International Fusarium Laboratory Workshop

Rachel Meldrum participated in the 2008 International Fusarium Laboratory Workshop. She attended the workshop to receive training in the latest morphological, genetic and molecular techniques available for the identification and characterisation of Fusarium strains.

Participation in the Fusarium Laboratory Workshop greatly enhanced Rachel’s skills in the field of plant pathology. Specifically her biosecurity skills were expanded, enabling the identification of a range of Fusarium species using different techniques. The techniques acquired from participation in the workshop included up-to-date molecular techniques as well as microscopy. These techniques will be applied to conduct research and diagnose exotic plant pathogens such as Fusarium. Fusarium Wilt disease of banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 is considered to be one of the most devastating plant pathogens. At present, this fungal pathogen Foc TR4, is found in the Northern Territory and is exotic in other parts of Australia.

As part of her PhD project CRC60097: Fusarium TR4 - PhD, Rachel will isolate a range of Fusarium species, which will be morphologically similar or identical. The detailed morphological analysis information provided during the workshop will enable her to use microscopy to differentiate between morphologically similar strains. However, to differentiate between morphologically identical strains, Rachel will be able to employ newly acquired molecular tools to further the analysis for strain identification.

The workshop was conducted by six international Fusarium experts who introduced and trained participants in general techniques as well as providing information on common Fusarium species. By establishing an international collaborative network, long term collaborations will include future communications with experts from Malaysia, Norway, USA, Korea and Italy.