Aiding agriculture through research @ MWEP

Murdoch Westscheme Enterprise Partnership (MWEP) is a partnership between Murdoch University and Westscheme Superannuation Fund that provides early stage (pre-seed) funds to research projects which have strong commercial potential.

In addition to having strong commercial potential, many of the projects supported by MWEP provide economic alternatives that are both safe for the environment and promote sustainable development for the future of agriculture. Some of those projects are highlighted below.

Cryptosporidium in cows
The prevalence of Cryptosporidium, the second most important cause of diarrhea in calves, has been reported to be between 35-80% depending on the age group. In calves, diarrhea is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality. Further, infected cattle are estimated to excrete between 750,000 and 750 million oocysts daily and this massive contamination contributes signifi cantly to the pollution of human-use water catchments.

Associate Professor Una Ryan and her team have developed a diagnostic kit to test for Cryptosporidium in water, animals and humans.

Necrotrophic Pathogens
Necrotrophic fungi cause millions of dollars in crop losses annually by killing host crops. Modern fungicides control these pathogens using chemicals that are both environmentally and economically undesirable.

The Necrotrophic Pathogens project, led by Dr Richard Oliver, is developing new fungal control strategies by screening natural products for novel antifungal compounds. If successful these strategies will help to overcome necrotrophic pathogens without causing adverse environmental and economic consequences.

Further research on these active compounds and their genetic makeup could result in the development of new fungicides or crop varieties with innate resistance to fungal pathogens.

New natural herbicide
Another project is being developed by environmental scientists, plant geneticists and agronomists from Murdoch University and the Department of Agriculture. The project, which is in its infancy, has identifi ed herbicidal activity in extracts from native WA biota. If successful this project will deliver a completely new, two part herbicide system to broadacre farmers. The fi rst part will be a crop-seed soak that improves seed germination and imbibes new leaves with an antidote to the second component of the system a natural knockdown herbicide. Such technology would deliver many of the benefi ts of the GM round-up ready herbicide system, without any genetic modifi cation of crop plants.