Cryobiotechnology innovations to help fight the Myrtle rust pandemic (ARC Linkage Project administered by Curtin University) (2022-2026)

This project aims to mitigate the impacts of Myrtle rust, a disease affecting >380 Australian taxa in the family Myrtaceae, by developing advanced techniques to conserve susceptible species. The project is expected to generate the biotechnology advances necessary to conserve multiple taxa on the brink of extinction, including species important to our emerging native botanicals industry. Expected outcomes for the project include novel protocols for initiating and maintaining sterile tissue cultures and advanced techniques for cryopreservation of susceptible species, providing insurance against extinction and sources of ex situ material for re-establishing the species in safe sites and for research into disease resistance.