Curtin University researchers have discovered some agricultural soils can naturally suppress one of Australia\u2019s most damaging broadacre crop diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research, published in the international journal Applied Soil Ecology<\/em>, found some soils can inhibit infection and survival of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum<\/em> \u2014 the fungus responsible for Sclerotinia stem rot, a disease that causes significant yield losses in broadacre crops such as canola and pulses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lead author Dr Viet-Cuong Han<\/a>, from the Centre for Crop and Disease Management<\/a>, said the study highlights the role of soil as a living biological system, rather than a passive growing medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe identified a soil that naturally suppresses Sclerotinia sclerotiorum<\/em> by preventing the fungus from infecting plants and by inhibiting germination of its survival structures in the soil,\u201d Dr Han said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn field conditions, by comparing a suppressive soil with a nearby disease-conducive soil, we found clear differences in microbial community structure. Suppressive soils were enriched with well-known naturally occurring biocontrol organisms, particularly bacteria from the genera Bacillus<\/em> and Streptomyces<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese microbes actively \u2018antagonise\u2019 the pathogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis suppressive effect is driven by the soil microbiome \u2014 the community of microscopic organisms living in the soil \u2014 and under controlled and experimental conditions the effect can be expressed in soils that are normally conducive to disease, by inoculating the conducive soil with the microbiome from the suppressive soil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Han said the research showed that Bacillus<\/em> bacteria are central to disease-suppressing soils, while both Bacillus<\/em> and Streptomyces<\/em> help stop fungal growth and reduce disease in lab and plant tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe study also identified bacteria from Western Australian soils that had not previously been shown to fight Sclerotinia sclerotiorum<\/em>, suggesting that disease-suppressing soils could be a source of native microbes that may be helpful to control crop disease,\u201d Dr Han said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe also found certain soil properties were linked to disease suppression, with less acidic soils and those with lower carbon-to-nitrogen levels better able to suppress the pathogen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Sarita Bennett<\/a>, co-author and Deputy Head of School Molecular and Life Sciences, said the findings have important implications for Australia\u2019s broadacre cropping industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSclerotinia stem rot is becoming increasingly prevalent in agricultural systems,\u201d Professor Bennett said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis research shows that soil microbial communities can play a crucial role in limiting disease prevalence, providing a foundation for microbiome informed approaches to crop protection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Han said the findings open the door to future disease management strategies that work with soil biology rather than relying solely on chemical control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAgronomic practices that support soil health \u2014 such as maintaining soil organic matter and minimising unnecessary disturbance \u2014 may help support microbial communities associated with natural disease suppression,\u201d Dr Han said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnderstanding which microbes are responsible, and how soil conditions influence them, brings us closer to managing disease through biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUltimately, this work supports the possible future use of soil microbes as indicators and tools for more sustainable management of Sclerotinia stem rot and other soil borne crop diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The paper, \u2018Antagonistic microbiota drive soil suppressiveness against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a widespread soil borne fungal plant pathogen\u2019<\/em>, is here: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.apsoil.2025.106722<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Centre for Crop and Disease Management is a national co-investment of the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Curtin University.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Curtin study finds soils can naturally suppress major crop diseases","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"curtin-study-finds-soils-can-naturally-suppress-major-crop-diseases","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-05-28 09:59:29","post_modified_gmt":"2026-05-28 01:59:29","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31282","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":31242,"post_author":"4307","post_date":"2026-05-22 11:39:57","post_date_gmt":"2026-05-22 03:39:57","post_content":"\n Two Curtin University researchers have been recognised for their contributions to industry collaboration and research impact at the 2026 Cooperative Research Australia Excellence in Innovation Awards, held last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Curtin Distinguished Professor Keith Hampson<\/a>, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre<\/a> headquartered at Curtin, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Cooperative Research, recognising his long-standing contribution to collaborative innovation in Australia and internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Hampson has spent decades building and leading effective partnerships between industry, government and research, helping to advance innovation and networks in the built environment sector and strengthening Australia\u2019s cooperative research capability for a stronger, more resilient industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Associate Professor Masood Mostofi<\/a>, from Curtin\u2019s Western Australian School of Mines (WASM<\/a>) and Director of the Drilling Analytics Research Centre (DARC<\/a>), received the Emerging Collaboration of the Year Award, recognising his leadership in establishing a high-impact partnership between industry and research through the MinEx Cooperative Research Centre<\/a> (CRC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Associate Professor Mostofi has helped grow a collaboration that has developed technology to automate how drilling fluids are managed during mineral exploration, making the process more efficient, safer and cheaper. It has rapidly progressed from laboratory research through to staged development and is now undergoing industry trials across several countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Melinda Fitzgerald<\/a> said the awards highlighted the University\u2019s commitment to delivering research with real-world impact and celebrated the achievements of both researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese awards showcase the power of collaboration between researchers and industry to solve complex challenges and deliver tangible benefits for society,\u201d Professor Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProfessor Hampson\u2019s career reflects decades of leadership in building effective, impactful research collaborations in the built environment industry, and Associate Professor Mostofi\u2019s work with MinEx CRC demonstrates how Curtin researchers are driving innovation in the resources sector through strong partnerships, translating research into technologies with global industry application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were proud to see both contributions recognised at a national level and congratulate them on these well-deserved honours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooperative Research Australia CEO Jane O\u2019Dwyer said Curtin University continues to demonstrate national leadership in cooperative research, translating strong research into solutions that deliver real benefits for industry and the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe recognition of both Professor Hampson and Associate Professor Mostofi reflects the depth of talent at the University,\u201d Ms O\u2019Dwyer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProfessor Hampson\u2019s career stands as an exemplar of sustained, industry-engaged research leadership in Australia, while Associate Professor Mostofi represents the next generation of researchers building partnerships that move discoveries from the lab into global application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTogether, their contributions highlight why Curtin remains one of the country\u2019s most effective partners in cooperative research and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The awards celebrate excellence in industry-led collaboration and the individuals and partnerships driving innovation across the country, and were presented by Cooperative Research Australia<\/a>, the peak body representing collaborative research and innovation in Australia, including Cooperative Research Centres and CRC Projects. <\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Curtin researchers honoured for innovation in mining and built environment","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"curtin-researchers-honoured-for-innovation-in-mining-and-built-environment","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-05-22 11:40:01","post_modified_gmt":"2026-05-22 03:40:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31242","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":31239,"post_author":"4275","post_date":"2026-05-21 11:59:20","post_date_gmt":"2026-05-21 03:59:20","post_content":"\n John Curtin Gallery presents two major exhibitions Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius<\/em><\/a> and Reko Rennie: OA_RR<\/em><\/a> on show from May 29 to August 23, 2026, bringing together powerful First Nations perspectives on history, identity and connection to Country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presented as part of the Gallery\u2019s Makuru season program, the exhibitions foreground intergenerational memory and cultural resilience, across painting and immersive multi-channel video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A combination of new large-scale paintings and loans from major public and private collections, Christopher Pease:<\/em> Terra Nullius,<\/em> reveals the Minang\/Wardandi\/Bibbulmun artist's sustained interrogation of sovereignty, land and power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing on museum archives and 19th-century landscape painting, Pease reworks images that once cast Western Australia as empty and available for settlement, reinscribing Indigenous presence through bold Noongar iconography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaped by themes of social justice, land use and Noongar identity, the artworkplaces Western art traditions in dialogue with Indigenous systems of knowledge to challenge colonial authority and reclaim space, transforming a doctrine of denial into a powerful assertion of survival, sovereignty and enduring connection to Country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pease said \u2018Terra Nullius\u2019 refers to land that is deemed to be legally unoccupied and was a term used by first settlement both on the east and west coast of Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis meant that the land could be legally claimed by the British colony,\u201d Pease said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdmiral Sir James Stirling successfully lobbied the British Government to establish the new colony of Perth and part of the pretext for his proposal was \u2019Terra Nullius\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe canvas is often divided into sections much like the boodja (land) was divided into private property, other motives include multi-faceted iconography or scientific drawings, this layering provides underlying narratives for the viewers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immersive in scale and sound, Kamilaroi\/Gamilaroi artist Reko Rennie\u2019s two major multi-channel video works, OA_RR<\/em> (2016\u201317) and Initiation OA_RR<\/em> (2021), foreground customised classic cars as powerful conduits of identity, memory and return to Country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soundtracked by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, OA_RR<\/em> merges burnout culture with ceremonial mark-making, as Rennie takes a 1973 Rolls-Royce Corniche \u2013 hand-painted in his signature fluorescent camouflage and Kamilaroi diamond patterns \u2013 back to his grandmother\u2019s Country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Initiation OA_RR<\/em> shifts to Footscray\u2019s industrial streets, where a metallic pink 1973 Holden Monaro performs burnouts across an urban landscape tied to Rennie\u2019s youth. Underscored by an operatic score by Deborah Cheetham, the work transforms car culture into a powerful expression of cultural continuity, remembrance and assertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rennie said through his art he provokes discussion surrounding Indigenous culture and identity in contemporary urban environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was born in an urban environment where traditional notions of initiation were experienced in a completely different way to my ancestral home of the Kamilaroi\/Gamilaroi people of Northwestern NSW,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presented together, the exhibitions create a dialogue between place and perspective \u2014 from Noongar Boodja in Western Australia to Kamilaroi Country in New South Wales \u2014 highlighting both local and national narratives of resistance, survival and cultural continuity. \u201cBy bringing these projects into dialogue, the Gallery highlights two leading contemporary artists whose practices confront and reframe colonial histories,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRennie and Pease each activate landscape as a site of Indigenous sovereignty, memory, and connection to Country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exhibition Details:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Curtin Gallery Curator Lia McKnight said together, these exhibitions assert powerful, contemporary expressions of cultural continuity, resistance, and self-determination.,<\/p>\n\n\n\n