scion’s initiatives in new plant production technology · genetics-genomics, diagnostics,...
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Scion’s initiatives in new plant production technology
Heidi Dungey
Overview
• Scion
• Propagation and automation
• Healthy Trees Healthy Future
– Phytophthora conveyancing review & nursery health
– Phytophthora on avocados and kauri
• In vitro importation pathways
• Myrtaceae barcoding
• Biologicals and chemical use
• 1947 beginnings – Forest Experimental Station,
then named Forest Research Institute
• 1992 Crown Research Institutes established
• 2005 trading name Scion
Scion – what and who are we?
Forest Science
Site productivity
Breeding and GMO Wood quality Harvesting
Protection Stand management
Bioproducts
Built environment Wood and Fibre products Biocomposites
Bio-based chemicals Biofuels Waste conversion
Propagation-Nursery & tissue culture
Genetics-Genomics, diagnostics,
metagenomics
Forest ScienceForest growing
BiomaterialsProducts
Scion is a Crown Research Institute dedicated to improving the international competitiveness
of the New Zealand forest industry and building a stronger bio-based economy.
Propagation and Automation
Propagation & Automation – tissue culture
CRYO
Propagation – tissue culture
Propagation & Automation - seed
Propagation – nursery bareroot stock
Propagation – nursery containerised stock
Operational grafting
Automation
• Nursery bed automation
• Waikato University & Robotics Plus
Automation – remote sensing
• Bioinformatics • Computer Science
• Data Science • Remote Sensing
Improved
diagnostics
Improved
breeding
Optimised
chemical control
Future-proof
against new
incursions
Understanding
tree disease
Phytophthorain New Zealand
P. pluvialis
P. agathidicida
P. cactorum
P. multivora
P. cinnamomi
P. kernoviae
Phytophthorato test overseas
P. pinifolia
P. ramorum
HOSTS: Radiata pine, Kauri and Apple
Infect leaves
Infect roots
Resilient
trees
OUTCOMES
Chemical &
genetic
indicators of
infection
PATHOGENS ANALYSES
Healthy Trees Healthy Future
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Phytophthora pluvialis – Red Needle Cast
Phytophthora agathidicida- kauri (PTA)
eRNA for nursery diagnostics
R. McDougal, P. Panda, S. Addison (Scion), R. Vetukuri, L. Grenville-Briggs (SLU)
Aim: use eRNA to identify viableoomycetes (esp. Phytophthora) from soil.
• Detection of viability could infer a level of risk
• Effect of fumigation on communities over time
• Forest nursery & horticultural nursery e.g. strawberry
• Method could be applied to other systems e.g. live imports
eDNA – alive & dead ? Risk unknown?
Rebecca McDougal, Preeti Panda (Scion), Simon Bulman, Ian Horner (Plant & Food)
Phosphite resistance in Phytophthora
cinnamomi from avocado orchards
• Isolating P. cinnamomi
• Phosphite resistance screening
– assay to screen in vitro
– Assay to screen in planta
• Gene expression: P. cinnamomi in
response to phosphite
Peter Scott & Rebecca McDougal (Scion), Mike Clearwater (Waikato), Phillip West (NZ Avocado)Shannon Hunter (MSc)
Nursery Hygiene
• Nurseries + networks implicated in the distribution of pathogens
• Phytophthora ramorum, has seen the closure of numerous nurseries in
California, Oregon and Washington
• Key considerations in establishing and maintaining hygienic nursery
operations – discussed on tour
Case Study
Scion Nursery’s “Start Clean/Stay Clean Zone”
Elucidating the biosecurity risk of the plant in vitro import pathwayPreeti Panda, Cathie Reeves, Keiko Gough, Simon Bulman & Beccy Ganley
• Identify high risk pathogens
• Evaluation of the specific biosecurity risk
• Inoculation of selected pathogens into different types of starting tissue culture material
• Sensitive diagnostics assay such as quantitative PCR to reliably detect microorganisms at very low levels.
Spore/mycelial
suspensions
callus plantlets/seedlingsembryos
inoculation
qPCR [and potential next generation DNA sequence analysis]
DNA barcoding (fingerprinting) Myrtaceae in NZ
DNA barcoding• involves sequencing a standard region of
DNA as a tool for identification.• Two common regions sequenced in
plants:• matK (chloroplast)• ITS (nuclear)
Myrtaceae in NZ• Manuka, kanuka,
pohutukawa, rata, ramarama, rohutu, swamp maire, feijoas, eucalypts, guavas, brush cherry, bottlebrush, etc.
Myrtle Rust
Accurate host identification allows for• Accurate surveys of the spread of the disease;• Timely biosecurity management decisions.
A destructive pathogen• Present in Australia, New
Caledonia, Kermadecs.• If it arrives on the NZ
mainland it can potentially destroy all Myrtaceae occurring here.
DNA barcodes ideal for host identification Morphology not ideal for host identification
Extracted DNA can be safely transported. Transporting infected plants for identification
poses a risk of spore escape.
Rapid identification of many samples in a short
space of time.
Time consuming.
Requires a combination of characters, some of
which are not all present at a particular time.
Biologicals and chemical optimisation
• Impact of chemical use on beneficial soil microbes
• Fungicide, in particular, altered
the ECM community in seedlings
• ECM that provided less to the
seedlings were more resilient to
greater fungicide exposure
Smaill and Walbert, 2013, Applied Soil Ecology
Biologicals and chemical optimisation
• Reducing chemical use in the nursery had major benefits
for growth in the forest
• we can enhance growth with less fertiliser by using new
products
Biologicals and chemical optimisation
• But very aware that we will always need some degree of
protection – not advocating switch to no fungicide
• Research has been with radiata pine, likely that the
same outcome can be produced with other nursery crops
Genomics & Plant Propagation
TRAITS FOR SELECTION
Proliferation, Maturation,
Cryopreservation, Cell-line
Longevity….
Plant propagation provides the research material under selection to improve the success of germplasm development
What are your priorities?
• Propagation protocols?
• Biologicals?
• Automation? Where?
• Hygiene ?
• Nursery surveys?
• Myrtle rust?
What are your priorities?
Forest Genetics [email protected] &
Forest Pathology [email protected]
Forest Informatics [email protected]
Nursery key clients [email protected]
Tissue Culture [email protected]
Biotechnology [email protected]
Biologicals [email protected]
Diagnositics [email protected]
Myrtaceae barcoding [email protected]
Nursery hygiene [email protected] &