Senior Lecturer - Crop Protection
Overview
I have a keen interest in the evolutionary relationships that underpin symbioses, particularly those involved in plant disease. There are countless examples of how diseases have impacted on different crops throughout history, and this is an ongoing issue that deleteriously impacts food security. My research involves developing a better understanding of the epidemiology of plant diseases, and delivering improved diagnostics and field management. Working with collaborators and international experts, my work involves research on a broad range of plants that are affected by bacteria, fungi, oomycetes and viruses. I have a strong interest in the biotic factors that govern soil health and the methods by which we can promote the development of beneficial microbial communities.
Research Interests
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Discovering pathogens and other endosymbionts of sugarcane
Using molecular techniques to identify the presence of different organisms associated with sugarcane and its relatives. These include the organism responsible for chlorotic streak and bacterial strains closely related to those that cause ratoon stunting disease. -
Assess whether yellow canopy syndrome (YCS) is associated with Leifsonia strains
A range of xylem-limited Leifsonia strains have been associated with sugarcane and its relatives in Australia and Indonesia. This work aims to determine if they are associated with yellow canopy syndrome (YCS). -
Agricultural Soil Health
Assessing soil health and promoting practices which improve it. -
Determine if Leifsonia were associated with Saccharum officinarum in New Guinea
New Guinea is the centre of origin for sugarcane, however, RSD was only introduced there into commercial plantations at Ramu within the past 20 years. Travelling to relatively undisturbed sites, I wish to determine whether Leifsonia bacteria are naturally associated with S. officinarum in its centre of origin. -
Improve mungbean performance against halo blight and tan spot
The bacterial diseases halo blight (Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola) and tan spot (Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens subsp. flaccumfaciens) are major production constraints to Australian and international mungbean crops. Working closely with collaborators at QUT and DAF, we are aiming to identify improved genetic traits against these diseases and develop enhanced diagnostic tests for these targets. -
Epidemiology of pasture dieback
Pasture dieback is an emerging threat to grazing industries in Queensland. We have a multidisciplinary team examining different aspects of the disorder with a view towards long term, environmentally sustainable management.
Research Impacts
My previous research has had significant impacts in crop production, including management of chlorotic streak and ratoon stunting diseases of sugarcane, improved potato production in the southern Philippines, and identification of quarantine and biosecurity risks within Australia and abroad. There are exciting opportunities to work on a broad range of different crop presentations and to deploy the latest in molecular technologies to address the many challenges facing agriculture in the 21st Century.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, Macquarie University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University
Publications
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Journal Article: Diagnosis and management of halo blight in Australian mungbeans: a review
Noble, Thomas J., Young, Anthony J., Douglas, Colin A., Williams, Brett and Mundree, Sagadevan (2019) Diagnosis and management of halo blight in Australian mungbeans: a review. Crop and Pasture Science, 70 3: 195-203. doi:10.1071/CP18541
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Journal Article: Effects of compost and mill mud/ash on soil carbon and the nematode community in a field trial on sugarcane at Harwood, New South Wales, Australia
Stirling, G. R., Young, A. J., Aitken, R. L., Beattie, R. N. and Munro, A. (2018) Effects of compost and mill mud/ash on soil carbon and the nematode community in a field trial on sugarcane at Harwood, New South Wales, Australia. International Sugar Journal, 120 1435: .
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Journal Article: Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia
Young, Anthony J. (2018) Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia. Plant Disease, 102 3: 473-482. doi:10.1094/PDIS-06-17-0911-FE
Grants
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Development of a soil-health index based on soil nematode diversity
(2019–2020) Innovation Connections
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Pathology support for the Queensland mungbean improvement program
(2018–2021) Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
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(2018–2019) Sugar Research Australia Limited
Supervision
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Sustainable productivity improvements in Chili and Shallot crops in Indonesia and sub-tropical Australia using Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)
Doctor Philosophy
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Producing clean planting materials from non pathogen tested sweetpotato storage roots
Master Philosophy
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Evaluating early detection systems for disease and pest management in rubber plantations
Doctor Philosophy
Available Projects
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Identifying the cause of Pasture Dieback
Pasture Dieback is destroying pastures throughout Queensland and no-one knows what's causing it, or how to manage it. There is significant scope for Honours, Masters and PhD research on this topic.
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Sugarcane disease diagnostics
Ideal for a 8 Unit Masters project, students will undertake qPCR on sugarcane samples to determine the incidence of the major pathogen Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli, as well as its close relatives.
Publications
Featured Publications
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Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia
Young, Anthony J. (2018) Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia. Plant Disease, 102 3: 473-482. doi:10.1094/PDIS-06-17-0911-FE
Book Chapter
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Coates, Lindy, Akem, Chrys, Cooke, Tony, Dann, Elizabeth and Young, Anthony (2010). Mango. In Denis Persley, Susan House and Tony Cooke (Ed.), Diseases of fruit crops in Australia (pp. 157-174) Collingwood, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
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Grice, Kathy, Henderson, Julieane, Pattison, Tony, Thomas, John, Vawdrey, Lynton and Young, Anthony (2009). Banana. In Tony Cooke, Denis Persley and Susan House (Ed.), Diseases of Fruit Crops in Australia (pp. 65-89) Australia: CSIRO.
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Ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane: History, management and new research
Young, A. and Brumbley, S. M. (2004). Ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane: History, management and new research. In Rao, G. P., Saumtally, Salem and Rott, Philippe (Ed.), Sugarcane pathology. Vol. III: Bacterial and nematode diseases 3rd ed. (pp. 97-124) Enfield, U.S.: Science Publishers.
Journal Article
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Diagnosis and management of halo blight in Australian mungbeans: a review
Noble, Thomas J., Young, Anthony J., Douglas, Colin A., Williams, Brett and Mundree, Sagadevan (2019) Diagnosis and management of halo blight in Australian mungbeans: a review. Crop and Pasture Science, 70 3: 195-203. doi:10.1071/CP18541
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Stirling, G. R., Young, A. J., Aitken, R. L., Beattie, R. N. and Munro, A. (2018) Effects of compost and mill mud/ash on soil carbon and the nematode community in a field trial on sugarcane at Harwood, New South Wales, Australia. International Sugar Journal, 120 1435: .
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Wieck, T., Bennett, J. McL., Redmond, T. W. and Young, A. (2018) Pressurised dewatering of sugarcane press mud for logistical transport efficiency and industrial reuse. Sugar Tech, . doi:10.1007/s12355-018-0621-3
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Phytocercomonas venanatans, a new species of Cercozoa associated with chlorotic streak of sugarcane
Ngo, Chuong N., Braithwaite, Kathryn S., Bass, David, Young, Anthony J. and Croft, Barry J. (2018) Phytocercomonas venanatans, a new species of Cercozoa associated with chlorotic streak of sugarcane. Phytopathology, 108 4: 479-486. doi:10.1094/PHYTO-07-17-0237-R
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Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia
Young, Anthony J. (2018) Turning a blind eye to ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane in Australia. Plant Disease, 102 3: 473-482. doi:10.1094/PDIS-06-17-0911-FE
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Molecular detection of diverse Leifsonia strains associated with sugarcane
Young, Anthony J. and Nock, Catherine J. (2017) Molecular detection of diverse Leifsonia strains associated with sugarcane. Plant Disease, 101 8: 1422-1431. doi:10.1094/PDIS-01-17-0016-RE
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Young, Anthony J., Kawamata, Asuka, Ensbey, Mark A., Lambley, Eleanore and Nock, Catherine J. (2016) Efficient diagnosis of ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane by quantitative PCR on pooled leaf sheath biopsies. Plant Disease, 100 12: 2492-2498. doi:10.1094/pdis-06-16-0848-re
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Young, A. J. (2016) Possible origin of ratoon stunting disease following interspecific hybridization of Saccharum species. Plant Pathology, 65 9: 1403-1410. doi:10.1111/ppa.12545
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Seedbed inspections underestimate the overall incidence of ratoon stunting disease
Young, Anthony J. (2016) Seedbed inspections underestimate the overall incidence of ratoon stunting disease. International Sugar Journal, 118 1413: 678-682.
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Young, Anthony and Ensbey, Mark (2016) Insights into the epidemiology of chlorotic streak disease as determined by multiple field assessments. International Sugar Journal, 118 1407: 216-220.
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Effects of externally supplied protein on root morphology and biomass allocation in Arabidopsis
Lonhienne, Thierry G. A., Trusov, Yuri, Young, Anthony, Rentsch, Doris, Näsholm, Torgny, Schmidt, Susanne and Paungfoo-Lonhienne, Chanyarat (2014) Effects of externally supplied protein on root morphology and biomass allocation in Arabidopsis. Scientific Reports, 4 5055: 1-8. doi:10.1038/srep05055
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The effect of protein supplied in the growth medium on plant pathogen resistance
Lonhienne, Thierry G. A., Trusov, Yuri, Young, Anthony, Schmidt, Susanne and Paungfoo-Lonhienne, Chanyarat (2014) The effect of protein supplied in the growth medium on plant pathogen resistance. Plant Signaling and Behavior, 9 10: e976159.1-e976159.3. doi:10.4161/15592324.2014.976159
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Thompson, S. M., Tan, Y. P., Young, A. J., Neate, S. M., Aitken, E. A. B. and Shivas, R. G. (2011) Stem cankers on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Australia reveal a complex of pathogenic Diaporthe (Phomopsis) species. Persoonia, 27 80-89. doi:10.3767/003158511X617110
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Fungal planet description sheets: 69-91
Crous, P. W., Groenewald, J. Z., Shivas, R. G., Edwards, J., Seifert, K. A., Alfenas, A. C., Alfenas, R. F., Burgess, T. I., Carnegie, A. J., Hardy, G. E. St. J., Hiscock, N., Hueberli, D., Jung, T., Louis-Seize, G., Okada, G., Pereira, O. L., Stukely, M. J. C., Wang, W., White, G. P., Young, A. J., McTaggart, A. R., Pascoe, I. G., Porter, I. J. and Quaedvlieg, W. (2011) Fungal planet description sheets: 69-91. Persoonia, 26 108-156. doi:10.3767/003158511X581723
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Young, Anthony J., Marney, Thomas S., Herrington, Mark, Hutton, Don, Gomez, Apollo O., Villiers, Adam, Campbell, Paul R. and Geering, Andrew D. W. (2011) Outbreak of angular leaf spot, caused by Xanthomonas fragariae, in a Queensland strawberry germplasm collection. Australasian Plant Pathology, 40 3: 286-292. doi:10.1007/s13313-011-0045-y
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Shivas, R. G., Grice, K. R. E. and Young, A. J. (2011) Ramichloridium spp. on Musa in northern Queensland: introducing Ramichloridium ducassei sp. nov. on leaf streaks of Ducasse banana. Australasian Plant Pathology, 40 1: 61-65. doi:10.1007/s13313-010-0014-x
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Young, A. (2008) Notes on Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae bacterial necrosis of mango (Mangifera indica) in Australia. Australasian Plant Disease Notes, 3 1: 138-140. doi:10.1071/DN08053
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Burkholderia andropogonis blight of golden cane palms in north Queensland
Young, A. J., Grice, K. R. E., Trevorrow, P. R. and Vawdrey, L. L. (2007) Burkholderia andropogonis blight of golden cane palms in north Queensland. Australasian Plant Disease Notes, 2 1: 131-132. doi:10.1071/DN07052
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Young, A. J., Petrasovits, L. A., Croft, B. J., Gillings, M. and Brumbley, S. M. (2006) Genetic uniformity of international isolates of Leifsonia xyli subsp xyli, causal agent of ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane. Australasian Plant Pathology, 35 5: 503-511. doi:10.1071/AP06055
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Brumbley, S. M., Petrasovits, L. A., Hermann, S. R., Young, A. J. and Croft, B. J. (2006) Recent advances in the molecular biology of Leifsonia xyli subsp xyli, causal organism of ratoon stunting disease. Australasian Plant Pathology, 35 6: 681-689. doi:10.1071/AP06074
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Reproductive biology of the onychophoran Euperipatoides rowelli
Sunnucks, Paul, Curach, Natalie C., Young, Anthony, French, Jordan, Cameron, Ray, Briscoe, Dave A. and Tait, Noel N. (2000) Reproductive biology of the onychophoran Euperipatoides rowelli. Journal of Zoology, 250 4: 447-460. doi:10.1017/s0952836900004039
Conference Publication
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Stirling, G. R., Young, A. J., Aitken, R. L., Beattie, R. N. and Munro, A. (2018). Effects of compost and mill mud/ash on soil carbon and the nematode community in a field trial on sugarcane at Harwood, New South Wales. In: 40th Annual Conference Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2018. 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2018, Mackay, Queensland, (41-49). 18-20 April 2018 .
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The rough end of the pineapple: The sometimes prickly relationship between science and policy
Young, A. (2018). The rough end of the pineapple: The sometimes prickly relationship between science and policy. In: International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP), Boston, MA, United States, (). Jul 29-Aug 03, 2018. doi:10.1094/PHYTO-108-10-S1.240
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Improved RSD management in Harwood leads to record yields
Young, Anthony (2017). Improved RSD management in Harwood leads to record yields. In: 39th Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2017. 39th Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2017, Cairns, QLD Australia, (219-221). 3-5 May 2017.
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Young, Anthony and Ensbey, Mark (2015). Insights into the epidemiology of chlorotic streak disease as determined by multiple field assessments. In: 37th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2015. 37th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2015, Bundaberg, QLD, Australia, (158-165). 28-30 April, 2015.
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Novel diagnostic method for ratoon stunting disease: Development and implications for RSD management
Young, Anthony J., Nock, Catherine J., Martin, Aimee and Ensbey, Mark (2014). Novel diagnostic method for ratoon stunting disease: Development and implications for RSD management. In: R.C. Bruce, 36th Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, ASSCT 2014, Broadbeach, QLD, Australia, (237-243). 28 April -1 May 2014.
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Young, Anthony, Davis, Wayne and Lokes, Steve (2013). Generating and assessing chlorotic streak disease (CSD) ratings for twenty sugarcane varieties grown at Harwood. In: R. C. Bruce, 35th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2013 (ASSCT 2013) . 35th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2013 (ASSCT 2013) , Townsville, Australia, (133-140). 16-18 April 2013.
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Reassessing rsd: Insights from harwood
Young, Anthony, Lokes, Steve, Davis, Wayne and Aitken, Bob (2012). Reassessing rsd: Insights from harwood. In: 34th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2012, ASSCT 2012. 34th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2012, ASSCT 2012, Palm Cove, QLD, Australia, (267-273). 1-4 May 2012.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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Development of a soil-health index based on soil nematode diversity
(2019–2020) Innovation Connections
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Pathology support for the Queensland mungbean improvement program
(2018–2021) Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
-
(2018–2019) Sugar Research Australia Limited
-
(2018–2019) Sugar Research Australia Limited
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
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Sustainable productivity improvements in Chili and Shallot crops in Indonesia and sub-tropical Australia using Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
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Producing clean planting materials from non pathogen tested sweetpotato storage roots
Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
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Evaluating early detection systems for disease and pest management in rubber plantations
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
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Identifying the cause of Pasture Dieback
Pasture Dieback is destroying pastures throughout Queensland and no-one knows what's causing it, or how to manage it. There is significant scope for Honours, Masters and PhD research on this topic.
-
Sugarcane disease diagnostics
Ideal for a 8 Unit Masters project, students will undertake qPCR on sugarcane samples to determine the incidence of the major pathogen Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli, as well as its close relatives.
