Mildew Mania PLUS
An evolutionary arms-race in the field
2009 mildew sampling pathotypes
Red = wildtypeBlue = fungicide resistant mutant
2012 mildew sampling pathotypes
Red = wildtypeBlue = fungicide resistant mutant
AIMS To encourage students to enrol in
agricultural studies and engage with scientific research
To identify when powdery mildew is present
To collect samples and identify which barley varieties have genetic resistance, and which strain(s) of powdery mildew are present
Continue planting 1 pot each week until signs of mildew infection.
Week 1: plant Baudin seeds
Week 2: plant Baudin seeds
Week 3: plant Baudin seeds
1 1 2 1 2
3
Week 4: plant Baudin seeds
1 2
3 4
3
5 6 7 8 9
Week 5: INFECTION FOUND??! Proceed with planting all extra cultivars including Baudin with and without fungicide
Monitor new pots every week for signs of infection. Record how many, in which pots and when infection occurs – send samples to ACNFP
4
21
10
11
All pots should contain ~4 seeds/pot, ~1cm deep, and watered every 2-3days
week
Activity for the week
1 Plant pot 1 of Baudin seeds
2 Plant pot 2 of Baudin seeds, check pot 1 for mildew, record results
3 Plant pot 3 of Baudin seeds, check pots 1 & 2, record results
4 Plant pot 4 of Baudin seeds, check pots 1, 2 & 3, record results. Give pot 1 fertiliser
5? POWERDRY MILDEW FOUND?! Take photo and email/text to ACNFP to confirm. Plant pot 5 of Baudin seeds. Plant pots 6,7,8,9,10&11 with other barley cultivars, fungicide treated Baudin and wheat. Give pot 2 fertiliser.
6 Give pot 3 fertiliser. Check new pots for mildew, record results (if mildew present, if so, which plants?)
7 Give pot 4 fertiliser. Check new pots for mildew, record results
8 Give pots 5,6,7,8,9,10 &11 fertiliser. Check new pots for mildew, record results
9 If any pots other than the normal Baudin get infected, collect a sample and post it to us for testing.
Advantages of the PLUS More chance of infection due to presence of
“disease nursery”
Multiple cultivars of barley with different levels of genetic resistance
Genetically susceptible barley treated with fungicide
Extension lesson activities which we can design and present to your students
Possible incursions: All years
Experimental design and practise – how to ensure a fair and reliable test
Year 8 Classification of cells - difference between fungi, plant and
animal cells: physical properties and reproduction Year 9
Ecosystem communities – biotic and abiotic factors which effect agricultural populations eg. competition, genetic variability, rainfall, fungicide use etc
Year 10 Co-evolution – mildew and barley have evolved together, as one
resistant gene evolved, a new virulence gene evolved Year 11&12 (biology/ integrated/plant production systems)
Using biotechnology - students design a diagnostic test to determine if a specific barley cultivar contains a mutation in a resistance gene
Top Related