Progress 07/01/02 to 06/30/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network (NEPDN) is comprised of specialists in the 12 state northeastern region of the U.S. Most states are represented by plant pathologists at their respective land grant universities, but the NEPDN also works closely with specialists in allied disciplines (e.g. entomology, weed science) and with other state and federal agencies. Since 2002, NEPDN members have upgraded equipment and attended training sessions to learn how to use state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures and communications packages. They have become a cohesive team capable of rapid response to a wide array of potential threats to Northeast agriculture. The Regional Center is at Cornell University. Staff at the regional center coordinates training in diagnostic techniques and communications, they conduct annual exercises to assure that members follow a prescribed protocol in case a suspect select agent is found, and they collaborate with partners in other regions to develop
modules for training "first-detectors". They also maintain web sites for both regional and national audiences and they provide technical support to assure that communications within the Network are secure and seamless. Publication of a monthly newsletter used by all members of the National network also originates in the Northeast. The first five years have allowed NEPDN members to build a foundation from which they expect to continue to play a vital role in protecting the Nation's agriculture in the 21st century. The unique contribution of the Northeast Region staff to the broader mission of the NPDN is to collaborate with industry and governmental agencies to test and publicize protocols for detecting selected, high risk pathogens and to identify training opportunities for diagnosticians in the Network. Regional center staff have created websites and list-serves to clarify diagnostic objectives, facilitate acquisition of permits, update lists of national and regional significant
agents, post standard operating procedures, and announce select agent identification workshops. They also keep NPDN partners abreast of changes in protocols for transmitting data to the NPDN National Repository and through the publication of the NPDN National Newsletter. The NEPDN staff took the lead in the organization of the first NPDN National Meeting which was held in Orlando, FL in January of 2007. The staff did everything from organize the first planning meeting and team to making the final arrangements of room setup and speaker needs. This huge, overwhelming task was received as a great success by the 225 participants of the meeting and by the NPDN Operations Committee members that coordinate all the activities of the NPDN. As the NPDN reaches the end of this first five year cooperative agreement, the regional center staff continues to focus on improving the resources within the region by providing specialized DNA extraction equipment to those members that did not have this
capability. A second five year cooperative agreement will allow the staff to train NEPDN diagnosticians on the proper use and handling of this equipment and DNA material.
PARTICIPANTS: At Cornell, George W. Hudler (Professor and Dept. chair) is the regional director for the project. Karen L. Snover-Clift was the Associate Director, coordinating all regional activities, and representing the region on the national Diagnostics Committee. She also organized the national meeting in 2006. Mary McKellar is the regional Education and Training specialist charged with preparing instructional materials, coordinating regional communications exercises and publishing the national newsletter. Karen Scott coordinates information technology issues among state labs in the region and with the PDIS communications system originating at Kansas State University. Collaborators in the Northeast include John Peplinski (PA), Ann Hazelrigg (VT), Cheryl Smith (NH), Bruce Watt (ME), Rob Wick (MA), Rob Durgy (CT), Sharon Douglas (CT), John Baniecki (WV), Bob Mulrooney (DE), Karen Rane (MD), and Richard Buckley (NJ). These people received training in diagnosis and communications at
one national and five annual regional meetings and via teleconference as needed. Primary interactions at the national level are with other regional directors in California (Rick Bostock), Kansas (Jim Stack), Michigan (Ray Hammerschmidt), and Florida (Bob McGovern).
TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for the regional office is comprised of staff at state labs as indicated above. They, in turn, recruit first detectors who, so far, have been cooperative extension educators, master gardeners, crop consultants, and other interested plant health care professionals.
Impacts
A true test of the Network's response occurred with the introduction of Ralstonia solanacearum R3B2 in January 2004. The Network's preparedness enabled a high volume of samples to be processed rapidly in NPDN labs across the country. Similar episodes requiring a quick, high-throughput response followed the discoveries of pathogens that cause Sudden Oak Death in March 2004 and Soybean Rust in November 2004. Efforts in the Northeast have resulted in heightened awareness of the introduction of exotics along the U.S. Northern border. To date over 800 first detectors have been trained in the Northeast including at least one first detector in 18 of the 21 counties along the Northern U.S. border. All 12 states in the region have participated in at least one and in some cases two NPDN scenario exercises. In July 2006, the NPDN, NEPDN, APHIS-PPQ and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture partnered to conduct a full scale exercise on Sirex woodwasp that tested the current
communication and chain of custody practices. Combining exercise activities among the organizations listed above assisted in maximizing the efficient use of resources. Diagnosticians from the NEPDN and other regions worked with USDA collaborators to conduct an experiment designed to detect the presence of soybean rust in the early stages of development. This helped determine the ideal stage of development to conduct identification testing. Regional members participated in molecular workshops given by USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST personnel on the pathogens that cause Citrus Greening, Soybean Rust, Sudden Oak Death and Plum Pox. Additionally regional members have worked closely with PPQ personnel to develop a plan toward laboratory accreditation and certification. IT specialists and Diagnosticians have participated in meetings focused on the National Repository data collection, which now contains 100,647 NEPDN records. We designed and implemented both regional and national websites for the
network, which have received 525,658 hits since their implementation in 2004. We have also conducted numerous PDIS training sessions for users. Cornell University serves as the hub of the NEPDN, providing training, guidance, and sample diagnosis for the region, as well as back-up for the four other NPDN regional centers. Regional staff has participated in numerous USDA sponsored workshops to learn new diagnostic techniques and protocols that identify highly significant pathogens. Three regional center staff members passed requirements to become provisionally certified to conduct Phytophthora ramorum testing at the Regional Center laboratory. This certification benefits the entire Network inasmuch as there are now 10 laboratories that are approved to process these samples. It also relieves pressure on the APHIS confirmatory laboratory in Beltsville by lowering the number of suspect samples that that lab needs to process as only regional positive results are forwarded to Beltsville for
confirmation. Since the 2004 season when the Beltsville laboratory received and processed 4,000+ samples, their numbers have been reduced to 1,900+ in 2005 and 1,200+ in 2006.
Publications
- Scott, K. 2006. NPDN Website Committee Report Pp. 93-95 in NPDN 5 year Review Document. http://www.npdn.org/Library/ViewDocument.pdf?filetype=pdf&DocumentId= 6431
- Scott, K., Snover-Clift, K. and McKellar, M. 2004. NPDN National Website. www.NPDN.org
- Thomas, C., McKellar, M., Harmon, C., Ryba-White, M., Perry, S., Baldwin, W., Luke, E., Stubbs, M., Sanderson, S. and Stack, J. 2007, NPDN Exercise Committee. Pp. 69-77 in NPDN 5 year Review Document. http://www.npdn.org/Library/ViewDocument.pdf?filetype=pdf&DocumentId= 6431
- Dennis, J. and McKellar, M. 2006. Soybean Rust Sentinel Plots in 2006. Cornell Weekly Field Crop Pest Report. Volume 5, No. 20.
- Snover-Clift, K.L. 2006. Searching for the Plum Pox Virus. Cornell University Turfgrass Times, 17(2):11.
- Snover-Clift, K.L. 2006. Plum Pox Virus (PPV) found in Niagara County, NY. Branching Out, Cornell University. 13(8):32.
- Lamour, K.H., Finley, L., Snover-Clift, K.L., Stack, J.P., Pierzynski, J., Hammerschmidt, R., Jacobs, J.L., Byrne, J.M., Harmon, P.F., Vitoreli, A.M., Wisler, G.C., Harmon, C.L., Levy, L., Zeller, K.A., Stone, C.L., Luster, D.G. and Frederick, R.D. 2006. Early detection of Asian soybean rust using PCR. Online. Plant Health Progress/ 10.1094/PHP-2006-0524-01-RS.
- Stack, J., Cardwell, K., Hammerschmidt, R., Byrne, J., Loria, R., Snover-Clift, K.L., Baldwin, W., Wisler, G., Beck, H., Bostock, R., Thomas, C. and Luke, E. 2006. The National Plant Diagnostic Network. Plant Disease 90:128-136.
- Hodges, A., Momol, T., Wisler, G., McKellar, M., Hoenisch, R., Perry, S. and Zidack, N. 2006. The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) training and education program for First Detectors. Phytopathology 96:S49.
- Snover-Clift, K.L., McKellar, M. and Clement, P. 2005. Searching for Phytophthora ramorum: Surveys of New York State and Northeastern Nurseries for the Sudden Oak Death Pathogen. American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Austin, TX. Phytopathology 95: S98.
- McKellar, M. 2007. NPDN National Newsletter. Monthly. Provides network members, collaborators, and first detectors with information about new discoveries and techniques, training sessions, and educational. resources. http://www.npdn.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=6&tabid=44
- McKellar, M. 2006. NPDN National Newsletter. Monthly. Provides network members, collaborators, and first detectors with information about new discoveries and techniques, training sessions, and educational. resources.. http://www.npdn.org/Library/ViewDocument.pdf?filetype=pdf&DocumentId= 3910
- Snover-Clift, K. and Hudler, G.W. 2006. Pp. 33-37, Regional Center Overview, Northeast. NPDN National Meeting Proceedings, http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/proceedings/npdn/2007/
- Snover-Clift, K. 2006. NPDN Diagnostics Committee Report Pp. 49-57 in NPDN 5 year Review Document. http://www.npdn.org/Library/ViewDocument.pdf?filetype=pdf&DocumentId= 6431
- Snover-Clift, K. 2006. NPDN National Database Committee Report Pp. 91-92 in NPDN 5 year Review Document. http://www.npdn.org/Library/ViewDocument.pdffiletype=pdf&DocumentId=6 431
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
In the summer of 2002, the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic at Cornell University was chosen to serve as the Regional Center for the Northeast region of the National Plant Diagnostic Network. One of our responsibilities is to maintain a network that has the ability to quickly detect deliberately and/or accidentally introduced, high consequence, biological pests and pathogens into the nation's agricultural and natural ecosystems. This is being accomplished by providing a means for quick identifications and establishing protocols for immediate reporting to appropriate responders and decision makers. The Center is also expected to serve an administrative role in managing subcontracts with ten other states in the region who receive money to support their diagnostic activities and to oversee their use of federally approved protocols to identify high consequence pathogens. The continued upgrading of our facilities is needed in order to comply with those expectations and to
ensure accurate results. Additionally, specific training of advanced identification techniques to improve our diagnostic capability was received by members of the laboratory and continues to be offered. We have upgraded our equipment to include a second real-time Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) machine, a gel documentation station, hybridization oven and more. Having this additional state of the art equipment has improved our ability as a Regional Center to receive and process high consequence samples more efficiently and with confidence in the accuracy of the results. This also improves our ability to provide surge protection for other regional center laboratories that may receive an onslaught of samples during disease epidemics and discoveries. We have required our staff members to become proficient in testing for significant pathogens using USDA approved techniques. Therefore, all staff members are proficient in testing for the pathogens that cause soybean rust, southern wilt of
tomato and potato, and sudden oak death (Ramorum blight). They are also trained to conduct plum pox virus assays by way of ELISA and real time PCR protocols. Because we have the equipment and training, we participated in a research project with USDA-ARS scientists to compare the consistency and accuracy of results produced in the regional centers laboratories. The results provided the soybean growers and university researchers with a baseline date of when the pathogen can be detected in freshly inoculated plant material.
Impacts
The additional equipment and training has enabled us to perform various rapid and accurate analyses using different techniques to verify the presence of endemic and exotic pathogens. The quality of the work performed on these samples is crucial to the health of agriculture in New York State and across the Nation. The results can greatly impact our growers and nurserymen and positive identification of introduced plant pathogens can restrict the movement of agricultural products and ornamental plants. These restrictions can cause great economic stress on the producers of our State. Our staff are trained in proper techniques and approved protocols for the select agent and regulatory pathogens of concern and our facilities house state-of-the-art equipment to process any suspect plant material that is sent our way. Our readiness status is extremely important as the highly significant pathogen that causes Soybean Rust was identified in November of 2004 and is currently
moving throughout the soybean production areas of the United States. New finds of the plum pox virus (PPV) were identified in July of 2006 in New York and in August of 2006 in Michigan. Discovery of PPV in New York triggered an unexpected deluge of 60,000 samples for processing in one month, a feat that would have been impossible without prior readiness through NEPDN infrastructure.
Publications
- Snover-Clift, K.L. 2006. Searching for the Plum Pox Virus. Cornell University Turfgrass Times, 17:2, pg. 11. October 2006.
- Snover-Clift, K.L. 2006. Plum Pox Virus (PPV) found in Niagara County, NY, July 2006, Branching Out, Cornell University.
- Lamour, K.H., Finley, L., Snover-Clift, K.L., Stack, J.P., Pierzynski, J., Hammerschmidt, R., Jacobs, J.L., Byrne, J.M., Harmon, P.F., Vitoreli, A.M., Wisler, G.C., Harmon, C.L., Levy, L., Zeller, K.A., Stone, C.L., Luster, D.G., and Frederick, R.D. 2006. Early detection of Asian soybean rust using PCR. Online. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2006-0524-01-RS.
- Stack, J., K. Cardwell, R. Hammerschmidt, J. Byrne, R. Loria, K. Snover-Clift, W. Baldwin, G. Wisler, H. Beck, R. Bostock, C. Thomas, and E. Luke. 2006. The National Plant Diagnostic Network. Plant Disease 90: 128-136. January 2006.
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