NSW Department of Primary Industries | CSU Homepage
8 February 2007
High school agriculture students assist research
Experiments conducted by Year 10 and 11 agriculture students from southern NSW high schools have helped researchers identify the role of grazing sheep in spreading wheat streak mosaic virus (Wsmv).
Students attending the Graham Centre's inaugural High Schools Agriculture Enrichment Day in 2006 participated in a laboratory experiment to test whether Wsmv can survive in sheep saliva and be transmitted from a diseased to a healthy plant. The experiments showed that the virus did not survive in sheep saliva but remained active whilst in water. This highlights the need for further investigation on the role of sheep in the infection of wheat by Wsmv.
Click here to download the results and summary of the students' work (pdf).
Keywords: Wheat streak mosaic virus, Wsmv, high school students; sheep saliva; diseases in wheat.