Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV) is a cereal virus found in parts of North America, Russia, Eastern Europe, Mexicoand the Middle East.In the US, WSMV is responsible for an average reduction in crop yield of between 0-13%, which translates to an annual financial loss in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Following the recent discovery of WSMV in Australia, it became evident that little was known about Wheat Curl Mite (WCM), the mite vector responsible for the transmission of the disease. As such, the Grains Research and Development Corporation have identified the WCM as a potential emerging pest within the grains industry of southern Australia. The aim of this project is to determine the distribution, biology and ecology of the WCM in southern Australiaand to investigate its relationship with the WSMV.

To date, surveys of the WCM distribution throughout the wheat belt of Victoriahave been initiated, along with the creation of glasshouse cultures for ecological investigations, and the collection of samples for molecular analysis. The next phase involves three objectives: i) to continue surveying the distribution and abundance of WCM in southern Australia; ii) to design molecular markers to investigate genetic variation within WCM; and iii) preform glasshouse experiments to ascertain the biology and ecology of WCM and its relationship with WSMV.