Tender: Barley Net Blotch Pathogen Surveillance, Monitoring and Screening — Australia

About

GRDC is seeking a capable partner for pathogen surveillance, monitoring and screening to help protect Australian barley from escalating net blotch threats that cost the industry an estimated $122 million each year through yield losses, downgraded grain quality and higher fungicide costs. This work is part of a five‑year, nationally focused Barley Net Blotch Initiative (BNBI) that lists Program 1 (pathogen surveillance, monitoring and screening), Program 2 (host and pathogen genetics), Program 3 (integrated disease management and extension) and Program C (coordination and capacity development). Program 1 must expand pathogen surveillance and substantially increase pathotyping capacity to achieve full national coverage, review and revise current net blotch surveillance sampling systems, generate critical insights into pathogen evolution, identify emerging and hypervirulent strains or increases in fungicide resistance risk, define better targets for disease screening and host resistance development, and provide breeders and advisers with timely intelligence on pathogen change.