Myrtle rust - the striking but deadly killer
Myrtle rust is a deadly plant disease caused by the pathogen Austropuccinia psidii. It attacks plants in the Myrtaceae family such as our iconic eucalypts, lemon myrtle and tea-tree. Transported here from a foreign continent in 2010, it has already decimated industries and reshaped economies overseas. It could do the same here, all while posing a massive threat to life in the country.
DNA research to the rescue
In this episode of Branch Out you'll discover the thrilling, cutting-edge science that is our best bet for saving our unique environment. In fact, some of it is the same science that will save us from the COVID-19 pandemic - DNA research.
Hit play below to take a deep dive into the battle against myrtle rust with this stellar line up of scientists across a variety of disciplines:
- Dr Ed Liew - Manager of Plant Pathology and at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science based at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Dr Jason Bragg - Computational Biologist at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science based at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Dr Karen Sommerville - Rainforest Conservation Scientists at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science based at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
- Dr Rebecca Johnson - Chief Scientist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC
- Dr Rebecca Rockett - Virologist at the University of Sydney’s Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity at Westmead Hospital