Myrtle Rust, a plant disease caused by the introduced fungal pathogen Austropuccinia psidii, poses a serious and urgent threat to Australia’s native biodiversity. Myrtle Rust affects plant species in the family Myrtaceae (paperbarks, tea-trees, eucalypts, and lillipillies), which are key and often dominant species in many Australian ecosystems. To date it has proved capable of […]
Each newsletter we hope to profile a Director. We were delighted to welcome Jane Frances to the Board – she brings a wealth of biosecurity experience to the role: you can read her short bio here (http://www.apbsf.org.au/governance/). I asked Jane a few questions … How important is the science that underpins Australia’s biosecurity system? “Science […]
The Members voted in six new Director to take charge of the Foundation and deliver on its objective. The six new Directors provide a great balance of skills, experiences, and age and gender diversity. They are Mariana Campos Phil Clamp Andre Drenth Gary Fitt Jane Frances Kylie Ireland John Lovett and I remain as continuing […]
The Foundation’s was established to support plant biosecurity research, development, extension and capacity building, particularly focused where there is a need for investment in environmental, capacity building, international linkages, non-levy payer, cross-sectoral, and strategic plant biosecurity research. The Foundation will also invest in commercial IP developed by and inherited from PBCRC. It is hoped in […]
Researcher: Tam Duong Organisation: Charles Darwin University, Australia Status: Pending submission Background Plant biosecurity incursions are known to globally cause disruptions to agricultural industries and substantial damage to farming businesses. Australian farmers have been increasingly affected due to loss of production, income and reputation of premium produce. Vietnamese farmers in the Northern Territory of Australia […]
Commencement. The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) commenced bilateral engagement with Indonesia in 2006 through a year-long pilot study focusing on Eastern Indonesia with its close proximity to Australian borders. Initial activities involved seed funding 20 small projects to identify key of topics for investigation and key partners, many of whom remain […]
Student and University Beibei Li, Kansas State University (Kansas, USA) Beibei is now working as a Research Assistant at KSU. Status Complete Background The development of resistance to phosphine over the past 10-15 years in selected stored grain insects threatens both Australian and global grain industries. This project aimed to develop alternative approaches to reduce […]
Student and University Kouame Yao, Kansas State University (Kansas, USA) Kouame is now working as an Operations Manager for ADM in Canada. Status Complete Background Alternatives to chemical grain protectants are needed that have low mammalian toxicity and high specificity to insects with no adverse environmental impacts. This project investigated the viability of using a […]
Student and University Yanyu Li, Murdoch University (WA) Status Complete Background The key biosecurity problem this PhD tried to address is the threat to the usage of phosphine, which is an essential fumigant for the grains industry. Phosphine chemistries are coming under increasing threat from a combination of factors. Replacement fumigants are not likely to […]
Project Leader, Organisation Mick Blake, Box Hill TAFE (https://www.boxhill.edu.au/course/science-biosecurity/biosecurity/) Status ACTIVE Background Box Hill Institute runs masterclasses on a variety of topics aimed at community and business engagement and training. Masterclasses are streamed for remote participation and an edited version is made publicly available on the BHI website. The 2017 QFF masterclass attracted over 100 […]