The Rural Voice, 2004-02, Page 451
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The leading edge
Researchers seek corn fusarium resistence
The toxic corn fungus Fusarium
graminearum which raises health
issues and costs Canadian producers
millions of dollars every year is
about to get an earful from
University of Guelph researchers at
the new Agricultural Plant
Biotechnology Centre.
Professor Peter Pauls, Department
of Plant Agriculture, is investigating
corn's resistance to the fungus that
infects corn in warm, moist
conditions and produces vomitoxin, a
substance that is toxic to humans and
livestock. The fungus is common in
the temperate climates of Ontario and
Quebec and renders the grain useless
for human consumption or animal
feed.
"We're hoping to improve corn's
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genetic resistance to the fungus so
that safety isn't a problem," says
Pauls.
He is introducing novel genes,
including several rice genes, to see
how they fare in protecting Ontario
corn cultivars from Fusarium. He's
also identifying disease -resistance
genes that already exist in corn
cultivars and expressing them at
higher levels or changing the specific
times during the growing season that
they are active.
Pauls recently spearheaded the
establishment of the University's
Agricultural Plant Biotechnology
Centre, which aims to improve the
safety, yields and disease resistance
of existing agricultural crops. The
centre is also working to expand the
"three Fs" of traditional plant
agricultural outcomes — animal
feeds, fibres and food — to include
novel products such as chemical feed
stocks, fuels, and nutraceutical and
pharmaceutical products.
Although preventing Fusarium
attacks is the ultimate goal of Paul's
research, the university is also
addressing the problem of detecting
the fungus's potential growth in corn,
which has been a thorny issue for
farmers worldwide. A computer
model that predicts Fusarium
infection by looking at Fusarium -
friendly climactic conditions has
been developed by Art Schaafsma of
Ridgetown College. Pauls is looking
for a direct method to prevent
attacks.
"The biggest problem in the end is
that you can't always predict when
this fungus will attack," said Pauls.
"the plant must be flowering, the
fungus must be releasing spores and
the right weather must happen at the
same time."
He hopes to eventually develop a
rapid test for detecting an individual
corn variety's resistance to the
Fusarium fungus.
Among the sponsors of the
research are the Ontario corn
Producers' Association, Ontario
Pork, Pioneer Hi -Breed and Syngenta
Canada Inc.O
— Source: University of Guelph
Research Magazine
FEBRUARY 2004 41