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Adjunct Associate Professor Colin Wellings

Research interests

I have a long standing interest in cereal plant pathology with an emphasis on the rust diseases of wheat, barley, oats and triticale. More recent research includes Myrtle rust that was first detected in Australia in 2010.

I conduct research and teaching related to pathogen variability genetics of host resistance and host pathogen interactions. I also work on fungal plant pathology, international pathogen monitoring and cereal breeding for increased resistance to rust.

Background

Colin Received his B.Sc.Agr and his M.Sc.Agr. as well as his PhD from the University of Sydney.

Dr Wellings is employed by NSW Department of Primary Industries and is on secondment to the University of Sydney, Cereal Rust Laboratory at the Plant Breeding Institute since 1980. During this period, he has assumed research and advisory roles in the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program with particular emphasis on the stripe rust diseases affecting wheat, and certain grasses and barley. His research interests include annual surveys of the pathogen population, studies of host resistance and development of near isogenic lines.

Recent publications

  • Wellings, C.R. (2011) Global status of wheat stripe rust: a review of historical and current threats. Euphytica 179:129–141. DOI 10.1007/s10681-011-0360-y
  • Zhang, J., Wellings, C.R., McIntosh, R.A., Park, R.F. (2010) Seedling resistances to rust diseases in international triticale germplasm. Crop & Pasture Science 61:1036-1048.
  • Wellings C.R., Singh R.P., Yahyaoui A., Nazari K., McIntosh R.A. (2009) The development and application of near-isogenic lines for monitoring cereal rust pathogens. In: McIntosh RA (ed) Proc Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop, BGRI Cd Obregon, Mexico, pp77-87.
  • Haque, S., Park, R.F., Keiper, F.J., Bariana, H.S., Wellings, C.R. Pathogenic and molecular variation support the presence of genetically distinct clonal lineages in Australian populations of Puccinia graminis f. sp. Avenae (2008) Mycological Research, 112 (6), pp. 663-673.
  • Wellings, C.R. Puccinia striiformis in Australia: A review of the incursion, evolution, and adaptation of stripe rust in the period 1979-2006 (2007) Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 58 (6), pp. 567-575.

Contact

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