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Dr Ming-Bo Wang looks on as researcher Limin Wu assesses seedlings immunised against Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus at CSIRO Plant Industry's Black Mountain laboratories, Canberra.

As vaccines are used to prevent human diseases, a CSIRO team has used 'hairpin RNA' to induce immunity in plants against viruses like Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). BYDV is responsible for production losses of about 15% in barley, 17% in wheat and 25% in oats. Until now, such viruses were considered 'unbeatable'. An additional environmental benefit of this technique is the reduced reliance on pesticides to control the insects which spread the viruses.

Photographer : North Sullivan Photography

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