, Bioplatforms Australia convened a consortium of Australian wheat pathogen researchers to generate new ‘omics data and develop a genetic understanding of pathogen interactions with wheat. These datasets cover a diverse range of wheat pathogens of importance to Australia and underpin new research on the mechanisms of pathogen infection and plant resistance. The datasets are supporting new molecular breeding strategies seeking improved disease protection and resistance.

The Bioplatforms Australia Framework Data Initiative, led by Dr John Manners (CSIRO), involved partners from Australian National University, Curtin University, NSW Department of Primary Industry, Charles Sturt University, CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.