Dr Conrad Trollip1, Dr Tongda Li2,3, Dr Brendan Rodoni2,3, Dr Angus Carnegie1
1Forest Science, Fisheries and Forestry, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Parramatta, Australia, 2School of Applied Systems Biology, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia, 3AgriBiosciences Centre, Agriculture Science and Technology, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Bundoora, Australia
Biography:
Conrad Trollip is an early career forest pathologist working for the Forest Science division of Fisheries and Forestry in the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Conrad's postgraduate experience has been focused in molecular mycology and using HTS-based technologies to explore fungal taxonomy and improve diagnostic and surveillance capabilities for forest health and biosecurity diagnostics. Conrad is extremely passionate about advancing the uptake of eDNA methodologies responsibly and building capacity in parallel with investment into conventional diagnostic methods that inform these platforms.
Abstract:
Innovation in the field of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has transformed plant health diagnostics by providing the opportunity for rapid, reliable and cost-effective biomonitoring that can be tailored to achieve species-specific identification, or alternatively, to monitor the presence of all species within a given environment. Importantly for forestry, these molecular techniques are well suited to address the need for rapid and dependable diagnostics in the face of increasing risks of invasion by exotic pests and pathogens and to address declining technical capacity available to Australasian forest health and biosecurity agencies. Our research efforts since 2019 have been to develop and validate a multi-barcode amplicon sequencing workflow to screen forest biosecurity surveillance traps for insects and fungi simultaneously, and subsequently operationalising the approach within existing forest health and biosecurity surveillance activities. Here we demonstrate implementation of the approach around high-risk surveillance sites in Sydney, New South Wales as part of the 2024–2025 Forest Watch Australia surveillance season. Finally, we share our learnings and operational observations, as well as highlight future research priorities, including pipeline optimisation through iteration, the need for continued investment into reference databases, and assessing the trade-offs between diagnostic sensitivity and surveillance efficiency.