Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity

Australia extends digital pest-detection network to Asia

K.Scott — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:31:16 +0000

Media Release: 10 August 2010

Australia’s digital pest-detection network is expanding to neighbouring Asian nations to identify and combat invasive insects and diseases that threaten Australia’s agricultural industries and markets before they arrive.

A network of more than 30 camera-connected microscopes linked to a public internet-based image library is already part of the arsenal being deployed to meet Australia’s biosecurity challenges.

This includes remote districts like Kununurra in Western Australia, which would otherwise have a limited access to the expertise required to identify new plant pests and diseases.

The digital diagnostic technology and procedures developed by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for National Plant Biosecurity have now been extended to East Timor, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam to enhance their diagnostic capability and contribute to Australia’s ‘pre-border’ surveillance.

Plant pathologist Dr Gary Kong is leading the CRC’s digital diagnostic project and says the increasing volume of international trade and people movement are placing greater pressure on our quarantine systems.

“At the same time the pool of expertise to diagnose new incursions is shrinking. Digital tools are helping us to do more with less and increasing access to information that improves our capacity to identify new pests and disease and respond more quickly.” READ MORE

Instructions for downloading images

To download and save images, right-click on the link and click ‘save target as’. If you experience any problems, please contact Communications Manager, Kate Scott begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting on 0402 299 611 or k.scott@crcplantbiosecurity.com.au

Biosecurity researchers aid the surveillance of exotic disease

K.Scott — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:18:14 +0000

Media Release: 30 July 2010

You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a military operation planning room. Topographical maps are spread across the table with bright coloured dots indicating where the threat was located and hopefully eliminated. Satellite imagery of the local terrain is projected on to a white screen at the front of the room showing lush agricultural areas and mountainous state forests. There are no military uniforms though. This meeting is a gathering of scientists from the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity and Industry & Investment New South Wales staff who are planning surveillance strategies to monitor this exotic threat.

The threat is Uredo rangelli (Myrtle rust) which was recently detected at a NSW Central Coast cut flower growing facility. Very closely related to the rust fungus causing guava rust, it infects the Myrtaceae family of plants (which includes many Australian native species). This is the first detection of Myrtle rust in Australia and while it’s not been found on eucalypts, there is limited knowledge of its impact or behaviour under Australian conditions.

CRC chief executive officer, Dr Simon McKirdy said the CRC was approached by Australia’s Plant Health Committee (PHC) to deploy scientific resources and assist with surveillance of the rust.

“Given our plant biosecurity research activities, PHC approached us as part of their management strategy. We have flown in researchers from across the country to provide as much assistance as we can,” he said. READ MORE

Instructions for downloading images

To download and save images, right-click on the link and click ‘save target as’. If you experience any problems, please contact Communications Manager, Kate Scott on 0402 299 611 or k.scott@crcplantbiosecurity.com.au

The Leaflet June 2010

VANMEURSA — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:40:04 +0000

Find out what our CEO, Chairman and researchers have been up to over the past two months.

Female fruit fly lures improve orchard pest protection

VANMEURSA — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:26:18 +0000

A new tool is being tested in Western Australia to improve monitoring for a range of fruit fly species, which could threaten the nation’s valuable horticulture industry.

Researchers are examining whether new female lures are more effective than lures currently in use and can be used to detect fruit fly species that may not be attracted to the male lures.

Male lures are used in surveillance programs to demonstrate area freedom from fruit fly pests to international markets but they are only effective for certain species.

The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity female lure project is a collaboration between Industry & Investment New South Wales and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA). The project also has funding from Horticulture Australia Limited.

Two lure recipes are being tested. One is a moist gel lure and the other, a dry lure, which comes in a granular form is meant for more humid climates.

DAFWA research officer Shirani Poogoda is evaluating the lures in WA, which were developed in NSW.

Laboratory and outdoor cage trials last year showed promising results. Preliminary trial work has been carried out in Kununurra with native fruit fly species and in Donnybrook with Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly). Further field testing is scheduled in both areas and analysis of the data will be undertaken in coming months.

Ms Poogoda said the new lures attempted to improve on the female lure currently available for fruit fly.

'The liquid protein lure used for species other than Medfly, breakdown easily and are messy to use, while the dry Medfly lure is not effective for a lot of other fruit fly species and has a relatively small attraction range,' she said.

Ms Poogoda said the lures would be useful to both government surveillance programs and horticulture producers alike.

'The lures could be used in traps to indicate threshold numbers so orchardists can determine when is the best time to take control action so they don’t need to use chemical treatments unnecessarily,' she said.

Australia is free from highly destructive fruit fly species such as the Oriental fruit fly, Asian Papaya fruit fly and Melon fly. Western Australia is currently free from Queensland fruit fly. The Ord River Irrigation Area is free from Medfly, which enables it to export to countries like New Zealand.

The project will present its final findings in late 2010.

Photo caption: DAFWA research officer Shirani Poogoda checks an experimental female fruit fly lure at a citrus orchard in Harvey.

Content supplied by: DAFWA

SPHDS – leading the nation’s diagnosis of plant pests

VANMEURSA — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:12:05 +0000

In a world where the challenges from plant pests are continually changing, the ability to rapidly, robustly and cost-effectively identify a plant pest is more important than ever. Charged with making sure that Australia can meet these challenges, the Sub-Committee on Plant Health Diagnostics Standards (SPHDS) is improving Australia’s diagnostic capabilities by leading the national effort into developing sustainable, effective and high quality diagnostics.

A sub-committee formed under Australia’s Plant Health Committee (PHC), SPHDS is made up of representatives from state and federal agricultural agencies as well as other organisations that maintain an interest in plant pest diagnostics – such as the CRCNPB and Plant Health Australia. By bringing together all of these organisations, SPHDS uses the nation’s best and brightest plant diagnosticians to tackle plant pest diagnostic problems facing Australia.

Current chair of SPHDS and the Program Leader for the CRCNPB’s Impact Management Program, Ms Jane Moran, says that ‘SPHDS is an integral part of our national defence against plant pests. Without the ability to make rapid, robust and effective diagnoses, our ability to combat a potentially devastating incursion is greatly reduced.’

In order to undertake this task, SPHDS is currently divided into four working groups – the Diagnostics Standards Working Group, the Accreditation, Expertise and Resources Working Group, the Training Working Group and the National Diagnostic Strategy Working Group. Overarching these is the Coodinator’s Group that sets the direction and priorities for the three working groups and has the overall responsibility of providing governance of SPHDS. Under this structure, SPHDS ensures that it covers all areas affecting the national diagnostic capability, particularly the areas that allow for the development of new national diagnostic protocols.

The process for approving a national diagnostic protocol is very specific and requires considerable time and resources. Once a particular diagnostic protocol has been identified as a priority by SPHDS, the sub-committee calls for scholarship applications for travel to an overseas centre of excellence to develop the protocol. SPHDS then selects suitable applicants who travel to these international laboratories and then draft a protocol that adheres to strict standards for consideration by SPHDS. SPHDS then arranges for an independent laboratory to assess the test protocols to see if the methods are complete and easy to follow. SPHDS also arranges for the protocol to be peer reviewed by an expert in the field. The results of these activities are then assessed by SPHDS and any appropriate changes are made. Once all of these stages have been successfully completed, the diagnostic protocol is submitted to PHC for endorsement as the national standard.

Ms Moran explains that the process for recommending a diagnostic protocol for endorsement by PHC is intentionally rigorous ‘to provide confidence for decision makers in the accuracy of a diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis allows state and federal agencies to rapidly rollout contingency plans in the case on an incursion.’

The CRCNPB works closely with SPHDS to ensure our advances in diagnostic techniques and technology are on the frontline in the fight against plant pest threats. For example, our enhanced diagnostic for Karnal bunt (CRC20004: Karnal Bunt) is currently going through the SPHDS approval process, after undertaking successful international trials during the course of the project. Once approved and endorsed, the diagnostic will become the national standard in identifying this damaging pest of grain.

Ms Moran highlights the Plant Biosecurity Toolbox (PBT), hosted on the PaDIL website, as one of the CRCNPB’s most important contributions to the national diagnostic capability.

‘The PBT is really the first dedicated resource in Australia that takes diagnostic data off laboratory shelves and puts it into a forum that is usable, accessible and invaluable to plant diagnosticians. It has changed the way that SPHDS operates as well, as all new protocols are uploaded to the PBT.’

The CRCNPB is helping in the fight against plant pests by building a strong and productive relationship with SPHDS. With Diagnostics Program Leader Dr Deb Hailstones as our SPHDS representative, and Ms Moran as the Chair, our continued collaboration means our research will help ensure that SPHDS can continue to provide Australia an effective defence from plant pests through rapid, robust and cost-effective diagnostics.

Content supplied by: Cain Roberts and Jane Moran

From storage to export: learning about the grain supply chain

VANMEURSA — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:56:11 +0000

In mid-May, scientists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) travelled on a field trip to Western Australia’s farm grain storages in Northam and export facilities at York and Forrestfield.

The trip was organised by entomologists Maria Majer and Rob Emery. Maria works on the CRCNPB project titled Surveillance platform technology for predicting spread of EPPs. She works along with a research fellow from the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering of the University of Western Australia, providing biological information necessary for the simulation models. Rob Emery is a senior entomologist for DAFWA specialising in stored grain.

From DAFWA, four CRCNPB entomology projects were represented through Rob, Maria, Michelle Chami and Chris Newman. The UWA group comprised of PhD candidate, Mingren Shi and modellers Michael Renton, Juan Jose Garcia Adeva and James Bennett who are developing computer simulation models to predict the establishment or spread of invasive plant pests. Mingren and Michelle are both working under the supervision of Rob Emery. Mingren is working on a model for phosphine resistance in grain insects while Michelle is conducting the phosphine resistance testing.

The trip was a great opportunity to be far away from desks and computers on a beautiful sunny day. The group’s first stop was Forrestfield where everyone was impressed by the size and hygiene practices of CBH Group Metro Grain Centre facilities. Phil Taylor from CBH explained how his colleagues are working with growers to protect Western Australia’s international reputation for high quality grain.

From Forrestfield, the group continued to Northam to visit farm silos where Chris Newman outlined the importance of properly sealed silos to allow for effective fumigation. Rob Emery briefed the group on phosphine fumigation and the problem of insect pests of grain storage evolving phosphine resistance.

The insects observed on the day were the rust red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), the saw toothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis) and some beetle larvae.

The group continued the field day at the CBH York grain receival point where they continued to explore the facilities and equipment such as conveyor loading system, the bulk storage capacity, handling and transport system. Chris Newman and Phil Taylor explained how they can handle and store an average of 11 million tonnes of grain each year such as wheat, barley, lupins and canola.

This initiative followed the grain supply chain and was a very positive interaction for members across several CRC projects. Activities such as this demonstrate the benefits of collaborative networks created as part of the CRCNPB.

Photo caption: Rob Emery demonstrates how to sieve insects from stored grain. From (L-R) Chris Newman, Michael Renton and Mingren Shi look on.

Content and image supplied by: Maria Majer

Dr Felipe Gonzalez

VANMEURSA — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:49:01 +0000

My name is Dr Felipe Gonzalez and my role at CRC for National Plant Biosecurity is joint project manager and primary investigator on the CRC30032: Flying Spore Traps project.

I completed my PhD in Aeronautical Engineering at The University of Sydney in 2006, my research area is multi-disciplinary design optimisation. I have published five journal papers, three book chapters and 28 refereed conference papers on the topic.

I am originally from South America and the thing I miss the most is my family.

Living in Brisbane is fantastic, good friends and really good research and academic environment at both Queensland University of Technology and Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation.

My favourite or ideal holiday destination is anywhere because I seem to always find new ways and culture wherever I go.

In my spare time, I enjoy leisure time with my family and learning to fly.

At the moment I am reading the bizarre mix of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and Dynamics of Flight: Stability and Control by Bernard Etkin.

If money was no option, I would resolve poverty.

A quality I would most like to be remembered for is perseverance.

Postgraduate study in plant biosecurity

VANMEURSA — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:49:19 +0000

Establishing a university course in plant biosecurity is a key indicator of success for the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity’s Education and Training Program.

Through the CRC’s plant biosecurity curriculum project led by Associate Professor Tony Clarke from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), this success was realised in February 2010 when the first cohort of students were able to enrol at Murdoch University and begin their studies.

The curriculum is comprised of three new postgraduate degrees – a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and a Masters. These are all delivered online, meaning that students can study in the comfort of their own home.

The National Plant Biosecurity Curriculum is a collaborative effort between five universities; University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University and QUT. The project received the majority of its monetary support from the federal government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through a Collaborative and Structural Reform Grant. It also received significant in-kind support through the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

CRC Education and Training program leader, Dr Kirsty Bayliss said the first semester was very successful and it was rewarding to see students coming from government departments who play key roles in Australia’s plant biosecurity system.

‘All the students this semester were employees of either Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of Primary Industries Victoria or Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The curriculum is a great opportunity for staff to gain an understanding in areas of plant biosecurity where they may not have expertise,’ she said.

Units that were studied this semester were Plant Biosecurity in Practice and Detection and Diagnostics (taught by Murdoch), Biosecurity Plant Pests – Invertebrates (taught by QUT) and Biosecurity Plant Pests – Plant Pathogens (taught by LaTrobe).

Dr Bayliss said the first semester students have just finished their teaching surveys and the feedback has been extremely positive with many saying the course content and format is excellent and very relevant and useful to them.

‘We have one student who hasn’t studied for 15 years and never online, so the fact that they have found this a pleasant return to study is a great indicator for us,’ she said.

Mid-semester enrolments in the Diploma and Masters are currently being accepted at Murdoch University, enrol online NOW. La Trobe and QUT are expected to enrol students in 2011. For more information visit the curriculum website

Content supplied by: Dr Kirsty Bayliss (Murdoch University) and Associate Professor Tony Clarke (QUT)

All aboard, fungal spore traps take flight

VANMEURSA — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:03:05 +0000

Following on from the flying spore traps article in our June 2009 edition of The Leaflet, Professor Rodney Walker from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Director of the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA) is leading the scoping study to determine the potential of using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), fitted with a spore trap, to detect and monitor spores of plant pathogens.

Rod’s expertises in aerospace avionics engineering are also complemented by the skills of Dr Felipe Gonzalez who is the primary investigator for this research. Felipe’s expertise is in multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) of Aerospace Engineering systems. He is also a lecturer at QUT and ARCAA.

The problem with existing spore sampling devices is that they are stationary at the sampling location. It is important to have the correct sampling location, however due to prevailing climatic conditions where topography is severe is almost impossible to do this. When the disease is in the canopy of trees, using existing spore sampling technologies is also near impossible.

The first step for the project team was to use the exiting prototype spore trap developed by Les Zeller and modify it for the purpose of wind tunnel and flight testing onboard the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

A wind tunnel test was conducted to address two issues:

detecting spores with known probability of detection, and
understanding the probability of false alarms.

Results from the wind tunnel tests allowed for the calculation of the spread of spores captured on the tape.

The spore trap was then integrated to the UAV and onboard auto pilot systems. The UAV was flown autonomously and the tape index was programmed to shift to a predefined sampling location once the desired waypoint was reached. The flight test displayed that the flamingo UAV could be flown autonomously without exhibiting any flight stability issues while the spore trap was onboard. Furthermore, the onboard tape indexing system was validated to function remotely where the index position could be verified via the Horizon ground station graphical user interface.

Figure 1: Spore trap onboard UAVduring autonomous flight

From this research, the team developed a sampling system that has the ability to spatially monitor fungal spores, as well as defining protocols to interpret their spatial distribution. This breakthrough has greatly enhanced the ability to detect new incursions of fungal pathogens and to enable more accurate setting of boundaries of distribution.

Figure 2: Image shows UAV path, sampling points in blue and new index location in green top right

This technology will allow for earlier detection of plant disease incursions in difficult areas and provide efficient and effective airborne surveillance.

The design and testing of this device has and continues to be a complex multidisciplinary task involving different disciplines, aerodynamics, structural biological sampling, flight control, and avionics.

Further research will be conducted to refine the flying spore trap for use by plant health surveillance staff employed by state and federal agencies.

Figure 3: Geo-Referencing Captured Samples

Content and images supplied by: Dr Felipe Gonzalez. Learn more about Felipe here.

CRC Association Conference 2010

VANMEURSA — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:43:47 +0000

‘Pathfinders 2010: the Innovators Conference,' sub-titled ‘Challenge and Change: Sourcing Evidence to Tackle the Real Issues’ was held in Alice Springs from 26 to 28 May. Approximately 43 CRCs were represented and a total of approximately 300 delegates took part. Details of the conference program may be found on the conference website.

Several members of the CRC Committee were present, including Professor Elizabeth Deane, who was a member of the panel for the CRCNPB Third Year Review, Dr Warren King, a member of the interview panel for the CRCNPB Supplementary Bid, and Dr Don Anderson. I was able to have two conversations with Dr Peter Jonson, Chair of the CRC Committee.

The opening plenary session was devoted to the topic ‘Evidence or anecdote – which has the most influence?’ Speakers included Ms Clare Martin, former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, and Mr David Kalisch, Commissioner with the Productivity Commission. The ‘take home message’ from this session was that many decisions made by governments are not based on evidence. David Kalisch cited examples where evidence had been taken and used by government, tariff reform being a case in point. But there were many examples of policy decisions being made without a strong evidence base or in spite of evidence provided. The CRCs need to provide evidence of achievement which is understood by governments and bureaucracies.

A panel of speakers in the second part of the session addressed ‘The Intervention as a Test Case: Was Intervention Based on Evidence or Anecdote?’ While interesting as a test case the emotion and political overtones of the session left many delegates pondering its relevance to the CRCA.

A closed workshop session for Chairs and CEOs was opened by a short presentation from Dr Peter Jonson, Chair of the CRC Committee. His message was that, at least for the time being, the ‘reform cycle’ is over. Shorter terms for CRCs and strategies for exit but continuation in a different guise remain high on the Committee’s agenda. The possibility of supporting precursors to full CRCs is being examined to make it easier for new players to enter a very competitive field. There was a cautionary note that, after 19 years, Treasury remains to be convinced of the merits of the CRC model. A questioner raised the prospect of the CRCs being drawn into the Productivity Commission enquiry into the RDCs. For example, if the RDCs are doing their job in drawing together research on a national basis, why are CRCs needed as well?

Photo caption: Panel discussion: Pathfinders 2010: the Innovators Conference, Alice Springs

The workshop, proper, considered various aspects of the bidding and review processes. The workshop outcomes will form the basis of a CRCA submission to DIISR. Main points were:

the online DIISR system for applications is not user-friendly
feedback to bidders has been patchy
valuing social and public good is difficult to achieve and to defend
experiences differ but the majority felt that maintaining contacts with DIISR were difficult, not least due to turn-over of staff
an annual CRC round of applications, coupled with DIISR taking responsibility for the Third Year Review, will compound this problem, and
increasing complexity in DIISR processes is paralleled by decreasing funding for successful CRCs.

Capturing the emphasis on international linkages and social sciences in the current CRC Guidelines, the second day of the conference commenced with presentations on ‘Widening the worldview – looking through a different lens’. Humans have preconceived notions which benefit from being tested against a broader contextual framework. This framework includes important cultural elements which may, for example, be critical in negotiating terms of trade.

It was in this context that one of the more unusual papers was presented. Jack Sim of the WTO (World Toilet Organisation) spoke to the topic ‘Making Sanitation Sexy’. The WTO’s thesis is that, in the humanitarian sector, unlike saving pandas, global warming or providing safe drinking water, toilets and sanitation are not popular topics. However, for the 2.5 billion people who live without access to proper sanitation they are a matter of paramount concern in terms of health and quality of life.

Professor Joe Mathew (Centre for Integrated Engineering Asset Management) addressed the challenge of maintaining Australia’s physical infrastructure, pointing to gas plant failures in Victoria and Western Australia as examples where inadequate maintenance – a consequence of declining investment and a shortage of ‘fit-for-purpose’ workforce – had contributed to the problems.

A motivational session ‘The Chemistry of Success’ enabled significant audience participation in examining drivers of peak intellectual performance. The speaker, Matt Church, espoused the need for physical as well as mental fitness among Australia’s CRC elite, at all stages of their careers. For further information visit his website.

As always ‘Showcasing Early Career Scientists’ was a conference highlight. Four speakers were allowed 10 minute presentations with visual aids; four other speakers made three minute presentations with no visual aids. The standard was uniformly high, a PhD student from the CRC for Asthma and Airways claiming victory in the 10 minute category and an excellent presenter from the CRC for Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems narrowly beating a PhD student from the Invasive Animals CRC in the three minute category.

During the conference, Dr Tony Peacock, CEO of the Invasive Animals CRC, gained instant notoriety via a live interview on ABC Radio where less than flattering comments were made as to the gender and age of many CRC Chairs.

Professor Barney Glover, Vice-Chancellor, Charles Darwin University, and Mr John Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species within the United Nations Environment Program, closed the conference in a session on ‘Innovation by Collaboration’.

The customary awards at the conference dinner included, fittingly, a ‘Star’ award to the Desert Knowledge CRC. This CRC had played the major role in conference organisation and winds up on 30 June. It is to be succeeded by a CRC for Remote Economic Participation.

The 2011 CRCA Conference will be held in Brisbane in mid-June.

Photo acknowledgement: CRCA conference website