Myrtle Rust research

An extraordinary amount of effort goes into research. Research projects, targeting myrtle rust for example, are of critical importance to Horticultural industries. Dr Ashley Jones, recipient of the Forest and Wood Products Australia Award will explore the plant RNA responses to a fungal attack in an attempt to understand how myrtle rust is getting through the plant’s immune system. Understanding this process could help breed plants with superior immunity to myrtle rust infections. The establishment of myrtle rust in eastern Australia resulted in a significant impact on the nursery and garden industry. The larger aim of Ashley’s myrtle rust project is to better understand plant immune systems and infectious disease, something that will support sustainable agriculture in an everchanging environment.