VOL. 56 June 2009 - nematologists.org · Standing Committees are Biologi-cal Control of Nematodes, Ecology, Education, Extension, Industry, Plant ... that could be our new slogan,

An Official Publication of SON Volume 56 June 2009 Issue 2

Society of NematologiStS

Nematology Newsletter

VOL. 56June 2009

officers

PresideNt: robiN Huettel

PresideNt elect: russ iNgHam

Vice PresideNt: ParwiNder

grewal

Past-PresideNt: eric daVis

Public relatioNs director:

erNest berNard

secretary: stePHeN tHomas

editor-iN-cHief: Kris lambert

web editor: doNald scHmitt

treasurer: breNt siPes

executiVe members:

James lamoNdia

susaN meyer

Patricia timPer

---------------------------------------- contributed by Mike McClure

"Nematodes from a ten acre field, if arranged

single file, would form a procession large

enough to reach around the world."

"It is highly probable that the physiological effect produced by a change of drinking water when the usual chemical and bacteriological tests show but slight differences, may be due to the presence of nematode excreta, and it is scarcely doubted that the local flavor of city drinking water is affected by its nematode content."

It Is all about NEMas

".... every glass of water drunk in many

a city, which uses a slow filter system,

percolates over the bodies of at least a

thousand nematodes."

Annis Salsbury. 1914Scientific American Supplement 2136: 380-81

Page 2

Nematology Newsletter June 2009

The Nematology News-letter (NNL) is published quarterly by the Society

of Nematologists, P.O. Box 311, Marceline, MO 64658,

USA

Address all editorial correspondence to:

Byron AdamsBrigham Young University

Department of Biology 775 WIDB

Provo, UT [email protected]

Nematology Newsletter viewpoints are those of the contributors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Nematolo-gists, the Executive Board, or the Nematology News-

letter Editor.

N.A. Cobb FouNdAtioN

Chair: Robin Giblin-Davis Vice Chair: Patty TimperSecretary: Nancy Burelle

Treasurer: Pat Donald

Find the SON on the

Internet!

Visitwww.nematologists.org

President Robin Huettel

The Society of Nematologists has had a long successful history as a discipline related organization dedicated to promoting its science. Unlike larger organizations that have permanent staff, SON operates through volunteers for the Executive Board, Committees, Organization Af-filiates and meeting site coordina-tion. Up to several years ago, being a member of a scientific organization and serving in some elected office or voluntary capacity was recognized and often rewarded by one’s em-ployer. Unfortunately, this recogni-tion seems to have diminished and is generally no longer considered as an important contributing factor to one’s status in their discipline. This lack of support from administrators has put a great strain on our society. We are having difficulty attracting members to serve on committees or to accept nominations for elected offices. Since SON depends on you, as volunteers, to be the functional wheel of the society, I will ask that all members consider contributing to the operations of SON. Sometimes new members may not be aware of the voluntary efforts of our mem-bership or even understand the op-erations of the society as a whole. One operational activity that is very important to the society is the role of our Standing Committees. The Standing Committees are discipline oriented and serve many functions. Some are very active in promoting symposia at meetings, sponsoring workshops, working with agencies such as APHIS on regulatory lists of nematodes, providing “White Papers” to other agencies on critical issues, etc. It is easy to become a mem-ber by just coming to a committee meeting or by contacting the chair.

The list of Standing Committees can be found on the SON website, along with the chair and members. The Standing Committees are Biologi-cal Control of Nematodes, Ecology, Education, Extension, Industry, Plant Resistance to Nematodes, Regulato-ry, and Systematic Resources. Please consider joining and become an ac-tive part of SON. Attending meet-ings and presenting research at year-ly meetings is important but while at a meeting, become a committee member. A list of meeting places and times for all the committees are listed in the upcoming program for the annual meeting. Please find a subject of interest and participate.There are two other categories of committees, Ad Hoc Committees and Special Committees. The Ad Hoc Committees are set up to address is-sues involving new subject area or scientific concerns with a limited period of existence. If these com-mittees fill an important niche, they can become Standing Committees through a membership vote. At pres-ent, there is an Ad Hoc Committee for Graduate Students. This commit-tee was established due to interest

MEssagE froM thE prEsIdENt


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Sustaining Associates

A & L Southern Agricultural Laboratories, Inc.

Ajay North America, LLC

Divergence, Inc.

Pasteuria

Valent BioSciences Corp.

Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc

DuPont Crop Protection

Bioscience, LLC

Dow Agro Sciences

Bayer CropScience

ID Services Nematode Laboratory

Pest Pros, Inc.

expressed by students as a way to par-ticipate in SON. This has been a very successful Ad Hoc committee and I will recommend it be made a Standing Committee. To maintain its status and become a permanent committee, I highly recommend all students attend-ing the annual meeting to participate. Another voluntary role is to serve in an appointed or elected capacity on the Executive Board. Any member can nominate another member or even themselves. Some officers, such as Nematology Newsletter Editor, are not selected through a membership vote but appointed by the Executive Board. Therefore, if you are interested in serving one of these offices, please let an Executive Board member know and we will certainly welcome the participation. Some members are con-cerned with the amount of extra work involved with being an officer. The use of electronic communication has al-lowed for a more efficient and timely manner to handle ongoing Executive Board business. So please seriously consider what you can contribute to the society. It can only continue through the voluntary efforts of its membership. It has been a privilege to serve the society this year. This role has given me opportunities to be in-volved in many activities throughout this year. One important activity has been updating our constitution. When the constitution was written and rati-fied in 1962, there was no such thing as electronic mail. Today, postage is ex-pensive and mailing out ballots is very time consuming. Therefore, updating the constitution to include the use of electronic mail as a source of notifica-tion on issues that require voting by the membership was of utmost impor-tance. This was a somewhat involved task but has been completed and presented to you, the membership, for consideration. The constitution requires notification of ‘constitutional

changes’ by mail, then a vote at the annual meeting, followed by publication in the newsletter. This is a lengthy process but does give all members time to consider such changes. We have left in the word-ing ‘or mail’ since we may always have members without access to electronic formats. However, in general, we should be able to move to all voting by an electronic format before the next election. Another constitutional change is in the role of the Vice-President. The Vice-President does not have any set re-sponsibilities so this change would have this office be responsible for the Standing Committee ros-ter. This will enable the new Vice-President to familiarize themselves with the Standing Committees and their functions in the society. This has been the responsibility of the President-Elect but that individ-ual’s main role is the program de-velopment for the annual meeting.

I am looking forward to our upcoming meeting with the Soil Ecology Society in Burlington, VT; and hope all can attend. There is an exciting program that has some-thing for everyone. See you there.


NNLEditors

Newsletter editor:

ByroN AdAms

lAyout editor:

VeNkAtesAN PArkuNAN

studeNt AssociAte editors:

iAN kiNg,

erik rAgsdAle

Page 4

In March, Amy Treonis sampled soils in Death Valley National Park with a team of undergraduate research students from her lab at the University of Rich-mond. The Treonis team is studying the ecology of microbivorous nematodes at field sites throughout the park. (Students: Charles Parsons, Megan Riley, and Tim McLlarky).

Amy Treonis, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Richmond28 Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA 23173, (804) 287-6493

http://www.richmond.edu/~atreonis/

NEws froM aMy trEoNIs lab,uNIvErsIty of rIchMoNd, va

We would like to thank our generous supporters of the past ten years (since the Foundation’s inception) and ask for everyone’s help in meeting this goal to INVEST IN OUR FUTURE andSUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. Because of your generosity, the Cobb Foundation has been able to fund 18 student travel awards in the past seven years for a total of $10,600 of support. This has been done with interest only from monies generated from our many funds. We have also been able to help maintain the IFNS webpage through the Ken Barker Fund. However, we would like to be able to do more for the future of nematology. Please join with me in the next two years to pledge to increase our base by $70,000 to a total of $200,000.

Please plan to attend the annual business meeting this year at the SON meeting to receive a spe-cial Cobb Foundation pledge pin and pledge card. Thanks again for your generous past donations and I look forward to your help with this new drive to increase our funding base. We can do great things to-gether for our students and the future of nematology!

---------------------------------------------------------------- Robin M. Giblin-Davis

Professor of Entomology and Nematology

Fort Lauderdale Research and Education CenterUniversity of Florida/IFAS

3205 College AvenueFort Lauderdale, FL 33314

Phone: (954) 577-6333

FAX: (954) 475-4125

NEw plEdgE drIvE for thE cobb fouNdatIoN


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As the Chairperson of the N. A. Cobb Foun-dation, I would like to invite all of you attending the SON/SES joint annual meetings this summer in Burlington, Vermont to help us kick-off of our newest pledge drive to raise the base of the foun-dation from its current level of about $128,500 to $200,000 by 2011. This would mean generat-ing pledges of about $70,000 by the 50thAnni-versary Meeting of SON in Corvallis, Oregon. As I mentioned in my recent NNL article, this could be done with just ¼ of our membership (150) pledg-ing $100 per year (or 25 cents per day) for 5 years. Hey, that could be our new slogan, “a quarter a day for Cobb”....


Manuel is currently juggling three cool projects

1. The EUMAINE, European Erasmus Mundus MSc in Nematology is in full speed. Twenty international students started the program in Ghent, Sep. 2008 and 9 are now finishing the 2nd semester in the University of Évora. Rolo Perry came for an intensive crash course on nematode behavior and physiol-ogy/biochemistry (see attached photos);

2. The EU COST 872 network on NemaGenics has met in Toledo; over 100 participants discussing plant-nematode genomics. The next meeting (final) will be in Lisbon, in May 2010. M. Mota is the or-ganizer. Manuel promises to send photos.

3. A major national project on pine wilt disease has started in Portugal, involving 5 teams study-ing major aspects such as nematode and plant genomics, insect vector control, associated bacteria, pathogenicity, resistance, etc... The total amount projected for 6-years is approx. € 5 million.

Manuel M. Mota, Agreg., PhDProf. Auxiliar, NemaLab-ICAM

Dept. Biologia, Universidade de Évora7002-554 ÉVORA, PORTUGAL

NEws froM MaNuEl Mota’s lab IN portugal

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Rolo Perry tells EUMAINE students what it takes to become a legendary

nematologist

Rolo Perry demonstrates how to dine like a legendary nematologist

EuMaINE studENts hard at work at NEMalab, uNIv. of Évora, portugal

Research assistant Pedro barbos testing essential oils against the PWN

PhD student Vera Valadas, showing off her EPNs to undergrad students in NemaLab


Page 7

EuMaINE studENts vIsItINg IsabEl abraNtEs’ lab IN coIMbra


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cost 872 IN tolEdo Exploiting genomics to understand plant-nematode interactions


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posItIoN aNNouNcEMENt


Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

An Associate in Research position is open to conduct research on molecular interactions be-tween parasitic nematodes and their host plants. Position responsibilities and duties include: main-taining nematode cultures in greenhouse; prepar-ing nematodes for plant inoculations; design and execution of experiments; data management; fa-cilitating lab operations. In addition to greenhouse work, laboratory techniques will involve molecular techniques (e.g., PCR; real-time PCR; DNA, RNA and protein purification; DNA cloning; gel electropho-resis; sequencing; western, Southern and northern blotting; in situ hybridizations) and plant tissue cul-ture. Applicant must be willing to learn additional techniques and problem solve as needed for the ad-vancement of the laboratory.

Required Qualifications:

An M.S. in plant pathology, plant science, molecular genetics, nematology or a related field. A strong demonstrated background in molecular techniques, an interest in molecular plant-microbe interactions and the ability to work in a team includ-ing interdisciplinary collaborators. The successful candidate is expected to have excellent oral and written communication skills and to be able to work independently. Applicants must have excellent re-cord keeping abilities and be able to manage mul-tiple experimental approaches simultaneously.

Availability: November 2009 or later, start date nego-tiable. The position is 12 month, full-time. Initial ap-pointment is for one year and is annually renewable depending on performance and continued funding.

Salary is commensurate with experience and includes benefit package.

Application: Submit application including cover letter, statement of research interests (ad-dressing all qualifications listed above), CV and transcripts electronically to Dr. Axel El-ling ([email protected]). Send three letters of reference (direct from source) to: Dr. Axel El-ling, Department of Plant Pathology, Wash-ington State University, P.O. Box 646430, Pullman, WA 99164-6430, [email protected]. Screening begins October 1, 2009. Posi-tion open until filled. For more information, please visit http://plantpath.wsu.edu/peo-ple/faculty/elling.htm

University and Community:

Washington State University, the state’s land grant university, is located in Pullman, a college town of about 27,000. Together with the University of Idaho, eight miles to the east in Moscow, ID, the region provides diverse cultural and intellectual ac-tivities for a combined community of more than 50,000 people. Pullman is about 70 miles south of Spokane, WA in the rolling Palouse farmland. Superb recreational ar-eas of the inland Pacific Northwest include lakes, scenic and wild rivers, wilderness ar-eas, mountains, ski resorts, and fishing and camping locations within a short drive.

EEO/AA/ADA

aSSociate iN ReSeaRch, moleculaR PlaNt Pathology/Nematology


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must be willing to learn additional techniques and problem solve as needed. For more information, please visit http://plantpath.wsu.edu/people/faculty/elling.htm

Required Qualifications:

An M.S. in plant pathology, plant science, molecular genetics, nematology or a related field. A strong demonstrated background in molecular techniques and plant molecular biology is essential. Applicant must have an interest in molecular plant-microbe interactions and the ability to work in a team including interdisciplinary collaborators. The successful candidate is expected to have excellent oral and written communication skills and to be able to work independently. Applicant must have ex-cellent record keeping abilities and be able to manage multiple experimental approaches simultane-ously. Prior experience in nematology is an advantage, but not required.

Availability: Spring or Fall semester 2010.

Application:

Applicants should email Dr. Axel Elling directly ([email protected]) to indicate their interest in this position. Applicants have to follow the departmental guidelines to apply to the plant pathology gradu-ate program and to the Graduate School at Washington State University http://plantpath.wsu.edu/stu-dents/appcheck.html Financial support in the form of a research assistantship (incl. health insurance, tuition waiver and other benefits) will be provided. For more information please visit http://plantpath.wsu.edu/students/prostudents.htm

University and Community:

Washington State University (WSU), the state’s land grant university, provides world-class edu-cation to more than 25,000 students statewide. Plant research at the University is consistently ranked among the top five nationwide in terms of research productivity. The University’s plant researchers are among the most highly cited in the world according to ISI Highly Cited Researchers List. WSU’s main campus is located in Pullman, a college town of about 27,000. Together with the University of Idaho, eight miles to the east in Moscow, ID, the region provides diverse cultural and intellectual activities for a combined community of more than 50,000 people.

EEO/AA/ADA

Ph.D. StuDeNt, moleculaR PlaNt Pathology/Nematology


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Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

A position for a Ph.D. student is open to conduct research on molecu-lar interactions between the Columbia root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne chit-woodi) and potato. Position responsibilities and duties include: design and ex-ecution of experiments; data analysis; preparation of manuscripts; presentation of results at meetings. Research projects may include molecular techniques (e.g., PCR; real-time PCR; DNA, RNA and protein purification; DNA cloning; gel elec-trophoresis; sequencing; western, Southern and northern blotting); microarray experiments; microscopy; plant tissue culture and greenhouse work. Applicant


Location: Truro-Bible Hill

Competition #: 2603CH-CB

Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC; www.nsac.ca) is a small research-intensive university lo-cated in the centre of beautiful Nova Scotia at Truro-Bible Hill. Offering technical, undergradu-ate and graduate programs in agriculture and its related life and social science disciplines, NSAC educates future leaders and generates knowledge and solutions for healthy, sustainable societies. NSAC seeks candidates to fill the position of Postdoctoral Fellow.

Duties: The Postdoctoral Fellow will take a leadership role for an animal science section of the Marine Bio-products Research Laboratory. Seaweeds are marine macro algae that have been recognized as reservoir of bioactive compounds with potential benefits to human and animal health. The successful candidate will study health benefits of seaweeds using the nematode model Caenorhabiditis elegans. Employing bioassay guided fractionation he/she will identify the bioactive molecules present in the seaweed. The work will entail study of the effect of seaweed and seaweed components on the physiology and repro-duction of the worm and will involve biochemcial and molecular techniques including microarrays.

Research responsibilities will include data collection and analysis, writing reports, proposals and manuscripts, and performing experiments and supervising technical staff and students at the under-graduate and graduate levels. The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate research pro-ductivity through publication in relevant refereed journals and through dissemination of results at scien-tific and industry meetings. The Postdoctoral Fellow will collaborate with industry partners and researchers from other pro-vincial and federal government institutions. The successful candidate is expected to assume a role in research, technology transfer, and undergraduate and graduate student training. The applicant will be expected to maintain an open and active relationship with the contributing partners of this initiative.

This is an opportunity for an independent graduate of a Ph.D. program to develop research, teach-ing, and management skills important to an academic career. Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Biology, Animal Science, Nematology, Molecular biology, Biochemistry or Microbiology with interest in C. elegans research. Experience in C. elegans is desirable but not essential. Demonstrated skills in scientific methodologies, standard molecular techniques and publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals are also required. Proven ability in interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills is necessary. The selected candidate must be able to work indepen-dently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. He/she will be expected to be innovative, creative, and solutions-oriented with a high level of integrity.



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PoStDoctoRal fellow, Bioactivity of SeaweeDS

Seed Care is pleased to announce the continued operation of the Nematode Centre of Excellence in Leland, MS. This state-of-the-art, 2,000-square-foot laboratory is located at our former Regional Tech-nical Center that is now owned and operated by Phytogen Cottonseed Company. Syngenta now leases the laboratory, greenhouse and 5 acres of land that will serve as a hub for scientific studies and research aimed at expanding existing knowledge about nematodes and nematode management practices. The facility is equipped to handle all facets of nematode studies in addition to traditional laboratory use, including nematode identification, root zone analysis, soil sampling, micro-plot work and evaluation of field trials. As Syngenta continues to develop new market opportunities with Avicta seed applied nema-ticide, we must increase our research capabilities on nematodes.

SyNgeNta Nematology SuPPoRt maNageR (1254)

lelaND, miSSiSSiPPi


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Salary Range: Commensurate with education and experience

Review of applications to begin: July 20, 2009

Please quote competition #2603CH-CB in your cover letter and, if sending via e-mail, in the subject line when applying. Please forward your application/resume to:

Nova Scotia Agricultural CollegeHuman Resources ConsultantPO Box 550, Truro, NS, Canada B2N 5E3Fax: 902-896-7078E-mail: [email protected]

For more information about the position, please contact: Dr. B. Prithiviraj -- Department of Plant and Animal Sciences, NSAC, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, (902)893-6643, or via e-mail: [email protected].

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents will be given priority. NSAC is committed to the principle of employment equity. All applicants who are members of an Employment Equity group are encouraged to self-identify.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Support Manager / Operational Manager of the NCOE: • Managethedaytodaypriorities(balanceapproach)attheNCOE • Balancesitemaintenance,employeemanagementandresearchonadaytodaybasis • Managethedaytodaytask/responsibilitiesattheNCOE • Assigntaskordirectionbasedona“balanceapproach”daily,weekly,biweeklyormonthly. • Maintainfacilities • Laboratory,greenhouseandsitemaintenance • Equipmentneedsandrepair • Inside(iescopes,greenhouse,computer…) • Outside(tractor,truck,planter,irrigation…) • Laboratory,Greenhouseandsitecleanliness • FollowSOPsforNCOE • ManageemployeesattheNCOE(fulltime/parttime) • Daytodaytaskforemployees • Train,Teach,Manageemployeestoconductspecifictask • Delicateresponsibilitiestoimproveworkefficiency • Hireandmanagehourlyemployeestomeetneeds(withinbudget) • Budgetmanagement • Workwithinspecifiedbudgets(employeeandsite)setbymanager • CoordinateresearchbasedonkeyobjectivessetbytheSeedCareBU • Researchpriorities • TrialDesign • Trialprep • Trialexecution • Analysisofdata • Trailreporting • InteractionwithResearchCommunity(internal/external) • Communicateresearchwithkeyresearchers(internal/external) • Coordinatefielddaysandworkshopsasneeded

David H. Long, Ph.D. | Technical Crop Manager | Syngenta Seed Care Division Phone (336) 317-3035 Mobile

Phone (901) 751-5207 Office Fax (901) 751-5223

Email [email protected]

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with 24,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: bringing plant potential to life. We contribute to addressing some of the plan-et’s most critical issues such as the rising demand for food from a growing population. Syngenta employ-ees have a major impact on the health and wellbeing of communities all around the world. They work in a focused, highly collaborative culture and benefit from the training, development and inspirational colleagues that you’d expect to find in a fast growing, international company. For more information on working for Syngenta, please visit www.syngenta.com


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If all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable... we should find its mountains, hills, vales, rivers, lakes, and oceans represented by a film of nematodes… Trees would still stand in ghost-ly rows representing our streets and highways. The location of the various plants and animals would still be decipherable, and, had we sufficient knowledge, in many cases even their species could be determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode parasites. Nathan A. Cobb, Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1914

And after even this, we mightgive up a ghost of nematodes;

shrug off a shadow of our streets,cathedrals, boulevards and zoos,

and set adrift our second skin,our brittle exoskeleton;

and all that will survive of usis bugs – these bugs – these parasites;

our lung-light cloud sighed out, as ifthe dust of all our equations

of physics and astronomywere swiped from a blackboard and blown

from one quick bang of a chalk-clothhard against a new-swept dark.

Antony DunnFrom Bugs (Carcanet OxfordPoets 2009)

[email protected]+44 (0)7866 570923

70 Primrose CrescentHaltonLeeds

LS15 7QPUnited Kingdom

(Editor’s note – This is from Antony’s third collection of poems, Bugs, that will be published by Carcanet OxfordPoets on 30 September 2009. You can learn more about Antony’s work at www.antonydunn.org. Special thanks to Larry Duncan for sending this our way, and to Antony for allowing us to publish it in the newsletter.)

NEMatologIcal poEtry

Page 15

Ever need to conduct a field trial but can’t find a large enough piece of ground with a uniform distribution of nematodes? Here is a trick that works with RKN. We used it on a commercial cantaloupe field near Wenden, Arizona.

1. Rear Meloidogyne incognita on egg plants in the greenhouse. Collect and hatch eggs. One six-inch pot of Solanum melongena yields a million or more eggs. Count on 20% of them hatching.

2. Collect and dilute the suspension of hatched J2 to the appropriate concentration. In the photos below, we applied about 4000 J2 per plant in 25 cc of water. Six million J2 were required for 1500 plants.

3. The inoculum was applied with an automatic pipetting machine to which we attached a long Tygon tube, terminated with a short length of stainless steel tube, both of which were taped to a 5-foot-long potting stake to stabilize the plastic tube and reduce the need for a lot of bending-over.

4. The inoculum was shielded from sunlight by placing it in a foil-wrapped 2-liter flask on a mag-netic stir-plate. Constant stirring kept the J2 suspended. Both the stir-plate and the pipetting machine were run off of a small gasoline-powered, 110V generator.

5. Rate of pipetting is adjustable. By choosing the correct rate, we could move through the field at a steady pace without pausing except to replenish the inoculum in the 2-liter flask. It took only two hours to inoculate 1500 plants. Results are shown 150 days later.

If you want to give your helper a workout, set the pipette rate to max, put your truck in 4-low and pedal to the metal! Oh, yes. Don’t forget to ask the grower/cooperator if he minds having 6,000,000 nematodes in his field.

-Submitted by: Michael A. McClure, The University of Arizona


Mark Schmitt checks the dispensing gear loaded into the back of a pickup truck. Automatic pipette machine (center, front) with a 50 cc syringe, is set to deliver 25 cc per cycle. A magnetic stir-plate (behind pipettor) is used to keep the inoculum

suspended. Both are powered by a 110V generator (right, rear).

how to grow NEMas IN thE fIEld?

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Mark applies Meloidogyne incognita J2 to cantaloupe seedlings.

Close-up of delivery tube (taped to a green pot stake) showing a fine stream of inoculum being applied to a plant.

Cantaloupe root system 120 days after inoculation.

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-

antine organisms of bacteria, fungi, viruses, phytoplasmas, nematodes and insects in the QBOL proj-ect. DNA samples from these collections will be exchanged and sequenced. A study will then be made of which genes and how many are needed to adequately distinguish various species of bacteria, fungi, insects, etc. Although the DNA sequences of related species are generally very similar, there are differ-ences to be found. The part of the DNA sequence that is different is specific to that particular organism and forms a unique and specific molecular DNA barcode. One or several specific DNA barcodes will be made for each quarantine organism (Q organism).

All DNA barcodes will be linked to a description of the morphological characteristics (structure and form) of the particular nematode, insect, virus and so forth. The exterior and molecular features will be stored in the QBOL database, which will be connected to other, existing databases to allow for the storage and exchange of barcodes of Q organisms. The QBOL database will be accessible to every-one via the internet. In practice, a condition for use after the QBOL project is completed will be that the established and expanded databases are managed by (inter)national governments and end users such as plant pathologists, inspection services and reference laboratories.

The possibility of identifying harmful Q organisms with molecular technologies is becoming increasingly important. As the number of plants being traded worldwide increases, so the chance of harmful organisms spreading is enhanced. At the same time, the taxonomic knowledge available to identify harmful Q organisms via their visual characteristics is gradually decreasing. The economic damage is equally significant: Both when a harmful Q organism is not identified and when an organ-ism is incorrectly diagnosed as a Q organism because, for instance, it looks a great deal like a Q organ-ism (so-called look-alikes).

Plant Research International, a part of Wageningen UR, is coordinating the QBOL project, which the EU is financing to the tune of around € 3 million over three years. Partners from various countries in Eu-rope are cooperating with China, New Zealand, South Africa, Peru and Brazil in this unique joint project.

uNIquE dNa barcodE to IdENtIfy harMful orgaNIsMs


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A customs official at an airport identifies the DNA barcode of an unknown nematode in a batch of roses he is checking. He then looks this DNA barcode up in a database to check whether the nematode is harmful, in which case the batch will be rejected. If the database shows that the nematode is harmless he can allow the roses to pass. This scenario should become reality within a few years thanks to an EU-financed research project started today called QBOL which stands for Quarantine organisms Barcode Of Life.

Over the next three years, fifteen countries worldwide will create an overview of DNA barcodes of existing collections of quar-


QBOL is linked to another Dutch initiative in this field, the FES programme ‘Strengthening the infrastruc-ture of plant health’ that runs until 2010 and is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The data that is gathered in this programme will be included in and expanded upon in the QBOL project.

-------------------------- QBOL stands for Quarantine organisms Barcode Of Life: An international initiative that is develop-ing a DNA barcode system for the documentation and classification of all life forms, plants and animals. More information about QBOL and the participating countries is available on www.qbol.wur.nl.

For more information contact:

Nora de RijkCommunication department of the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen URT: +31 (0)317 480 744E: [email protected].

Peter BonantsBiointeractions & Plant HealthPRI, T: +31 (0)317 480 649E: [email protected]

Submitted by:

Sebastian Kiewnick Dr. agr.Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil Research Station ACW

[email protected]

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pINE wIlt dIsEasE (pwd) In Central Portugal (Lousã)

rEtIrEMENt


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Jack Pinkerton has retired from USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Corval-lis, OR. Jack started his career in Plant Pathology/Nematology at Oregon State University where he received a B.S. in Zoology. After graduation from Oregon State University Jack was a United States Peace Corp volunteer in Nepal where he was a fisheries extension specialist. Upon his return to the United States he returned to Corvallis where he received his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. While working toward his Ph.D. degree, Jack was also employed as the Extension Nema-tologist for Oregon. Jack moved north, but stayed in the Pacific Northwest, and accepted a post-doc position at Washington State University with Jerry Santo to study the biology and management of Meliodogyne chitwoodi on potato. After this post-doc Jack returned to Oregon where he worked as a Plant Pathologist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Jack’s final employer was the USDA-ARS where initially he was responsible for studying fungal diseases of hazelnut. This was a col-laborative project between Federal and State agencies which won this group the Lee Hutchinson Award. For the rest of his career with USDA-ARS Jack was responsible for the small fruit Nematol-ogy research program serving Oregon, Washington and Idaho. His research program spanned from basic to applied research ranging from conducting solarization research in the Pacific Northwest for nematode and soil borne fungi management to participating in the development of molecular techniques for the identification of Tomato Ringspot Virus in Xiphinema americanum. Jack will be missed by the small fruit industries in the Pacific Northwest and by his ARS and university col-leagues. Please join me in thanking Jack for his many years of outstanding service to the science of Nematology.

------------------------------------- Submitted by:

Inga ZasadaResearch Plant Pathologist3420 NW Orchard Avenue

Corvallis, OR 97330


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VOL. 56 June 2009 - nematologists.org · Standing Committees are Biologi-cal Control of Nematodes, Ecology, Education, Extension, Industry, Plant ... that could be our new slogan,