ABSTRACT

Early detection of exotic pests is key to a timely response for enabling options for eradication and future management. It is widely recognised that engaging the public and industry in general surveillance significantly increases the chance of detecting newly arrived pests and pathogens. Once a new pest or pathogen is detected, Australia has guidelines to follow via the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed and PLANTPLAN. This paper describes the detection of unusual symptoms in a Pinus radiata production nursery in New South Wales, Australia, and the subsequent response. The unusual symptoms were detected in early January 2021 by nursery staff and reported immediately to biosecurity authorities. The nursery was placed under quarantine as a precaution. Within five weeks, Fusarium commune was diagnosed from the samples, a known pathogen of conifers not previously recorded in Australia. Formal biosecurity processes were enacted immediately to determine whether the pathogen was an emergency plant pest and whether eradication was necessary and technically feasible. Quarantine and movement restrictions continued, such that no seedlings could leave the site other than for ongoing diagnosis and under biosecure protocols. Tracing was conducted to determine the distribution of the pathogen and a potential source, including ongoing sampling in production nurseries, diagnosis of planting media and seed, and diagnosis of root and soil eDNA samples collected in previous years. Fusarium commune was recovered at a very low frequency from two nurseries, primarily in association with healthy seedlings. Root and soil samples collected from nurseries and plantations between 2019 and 2020 tested negative for the presence of F. commune using F. commune-specific primers. Pathogenicity tests revealed that F. commune did not cause wilting or significant disease on tested seedlings. Overall, evidence suggested that F. commune did not pose a serious threat to the P. radiata industry. The Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests determined that F. commune was not a significant pathogen and that no further action was warranted. The affected nursery was allowed to resume operations in mid-May 2021, in time for the winter planting season. Here we discuss the lessons from this response, including the benefits of a quick and timely response, cross-institutional collaboration, the potential threat to the forest industry, and the need to encourage greater general surveillance. These lessons can help in the event of an incursion of a serious pathogen such as F. circinatum (pine pitch canker).

摘要

及早发现外来有害生物是及时做出根除和未来管理选择的关键。人们普遍认为，让公众和行业参与一般监测会显着增加发现新来的害虫和病原体的机会。一旦检测到新的害虫或病原体，澳大利亚就会通过紧急植物害虫应对契约和 PLANTPLAN 制定指导方针。本文介绍了在澳大利亚新南威尔士州的一个辐射松生产苗圃中发现的异常症状以及随后的应对措施。托儿所工作人员于 2021 年 1 月上旬发现了这些异常症状，并立即向生物安全部门报告。作为预防措施，托儿所被隔离。五周内，镰刀菌公社从样本中诊断出，这是一种已知的针叶树病原体，以前在澳大利亚没有记录。立即制定了正式的生物安全程序，以确定病原体是否是紧急植物害虫，以及根除是否必要且技术上是否可行。检疫和行动限制仍在继续，因此除了正在进行的诊断和生物安全协议外，任何幼苗都不能离开该地点。进行追踪以确定病原体的分布和潜在来源，包括在生产苗圃中进行的持续采样、种植介质和种子的诊断，以及前几年收集的根和土壤 eDNA 样本的诊断。镰刀菌公社从两个苗圃中以非常低的频率回收，主要与健康的幼苗有关。2019 年至 2020 年间从苗圃和种植园收集的根和土壤样本使用F. commune特异性引物检测为阴性。致病性测试表明，F. commune不会导致受试幼苗萎蔫或发生重大疾病。总体而言，有证据表明F. commune并未对P. radiata产业构成严重威胁。紧急植物害虫咨询委员会确定F. commune不是重要的病原体，因此无需采取进一步行动。受影响的苗圃获准于 2021 年 5 月中旬恢复运营，正好赶上冬季播种季节。在这里，我们讨论了这次应对的经验教训，包括快速及时应对的好处、跨机构合作、对林业的潜在威胁，以及鼓励加强全面监督的必要性。如果发生严重病原体入侵，例如F. circinatum（松沥青溃疡病），这些经验教训可以提供帮助。