Fed: Years of grain research buried today

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Fed: Years of grain research buried today

By Shane Wright

CANBERRA, April 17 AAP - Years of grain research were today buried in Canberra as scientistscompleted their clean-up of research centres contaminated by a virus.

Thousands of wheat, barley, corn and other crops, central to the CSIRO's research intonew grain varieties, were destroyed to ensure an outbreak of wheat streak mosaic virusdid not spread.

Investigations are continuing into how the virus, which is carried by the wheat curlmite but not found in Australia, managed to find its way to the CSIRO's Black Mountaincentre in Canberra and a nearby experimental farm.

CSIRO Plant Industries researcher and wheat breeder Richard Richards said staff weredevastated by the outbreak, and the need to destroy so much work.

"You can imagine that (for) the staff that work at CSIRO, it's just a terribly emotionaltime for everyone, with enormous sadness and gloom," he told ABC Radio.

"We're talking about years and years of work in some instances.

"Clearly, it's affected some hundreds of people who have been working on these cerealplants for many, many years."

Dr Richards said some projects had been put back three months, while others could bedelayed by years.

An inter-departmental consultative committee will decide next week when the CSIRO willbe able to restart its research at the two sites.

A spokesman said investigations into the source of the outbreak was continuing, butsuspicions hang on some mites being accidentally brought on to the sites via clothingworn by an international visitor.

Science Minister Peter McGauran said both the CSIRO and the Australian Quarantine andInspection Service had acted swiftly to deal with the outbreak which was first detecteda fortnight ago.

He backed the decision to destroy all of the CSIRO's crops.

"While the loss of a great amount of research is an enormous setback, the decisionmade by the CSIRO to destroy up to 7,000 cereal crops was the right decision," he saidin a statement.

"CSIRO has taken the responsible and proper action, to maintain the viability and healthof the grains industry."

A hotline has been set up for growers concerned about unusual symptoms in their wheat crops.

The number is (02) 6246 5485. Images of contaminated plants can be viewed at the websitewww.csiro.au/wsmv.

Mr McGauran said quarantine of the CSIRO sites, with surveillance and sampling, would continue.

AAP sw/sb/ph/de

KEYWORD: WHEAT NIGHTLEAD