Fields of Research

Horticultural crop protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds)
Plant pathology
Crop and pasture protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds)
Sustainable agricultural development
Horticultural crop improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Crop and pasture improvement (incl. selection and breeding)
Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling
Field organic and low chemical input horticulture
Horticultural crop growth and development
Crop and pasture biochemistry and physiology

Research Objectives

Plant extract crops
Horticultural crops
Field grown vegetable crops
Wheat
Industrial crops
Other plant production and plant primary products
Stone fruit (excl. avocado)
Berry fruit (excl. kiwifruit)
Grains and seeds
Plant extracts
Other environmental management
Wine grapes

Career Best Publications

Changes in distribution and frequency of fungi associated with a foliar disease complex of pyrethrum in Australia; Plant Disease
Evidence for sexual recombination in Didymella tanaceti populations, and their evolution over spring production in Australian pyrethrum fields; Phytopathology
Multilocus sequence analysis of Fusarium pseudograminearum reveals a single phylogenetic species; Mycological Research
Pathogen population structure and epidemiology are keys to wheat crown rot and Fusarium head blight management; Australasian Plant Pathology
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Epiphytotics of Downy Mildew of Oilseed Poppy in Tasmania, Australia; Phytopathology

Research Publications

2888 pilot study: Understanding the infection and population biology of poppy downy mildew for improved crop resistance
Paraphoma chlamydocopiosa sp. nov. and Paraphoma pye sp. nov., two new species associated with leaf and crown infection of pyrethrum; Plant Pathology
Adaptation of the Forecasting Model DOWNCAST for Determination of Downy Mildew Epidemics of Oilseed Poppy in Tasmania, Australia; Journal of Phytopathology
Atypical sexual reproduction of Colletotrichum tanaceti; Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference 2019
Bean disease study
Biology and control of the systemic form of poppy downy mildew
Carpogenic germination of sclerotia of Sclerotinia minor and ascosporic infection of pyrethrum flowers; Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology
Changes in distribution and frequency of fungi associated with a foliar disease complex of pyrethrum in Australia; Plant Disease
Comparative genome analysis indicates high evolutionary potential of pathogenicity genes in Colletotrichum tanaceti; PLoS One
Comparison of CAZyme profiles of Colletotrichum genomes to predict host range of Colletotrichum tanaceti; 11th International Mycological Congress
Crop damage from Sclerotinia crown rot and risk factors in pyrethrum; Plant Disease
Detection of two Peronospora spp., responsible for downy mildew, in opium poppy seed; Plant Disease
Disease hits $400m Tasmanian poppy crop
Disease Identification Management
Disease risk assessment of poppy downy mildew using qPCR analysis of two Peronospora spp. in naturally-infested soil; Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference 2019
Downy mildew threat serious
Durable management of ray blight disease (Phoma ligulicola) of pyrethrum. Sub pro-program 3e of Horticulture Australia Ltd Project PY09002
Effect of physio-chemical seed treatments on opium poppy downy mildews caused by Peronospora meconopsidis and P. somniferi; PLoS ONE
Efficacy of fungicides for control of ray blight and Sclerotinia crown rot in Tasmanian pyrethrum fields
Efficacy of various physiochemical seed treatments for controlling poppy downy mildew in Papaver seed lots; International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018
Epidemiological studies of downy mildew of oilseed poppy
Epidemiology of Downy Mildew of Oilseed Poppy in Tasmania; 13th Biennial Conference
Epidemiology of downy mildew of poppy
Epidemiology of downy mildew of poppy; Phytopathology
Estimation of pyrethrum flower number using digital imagery; HortTechnology
Evidence for sexual recombination in Didymella tanaceti populations, and their evolution over spring production in Australian pyrethrum fields; Phytopathology
First report of systemic downy mildew of opium poppy caused by Peronospora somniferi in Australia; Plant Disease
First Report of Witch's Broom Phytoplasma (16SrII-D Group) in Purple Coneflower in Australia; Plant Disease: An International Journal of Applied Plant Pathology
Fusarium diseases of wheat; Control of Fusarium Diseases
Fusarium pathogens of wheat in Australia; The Global Fusarium Initiative for International Collaboration: A Strategic Planning Workshop
Gene genealogy of Fusarium pseudograminearum; 15th Biennial Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference
Genetic differentiation of Phoma ligulicola isolates from pyrethrum in Tasmania; 2002 APS Annual Meeting
Genetic diversity of Phoma ligulicola isolates from pyrethrum in Tasmania; Phytopathology
Genetic relationships among isolates of Phoma ligulicola from pyrethrum and chrysanthemum based on ITS sequences and its detection by PCR; Australasian Plant Pathology
Genetics governing the differential response to boscalid of Microsphaeropsis tanaceti and Stagonosporopsis tanaceti; 2015 American Phytopathological Society Annual meeting
Genome-wide identification of candidate secretory effector proteins of Colletotrichum tanaceti isolated from Australian pyrethrum; International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018
Genotypic diversity in Fusarium pseudograminearum population in Australian wheat fields; Plant Pathology
Host range of Peronospora somniferi and Pe. meconopsidis within selected members of the Papaveraceae under controlled conditions; Journal of Phytopathology
Identification of 11 polymorphic simple sequence repeat loci in the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium pseudograminearum as a tool for genetic studies; Molecular Ecology Resources
Infection by Peronospora somniferi and Peronospora meconopsidis from soil causing downy mildew of opium poppy; 10th Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium
Integrated management of disease of pyrethrum
Isolate selection is important in screening wheat germplasm for crown rot resistance; 9th International Congress of Plant Pathology
Lack of evidence for recombination or spatial structure in Phoma ligulicola var. inoxydabilis populations from Australian pyrethrum fields; Plant Disease: An International Journal of Applied Plant Pathology
Literature Review
Mating type distributions of Microsphaeropsis tanaceti isolated from pyrethrum fields in Tasmania, Australia; 2014 APS-CPS Joint Meeting
Mating-type gene structure and spatial distribution of Didymella tanaceti in pyrethrum fields; Phytopathology
Multilocus sequence analysis of Fusarium pseudograminearum reveals a single phylogenetic species; Mycological Research
Multiple mutations across the succinate dehydrogenase gene complex are associated with boscalid resistance in Didymella tanaceti in pyrethrum; PLoS ONE
Mycoflora associated with pyrethrum seed and the integration of seed steam treatment into foliar disease management strategies; Plant Disease
Pathogen incursions - integrating technical expertise in a socio-political context; Plant Disease
Pathogen population structure and epidemiology are keys to wheat crown rot and Fusarium head blight management; Australasian Plant Pathology
Phylogenetic analysis of the downy mildew pathogen of oilseed poppy in Tasmania, and its detection by PCR; Mycological Research
Population structure of Colletotrichum tanaceti in Australian pyrethrum reveals high evolutionary potential; Phytopathology
Poster Board 33. Assessment of fungicide resistance in Botrytis cinerea from cherry fruit; Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference 2019
Poster Board 74. Determining Peronospora somniferi genotype diversity and its potential impact on management of systemic downy mildew of opium poppy; Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference 2019
Potential Biosecurity Risks Associated with Poppy Straw and Pellet Importation
Prevalence of Fusarium crown rot pathogens of wheat in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales; 4th International Crop Science Congress: New Directions for a Diverse Planet
Pyrethrum yield estimation by digital image analysis; Phytopathology: International Journal of The American Phytopathological Society
Pyrethrum yield estimation by digital image analysis; 2011 APS-IPPC Joint Meeting
Quantifying the effect of Sclerotinia and Botrytis flower blights on pyrethrum production
Research, Development and Extension in the Vegetable Centre: Sustaining the vegetable and allied industries of Tasmania; 2011 Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research Vegetable Centre Industry Communication Forum
Sclerotinia Crown Rot
Sensitivity response of Sclerotinia spp. from pyrethum fields to the chemical fungicide procymidone
Sick poppies
Solution closer to poppy puzzle
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Epiphytotics of Downy Mildew of Oilseed Poppy in Tasmania, Australia; Phytopathology
Spatiotemporal characterization of Sclerotinia crown rot epidemics in pyrethrum; Plant Disease
Strain characterization of potato virus S isolates from Tasmania, Australia; Plant Disease: An International Journal of Applied Plant Pathology
Symptomatology of crown rot of pyrethrum caused by Sclerotinia spp. in Tasmania, Australia; 2014 APS-CPS Joint Meeting
Tan spot disease: An emerging threat to pyrethrum production
Tan spot of pyrethrum is caused by a Didymella species complex; Plant Pathology
Tasmanian researchers develop DNA poppy seed test to identify systemic downy mildew pathogen
Trial of S2200 for control of Ray Blight in pyrethrum
Trial of S2200 for control of Winter Dieback in pyrethrum
Understanding the infection and population biology of poppy downy mildew for improved crop resistance
Why Australia imports so many veggie seeds (and do we really need to treat them with fungicides?)
Witch's broom phytoplasma infecting Echinacea pallida in Australia'; Phytopathology: International Journal of The American Phytopathological Society
Witch’s broom phytoplasma infecting Echinacea pallida in Australia; 2011 APS-IPPC Joint Meeting

Research Projects

Development of a decision support systems for management of potato diseases and estimating impact of changing climates; Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas)
Development of a risk management system for systemic downy mildew of poppy; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Development of an onion white root rot forecasting model for Tasmania; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
Development of regional risk models for fungal diseases in pyrethrum; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
Integrated disease management in pyrethrum; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
Integrated Management of Diseases of Pyrethrum; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
New On-farm Strategies for the Prevention and Control of Blueberry rust in Tasmania; Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas)
Sustainably growing horticulture value in cool climate Australia; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
Understanding the evolution of fungicide resistance for durable control of fungal pathogens in pyrethrum; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Understanding the Infection and Population Biology of Poppy Downy Mildew for Improved Crop Resistance; Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA)
Biology and control of the systemic form of poppy downy mildew
Biosecurity Risks Associated with Poppy Straw Importation
Development of capacity in molecular detection of fungicide resistance using fungal pathogens of pyrethrum as a model system
Improving the integrated management of pyrethrum diseases
Investigating the genetics of pyrethrum vernalisation
Mechanisms and spread of fungicide resistance in pyrethrum fungal pathogens
Pilot Study: Understanding the Infection and Population Biology of Poppy Downy Mildew for Improved Crop Resistance
Tan Spot disease an emerging threat to pyrethrum production
Trials to determine the efficacy and crop safety of Switch Fungicide (cyprodinil + fludioxonil) in hemp for the control of grey mould.

Research Candidate Supervision

Epidemiology and Management of Walnut Blight in Tasmania
Understanding the Genetic Structure of Microsphaeropsis tanaceti within Pyrethrum and the Mechanisms for Plant Host Resistance