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This study was performed to identify Peronosclerospora species found in Indonesia based on sequence analysis of the cox2 gene. In addition, sequence data in total, 26 isolates of Peronosclerospora were investigated in this study. They were obtained from 7 provinces in Indonesia, namely Lampung, Jawa Timur, Jawa Barat, Sumatera Utara, Jawa Tengah, Yogyakarta, and Sulawesi Selatan. Sequence analysis of cox2 and phylogenetic inference were performed on all the 26 isolates. A set of primers developed in this study, PCOX2F and PCOX2R, was used for PCR amplification. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all the Indonesian isolates were divided into two groups. Group I contained 13 isolates; 9 isolates obtained from Lampung, 3 isolates from Sumatera Utara, and 1 isolate from Jawa Barat. Group II consisted of 13 isolates; 7 isolates from Jawa Timur, 2 isolates from Jawa Tengah, 1 isolate from Yogyakarta, and 3 isolates from Sulawesi Selatan. All the members of group I clustered with the ex-type sequence of P. australiensis. Meanwhile, all members of Group II formed the sister clade of isolates obtained from Timor-Leste and may represent P. maydis.
Recent shifts in US policies towards Cuba suggest a relaxation or lifting of the embargo may occur in the near future. With the prospects of open travel and trade with Cuba come concerns over the introduction of agricultural pests. In an effort to assess these concerns the distribution-based introduction risk of pests listed in the 2015 Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey’s (CAPS) list of priority pests of economic and environmental importance is reviewed. Of the 59 pests on the CAPS priority pest list, 20 have been recorded in the literature as being present in the Caribbean Basin, South America and Central America. For these 20 New World pests a commodity and distribution-based risk rating was assigned to describe their potential for introduction through the Cuba-Florida pest pathway. The highest rating was given to the six listed pests currently reported as being present in Cuba, and potential for introduction and subsequent impact of these six pests on Florida agriculture is discussed. In addition to the pests found on the 2015 CAPS priority pest list, information regarding pests of concern in the family Tephritidae and the Old World bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is also included, as is a description of the Cuban plant health and regulatory structure.
The significance of plant-pest introductions between Cuba and Florida is discussed, with an emphasis on proactive engagement in research and collaboration to address these issues.
In this article we review a variety of methods to enable understanding and modelling the spread of a pest or pathogen post-entry. Building upon our experience of multidisciplinary research in this area, we propose practical guidelines and a framework for model development, to help with the application of mathematical modelling in the field of invasion ecology for post-entry spread. We evaluate the pros and cons of a range of methods, including references to examples of the methods in practice. We also show how issues of data deficiency and uncertainty can be addressed. The aim is to provide guidance to the reader on the most suitable elements to include in a model of post-entry dispersal in a risk assessment, under differing circumstances. We identify both the strengths and weaknesses of different methods and their application as part of a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to biosecurity research.
Various aspects of uncertainty have become topical in pest risk modelling discussions. A recent contribution to the literature sought to explore the effect of taxonomic uncertainty on modelled pest risk. The case study involved a high profile plant pathogen Puccinia psidii, which causes a major disease of plants within the Myrtaceae family. Consequently, the results and recommendations may attract a wide range of interest in the biosecurity and pest risk modelling communities. We found the study by Elith et al. (2013) included a number of methodological issues that limit some of the specific and general conclusions reached in the paper. We discuss these issues and the ensuing implications for biosecurity management. We also draw attention to the need for pest risk modellers and biosecurity managers to find ways to communicate more effectively. We urge modellers and managers alike to develop a better understanding of the challenges and limitations of modelling species potential distributions across novel climates, and to be able to appreciate the meanings and limitations of models framed in different ways.
The banana leaf spotting disease yellow Sigatoka is established and actively controlled in Australia through intensive chemical treatments and diseased leaf removal. In the State of Queensland, the State government imposes standards for de-leafing to minimise the risk of the disease spreading in 6 banana pest quarantine areas. Of these, the Northern Banana Pest Quarantine Area is the most significant in terms of banana production. Previous regulations imposed obligations on owners of banana plants within this area to remove leaves from plants with visible spotting on more than 15 per cent of any leaf during the wet season. Recently, this leaf disease threshold has been lowered to 5 per cent. In this paper we examine the likely impact this more-costly regulation will have on the spread of the disease. We estimate that the average net benefit of reducing the diseased leaf threshold is only likely to be $1.4 million per year over the next 30 years, expressed as the annualised present value of tightened regulation. This result varies substantially when the timeframe of the analysis is changed, with shorter time frames indicating poorer net returns from the change in protocols. Overall, the benefit of the regulation change is likely to be minor.