Biosecurity preparedness for Wheat Blast - Identifying new genetic solutions and bolstering Australian expertise

Wheat blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae pathoype Triticum (MoT), can devastate wheat crop yields by up to 100% under favourable disease conditions. Currently exotic to Australia, it poses a significant biosecurity threat. Climatic modelling indicates that approximately 75% of Australian wheat is grown in climates conducive to the disease, with potential national yield loss impacts averaging 7% by 2040. Wheat blast management is complex, with the efficiency of chemical control options inconsistent and sometimes ineffective when disease pressure is high. The use of blast-resistant wheat cultivars is the most sustainable and effective strategy. Until recently, the 2NS translocation was the only identified genetic resistance for wheat blast, and only a minority of Australian elite cultivars harboured this and exhibited resistance when screened in Bolivia. Since then, more aggressive MoT strains have emerged overseas which have overcome 2NS resistance. The search for new genetic solutions to wheat blast is underway internationally.