scion’s initiatives in new plant production technology · genetics-genomics, diagnostics,...

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 heidi.dungey@scionresearch.com &

emily.telfer@scionresearch.com

Forest Pathology lindsay.bulman@scionresearch.com

Forest Informatics bryan.graham@scionresearch.com

Nursery key clients peter.harington@scionresearch.com

Tissue Culture catherine.reeves@scionresearch.com

Biotechnology glen.thorby@scionresearch.com

Biologicals simeon.smaill@scionresearch.com

Diagnositics rebecca.mcdougal@scionresearch.com

Myrtaceae barcoding matt.buys@scionresearch.com

Nursery hygiene vicky.hodder@scionresearch.com &

nari.williams@scionresearch.com