CRC for Plant Biosecurity - Science Exchange

Chinese collaboration builds for PBCRC

CRICHTONA — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:48:38 +0000

The PBCRC continues developing collaborative links with China, with a number of visits taking place over recent months.

At the Science Exchange in May, three Chinese delegations were in attendance to sign MOUs with the PBCRC. The three organisations were:

Chinese Academy of State Administration of Grain
Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine
Northwest A&F University

Photos from the MOU signings are available below.

CRCNPB Principal Scientist James Ridsdill-Smith also recently visited China, where he attended the BIT 1st Annual World Congress of Biodiversity from 25-28 April 2012. James was invited to attend the congress to speak on Detection tools for invasive plant pests and diseases.

As part of his trip James visited Northwest A&F University, which was organised by Professor Qiao Wenjun, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Professor Qiao Wenjun was one of the delegates who attended the Science Exchange). James was given a tour by Professor Liu Tongxian, National Distinguished Professor and Director of the Key Laboratory of Applied Entomology.

The third and most recent collaboration with a Chinese delegation was a visit by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, who visited the CRC office in Canberra on 12 June 2012. The delegation met with David Eagling, Sharyn Taylor and Darren Kriticos to discuss quantitative pest risk assessment, with a particular interest in fruit flies.

The CRCNPB Board with delegates from Northwest A&F University prior to their MOU signing.

The CRCNPB Board with delegates from the Chinese Academy of State Administration of Grain following their MOU signing.

The CRCNPB Board with delegates from the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine following their MOU signing.

James Ridsdill-Smith on his recent visit to Northwest A&F University, with (left to right) Lili Huang Associate Dean College of Plant Protection, Liu Tongxain Dean College of Plant Protection, James Ridsdill-Smith CRCNPB, Qiao Wenjun Deputy Director Office International Cooperation and Exchange, Nicola Ridsdill-Smith, Yu Ying Deputy Director Office International Cooperation and Exchange.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture delegation with CRC staff during their recent visit to the CRC office.

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Awards highlight outstanding research

CRICHTONA — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:38:40 +0000

To recognise some of the outstanding research undertaken as part of the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity, the Science Exchange Awards Dinner was held at Belvoir in the Swan Valley on 24 May 2012.

The formal awards night provided an opportunity for researchers and participants of the CRCNPB to acknowledge the work and achievements of their peers.

Participant Committee Chair, Martin Barlass, was master of ceremonies for the evening and enjoyed taking a look at the lighter side of plant biosecurity.

Chief Executive Officer Simon McKirdy presented a series of recognition awards to Program Leaders who had played a role in the CRCNPB and would not be continuing. These included Gary Kong, Deb Hailstones, Pat Collins, Darryl Hardie and Paul De Barro. Simon also recognised the achievement of Principal Scientist, James Ridsdill-Smith, who has been an integral part of the CRC since its inception.

After dinner Research Leader David Eagling was called on to the present the Science Committee Awards. David ran through each of the nominees before announcing the award winners in each category.

The winners were:

Science Committee Award for Science Impact – Alisha Anderson and the team for the biosensor-based detection of grain pests (CRC20081). Opportunities exist to apply new technologies to plant biosecurity. This research applied molecular approaches to identify biological detectors and signalling as the basis for a new approach to detect grain insects. It made a number of breakthroughs in the area of insect receptors and signalling, which are being used as proof of concept to drive the development of a new generation of biosensor devices. The project has published two papers in high impact journals and presented findings at three international symposia.

Other finalists for this award were:

David Schlipalius and the team for research on a molecular understanding of phosphine resistance (CRC20080)
Greg Daglish and the team for our understanding of grain insect ecology (CRC50089)

Science Committee Award for Biosecurity Impact - Brendan Rodoni and the team for the development of new tools that impact post entry quarantine (CRC40050). Post entry quarantine is a fundamental part of the fabric of plant biosecurity. This research developed advanced diagnostic methods and tools for the detection of plant viruses, which can be quickly applied to both import and export situations. This project was a trans-Tasman initiative and has generated significant interest and support from both industry and government. The research has been supported through the respective federal biosecurity structures with the potential to make significant impacts on the time and cost associated with quarantine processes.

Other finalists for this award were:

Manoj Nayak and the team for the impact on resistance management in the grains industry (CRC30065)
Sharyn Taylor and the team for the impact on delivery and adoption in the grains industry (CRC30009)

Science Committee Award for Collaboration - Greg Hopkins and the team for improving our ability to effectively apply phosphine (CRC50091). Phosphine underpins the grain industry’s capacity to trade. This project successfully brought together the practical skills of commercial grain protection managers and commercial manufacturers with the engineering and computer modelling abilities of scientists. With shared leadership between industry and CSIRO, the project made a number of recommendations for the application of phosphine which have been widely accepted and put into practice by industry.

Other finalists for this award were:

David Cook and the team for the communication of risk in plant biosecurity (CRC10162)
Tony Clarke and the team for our understanding of fruit fly (CRC20115)

Science Committee Award for Contribution to the CRC – Jo Luck. Jo led large and successful CRC projects and worked hard to promote and explain CRC work to a broader audience. She engaged with the CRC office, often undertaking extra work beyond her core projects. She dealt successfully with complex contractual and funding situations in a positive good-humoured manner. Jo also took a key role in the CRC rebid with her involvement in the development of the exemplar projects.

The other finalist for this award was:

David Cook

Other awards given out at the Science Exchange were:

Science Committee Award for Best Presentation – Mark Schutze. Mark’s presentation was titled ‘The resolution of species boundaries of four past members of the Bactrocera dorsails complex (Diptera: Tephritidae): a multidisciplinary approach’.

Board Directors Award for Best Poster – Philip Burrill. Philip’s poster was titled ‘Measuring working airflow of aeration fans’.

People’s Choice Award for Best Poster – Anna Rathe. Anna’s poster was titled ‘Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and Xylella fastidiosa (Proteobacteria: Xanthomonadaceae): potential Australian invaders’.

Congratulations to each of the finalists and award winners.

Photos from the Science Exchange are available on Picasa Web Albums.

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SX celebrates seven successful years

CRICHTONA — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:30:44 +0000

In celebration of what the CRCNPB has achieved over the past seven years, it held its final Science Exchange (SX) at The Vines Resort in the Swan Valley, WA, from 23-25 May 2012.

The SX was the largest during the life of the CRCNPB, with 187 delegates attending from across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, China, Indonesia and Thailand.

The official SX program kicked off on the morning of 23 May, however prior to that a number of other meetings took place, including the Board, the Science Committee, the Participants Committee, a PhD field trip and signing of three MOUs with Chinese organisations.

The three Chinese organisations to sign MOU’s with the PBCRC were the Chinese Academy of Grain, the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine and Northwest University.

The SX officially began on the morning of Wednesday 23 May, with CRCNPB Chairman John Lovett and Chief Executive Officer Simon McKirdy welcoming guests to the Swan Valley. They also highlighted how the CRC has grown and developed throughout its seven year term.

Once John and Simon had opened the SX they called on Kathy Ophel-Keller to chair the opening session – Preparedness – which included six 15 minute presentations. Highlights from the session included David Cook reintroducing (and trying to kill off) the Jolly Apple Farmer and Kylie Ireland’s interesting talk which looked at science policy and management.

Sessions two and three featured diagnostics, with session two titled Diagnostics and session three Application of Diagnostics. Kim James (Horticulture Australia Limited) chaired Diagnostics and Kim Plummer (La Trobe University) Application of Diagnostics.

Of the 12 presentations on diagnostics, seven were by PhD students – which were all very well received by the audience – and also included the eventual winner of the Science Committee Award for Best Presentation, Mark Schutze.

The final presentation session on the first day was the first Surveillance session and was chaired by Paul De Barro from CSIRO.

The first official social function of the SX saw delegates dress in their finest frocks and sharpest shirts for a cocktail party, which also featured a poster session for the first hour. Delegates wandered through the 20 posters asking the authors questions about their posters while enjoying a selection of beverages and canapés.

Philip Burrill – from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Queensland – had a particularly interesting (and messy) poster, which included a demonstration of how aeration fans are used with stored grain.

The later part of the cocktail party saw a number of delegates hit the dance floor, which gave them an opportunity to show off their ‘moves’.

Day two saw a continuation of the Surveillance theme, with a further six presentations highlighting scientifically sound sampling tools and survey methodologies. The session was chaired by Jody Higgins from the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

On a shortened day, the only other two sessions were Impact Management – chaired by John Leslie (Kansas State University) – and Post-harvest – chaired by Ben White (University of Western Australia).

The late afternoon provided some down time, during which delegates were given the opportunity to have project meetings or enjoy the resorts facilities, with a number of people using the time to work off some of the delicious food at the gym, by playing golf or hitting the driving range.

Thursday night provided another opportunity for delegates to dress up, this time for the Science Exchange Awards Dinner. The Awards Dinner was held offsite at the Belvoir Function Centre. More information – including all the award winners – is available in a separate Science Exchange Awards Dinner article.

The final day of the SX had two sessions, Delivery and What’s next. David Teulon from Plant and Food Research New Zealand chaired Delivery and Emma Colson from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Queensland What’s next.

What’s next provided an insight as to what may lie ahead for plant biosecurity, with representatives from industry, government and international delegates providing their perspective.

John Lovett and Simon McKirdy provided closing remarks, in which they highlighted the need to start thinking about and acting on the legacy the CRCNPB and PBCRC will leave behind.

John also presented Philip Burrill with the Board Directors Award for Best Poster and Simon presented Anna Rathe with the People’s Choice Award for Best Poster and Mark Schuzte with the Science Committee Award for Best Presentation.

Simon finally closed the SX by thanking attendees for being involved with the CRCNPB throughout its seven year term and said he was looking forward to those partnerships continuing into the PBCRC.

We would like to thank everyone who completed an SX Evaluation Form – your feedback plays an important role in shaping future events. Congratulations to John Botha, who was drawn out randomly as the winner of a bottle of wine for completing the evaluation form.

Photos from the Science Exchange are available on Picasa Web Albums.

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Establishment of a national reference laboratory for Trogoderma diagnostics

CRICHTONA — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:05:17 +0000

Researchers share knowledge to protect plant biosecurity

CRICHTONA — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:02:07 +0000

Researchers from the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity have met in the Swan Valley, Western Australia, to exchange ideas about how to further protect Australia's plant biosecurity from the ongoing threats from pests and diseases.

The CRCNPB Science Exchange - which has been a regular event for the past six years - brings together the CRCNPB Board, staff, researchers, industry and participants to share plant biosecurity expertise.

Over two and a half days the Science Exchange provided project teams with the opportunity to present the research they have conducted to their peers, in what is a mass ‘knowledge sharing' forum.

The Science Exchange doubled as a celebration, highlighting the outstanding achievements of the CRCNPB over its seven year term, while also looking forward to what may lay ahead in the six year term for the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (PBCRC), which begins operations on 1 July 2012.

The Exchange included an Awards Dinner on Thursday 24 May, with a number of research teams recognised for their outstanding research.

Awards included:

Science Committee Award for Science Impact: Biosensor-based Detection of Grain Pests (CRC Project 20081 led by Alisha Anderson)
Science Committee Award for Biosecurity Impact: Post Entry Quarantine (CRC Project 40050 led by Brendan Rodoni)
Science Committee Award for Collaboration: Ensuring Effective Phosphine Application (CRC Project 50091 led by Greg Hopkins)
Science Committee Award for Contribution to the CRC: Jo Luck
Science Committee Award for Best Presentation: Mark Schutze
Board Directors Award for Best Poster: Phillip Burrill
People's Choice Award for Best Poster: Anna Rathe

CRCNPB CEO Dr Simon McKirdy was thrilled to see so many researchers present for the final Science Exchange of the CRCNPB.

"Plant biosecurity is vital in protecting Australia's native flora and fauna and export markets, so it is fantastic to have nearly 200 delegates here to share ideas about how we can further improve research in these areas," Dr McKirdy said.

"To have international partners present from the USA, China, New Zealand and Indonesia provided opportunities to develop collaborative research further afield than Australian shores, which will have a positive impact for plant biosecurity worldwide and indicates biosecurity is a global issue."

Dr McKirdy also acknowledged the researchers recognised at the Awards Dinner.

"I would like to congratulate the project teams recognised at the Science Exchange Awards Dinner, the nominations were of a very high standard, so the awards highlight the outstanding results our researchers have achieved in helping to safeguard Australia against the ongoing threat of plant pests and diseases."

More information:
Dr Simon McKirdy, Chief Executive Officer, CRCNPB, 02 6201 2412
Max Knobel, Communications Manager, CRCNPB, 0402 327 087
http://www.crcplantbiosecurity.com.au

A printable version of the media release is available here.

Countdown to SX 2012

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:09:12 +0000

The final Science Exchange (SX) for the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity is just around the corner, with the main program starting on Wednesday 23 May 2012.

CRC staff members have been working frantically over the past few weeks finalising the program, accommodation and social activities, in what is going to be the largest SX to date.

The SX Program will focus on the outstanding achievements of this CRC and will also provide networking opportunities to discuss projects looking ahead to the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre.

If you have any questions in the lead up to the SX, please contact Andrew Crichton.

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Science Exchange preparations in full swing

CRICHTONA — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:39:30 +0000

The CRCNPB will hold the final Science Exchange for this CRC at The Vines Resort and Country Club in the Swan Valley from 23-25 May 2012.

The Science Committee has put together a comprehensive program which will highlight the outstanding work this CRC has achieved in just seven years.

The Science Exchange provides a fantastic opportunity for the CRC Board, staff, participants,researchers and industry representatives to come together to share ideas and learn about other CRC projects, with a variety of presentations, poster sessions and social events throughout the conference.

Registrations closed on Friday 24 February 2012; however late registrations may still be possible, depending on whether we still have space available. Email the CRCNPB if you would like to attend.

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Development of a Biosecurity Training Program for the Stored Grains Industry

CRICHTONA — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:15:19 +0000

Development of a Smart Spore Trap

CRICHTONA — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:34:36 +0000

Performance Analysis of Flying Spores Detection System for Plant Biosecurity Management

CRICHTONA — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:17:57 +0000