CSIRO
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO will release a new biocontrol agent called “leaf smut” in a bid to help save rainforests across Australia from an invasive South American weed.
Wandering trad (Tradescantia fluminensis)
Wandering trad (Tradescantia fluminensis) has become a significant environmental weed in parts of eastern Australia where it forms dense carpets on forest floors, smothering native vegetation and clogging waterways.
CSIRO senior research scientist Dr Louise Morin said weeds like wandering trad had a significant economic, environmental and social impact in Australia. “The leaf smut fungus (Kordyana brasiliensis) is spread through spores and needs the leaves of the wandering trad to survive – if there is no wandering trad to infect, the fungus dies,” Dr Morin said. “We know from decades of research in this field, that specialised fungi, like the leaf smut, have specific genes that enable them to successfully infect and cause disease only on single or a narrow range of plant species.
The leaf smut fungus (Kordyana brasiliensis) doing its work on a leaf of the weed species known as wandering trad.
“So we look at plants that are related to wandering trad including native plants to make sure the fungus will only infect the weed.” Wandering trad has infested native forests across eastern Australia, from eastern parts of NSW and south-east Queensland, to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria where the biocontrol agent will first be released.
Other Related Article – Smut to the Rescue
How to Get Involved
If you would like further information about the fungal biocontrol program for wandering trad or to participate in the release workshops, please contact Dr Ben Gooden from the CSIRO (Ben.Gooden@csiro.au; +61262183896).
