Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Crop Protection Manager, John Sandow, has welcomed today’s announcement by Western Australia's Agriculture and Food Minister, Kim Chance, of a unique bulk seed test to detect wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV).

Mr Sandow said the epidemiology of the disease was poorly understood. 

“You need a source of infection, a vulnerable wheat crop and a dispersing population of the vector, the leaf curl mite, to cause an outbreak, so the disease will be difficult to predict,” he said. 

“Given such uncertainty, it makes sense to remove the source of infection as far as possible.

“Overseas experience suggested chemical control of the WSMV vector was unlikely to be effective and with the WSMV resistance status of Australian wheat varieties unclear, developing such a seed test was a priority for growers.