Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants | 2499 - Plant research, general | 1060 - Biology (whole systems) | 40% |
| 212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants | 2499 - Plant research, general | 1060 - Biology (whole systems) | 40% |
| 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants | 2499 - Plant research, general | 1060 - Biology (whole systems) | 20% |
The Western Plant Diagnostic Network (WPDN) is a regional member of the larger National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN). The WPDN comprises plant pest diagnostic labs and detection specialists in twelve states and territories of the U.S. at their respective land grant universities (LGUs) and/or State Departments of Agriculture (SDAs).Disease diagnosis in the region is of high economic importance and key to the nation's biosecurity. The WPDN region produces over 50% by economic value of the fruit, nut, and vegetable production in the country, and is home to some of the most active ports for international trade in the U.S. The region covered by WPDN is perhaps the most diverse in the nation with respect to climate and agriculture. The climate in the region ranges from the Tropical Pacific Islands to Arctic Alaska, and from the arid and semi-arid environments of the inland Northwest and Southwest, to the humid Pacific Northwest.With over 400 different commodities, the farm gate value of plant and animal agriculture in the region represented by WPDN is approximately 22% of the U.S. total value. The WPDN also has 12% of the individual farms in the U.S. Nine of the nation's top 10 producing counties are in California alone. Five individual counties in California - Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Stanislaus and Monterey - were the top five agricultural counties in the nation, producing nearly $31 billion worth of agricultural products in 2019.The western region of the NPDN also is home to some of the most active ports for international trade in the U.S., including those in Seattle/Tacoma, Portland, San Francisco/Oakland, Los Angeles/ Long Beach, San Diego, Honolulu, and Anchorage. The western region also has some of the most active border crossings at San Ysidro and Calexico (CA); Nogales and Douglas (AZ); Columbus and Santa Teresa (NM); Blaine and Seattle (WA); Porthill and Eastport (ID); Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway (AK); and Honolulu (HI). Millions of tons of agricultural goods and hundreds of thousands of people enter the United States through those ports and border crossings each year. NPDN was created by Congress under Assistance Listing 10.304 to protect the food supply and agricultural production. NPDN fulfills the following purpose:1. Reduce the vulnerability of the United States food and agricultural system to chemical or biological attack.2. Continue partnerships with institutions of higher education and other institutions to help form stable, long-term programs to enhance the biosecurity of the United States. This will include the coordination of the development, implementation, and enhancement of diverse capabilities for addressing threats to the Nation's agricultural economy and food supply. Special emphasis will be on planning, training, outreach, and research activities related to vulnerability analyses, incident response, and detection and prevention of destructive plant pest technologies.3. Continue research on counter bioterrorism.4. Counter or otherwise respond to chemical or biological attack. To attain these purposes, the overarching goals of the NPDN are to:a. Produce educated and capable first responders (Detection);b. Provide accurate, reliable, and timely diagnostics and surveillance (Diagnosis);c. Supply useful, real-time data from innovative information and communication systems (Reporting).In order to fulfill its mission WPDN will contribute to the national effort of NPDN:1. NPDN regional labs and designated state labs will develop a system of complementary technical expertise. Thus, NPDN does not aim to equip all labs with the same capabilities, but to coordinate small groups of labs in becoming proficient and capable in confirmatory techniques for the most critical pests, pathogens and noxious weeds.2. NPDN will invest in diagnostics technologies to provide complementary capabilities among NPDN labs to more efficiently utilize technical competencies in support of regional and state needs.3. NPDN will implement professional development programs that enhance capability, provide access to expertise, and promote cooperation among NPDN labs and their state counterparts.?
A strategic planning process conducted in 2019 identified the following objectives that are necessary to fulfill NPDN mission and are our major goals:
The methods that will be used in the WPDN effort over the lifetime of the project can be divided into two broad types:Activities and actions connected with the practice of diagnostic science and its developmentActivities and actions connected with maintaining and improving the functionality of the NPDN as an organization intended to provide diagnostic capabilityWithin those two broad categories the specific activities that will be undertaken during the project are shown in the table below:Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4ActivityY1_1Y1_2Y2_1Y2_2Y3_1Y3_2Y4_1Y4_2Annual lab sub-contracts enactedXXXXDiagnostic activity in member labsXXXXXXXXAnnual lab activity reports collectedXXXXAnnual competitive capacity funding opportunity issuedXXXXAnnual capacity funding issuedXXXXDiagnostic trainings completedXXXXProfessional development activitiesXXXXXXXXLab accreditationsXXXXXXXXAnnual summary report on accreditation progressXXXXFinal report on accreditation processXNational meetingXXIT/Diagnosticians' meetingXXAnnual progress reportingXXXXFinal progress report compiledXThe Outcomes section provides a summary of the changes we anticipate as a consequence of the project's activities and also (in some cases) specific benchmarks that will be used to evaluate progress. For example, a key target for this project is to ensure that all WPDN labs have either completed internal acreditation, or are in the process of achieving acreditation with clear timeline to completion, by the end of the four-year funding period. The other milestones will be evaluated in one of two ways. Many willbe assessed through the internal committee/leadership process which entails committees of NPDN paricipants taking responsibility for areas of activity (for example, professional development) and reporting to the leadership team on progress. In some cases the milestones can be evaluated through the annual capacity and activity reporting process; for example, regional centers in their annual reports to NIFA will detail how the internal competitive funds were distributed for projects to enhance diagnostic capability orprofessional development. The structure of the milestones also intentionally includes events that allow the organization to self-reflect and propose improvements in efficiency or performance; for example the IT/Diagnosticians meetings provide a forum for improvement in the flow of data and information within the NPDN, making it easier for diagnosticians to log and retrieve information from the NDR.XXXX
Target Audience
The Western Plant Diagnostic Network (WPDN) reaches out to different target audiences involved in plant health. The WPDN main audience are the plant disease diagnostic laboratories that are members of the network. WPDN also reaches out to state and federal officials that respond/regulate organisms of concern. WPDN members are laboratories at land-grant Universities (LGU) and State Departments of Agriculture (SDA) that conduct plant disease diagnostics in the Western Region of the National Plant Diagnostic Network. The western region includes ten western states (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, and WA) and two U.S. island territories in the Pacific (American Samoa and Guam). States and territories are represented by plant pathologists, entomologists, and weed specialists at their respective LGU's and/or SDAs. WPDN reaches out to member laboratories to provide funding, professional advancement opportunities, and to coordinate network efforts in data reporting, detection, diagnostics, and communication. Another target audience are scientists and specialists associated with other state and federal agencies that regulate organisms of concern or that respond to plant disease epidemics. WPDN reaches out to them on a need to know basis, in order to report the detection of organisms of concern.
Changes / Problems
NPDN was established in 2002 with an annual budget of $4.75 million granted by USDA/ NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture). The annual budget remained fairly steady over the next eight years, with a peak of $5 million in 2010. In 2011, funding from NIFA was cut nearly in half and has remained flat since then at roughly $3 million. In addition to the challenges presented by more than a decade of flat funding, operating costs have risen significantly over the past three years. Supplies are taking a larger bite out of laboratory budgets. For instance, the average price of pipette tips has risen by 25% and the price of a box of medium nitrile gloves has risen 91% since 2018. Equipment costs have risen as well. Many NPDN laboratories have also been charged with increasing responsibilities (which take time away from diagnostics) without accompanying increases in funding. NPDN has been operating under limited funding for a number of years. During the strategic planning process, in consultation with USDA-NIFA staff, NPDN reduced its original functions to focus on three key areas of diagnostic, professional development, and communication. Along with this tightening in focus, the number of staff FTEs supported by NPDN funding has been reduced and some of the activities formerly led by paid staff have been transferred to committees of NPDN members. NPDN committees operate on largely voluntary basis. Their contribution to NPDN is considered part of the cooperative support model between USDA-NIFA and the LGUs, and part of the requirements for receiving NPDN funds and being members of NPDN. However, NPDN members have their own job responsibilities that limit the amount of time they can dedicate to the network. To more efficiently manage NPDN operating costs, a centralized planning model (CPM) for resource allocation was implemented in 2019. The CPM allows NPDN to direct limited funds to programs of importance to the network mission and goals. Also, it provides a more equitable funding structure among labs and regions. For implementation of the CPM, the five regional centers and CERIS coordinate their work, and submit their applications as a consortium. The CPM does not result in additional cost savings, but allows NPDN to better prioritize its functions under its current funding. Despite this approach, NPDN continues to be unable to properly fund some of its core programs. NPDN does not expect to be able to further reduce operating costs without losing additional biosecurity functions. As "the most critical biosecurity functions", NPDN reaffirmed its commitment to quality diagnostics and timely communications as its primary mission.
Training & Professional Development
Nothing Reported
Dissemination Streams
Nothing Reported
Next Reporting Steps
Nothing Reported
Target Audience
The Western Plant Diagnostic Network (WPDN) reaches out to different target audiences involved in plant health. The WPDN main audience are the plant disease diagnostic laboratories that are members of the network. WPDN also reaches out to state and federal officials that respond/regulate, organisms of concern. WPDN members are laboratories at land-grant Universities (LGU) and State Departments of Agriculture (SDA) that conduct plant disease diagnostics in the Western Region of the National Plant Diagnostic Network. The western region includes ten western states (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, and WA) and two U.S. island territories in the Pacific (American Samoa and Guam). States and territories are represented by plant pathologists, entomologists, and weed specialists at their respective LGU's and/or SDAs. WPDN reaches out to member laboratories to provide funding, professional advancement opportunities, and to coordinate network efforts in data reporting, detection, diagnostics, and communication. Another target audience are scientists and specialists associated with other state and federal agencies that regulate organisms of concern or that respond to plant disease epidemics. WPDN reaches out to them on a need to know basis, in order to report the detection of organisms of concern.
Changes / Problems
As explained in the 2019 NPDN Strategic Plan, the NPDN has been operating under limited funding for a number of years. During the strategic planning process, in consultation with USDA-NIFA staff, NPDN reduced its original functions to focus on three key areas of diagnostic, professional development, and communication. Along with this tightening in focus, the number of staff FTEs supported by NPDN funding has been reduced and some of the activities formerly led by paid staff have been transferred to committees of NPDN members. NPDN committees operate on largely voluntary basis. Their contribution to NPDN is considered part of the cooperative support model between USDA-NIFA and the LGUs.
Training & Professional Development
The WPDN Regional Center hosted the 2022 NPDN National Meeting in Davis, CA on 4/26-30. The NPDN National Meeting is one of the most important networking & professional development opportunities for the diagnostic community. The NPDN meeting was attended by diagnosticians from all over the US including partner labs in State Departments of Agriculture. Despite this being the first meeting after COVID, & having some travel restrictions remaining, the meeting was attended by 136 participants. The meeting included the following seven workshops & fieldtrips organized by the regional center & CDFA (85 participants total): Arthropod Identification Macro photography for diagnostics Hemp Pest Identification Diagnostic Statistics - Sensitivity and Specificity Fungal Identification Sonoma Forest Diseases Wineries and Viniculture in California Central Valley In addition, during 2022, 23 diagnosticians from the WPDN region participated in eight training modules offered virtually by PPCDL/Beltsville lab collaboration with NPDN
Dissemination Streams
Outreach & Extension communication Since 2018, WPDN does not require that WPDN labs conduct first detector training, and the national First Detector program has been inactive since 2020. Communication with the plant health community is handled independently by labs according to their needs and priorities. During 2020, WPDN labs prepared 142 publications, 64 of those specific for outreach and extension audiences. They also conducted 366 presentations, most of them (275) specifically for Extension audiences (Table 6). WPDN members also presented and published for scientific audiences, lead coursework, and recorded other kinds of audio and video presentation
Next Reporting Steps
Quality Diagnostics: WPDN has allocated funds to continue providing equipment and lab improvement grants to the WPDN labs and for a diagnostician exchange program. WPDN does not play a key role in the national programs aimed at improving quality of diagnostic work such as lab accreditation, proficiency and protocol validation. However, WPDN members will continue participating in those NPDN committees. In addition, WPDN labs must explain how they will use WPDN funds to provide quality diagnostics and initiate lab accreditation (Appendix I) The WPDN regional meeting in 2023 will also include a workshop to help labs advance in the documentation for Core accreditation. Professional Development WPDN encourages diagnostician professional development and training and, when possible, provides additional funds for travel to trainings. During the 2021-2022 funding year, WPDN members will continue participating in NPDN committees that are developing programs for professional development. WPDN does not play a key role in the national professional development program, but WPDN members will continue participating in the committee, and taking professional development trainings. Communication: WPDN is strongly involved in advancing the communication goal of NPDN. During year two of the cooperative agreement WPDN will hire a student to help organize some old materials and make them more available to diagnosticians online. Outreach education and extension communication: O&E activities are important to the NPDN mission as they raise the visibility of the network and are often key to the day-to-day responsibilities of our members. WPDN supports efforts by diagnosticians to improve communications and education in their states within the mission and goals or their own institutions. The Outreach & extension committee is charged with supporting outreach and extension activities of NPDN members by providing resources to reduce the burden associated with information gathering and dissemination. Dr. Brenes-Arguedas is champion of this committee, and heavily involved in facilitating and advancing its mission. Regulatory communications: WPDN remains fully committed to a policy of engagement with our regulatory partners. WPDN has a long history of actively engaging SDAs in the region. During this reporting period WPDN has successfully increased its interaction with the regulatory community and will continue to build momentum. WPDN co-directors participated in the Western Plant Board meeting this year, and will represent NPDN in the National Plant board meeting. Coincidentally, the new president of the National Plant board is located in the Western Region (Alaska). Currently WPDN maintains subcontracts with CDFA (which remains the regional center lab) and NVDOA (the only plant diagnostic lab in Nevada). In addition, the WPDN regional center and WPDN state labs maintain close working relations with lab directors and diagnosticians in the Washington State Dept. of Ag (WSDA), the Division of Ag. in the Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), the Oregon Dept. of Ag. (ODA), the Hawaii Dept. of Ag (HDOA), and the Idaho Department of Ag (ISDA). WPDN has allocated funds to cover travel costs to facilitate the participation of regulatory partners in regional and national events if they request so. Diagnostic data reporting: WPDN will continue working with WPDN labs to improve data reporting of WPDN labs to the NPDN national data repository. WPDN will also continue collaboration with the other regions and committees to improve the way data is shared with external uses. Dr. Brenes-Arguedas is a key collaborator of the NPDN National Data Repository (NDR), and WPDN has a history of collaborating with the NPDN IT Center in the development and improvement of tools to enter or query diagnostic data. She is the champion of the National Data committee, and currently plays a leadership role in ongoing effort to develop the new data upload guidelines that would improve the quality of the data submitted to the NDR. <br><br>
<br>What was accomplished under these goals? Until 2020, NPDN performance metrics were collected from 4/1, to 3/31. Starting in 2021, the NPDN Leadership team started collecting NPDN performance metrics by calendar year (1/1-12/31). Accordingly, this document reports performance metrics from 1/1- 12/31/2022. Summary of Accomplishments in Quality Diagnostic NPDN aims to provide high quality diagnostics to support plant health communities through constant improvement & quality assurance. This new goal replaces the original [Diagnostics] goal in that NPDN focus is not to simply support labs' diagnostic work but to improve diagnostic quality with accreditation and proficiency testing. To that end, WPDN labs must include in the work plan application (Appendix I), any work they plan to conduct to provide high quality diagnostics to support plant health communities through constant improvement & quality assurance. Diagnostic work in the region During 2020, WPDN labs processed over 330,000 samples, & submitted over 120,000 diagnoses to the NPDN National Data Repository (NDR). A majority of the samples processed consisted of survey and screening analysis (200,122). This number is driven mostly by the potato certification program in Hawaii, & the CDFA's HLB & other delimitation programs. Diagnostic analysis & organism identification involved 7,286 samples. Diagnostic Capability in the region: WPDN labs continue offering a variety of diagnostics disciplines NPDN labs continue having a focus on pathology, but most labs offer also entomology services. Two State Department of Ag labs funded by WPDN (CDFA, and NVDOA), have shown commitment to support other labs in the region in all disciplines of diagnostic. Most WPDN labs continue offering incubation culturing & microscopy for their diagnosis, but most states are also now equipped with conventional or real-time PCR in their labs. While two WPDN labs have recently purchased sequencers, it appears that they have not yet developed the methods to offer services. Improvements in diagnostic capacity & capability in the region WPDN allocated a funds to support needed equipment investments (described in Table 2). These & earlier investment by WPDN have allowed WPDN labs to improve their diagnostic capacity and capability as follows: The Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center of the UA, Fairbanks started increasing their capacity for DNA-based identification of arthropods by acquiring DNA extraction equipment. Diagnosticians at the University of Arizona, Tucson optimized real-time RT-PCR assay to detect grapevine leafroll-associated viruses. The CDFA- PDDL participated in the NPDN Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise (ILCE) for a new & Imported Fusarium sambucinum qPCR assay; purchased a MinIon sequencer with WPDN funds & high throughput sequencing (HTS) equipment with a cooperative grant to use HTS for virus detection on Prunus, grapevine & strawberry plants being exported overseas. The Extension Plant Pathology labs at the UC, Davis purchased a fluorometer to conduct RPA analyses & a real time PCR machine. The funding to buy this equipment was provided by federal grants. With these new acquisitions they are now working on improving methodologies for Phytophthora identification using WPDN additional contribution funds. The biosecurity lab at the UHI continued offering winter seed potato certification diagnostics for Nebraska, Minnesota, & New York. The UID purchased two qPCR instruments to increase its diagnostic capacity. They have also lead two NPDN funded projects: 1) to support for protocol development & interlaboratory comparison exercises: Clavibacter sepedonicus using real-time PCR; & 2) to initiate the development of a Diagnostic Services Database. The NVDOA Plant Diagnostic Lab tested/identified/diagnosed over 4,000plant & soil samples per year first time in history & obtained two NPPLAP proficiency tests certification. The lab is vertically integrated with a broad range of diagnostic methods & expertise. Its diagnostic services have expanded to cover a broad range of organisms, including pathogens, arthropods, weeds & plant species. The Plant Disease Clinic at OSU created or updated 34 lab protocols; also purchased an Illumina MiniSeq sequencer, & 2 new PCR machines, one of which is a replacement. They are one of 3 labs participating in a USDA NIFA, AFRI, FACT funded proposal to use of whole genome sequencing in plant clinics. They also participated with the Oregon Department of Agriculture in a Prunus survey funded by the Farm Bill; & in a USDA, NIFA, EEIC funded proposal for biocontrol of crown gall. The diagnostician for the Plant Disease Clinic in NMSU chaired the NPDN lab accreditation committee & was instrumental to advancing & promoting the new NPDN Core accreditation program through the funding year. The Plant Diagnostic Clinic at USU added PCR protocols to test for Tobacco rattle virus & copper tolerance genes in bacteria. The WSU Pullman Diagnostic Clinic has supported the Washington State Department of Agriculture with testing of survey samples of various fruit viruses. In addition, developed screening protocol for Monilinia fructicola & Neonectria galligena. Summary of Accomplishments in Professional Development: NPDN aims to provide training opportunities and experiential learning that accelerate the learning curve and enhance diagnostic capabilities of current & future diagnosticians. The earlier goal of [Detection] was narrowed down to include only training for future & current diagnosticians. Due to funding limitations, NPDN cut its first detector extension program. But diagnostic labs continue serving as sentinel labs for new detections. WPDN diagnosticians participated in 22 other trainings and professional conferences not organized by NPDN. Summary of Accomplishments in Communication NPDN aims to ensure effective & timely communications & productive collaborations with regulatory partners, diagnostic labs, & plant health communities. Curate & communicate quality diagnostic information that benefits plant health. This new goal expands on the original [Reporting] goal in that focuses broader on facilitation all communication (not only data reporting) with regulatory partners, among diagnostic labs & with the broader plant health community. Diagnostic data reporting to the NDR WPDN labs submitted 14,522 diagnoses (confirmed, suspected, undetermined, not-detected) including 12,284 pathogens, 561 arthropods, 21 nematodes, 85 plants/seeds/weeds, & 719 abiotic disorders. Half of these diagnoses (7,901) come from the potato seed certification program of the biosecurity lab in the University of Hawaii. Improving data quality in the NPDN National Data Repository We worked closely with the IT Center & the NPDN National Data Committee to improve the quality of the data submitted to the NDR by developing NDR data upload materials, & cleaning outdated codes without taxonomic information. She also led the Confidence Levels Working group, which worked with the LIMS committee to substantially improve how diagnostic confidence is entered in the NDR. Improving network online communication We focused on improving communication & communication infrastructure of the network. She worked closely with the IT Center, & the communication committee to update the NPDN Website, developing a new NPDN brand look & feel that was consistent among regions, & continue adding information about NPDN programs to the website. She continues working closely with IT Center director Mike Hill, to prioritize, plan, & execute IT work that benefits the network & improves communication with the diagnostic community. First detections reported to regulatory partners Eight of the ten WPDN labs detected 82 first occurrences. This first occurrences are reported to state regulatory partners. <br><br><b>Publications</b><br>