Powney

Rachel Powney has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne and an Honours degree in Applied Science (Agriculture) from the University of Tasmania. Rachel’s honours project titled ‘Distribution and Significance of Verticillium species on potato crops in South Eastern Australia’ provided the Australian Potato industry with information on the prevalence of Verticillium spp. in potato production regions in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Rachel’s honours paper also showed variation in virulence and genetic diversity of Australian Verticillium isolates, in particular, isolates of the prevalent pathogenic species V. dahliae.

Rachel has worked at the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Victoria in the Plant Health/Bioprotection platform since 2005. At DPI, Victoria Rachel has worked on a number of different projects including the National Processing Potato Research and Development Program, Review of the European Canker of Apple Import Risk Analysis, Integrated Pest Management Pathology Gap Analysis and the validation and adoption of a diagnostic protocol for bacterial wilt of asymptomatic seed potato tubers. Rachel also worked in the Fungal Diagnostics lab where her role was molecular identification of plant pathogenic fungi.

Rachel is currently a Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity student doing her PhD with La Trobe University and DPI, Victoria.