Murdoch University is home to the new $3.2 million National Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens, which will work towards protecting crops from disease damage.

Funded mainly by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, the centre will collaborate with Agriculture WA, the University of Western Australia and the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre.

The centre’s director, Professor Richard Oliver, explained that the research team would be carrying out highly focused but broadly applicable research in the molecular basis of plant diseases.

Specifically, the centre will target a specific group of diseases known as necrotrophic fungal pathogens (NFPs), which are a serious problem for Australia’s grain industry.

“Many Australian grain crops are plagued by these types of fungal pathogens,” said Professor Oliver. He explained that damage from this disease alone on wheat crops loses Australia $170 million each year.

“In the short term we will try to understand how these pathogens cause disease and how plants resist them.

“Ultimately we hope this research will be a great benefit to agriculture throughout the region.”

The first project is to overcome wheat blotch, which is currently the most damaging wheat pathogen in Australia.