The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic
To participate in the National Plant Diagnostic Network

All things have changed since September 11, 2001 including agriculture. We now have to consider the threat of bioterrorism. Throughout human history agriculture has been a military target because it plays a central role in the survival of any nation. For this reason it is critical that we have a way to rapidly detect, diagnose and respond to intentional and accidental introduction of pests. To address this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is creating a National Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic Network made up of experts from the nation’s land-grant universities and State Departments of Agriculture. The network will provide a cohesive system to quickly detect pests and pathogens that have been deliberately introduced into agricultural and natural ecosystems, identify them and report them to appropriate responders and decision makers. (A similar system has been established for detecting livestock pest and pathogens). The system will utilize the already well-established link land grant universities have with growers via the cooperative extension service, experts in plant science and integrated pest management and the plant pest and disease diagnostic laboratories.

The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic will join this system and is in the North Central region along with member states Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. There are five regions in the United States. Each region is developing a web-based plant pest diagnostic and reporting system, which will help land-grant personnel submit plant samples, digital images, and detailed crop information for pest diagnosis. A shared database is expected to establish a rapid evaluation and reporting of bioterrorist threats, establish links between other diagnostic laboratories and to regulatory agencies, provide better quality and uniformity of information associated with samples and better record keeping and reporting of pest outbreaks. The database is currently under development, but is expected to be fully operational by the 2004 growing season.

Despite the fact that the database is not fully operational yet, a linkage between the diagnostic clinics, regulatory agencies and growers has already begun. This linkage resulted in the successful detection, identification and containment of an accidentally introduced pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2. This pathogen infects several crop species including geranium and potato and was found on geranium plants imported from Kenya. Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 is listed on the Agriculture Bioterrorism Act of 2002 as a select agent with special requirements for United States laboratory research and accountability. This introduction is not thought to be intentional, but the result of unsanitary greenhouse practices in the foreign source facility that caused latent infections on plant material imported though normal channels. The rapid detection, diagnosis and dialog that led to the successful containment of this potentially damaging disease is a testament to why this network is needed and how it can work to prevent large crop losses.

For more information about this network see the following sites: for the national network, see http://npdn.ppath.cornell.edu/ and for the North Central Regional, see http://www.ncpdn.org

Laura Kabrick, Extension Assistant, Plant Diagnostic Clinic, UMC (573)882-3019