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A Queensland University of Technology researcher is shining new light on sugarcane smut in a bid to help protect Australia's $2 billion a year sugar industry.
Jane Churchill, from QUT's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, is working with BSES Limited, to develop a new technique that uses a beam of light to measure sugarcane's resistance to smut.
"Sugarcane smut is a serious fungal disease that can devastate crops, stunt growth and reduce yields by anywhere between 30 and 100 per cent depending upon the variety," Ms Churchill said.
"Infected plants develop a black whip-like structure that forms from the growing point of the sugarcane plant and the fungal spores which are released from this whip are highly infectious to other plants."
Ms Churchill, who grew up in Mackay, one of Queensland's largest sugarcane producing areas, said that the primary means to protect canegrowers against smut damage was the use of smut-resistant sugarcane varieties.
BSES Limited is currently fast-tracking the development and release of resistant varieties in a bid to reduce the financial impact of the incursion upon the industry.
"All sugarcane varieties are tested for their smut resistance, with this testing performed overseas in Indonesia, a country where smut is endemic," she said.
"The problem is that this testing method which involves planting and harvesting the crop, takes two to three years and has severe quarantine and logistical difficulties.
"That is why we are trying to develop more rapid tools to rate sugarcane varieties."
Ms Churchill said by using a technique known as a near infrared spectroscopy, she was able to scan the surface of the sugarcane plant and predict its resistance level to smut in a matter of minutes.
"In its simplest form, near infrared spectroscopy uses a light source that you can shine onto the surface of the cane plant which can then determine chemical properties of that surface," she said.
"Because each sugarcane variety is unique we can categorise them by their chemical compositions.
"We can then take this information and use it to predict the performance of that variety against smut. For example we can categorise varieties as being resistant, intermediate or susceptible to smut disease."
Already Ms Churchill has tested 15 different varieties of sugarcane and her research has proved successful.
She said until recently sugarcane smut had never been diagnosed in Queensland.
"But a few months ago Queensland suffered its first case of smut, highlighting the importance of this research.
The next stage of Ms Churchill's research will see testing expanded to incorporate additional varieties of cane in commercial applications.
"Assuming the same success as already achieved, the following task will be to use these results to develop a diagnostic testing procedure which could be implemented within the Australian sugarcane breeding and selection program.
BSES principal scientist and program leader of the Technology Support Program, Dr Michael O'Shea, said Australia's sugarcane was a multi-billion dollar industry.
"In Australia, we produce around 35 million tonnes of cane annually, of which 95 per cent is produced in Queensland," he said.
"Australia exports over 80 per cent of the raw sugar we produce, and with a crop export value of approximately $2 billion a year, it's a vital industry to our economy.
BSES Limited is the principal research, development and extension (R,D&E) organisation for the Australian sugar industry, and is an industry owned body.
Ms Churchill's PhD research is co-supervised by QUT's Dr Serge Kokot and Dr O'Shea, and is funded by a Sugar Research and Development Corporation Postgraduate Scholarship.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here. ' |
