United States Center for Plant Health Department of Agriculture Science and Technology Animal and Plant Health Accomplishments, 2007 Inspection Service Miscellaneous Publication No. 1601 Issued December 2008 Center for Plant Health Science and Technology Mission The Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) supports the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program’s regulatory decisions and operations through methods development, scientific investigation, analysis, and technology. Strategic Goals Enhance PPQ’s Efforts in Pest Detection and Management Provide Timely Scientific and Technical Support Required for Emergency Response and Management Enhance CPHST Support for APHIS Trade-Related Plant Health Issues Provide Current Relevant Scientific and Technical Information To PPQ Decisionmakers Enhance PPQ’s Capacity To Anticipate and Respond To Emerging Scientific, Technical, and Regulatory Issues Through Partnerships The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, reli- gion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabili- ties who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Letter From the Director This past year’s hard work and significant changes have enabled CPHST—a division of the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture (USDA), APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program—to be an organization more capable and better aligned to support and focus on PPQ’s scientific needs. In 2007, we developed the first PPQ strategic plan for CPHST. The plan shows where CPHST is going over the next 5 years, how it is going to get there, and how we will know if it got there or not. More- over, our plan identifies critical elements of PPQ’s overall strategic plan that must be supported by the science and technology services CPHST provides. The strategic plan was followed by an operational plan, which guarantees that the strategic plan is a living and breathing document. The operational plan identifies the responsibilities and resources needed to accomplish priorities in this fiscal year and measures our progress. CPHST identifies the pathways by which invasive plant pests and weeds can be introduced into the United States. We develop, adapt, and support technology to detect, identify, and mitigate the im- pact of invasive organisms. CPHST helps to ensure that the methods, protocols, and equipment used by PPQ field personnel are effective and efficient. All the work of CPHST is identified under one of the five program areas: Agricultural Quarantine Inspection and Port Technology, Molecular Diagnostics and Biotechnology, Response and Recovery Systems Technology, Risk and Pathway Analysis, and Survey Detection and Identification. CPHST is comprised of approximately 250 employees in 7 labs and 2 units in the United States, Colombia, and Guatemala. CPHST scientists are leaders in various fields, including risk assessment, survey and detection, geographic information systems (GIS), molecular diagnostics, biocontrol techniques, methods and treatment, and mass rearing of insects. We actively focus on maximizing our unique skills to deliver and maintain scientific excellence to ensure that PPQ’s international and domestic programs have the best scientific information and cur- rent technology. To achieve our goals, we work on project development in cooperation with industry, academic institutions, and other State and Federal agencies. The following list outlines some of CPHST’s efforts in 2007. Responding to Emergencies—CPHST sponsored several technical working groups (e.g., light brown apple moth, plum pox virus, potato cyst nematode, and citrus greening) to provide science- based recommendations when new research findings or changes in pest situations occurred. CPHST also supported these efforts with pest risk assessments, survey and detection techniques, effective treatment options, identification of research needs, and eradication and control recommendations. Developing and Supporting Technology for Treatments—CPHST continued develop- ment of a treatment remote-monitoring system that collects and reports data from quarantine treat- ments performed at remote locations or in real time during transit. Increasing Diagnostic Capacity—CPHST developed a network of associated labs called the National Plant Protection Laboratory Accreditation Program (NPPLAP) to increase the capacity of PPQ to meet potential emergency diagnostic needs using standardized methods. Supporting Trade—CPHST provided PPQ with risk assessments for pests, commodities, and pathways to protect imports and exports from pest threats. CPHST doubled the number of com- modity pest risk assessments delivered to PPQ in 2007. In 2008, we will continue to improve our efforts to mitigate and respond to the heightened threat of accidental and intentional invasive pest and pathogen introductions in the United States. We will develop new approaches to provide our stakeholders with accurate and scientifically sound data and tools to make science-based regulatory and operational decisions. We are issuing this annual report to provide an informative overview of CPHST’s accomplishments and projects in 2007. Our target audience is stakeholders in the private and public sector, the public, and our own CPHST staff. Philip Berger, Ph.D., Director Center for Plant Health Science and Technology USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Raleigh, NC Contents National Science Programs Agricultural Quarantine Inspection and Port Technology ...............................................................................1 Molecular Diagnostics and Biotechnology ......................................................................................................1 Risk and Pathway Analysis .............................................................................................................................3 Response and Recovery Systems Technology ..................................................................................................4 Survey Detection and Identification ...............................................................................................................6 Laboratories and Units CPHST Lab, Beltsville, MD ..........................................................................................................................9 CPHST Lab, Fort Collins, CO ......................................................................................................................9 CPHST Lab, Gulfport, MS ..........................................................................................................................10 CPHST Lab, Mission, TX ............................................................................................................................11 CPHST Lab, Otis ANGB, MA ....................................................................................................................12 CPHST Lab, Phoenix, AZ ...........................................................................................................................13 CPHST Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory ..........................................................................14 Biological Control Unit ................................................................................................................................15 Treatment Quality Assurance Unit ...............................................................................................................16 Projects Development and Validation of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) Detection Protocols ....................................19 Electronic Identification Tools for Pest Detection .........................................................................................20 Biological Control of Imported Fire Ants (IFAs) Using Phorid Flies: Cooperative Rearing and Release Project .................................................................................................21 Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood), a New Invasive Pest in the United States .................................................................................................................................22 Development of Survey Tools for the Emerald Ash Borer .............................................................................23 Phytosanitary Risks Associated With Armored Scales in U.S.-Bound Commercial Shipments of Fruit for Consumption ......................................................................................................25 Development of Fungal Pathogens as Control Agents for Rangeland Grasshoppers and Mormon Crickets .......................................................................................................25 Classical Biological Control of the Emerald Ash Borer .................................................................................27 Development and Implementation of Organizational and Technical Infrastructure To Support Use of Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment ..............................................28 International Collaboration Safeguarding Our Borders ............................................................................................................................31 List of Funded Projects for Fiscal Year 2007 Beltsville Lab ................................................................................................................................................33 Fort Collins Lab ...........................................................................................................................................33 Gulfport Lab ................................................................................................................................................34 Mission Lab .................................................................................................................................................34 Otis Lab .......................................................................................................................................................35 Phoenix Lab .................................................................................................................................................36 Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory ........................................................................................36 Biological Control Unit ................................................................................................................................37 Treatment Quality Assurance Unit ...............................................................................................................37 Director’s Office ...........................................................................................................................................37 National Science Programs Agricultural Quarantine Inspection and performed at remote locations or in real time during transit. Port Technology This technology, which is one component of a commodity treatment information management system, will increase the Who We Are efficiency of data analysis, facilitate commodity tracking, and As agricultural imports increase, so does the threat of pest in- expedite the release of cargo. The AQIPT program contin- troductions. Quarantine inspections and mitigating treatments ues the analysis of cooperator-produced transgenic strains of represent the tools used in the last line of defense against exotic Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly, Ceritatis capitata), which will invaders and, therefore, serve both to guarantee the safety of allow organisms carrying the genetic constructs for sex-specific our agricultural imports and to promote international trade. lethality, sterility, and fluorescence to be used in the sterile in- The mission of the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection and sect technique (SIT) program. This technology will thus serve Port Technology (AQIPT) program is to provide the scientific to minimize operational costs and enhance identification of basis upon which these agricultural import inspections and sterile flies. The AQIPT program has also worked in collabora- treatment technologies are based. tion with other members of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to produce an international standard ad- What We Do dressing phytosanitary treatments for regulated pests and has The basic responsibilities of the AQIPT program can be grouped submitted various proposals outlining irradiation treatments into the following categories: to be considered for inclusion in an “international treatment manual.” • Development of treatment manuals to support the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at Where We Are Going U.S. ports of entry; In the future, agricultural quarantine inspection (AQI) activi- • Certification of vessels and containers for transporting ties will focus on the continued development and implemen- commodities; tation of technologies in four primary areas: alternatives to • Development of alternatives to the use of methyl methyl bromide, new pest-detection tools, electronic tracking bromide; and information management, and improved fruit-fly man- agement practices. • Maintenance of a database for monitoring the use of fumigants; • Certification of international commodity treatment facilities in preclearance programs; and, • Development of detection technologies for port deploy- ment, such as chemical sensors, acoustical detectors, and agricultural x-ray technology. Within this framework, the AQIPT program supports nu- merous activities. Ongoing research is documenting the ef- ficacy of both chemical and nonchemical treatment options, Figure 1—Equipment for performing serological tests using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. including heat, metabolic stress disinfection and disinfestation (MSDD), and fumigants (e.g., sulfuryl fluoride, methyl io- Molecular Diagnostics and Biotechnology dide, and phosphine). These treatments are used to disinfest commodities ranging from firewood, logs, and solid wood Who We Are packing material to fresh produce. In the area of detection The Molecular Diagnostics and Biotechnology (MDB) pro- technologies, progress will continue on the development of an gram’s mission is to provide scientific support to APHIS–PPQ electronic nose and trace element analysis, both of which will for characterization of pest organisms requiring molecular di- provide enhanced detection of invasive species and contraband agnostics and to support the development of genetically modi- materials. The Treatment Quality Assurance Unit is develop- fied (GM) organisms for use in pest management programs. ing a treatment remote-monitoring system capable of collect- The MDB program identifies, develops, and adapts appro- ing, analyzing, and reporting data from quarantine treatments 1