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Bush medicine to treat farm crops

27 September 2007 - NT research could lead to Aboriginal bush medicine being used to combat disease in agricultural crops.

Jawoyn people in Katherine are working with researchers to identify the anti-bacterial compounds in native trees and shrubs in the Northern Territory.

If the extracts can penetrate plant tissues, they can control the bacterial pathogens in crops such as tomatoes, potatoes and bananas.

"Native plants have been used by Aboriginal people as medicines for thousands of years," said Andrew Daly, from the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines.

"Numerous studies have demonstrated that plant extracts of native flora from northern and central Australia can act as antibacterial compounds against human bacterial pathogens."

Because of this, they have been effective in controlling bacteria like Golden Staph, which is well known for the problems its causes in hospitals because it has developed antibiotic resistance.

"We now want to test the ability of these antibacterial compounds to be used to control bacteria that kill agricultural crops," Mr Daly said of the project, which is funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).

The bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is one pathogen that causes serious losses in many crops, such as bananas and tomatoes, because it cannot be controlled effectively using currently available chemicals.

Bacterial plant diseases in Australia are usually controlled through the application of copper compounds.

"(But) the inability of copper to penetrate plant tissues means it often provides only poor disease control," Mr Daly said.

"Where copper is applied several times during a season, bacterial resistance to copper is also becoming an increasing issue, both in Australia and overseas.

"It is hoped the new novel compounds isolated in this project will help to overcome these problems."

Lisa Mumbin, from the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporations, said the local indigenous people had agreed to help in the identification of plants and share community knowledge in the hope it could lead to increased industry in the field.

"It's hoped this will facilitate the development of new industries in Aboriginal communities based on plants, or plant products that have commercial potential to control agronomically important bacterial diseases," she said.

Dr Roslyn Prinsley, general manager for RIRDC, said the research was an excellent example of innovation building on traditional knowledge to benefit rural Australia.

© 2007 AAP

Source: The Age

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