EDITION 3 | MARCH 2023
Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop 2023
This year the joint Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop (ADSW) 2023 will be held on 9 –11 May at the QT Hotel, 1 London Circuit in Canberra.
The theme for ADSW 2023 is “Implementation through connections.”
Registration and review of abstracts is ongoing. Shoulder workshops and additional activities to be offered at ADSW 2023 include:
- Workshop 1: Multi Locus Target Sequencing (MLTS) and Nanopore Demonstration
- Workshop 2: Science Communication for Surveillance and Diagnostics
- Workshop 3: Surveillance Workshop Towards a Nationally Integrated Surveillance System for Plant Pests
- Field Training Exercise at ADSW 2023
For more information and to view the list of the confirmed guest speakers visit the link below.
Expression of Interest for National Diagnostic Protocols Review - 2023
Expressions of interest for National Diagnostic Protocols (NDP) guidelines and application forms 2023 are now available. NDPs and draft protocols to be reviewed include:
NDP review and verification
- Exotic species of Ceratocystis
NDP verification
- Cotton leaf curl begomovirus (Cotton leaf curl disease)
NDP five-yearly review
- Apple brown rot (Monilinia fructigena) – NDP 1
- European canker (Neonectria ditissima) - NDP 21
- Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) – NDP 22
- Red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens) – NDP 24
Download NDP review guidelines and application forms below.
Polyphagous shot-hole borer Workshop, 2 – 4 May 2023
As an initiative under PHA’s national plant biosecurity diagnostics and surveillance professional development activities, we are working with the Department of Primary Industries, Research and Development Western Australia (DPIRD - WA) to deliver a Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) workshop for network members.
As PSHB is currently a biosecurity threat for the eastern states and currently under eradication in Western Australia, this workshop provides the perfect opportunity to train interested staff with a surveillance background, entomology and diagnostics background on how to identify PSHB, how to identify PSHB affected trees in the community and how to isolate and identify Fusarium AF-18 from PSHB beetle and trees.
The workshop will be held from 2 - 4 May in Perth, WA.
Nanopore Sequencing for Biosecurity Workshop 27 – 29 June 2023
Nanopore sequencing has revolutionised sequencing for biosecurity due to its portability, small footprint, and minimal capital investment. It can be used to reconstruct full genomes, detect pathogens in complex samples, and trace pathogen evolution in real time as highlighted by the tremendous work on Sars-Cov2 during the pandemic.
Nanopore sequencing also has important applications in agriculture and food security such as crop pathogen and agrochemical resistance detection. To fully exploit the potential of Nanopore sequencing and to modernise Australian biosecurity we need to build capacity and proficiency for end-users with hands-on workshops in sequencing and data analysis.
This biosecurity focused workshop will be held from 27 - 29 June 2023 at Curtin University in Perth. The workshop will focus on capacity building and establishing a Nanopore community of practice focusing on biosecurity and eDNA.
NPBDN members who are interested in attending the workshop can contact the Networks Coordinator via email: npbdn@phau.com.au.
Careers
- An entomologist position with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade has been advertised.
- A mass spectral fingerprinting for food production PhD opportunity is available at Lincoln University, New Zealand. For further details contact Karen Armstrong via email: karen.armstrong@lincoln.ac.nz
