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EDITION 10 | JULY 2024
Virtual ADSW 2024 presentations and recording available now
Presentations and a recording of the Virtual ADSW 2024 held on Wednesday, 5 June 2024 are now available to NPBDN members (please log into the Member Portal for access).
More than 320 NPBDN and Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (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.
Paul Campbell (QDAF) provided an overview of the Vegetable Industry Biosecurity and Business Continuity project and its proposed activities.
Pine-wood nematode National Diagnostic Protocol (NDP 51) endorsed
A National Diagnostic Protocol (NDP) for Pine-wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) has been endorsed by the Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD) for use in the event of an incursion, providing a critical tool in the protection of Australia’s forestry industries.
Native to North America, the Pine-wood nematode is a microscopic worm that causes pine wilt disease by attacking pine trees and other conifers. Not currently present in Australia, this devastating pest has caused widespread and serious damage in countries where it has been accidentally introduced.
USDA Forest Service - North Central Research Station , USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Another successful round of NPBDN residential visits completed
Recipients of the 2023/2024 NPBDN residential call recently completed their visits to external laboratories in Australia and internationally, to gain essential skills and knowledge relevant to their role.
Read more about the outcomes the 2023/2024 NPBDN residential recipients achieved during their visits via the button below.
Successful NPBDN residential recipients Lilia Carvalhais and Kathy Crew, Gus McFarlane, Sumit Chahal, Rebecca Roach, Dr Nga Tran, and Conrad Trollip
NPBDN members participate in diagnostic training activities
Two NPBDN members, Kathy Crew (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) and Sonu Yadav (Northern Territory Government), took part in training activities in the months of May and June 2024.
Kathy delivered on banana pathogen detection techniques to plant pathologists and molecular biologists from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and how her recent NPBDN residential visit has greatly increased her confidence for both the banana post-entry quarantine screening work she currently undertakes and the upskilling of colleagues.
Sonu co-organised the Australian Workshop: DNA Barcodes for the Top end. Attended by 50 people, this workshop aimed to prioritise the DNA barcodes needed to fully realize the benefits of DNA-based monitoring in the Northern Territory.
Stephanie Rosch (DAFF), Kathy Crew (QDAF), Candace Elliott (DAFF), and Emma Mcfarlane (DAFF) learning about in banana pathogen detection.
Participants at the Australian Workshop: DNA Barcodes for the Top End held at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
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.
Upcoming biosecurity events
- Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium (ASDS) Conference 2024, Kingscliff, NSW | 26 – 30 August 2024
- Australian Biosecurity Symposium, Gold Coast, QLD | 27 – 29 August 2024
- Australasian Plant Virology Workshop 2024, Gold Coast, QLD | 29 – 31 October 2024
- International Advances in Plant Virology 2025, Murica, Spain | 8 – 11 April 2025
Career opportunities
Visit the careers page on the NPBDN website to keep up to date with current job and PhD scholarship advertisements.
Job opportunities listed on the NPBDN website include:
- Two botanist positions with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) in Sydney and Perth
- Assistant Biosecurity Officer – Plant at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF)
- Three Biosecurity Officer (Preparedness) positions with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF) in Townsville, Roma, and Cairns, QLD
- Research Officer - Soilborne Disease at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA)
- Manager Compliance and Investigation at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA)
- Principal Office – Plant Biosecurity at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA)
- Senior Agricultural Officer at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA).
Career profile
This month we are profiling Alyssa Martino, PhD Candidate (The University of Sydney), Scientific Officer Biodiversity Research (Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience) and author of the Robigalia website.
About the Network
The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Professional Development and Protocols Projects are coordinated and delivered by PHA and funded by DAFF. The objectives of the Projects are to enhance and strengthen Australia’s diagnostic and surveillance capacity and capability to identify priority plant pests that impact on plant industries, environment and the community.
