Issue 10 | July/August 2024

Virtual ADSW 2024 presentations and recording now available

Presentations and a recording of the Virtual ADSW 2024 held on Wednesday, 5 June 2024 are now available to Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) members (please log into the Member Portal for access).

More than 320 National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network (NPBDN) and PSNAP members from across the Australasia-Pacific region registered to attend the two-and a-half-hour online event in what was a great opportunity for engaged surveillance and diagnostic professionals to present and discuss topical issues in the plant biosecurity space.

Log into the Member Portal to view presentations below. 

Webinar - Large scale diagnostics supporting Varroa mite detection in Australian beehives

The National Varroa Mite Management Program is hosting a webinar to share the experiences and learnings from managing the diagnostics processes during the Varroa mite emergency response.

Varroa mite was first detected in New South Wales (NSW) in June 2022, activating the largest Australian multi-agency plant biosecurity emergency response, running until February 2024 when a decision was made to move from eradication to transition to management. Throughout this response, tens of thousands of sticky mats were processed for analysis with a need for fast and accurate results to support critical response actions including hive euthanasia and compliance.

In this free webinar NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) Diagnostic Technician, David Britton will talk about what worked well and the lessons learnt to continue to improve critical diagnostics processes in the future.

• Date: Thursday, 1 August 2024
• Time: 11.00am AEST

2024 CitrusWatch Annual Update Webinar recording now available

If you missed the CitrusWatch Annual Update Webinar that was held on Friday, 21 June 2024, you can now watch the recording.

Subscribe to Robigalia for weekly roundups of the latest plant pathology research

Initiated in April 2024 by Alyssa Martino (PhD student and new PBRI Ritman Scholar), Robigalia aims to bring you the latest insights and research in the field of plant pathology on a weekly basis. Subscribers will receive these roundups directly in their inbox.

If you’ve missed the previous roundups, you can visit the Robigalia website to read more on a range of plant pests and pathogens, including Phytophthora dieback and polyphagous shothole borer.

Student conference grants now open for 2024 Australian Entomological Society Conference

Grant applications to attend the upcoming 2024 Australian Entomological Society Conference in Hobart, Tasmania are open until Friday, 2 August 2024, for student members of the society.

For more information regarding the grant and eligibility criteria, visit the website.

PHA welcomes David Lovelock as Manager, Diagnostics

Plant Health Australia (PHA) is delighted to welcome David Lovelock as Manager, Diagnostics.

David brings 10 years of diagnostic and research experience in virology, bacteriology, and biosecurity to the role.  He began his career in the Northern Territory in 2015, where he was a part of the initial diagnostic team responding to the outbreak of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), eventually becoming a leading member of a national Hort Innovation project on the management of CGMMV. 

David joined Agriculture Victoria Research (AVR) in late 2018, where he led virology diagnostics and research, and managed bacterial diagnostics. He was project lead for a seed project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), validating assays for several exotic seed-borne pathogens.  David has also contributed to National Diagnostic Protocols (NDPs), having reviewed 10 during his time at AVR.

Careers in surveillance

A PhD scholarship opportunity to address the application of near-field sequencing technology as a triage and surveillance tool to detect pests and pathogens is being advertised at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria.

Visit the careers page on the PSNAP website to keep up to date with current opportunities.

About the Network

The Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) enables members to communicate and share skills in plant pest surveillance. It acts as a coordination point for surveillance professionals and practitioners to strengthen surveillance capacity and capability across Australia, New Zealand and the nearby region. 

The National Plant Biosecurity Surveillance Professional Development and Protocols Projects are coordinated and delivered by Plant Health Australia and are funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.