New project to strengthen DNA tools for detecting plant pests and diseases
Scientists working at The James Hutton Institute have announced a new research project to develop a clear UK-wide roadmap for using DNA technology to improve the detection and monitoring of harmful plant pests and pathogens.
The project brings together experts in plant pathology, diagnostics and biosecurity to explore how DNA-based methods can be more widely adopted to strengthen the UK’s plant health surveillance systems.
Leading the research is Dr Beth Moore, a researcher specialising in plant health and disease detection. As part of the project, she is appealing to anyone who currently uses – or is interested in using – DNA-based approaches to monitor pests and pathogens to complete an online survey.
“By identifying weaknesses in existing databases, this project will help drive improvements that protect the UK’s plant health.”
Dr Beth Moore, The James Hutton Institute
Dr Moore said, “We want responses from anyone working with plants whether in the farming and agriculture sector or in plant nurseries.”
By identifying weaknesses in existing databases, this project will help drive improvements that enable more reliable detection of emerging threats, strengthen biosecurity responses and support better-informed decision-making to protect the UK’s plant health.
Dr David Cooke, a plant pathologist at the Hutton and a member of the project team, said, “We look forward to engaging with the plant health community as having accessible and complete DNA reference libraries is really important for widespread and reliable implementation of DNA-based diagnostics for detection of key pests and pathogens.”
Plant pests and diseases pose an increasing risk to crops, forests and natural ecosystems, with potentially serious consequences for food security, biodiversity and the wider economy. DNA-based detection methods have the potential to transform plant health monitoring, offering faster, more accurate and more accessible surveillance. The effectiveness of these technologies, however, depends on the availability of high-quality reference DNA datasets.
This work is funded by the Plant Health Centre, supported by Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS).
