Publications by authors named "Ross Mann"

The bird cherry-oat aphid, (L.), is an economically significant pest of pasture grasses, the latter being capable of hosting several fungal endophyte-perennial ryegrass symbiota rich in alkaloids and toxic to vertebrates and invertebrates. Measuring aphid feeding behaviour can provide insights into the effectiveness and mode of action of different fungal endophytes.

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Fusarium oxysporum (Fo) is ubiquitous in soil and forms a species complex of pathogenic and putatively non-pathogenic strains. Pathogenic strains cause disease in over 150 plant species. Fusarium oxysporum f.

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Background: Plant microbiome composition has been demonstrated to change during the domestication of wild plants and it is suggested that this has resulted in loss of plant beneficial microbes. Recently, the seed microbiome of native plants was demonstrated to harbour a more diverse microbiota and shared a common core microbiome with modern cultivars. In this study the composition of the seed-associated bacteria of Glycine clandestina is compared to seed-associated bacteria of Glycine max (soybean).

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Cyst nematodes of the genus Heterodera are a major group of sedentary plant parasites causing a significant economic impact, restricting production and market access globally (Moens et al. 2018). The ryegrass cyst nematode Heterodera mani is in the Avenae group and is found predominantly in pastures and grasslands in Europe, California, and South Africa.

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Research into understanding the structure, composition and vertical transmission of crop seed microbiomes has intensified, although there is much less research into the seed microbiomes of crop wild relatives. Our previous study showed that the standard seed storage procedures (e.g.

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Global seed vaults are important, as they conserve plant genetic resources for future breeding to improve crop yield and quality and to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little is known about the impact of standard storage procedures, such as seed drying and cold storage on the seed bacterial community, and the ability to recover seed-associated bacteria after storage. In this study, soybean [ (L.

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Plant growth-promoting bacteria can improve host plant traits including nutrient uptake and metabolism and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Understanding the molecular basis of plant-bacteria interactions using dual RNA-seq analyses provides key knowledge of both host and bacteria simultaneously, leading to future enhancements of beneficial interactions. In this study, dual RNA-seq analyses were performed to provide insights into the early-stage interactions between barley seedlings and three novel bacterial strains (two sp.

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The ophiostomatoid fungi are an assemblage of ascomycetes which are arguably best-known for their associations with bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculonidae) and blue stain (sap stain) of many economically important tree species. These fungi are considered a significant threat to coniferous forests, which has resulted in numerous studies characterising the diversity of bark beetles and their ophiostomatoid associates globally. The diversity of ophiostomatoid fungi present in Australian pine plantations, however, remains largely undetermined.

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Paenibacillus species are Gram-positive bacteria that have been isolated from a diverse array of plant species and soils, with some species exhibiting plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities. Here we report two strains (S02 and S25) of a novel Paenibacillus sp. that were isolated from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) seeds.

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Research into the bacterial component of the seed microbiome has been intensifying, with the aim of understanding its structure and potential for exploitation. We previously studied the intergenerational seed microbiome of one cultivar of perennial ryegrass with and without one strain of the commercially deployed fungal endophyte var. .

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Climate change is predicted to increase the incidence and severity of drought conditions, posing a significant challenge for agriculture globally. Plant microbiomes have been demonstrated to aid crop species in the mitigation of drought stress. The study investigated the differences between the seed microbiomes of drought tolerant and drought susceptible wheat lines.

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Asexual fungi are strictly seed-transmitted endophytic symbionts of cool-season grasses and spend their entire life cycle within the host plant. Endophyte infection can confer protective benefits to its host through the production of bioprotective compounds. Inversely, plants provide nourishment and shelter to the resident endophyte in return.

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The species complex is highly variable morphologically and causes powdery mildew on a wide range of species, including stone fruit. A taxonomic revision of the species complex in 2020 identified 12 species, seven of which were newly characterised. In order to clarify which species of this complex are present in Australia, next generation sequencing was used to isolate the fungal ITS+28S and host chloroplast gene regions from 56 powdery mildew specimens of stone fruit and ornamental species accessioned as or sp.

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The productivity of the Australian dairy industry is underpinned by pasture grasses, and importantly perennial ryegrass. The performance of these pasture grasses is supported by the fungal endophyte spp. that has bioprotection activities, however, the broader microbiome is not well characterized.

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The purpose of this study was to identify a reliable DNA extraction protocol to use on 25-year-old powdery mildew specimens from the reference collection VPRI in order to produce high quality sequences suitable to address taxonomic phylogenetic questions. We tested 13 extraction protocols and two library preparation kits and found the combination of the E.Z.

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Background: The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) is a ubiquitous group of fungal species readily isolated from agroecosystem and natural ecosystem soils which includes important plant and human pathogens. Genetic relatedness within the complex has been studied by sequencing either the genes or the barcoding gene regions within those genes. Phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated a great deal of diversity which is reflected in the differing number of clades identified: three, five and eight.

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Perennial ryegrass is an important feed base for the dairy and livestock industries around the world. It is often infected with mutualistic fungal endophytes that confer protection to the plant against biotic and abiotic stresses. Bioassays that test their antibiotic effect on invertebrates are varied and range from excised leaves to whole plants.

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Development of grass-endophyte associations with minimal or no detrimental effects in combination with beneficial characteristics is important for pastoral agriculture. The feasibility of enhancing production of an endophyte-derived beneficial alkaloid through introduction of an additional gene copy was assessed in a proof-of-concept study. Sexual and asexual Epichloë species that form symbiotic associations with cool-season grasses of the Poaceae sub-family Pooideae produce bioactive alkaloids that confer resistance to herbivory by a number of organisms.

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Background: Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is one of the most important species for temperate pastoral agriculture, forming associations with genetically diverse groups of mutualistic fungal endophytes. However, only two taxonomic groups (E.

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