Saving our cereals: fungal infection prevention saves billions of dollars and secures food supply | The University of Sydney

"Through this work and its uptake by all Australian cereal breeding companies, Professor Park’s work has had huge impacts on the economic viability of cereal production. Cereals are the most important of our food plants and Park’s group has played a pivotal role in the breeding of cereal cultivars that carry in-built genetic resistance to stem, leaf and stripe rust, a troika of the most feared cereal diseases. Cereal rusts cause significant losses in Australia, with several independent assessments estimating the potential impact of cereal rust epidemics at well over $100 million per year. A more detailed assessment in 2009 estimated the potential annual damage bill at ~ $168 million for wheat and barley alone. These benefits directly improve the bottom-line of all ~23,000 Australian wheat producers."

"Monitoring cereal rust pathogens throughout Australia is another important part of the rust control program led by Robert Park. This constant surveying involves close liaison with other researchers, agronomist and farmers, and is essential for early detection of new rust strains, for monitoring which rust strains are active, and for devising control strategies."