Western Australia
April 23, 2015
Department of Agriculture and Food research officers Bill MacLeod, Dr Moin Salam and PhD student and BRRI scientist Ms Bodrun Nessa examine rice heads with rice false smut disease during a research exchange with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).
Two Western Australian researchers have made a major breakthrough that could assist rice growers around the world to minimise the impact of a potentially devastating fungal disease.
While rice false smut disease (RFSD) is not present in trial crops in the State’s north or commercial crops in other States and territories, it is prevalent in the majority of rice growing areas on the Indian sub-continent, as well as Asia and the US.
Department of Agriculture and Food research officers Moin Salam and Bill MacLeod have been working with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute to minimise the impact of RFSD through a PhD program being conducted by Ms Bodrun Nessa.
“In a world-first the pair discovered that RFSD was systemic, affecting the whole of the plant, providing a better overall understanding of the disease.
Rice false smut disease balls/galls, distinguished by hard golden balls that turn black, release billions of microscopic spores that contaminate the grain and subsequent crops.
“The assumption was that the crops were infected at the flowering stage but the evidence did not support that.”
In what is believed to be a world-first, Ms Nessa recorded smut balls or galls on the panicles of the regenerated tillers (otherwise known as ratoons) in the harvested hills that were previously infected by the disease,” he said.
“The research also recorded the natural distribution of the disease across the fields, hill by hill in Bangladesh, and associated yield losses.”
This new knowledge is being used to develop a yield loss chart and a disease forecasting model to assist rice growers to implement farming practises to minimise the impact of RFSD.
“Although RFSD was believed to be an indication of a bumper year, it can cause yield losses of up to 75 per cent, as well as a dark taint for which grain can be discounted,” Mr MacLeod said.
“Many of the popular rice varieties in Bangladesh can have RFSD and fungicides are not particularly effective. This research will assist rice growers to take action to reduce the proliferation of RFSD spores.”
Mr MacLeod said the research with Dr Salam, who has worked extensively with Bangladesh rice scientists and growers, will also benefit the broader Australian rice and grains industries.
“It is important for us to experience different environments and diseases to expand our thinking and approaches in the domestic environment,” he said.
“This exchange has built a good relationship with the Bangladeshi research institutes.”
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