Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Akhila Dendi

The hemibiotrophic pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana responsible for common root rot in wheat and barley causes significant yield loss and reductions in seed quality in cereal growing regions of Australia and internationally. Although, food security is attained in most of the crop through high yielding varieties, the availability of resistant varieties to economically important diseases are still limited in most crops. Currently, none of the commercially grown varieties of wheat and barley are moderately resistant or completely resistant to common root rot. This PhD research will investigate variations in the pathogen and its ability to cause common root rot to better understand its importance in Australian cropping system. The first objective is to investigate the aggressiveness and pathogenicity of B. sorokiniana isolates in wheat and barley by screening different wheat and barley varieties against different isolates collected from different regions of Australia. The second objective is to determine the degree of genetic diversity within B.sorokiniana isolates associated with common root rot in wheat and barley using DArT markers. The third objective is to compare common root rot inoculation methods for pathogenicity and screening of wheat and barley genotypes to select the most accurate and time efficient inoculation and scoring methods. This research will provide information to the future research and breeding companies to enable the development of common root rot resistant varieties in wheat and barley.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.