Bulletin 25 2010 - BSES

22
QCANes / Dr NiCOLe ThOMpsON
expOse ON MAjOr CANe DiseAses
fOr NeW suGAr iNDusTry sTAff
The WOrkshOp OffereD 51 pArTiCipANTs hANDs-ON TrAiNiNG fOr
11 MAjOr DiseAses Of suGArCANe iN AusTrALiA
In this article, Quarantine Plant
Pathologist Dr Nicole Thompson, based
at BSES Indooroopilly, reports on a 2 day
workshop where new sugar industry staff
learnt about the major diseases
that affect cane.
Sugarcane Biosecurity was at the forefront
of learning for new sugar industry staff
at the 2009 2-day Pathology Workshop.
Supported by funding from BSES and
SRDC, it was held at the BSES Woodford
pathology farm.
The workshop offered 51 participants
hands-on training for 11 major diseases
of sugarcane in Australia. Participants
studied one disease in detail, and then
presented their findings to a small group
of their peers.
ABOVE | ‘Spot the disease’ pathology field walk.
RIGHT | BSES Biosecurity staff (left to right):
Kathy Braithwaite, Nicole Thompson, Judi Bull, Shamsul Bhuiyan,
Barry Croft (Program leader), Sam Azzopardi, Janet Green,
Rob Magarey, Andrew Greet.
‘for each disease, we examined the
symptoms, undertook a diagnosis, learnt
about the cause and studied how the
disease had affected the sugar industry
in Australia,’ said tutor and BSES Senior
Researcher, Dr Kathy Braithwaite.
‘We also discussed how a disease is spread,
what conditions favour that spread, and
the best means of control. Each group was
motivated to learn as much as possible
about each disease. The participants
who presented their particular disease of
interest did a fantastic job!’
BSES Principal Researcher Dr Rob Magarey,
based at Tully, discussed the wide range
of resources available for diagnosing a
disease. This included the BSES Sugarcane
Diseases field Guide, information sheets,
[Ongoing pathology training for
front-line sugarcane staff is important
for sugarcane Biosecurity.]
books and manuals. Some of the minor
diseases of sugarcane, such as striate
mosaic and Schleropthera, were introduced
in formal presentations, and participants
had an opportunity for a question-andanswer
session.
The participants’ disease recognition
skills developed during the workshop
were put to the test during a specimen
quiz. Eight leaf specimens with symptoms
were presented as a challenge for the
participants to identify. Out of the 51
participants, four managed to correctly
identify the cause of all the symptoms, and
the majority of participants were able to
correctly identify five or more – impressive
statistics, because not all of the symptoms
were caused by a disease!