Explore the projects have commenced in the Training Centre in the themes of Surveillance and diagnostics, data-driven decision making, and adoption practices.
Social licence during biosecurity outbreaks
The Varroa mite (in particular the species Varroa destructor) is a species of mite that feeds off the fat body tissue of adult, pupal and larval bees. A recent outbreak in Australia – and the governmental response – has prompted much discussion within the Australian biosecurity community. In particular, many have focused on the crucial need for strategies to build and maintain social license and trustworthiness before, and during such an outbreak and the period of response.
PhD student Aphrika Gregson at The Australian National University aims to understand the pathways and drivers for building and maintaining social license during a biosecurity outbreak. This project is in collaboration with NSW DPIRD.
Improving the design and implementation of spore traps
The surveillance of fungal pathogens is an essential part of Australia’s biosecurity efforts. However, airborne fungal spores are especially challenging to monitor due to the small size of the spores, their wind-driven dispersal over long distances, and the low concentration of the spores relative to the vast volume of the air that can carry them.
PhD student Shiron Thalagala at James Cook University aims to improve our understanding of how to use spore traps for biosecurity. In collaboration with SARDI, this project will explore a variety of trap designs and investigate the best way to deploy them. It will work towards ground-truthing the effectiveness of the trap itself as well as the effectiveness of a surveillance system consisting of a network of traps.
Reducing harm from misinformation in biosecurity
As Australia faces an increased threat from biosecurity challenges, we depend more than ever on people adopting good biosecurity behaviours. However, people experienced in managing biosecurity issues know that misinformation poses a serious threat to this system, potentially compromising the very behaviours that keep Australia safe.
Dr Matthew S. Nurse at The Australian National University is investigating ways to mitigate the harm that this misinformation could cause to Australia’s biosecurity future. This program includes new ways to build community resilience to misinformation, communication messaging techniques to encourage good biosecurity behaviours, understanding what kinds of misinformation can lead to harm, and measuring the factors that make some people particularly susceptible to sharing harmful misinformation with other people.
Identification of fruit fly biomarkers using mass spectrometry
Fruit flies are destructive pests, affecting more than 300 horticultural crops globally. Robust, cost-effective, high-throughput approaches to monitor outbreaks and control measures, can potentially improve determination of risk and responses.
PhD student Jowell El-Darwiche at The Australian National University aims to explore the use of mass spectrometry to differentiate species and populations of fruit fly. In collaboration with The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, this project aims to detect diagnostic proteins that are differentially expressed according to growth conditions, pesticide resistance, fertility, mating status, or treatment with gamma irradiation.
Ranking priority plant pest and diseases and their preparedness activities
Australia has four national priority pest lists in the marine, animal, plant and environmental disciplines. These lists identify pests that are not yet present in Australia but could severely impact industries and food security if they were to establish. Although these priority pests are not the only threats of concern, they highlight the types of risks Australia faces.
PhD student Jessica Kriticos at The Australian National University aims to support Australia’s preparedness for an emergency response to exotic plant pests and diseases by developing robust and scientifically valid models for ranking priority pest and diseases and preparedness activities. This project is in collaboration with The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Natural and synthetic antibodies to identify spider mite eggs during import
During border inspections, biosecurity officers often detect individual eggs or egg masses on imported fresh produce. These are often extremely small, and it is difficult to identify by current morphological or molecular tools. It is suspected that large numbers of eggs detected at the Australian border on imported fresh horticulture and cut flowers are spider mites of the family Tetranychidae. Understanding what species are represented will allow the department to make informed decisions about biosecurity management.
PhD student Shimi Jose at The Australian National University aims to develop a new and novel method for identifying whether eggs found on fresh produce belong to spider mites of the family Tetranychidae. The method is proposed to be biochemical, possibly utilising natural or synthetic antibodies (for example, findings in this project may lead to developing a test that works like a Covid Rapid Antigen Test.) This project is in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Taxonomy and biology of Euwallacea shot hole borer beetles
Seven species in the shot hole borer genus Euwallacea occur in Australia. The most infamous of these is the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB, Euwallacea fornicatus), first detected in Perth in 2021 and now the subject of an intensive eradication program. A related species, the tea shot hole borer (TSHB), occurs in eastern Australia. Large gaps exist in our knowledge of its ecology (including host range and impact), and in its relationship to PSHB.
PhD student Giullia de Freitas Rossi at The Australian National University aims to comprehensively investigate the members of this complex, and their relatives, in Australia. In collaboration with Queensland Department of Primary Industries, the project is employing an integrative approach combining molecular genetics, morphology, ecology, and novel approaches such as bioacoustics, to elucidate species boundaries, understand ecological interactions, and develop novel diagnostic tools.
Developing robust proof-of-freedom surveillance systems for Australia
Pest status – knowing which species are where – is central to biosecurity as it enables the setting of import conditions that prevent pest entry; timely response when incursions do occur; and trade into markets that only accept products produced in pest free areas.
Dr Elle Saber at The Australian National University aims to refine statistical models that can be incorporated into surveillance guidelines for governments and industry to plan area freedom surveillance. In collaboration with The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, ecological information and surveillance data will be integrated into a framework to guide the use of inferential models for area freedom.
Resolving the pumpkin fruit fly complex
Fruit flies are among the world’s most destructive horticultural pests, posing significant threats to global agriculture. The Zeugodacus tau complex, commonly known as the pumpkin fruit fly, is particularly problematic due to its unresolved species delimitations. Addressing these taxonomic ambiguities is crucial for Australia’s biosecurity and for developing effective pest management strategies.
PhD student Claudio Cipriani at James Cook University aims to untangle the taxonomy of the 21-species Zeugodacus tau complex using a combination of molecular, morphological, and biological evidence. This project is in collaboration with Queensland Department of Primary Industries.
Plant disease diagnostics in tissue culture
Imported, high-risk plant tissue culture must undergo quarantine for testing and screening of exotic pests and diseases. Effective quarantine diagnostics are critical to keep Australia free of potentially devastating pathogens. Typically, tissue culture must be regenerated (de-flasked) into full plants before testing can proceed. This is costly both in terms of money, time and investment in technical expertise and equipment. It also introduces additional risk as not all plants successfully transition from tissue-culture to soil.
PhD student Stephanie Morgan at James Cook University aims to develop a reliable plant disease assay that is directly applicable to tissue culture material. In collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Bioeconomy Sciences Institute of New Zealand (Plant and Food Research Group) the focus will be on viruses and bacteria that are non-culturable or very challenging to culture (such as Xylella fastidiosa).
Transformational molecular approaches for forest pests and pathogens
Forest biosecurity faces significant challenges in surveillance and diagnostics of invasive pests and pathogens due to vast, diverse ecosystems that complicate monitoring efforts. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, altering pest and pathogen distributions and behaviours. Improved approaches to assessing risk and the subsequent response to forest pests/pathogens is needed given challenges of scale and limited resources.
PhD student Sylvia Jepkemboi at the University of Canberra aims to use novel genomic and metagenomic methods to study the invasion biology and history of well-established exotic forestry pests and pathogens to investigate how populations have changed post-incursion. In collaboration with Forest and Wood Products Australian and NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, this project will enable better risk assessment and monitoring of future novel incursions, overall improving Australia’s overall surveillance and diagnostic systems.
Molecular characterisation of rust pathogens
A new pathogen, Macruropyxis fulva, is causing tawny rust of sugarcane in South Africa. The biosecurity risk of M. fulva entering Australia is unknown, with the potential severity of disease undetermined. Additionally, two rust fungi, Puccinia melanocephala (brown rust) and P. kuehnii (orange rust) are currently present in Australia, with orange rust causing yield losses of up to 40%.
PhD students Lavi Singh and Samantha Whitling are undertaking projects for molecular characterisation of M. fulva, P. melanocephala and P. kuehnii to determine the potential isolate variability within each of the species. This will enable preparedness for a potential incursion of tawny rust into Australia and an insight into population shifts of the current endemic rust pathogens in Australia. This project is in collaboration with Sugar Research Australia.
Data driven decision models for forest biosecurity
Ensuring proof of pest area freedom is crucial for facilitating trade in commodities between trading partners. In situations where an import partner wishes to avoid specific pests from the exporting country, we will increasingly need robust and statistically supported evidence for proof-of-freedom. Achieving this will require data integration, advanced computational techniques, and interdisciplinary approaches.
PhD student Yufan Zheng at the University of Canberra aims to create a comprehensive catalogue of forest pest surveillance and diagnostic data collected through targeted and general biosecurity efforts at regional and national levels. The primary objectives are to assess the suitability of these data for biosecurity purposes and explore how it can be integrated and analysed. This project is in collaboration with Forest and Wood Products Australian and NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Invasive snails as vectors of pathogens and parasites
Invasive land snails have emerged as significant horticultural pests in Australia, inflicting considerable damage on agriculture and the environment. Snails can also act as vectors of parasites and pathogens, which can in turn impact agriculture, human health, and biodiversity. Despite the potential impact of these organisms, little is known of the role snails play as vectors in an invasion context. We need to address this gap to assess and understand fully the risks invasive snails pose to Australia.
PhD student Bethany Perry at the University of Canberra aims to assess the parasite and pathogen loads of invasive snails in Australia, and the potential of genomic technologies for their diagnosis and detection. This will improve knowledge of vectoring and how it should be incorporated in biosecurity planning. This project is in collaboration with CSIRO.
Remote sensing of priority weeds in sugarcane
Distribution of troublesome weeds at a district level is largely unknown. Aerial imagery of cane farms from drone for the purpose of weed scouting and spot spraying can help, but currently needs manual interpretation by an agronomist to be converted into weed maps and spray maps. This task is time consuming and limit the adoption of the spot spray technology using drones.
Dr Mohammad Jakhanbakht at James Cook University aims to facilitate the development and early deployment of a platform that maps weeds from drone imagery and generates spray maps; and a spot-and-spray system with a clear commercialisation pathway for sugarcane. It also aims to explore diagnostic technology using satellite imagery to identify the target weeds and map their distribution at a paddock, farm and district levels.
Water sampling for detection of vegetable pathogens
Valued at $5.7 billion, the Australian vegetable industry accounts for one third of Australia’s $17 billion horticulture industry. Over recent years, the Australian vegetable industry has faced several significant pest and disease threats that have impacted on farm operations, productivity and growing practices. Many plant pathogens can be spread via water. Early detection of plant pathogens in irrigation and drain water on farms offers significant advantages for industry and government.
PhD student Addam Corallo at the University of Canberra aims to develop surveillance methodology to detect and diagnose pathogen(s) of vegetable crops in drain water and irrigation systems on farm to inform day to day management options and biosecurity response strategies. This project is in collaboration with AUSVEG and Agriculture Victoria.
Investigating scale and mealybug control in Australian viticulture
Scale and mealybugs are significant pests in viticulture. These pests feed by sucking sap from grapevines, leading to significant economic loss. They promote the formation of sooty mould and act as key vectors for virus transmission between vines. Despite the availability of some biological and chemical control methods, these options are often very limited or non-selective.
Using an integrative approach, PhD student Yilin Bai at The Australian National University aims address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of scale and mealybug biology and ecology in the context of viticulture. Collaborating with the Australian Wine Research Institute, project will combine methods from ecology and whole organism biology with cutting edge techniques in genomics and recent technological advances in biodiversity monitoring.
Exotic moth borers – Conservation biocontrol
Moth borers are major pests of sugarcane in many sugar producing countries that are difficult to control and cause substantial damage to crops through reduction in both biomass and sugar content. Although Australia only has one endemic moth borer species affecting sugarcane, a further 37 species occur in neighbouring cane growing countries.
PhD student Viviana Aya Vargas at James Cook University aims to develop pest management strategies of exotic moth borers through conservation biological control. Conservation biological control involves the promotion and management of native natural enemy populations, such as predators and parasitoids, to control pest species, with the goal of reducing the use of pesticides in natural and agricultural systems. This project is in collaboration with Sugar Research Australia.
Target gene discovery for locust control
The Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) is a significant and insidious agricultural pest that causes severe damage to pasture and crops during outbreaks.
PhD student Alphonsa Baby at James Cook University aims to investigate the transcriptional profile divergences between solitary and gregarious phases of Australian Plague Locust and identify key genes and pathways that can be targeted for the development of control strategies. This project is in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Fall armyworm population genomics and biocontrol options
Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a destructive agricultural pest that has spread across many continents since 2016, including Australia where it is an established invasive species. Another emerging invasive pest of concern to Asia and Australia is the closely related African cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis). It is hypothesised that comparisons and understanding of spread pathways between the two related Spodoptera species will likely better prepare our region for the next emerging pest threat and reduce its spread potentials into Australia.
PhD student Esteve Mesen Porras at The Australian National University aims to apply population genomics to identify and compare establishment dynamics of fall armyworm and the likely next emerging pest threat in the related species: African cotton leafworm. This project is in collaboration with CSIRO.
Starting soon
The following projects are waiting for their student to commence.
Epidemiology of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with mango dieback
Mangos are an important industry in northern Australia and affected by mango dieback associated with various members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family. The Botryosphaeriaceae family contains about 24 genera and 222 species of fungus worldwide, on a diverse range of host plants.
This PhD project at The Australian National University aims to explore infection biology of the Lasiodiplodia species within the Botryosphaeriacea family and resulting disease expression in mango. This project is in collaboration with the Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.