Pathogens repeatedly overcome new plant resistances genes and fungicides. To devise strategies for enhancing disease control, we study the interaction of cereal pathogens at all levels, from early molecular recognition events using advanced molecular biological methods, through to epidemiology in the field using the latest mathematical modelling approaches.

These studies include understanding the mechanisms of polygenic resistance, specific major gene resistance - especially expression of the mlo gene for resistance to mildew in barley, cultivar mixtures, resistance elicitors and disease tolerance. The effect of control strategies on pathogen population structure is studied in order to understand the mechanisms which will result in durable resistance.

Cereal pathology at SCRI crosses several units and divisions. The work is fully integrated with the barley genetics and genomics programmes where characters of interest are mapped in common doubled haploid populations. The main pathogens studied are: Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei and Rhynchosporium secalis.

The main areas of work carried out have been:

• use of polygenic resistance in barley breeding
• potential of drought and disease tolerance as breeding objectives
• effects of resistance gene deployment on pathogen populations
• mathematical modelling to understand epidemics
• induced plant disease resistance
• development of crop mixtures to exploit resistance diversity
• Cereal Pathogen Resistance Allele Database (CPRAD).