The University of Queenslands Dr Lee Hickey and research team have discovered a gene that provides resistance to leaf rust in some barley variety adult plants.

The University of Queensland's Dr Lee Hickey led a team that discovered that the gene Rph20 provides resistance to leaf rust in some barley variety adult plants.

Leaf rust is a fungal disease that could destroy almost a third of the nation's barley crop, said Dr Hickey, a research fellow at UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation.

The discovery will enable selective breeding of barley that will provide genetic protection to the disease.

This will result in much lower chemical use, reduced crop losses, and a more reliable grain supply.

Dr Hickey said the crop disease could also leave Aussie beer drinkers thirsty as the country's primary use of barley was to make beer, as well as stock feed.

But for areas like North Africa and Southwest Asia it is a food staple, he said.

Dr Hickey teamed up with scientists from the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the University of Sydney and Uruguay's Instituto de Investigacion Agropecaria.

Using field trials in Australia and Uruguay, the team was able to identify the specific gene.

They then developed a diagnostic DNA marker to determine the presence of the gene.

Read more from the original source:
A new gene to stop barley leaf rust

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