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A range of naturalised harmful plant storage pests including beetles, psocids, moths and mites habitually threaten the food safety, market access, trade and the overall profitability and sustainability of the Australian grain industry. Some of these pests have already been detected with resistance to phosphine and the spread of resistance is on the rise annually. In addition, new resistances are also being developed, a recent example being the detection of strong resistance to phosphine in several populations of flat grain beetles.

What is the biosecurity problem?

Australian export regulations require that all grain exported from Australia is free from insect infestation. This ‘nil tolerance’ standard is also adopted by domestic markets.

The Australian grain industry relies on chemicals, particularly phosphine fumigant, as the key tools used to meet the ‘nil tolerance’ standard. A major drawback, however, with this strategy is the threat of resistance in target species.

A major difficulty for the industry is that there is no practical replacement for phosphine and there are very few contact insecticides suitable for application to stored grain. Faced with this scenario, the industry has no choice but to maintain the tools that it has and must adopt a resistance management strategy to achieve this.

The main outputs of this project are to:

  • improve understanding of the factors involved in the development of resistance to phosphine
  • validate phosphine resistance management tactics
  • improve understanding of distribution of species of flat grain beetle species and the role of gene flow in selection for resistance to phosphine 
  • validate molecular resistance diagnostic tools and analysis of resistance gene frequencies.  

Who will be the end-users of this research?

The primary end-users will be:

  • grain companies, farmers and other grain storers. In particular, individuals with responsibility for managing grain biosecurity
  • officers with responsibility for biosecurity research and policy within government and non-government organisations.

 

PROJECT LEADER


Dr Manoj Nayak
Project Leader CRC50151: Resistance Monitoring (Phase 2)

manoj.nayak@deedi.qld.gov.au
Phone: 07 3896 9431
Fax: 07 3896 9446

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PROJECT DETAILS

Status
Active
Term
April 2010 - June 2012
Budget
$955,600.00

PROGRAM DETAILS

Phosphine still a killer in cooled grain

Warm winter days can provide highly fertile conditions for insect pests, especially in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales where toasty temperatures provide an ideal breeding ground fo

This review will provide the CRCNPB with a basis for strategic investment into the technologies that have the potential to be developed into effective insect control systems compatible with grain handling logistics.

What is the biosecurity problem?

The evolution of biotypes of insect pests of stored grain resistant to phosphine within Australia and the possibility that other highly resistant biotypes may enter the country in imported grain threatens to jeopadise the sustainabliity of this key fumigant. Chemical and non-chemical alternatives to phosphine need to be developed to continue to ensure market access for Australian grain.

The main output of this project is to:

Reports on the practicability and potential for adoption by the grain industry of the range of chemical and non-chemical alternatives to phosphine.

Who will be the end-users of this research?

The CRCNPB and the grain industry. This review will provide industry, through the CRCNPB, with a basis for strategic investment into the technologies that will ensure future security and market access for Australian grain.

PROJECT LEADER


Dr Patrick Collins
Project Leader CRC50092: Alternatives to phosphine review

p.collins@crcplantbiosecurity.com.au
Phone: 07 3255 4467
Fax: 07 3846 6371

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PROJECT DETAILS

Status
Active
Term
January 2008 - December 2008
Budget
$110,000

PROGRAM DETAILS

Dr YongLin Ren travelled to Lisbon, Portugal to attend the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection (IWCSPP) from 25 July to 3 August.

TRAVEL DETAILS

Researcher
RENY
When: July 2010
Location: Portugal
Summary:

Dr YongLin Ren gave two oral presentations and submitted a full paper at the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection.

LOCATION

Dr Greg Daglish participated in the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection (IWCSPP) which was held from 27 June to 2 July 2010 in Estoril, Portugal.

TRAVEL DETAILS

Researcher
DAGLISHG
When: 27 June
Location: Portugal
Summary:

Dr Greg Daglish attended the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection where he was able to network with researchers on shared interests including grain insect ecology, interpreting trap data and grain protectants.

LOCATION

Post-harvest pests in the laboratory

Complementing the June appointment of Dr Yong Lin Ren as

This project was an extension of an earlier scoping project CRC30014 that developed software to collect surveillance data via small personal digital assistants (PDA) devices.
The software developed enhances the conformity and integrity of data collected during urban surveillance activities.

There were two central aims of the second phase project. The first was the delivery of the urban surveillance software to a greater number of surveillance personnel as well as mapping the best method for the integration of collected data into national initiatives such as The Australian Biosecurity Intelligence Network (ABIN) and Biosecurity Surveillance Incident Response and Tracing (BioSIRT).

The second aim of the project was to provide the post-harvest grains industry with a system to digitally collect and collate all grains pests surveillance information (presence/absence of emergency plant pests (EPPs), resistance to phosphine and fumigation/treatment records).

The project introduced a system that provides for seamless digital collection and collation of all surveillance related biosecurity information for the post-harvest grains industry. The system has built in checks to ensure data integrity and it is proposed that collected data may also directly interface with BioSIRT. This means it has the capacity to easily interface with other compliant (national and other) systems and also provides a development path into the future, which could include initiatives like ABIN.

This project allows the rapid and efficient use of all surveillance data to maintain and protect markets for the Australian grains and potentially other agricultural/horticultural industries.

Research outcomes:

PDA Phase Two project successfully developed and deployed six main applications:

  • Biosecurity hazard site surveillance
  • Multi-pest surveillance (MPS, BioSIRT compatible)
  • Khapra beetle surveillance
  • Forest plantation pest surveys (IPMG)
  • MyPestGuide mobile pest datasheets
  • Urban plant pest surveillance (USDB)
    • Dermestid surveillance
    • Stored grain ecology studies
    • European wasp surveillance
    • Exotic dung beetle surveys
    • Locust surveys
    • Tramp ant surveys

The Urban Surveillance Database was built with generic plant biosecurity surveillance in mind and has been adapted for a number of diverse projects. It services the popular need for recording property and contact details, one-is-to-many geo-located and barcoded activities (including digital image), one-is-to-many inspections of activities, one-is-to-many specimen details can be added with barcoded specimen labels and photograph.

Field-collected data are synchronised (two-way data transfer) from anywhere in the world via GPRS, WiFi to a wireless server hosted at DAFWA where it is available for further analysis and reporting.

Smartphone pest identification tools have become popular and can be used in conjunction with USDB to ensure rapid field recognition of potential Emergency Plant Pests. This project developed two database-driven smartphone apps (MyPestGuide & PestWeb Mobile). Individual pest records are added on the wireless server and pushed out to devices. These smartphone identification tools can be deployed as a shell for overseas users, or pre-populated with quarantine pests of significance.

Collaboration with CRC for Forestry resulted in development of the mobile software solution, called IPMG Plantation Health. This software allows foresters to quickly and accurately record pest and disease outbreaks in the field, including; the date of the observation, the extent and severity of any damage caused, GPS co-ordinates and photos. The software also includes brief weed and pest field guides to aid foresters with correct identification in the field. 

Research implications:

A high proportion of Australia’s agricultural produce is exported and demonstration of freedom from certain plant pests and diseases is critical to maintaining and securing new market access opportunities. Pest surveillance is an important tool for market access and accordingly importing countries now demand accurate, credible evidence to confirm pest freedom status.

In the past nearly all field-collected plant biosecurity surveillance information was recorded manually to paper reducing the rate of capture, integrity, conformity as well as security of the data. There is a growing need for plant pest surveillance data collection software and hardware that uses smartphones to provide auditing validation, ‘chain of evidence’ as well as increasing the volume of data collected and its integrity through relational databases and seamless data transfer to corporate systems. Smartphone data integrity is supported by GPS-located traps, digital voice navigation itineraries, time and date stamps, field printed barcode labels, site and pest imagery.

Pest identification tools delivered via smartphones are an important tool that allows immediate identification of potential biosecurity threats in the field.

Acknowledgements:

The following CRCNPB participants provided constructive criticism during development of the applications; Michelle Chami, David Cousins, Oonagh Byrne, Marc Widmer, Richard Johnston, Mike Grimm, Peter Gillespie, Deborah Kent, Cain Roberts, Paul Pheloung, Greg Hood, Steve Pratt and Deb Riddell.

Brian McCornack (KSU), Gordon Gordh (USDA) provided a useful US perspective.

Francisco Tovar (CRC Forestry/ Murdoch University) designed the IPMG application. Peter Davis demonstrated the potential for USDB in ant surveys on Barrow Island.

PROJECT LEADER


Assoc Prof Giles Hardy
Project Leader CRC70085: Personal Digital Assistants (phase two)

g.hardy@murdoch.edu.au
Phone: 08 9360 6272
Fax: 08 9360 6303

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PROJECT DETAILS

Status
Complete
Term
July 2009 – April 2012
Budget
$1,371,600 (cash and in-kind support)

PROGRAM DETAILS

LOCATION