New Plant Pathogen Containment Facility
Jessica Beever declares the facility open.
Landcare Research’s new ‘state of the art’ transitional and containment facility for plant pathogens and invertebrates is now open and nearly ready for business at our Tamaki site in Auckland.
It has been named the Beever Plant Pathogen Containment Facility in honour of the late Dr Ross Beever and his wife Dr Jessica Beever. Ross made significant contributions to fungal taxonomy, genetics, plant pathology and the conservation of New Zealand’s flora, and Jessica is continuing to document and aid the conservation of New Zealand bryophytes. The $2.2 million dollar building, the first and only one of its kind in New Zealand, was officially opened in Auckland on 1 November by Jessica and her whānau. There was a small dawn ceremony to bless the building, followed by the official opening and viewing opportunity a few hours later.
The newly constructed facility will be a huge boost to our weed biocontrol programmes, which until now have had to rely on overseas facilities and collaborators to undertake any work involving plant pathogens. It has often been challenging to fi nd suitably experienced people with time to undertake the work in other countries – good plant pathologists seem to be in short supply! It has also been difficult to organise the plants needed for testing overseas, as they are often not available locally. Even when permits to ship plants have been straightforward to acquire (note some have taken more than a year) some species have not survived the shipping process well or thrived under overseas conditions. Some of the facilities available overseas have also been limited meaning that only a few species of plants could be tested at one time. All these factors have caused frustrations, delays and additional costs. “Now that our own staff can do this work here in a world-class facility it will be much more straightforward to tackle some projects,” said plant pathologist Sarah Dodd, who has been a key player in its development. Some work that was previously unfeasible can also now be considered. For example, the Brazilian yellow leaf spot fungus (Kordyana sp.), which attacks tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis), requires plant-to-plant infection, so obtaining safe, clean material for release could not be done without access to a containment facility in New Zealand, since none is available in Brazil. “As well as weed biocontrol studies the facility will also be suitable for safely undertaking research into exotic plant pathogens that pose a threat to native flora (e.g. kauri dieback PTA) or other desirable plant species (e.g. kiwifruit PSA bacterium),” explained Stan Bellgard, who has also played a key role in its design. Other research organisations have shown an interest in using the building and access will be made available, where possible, to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), other CRIs, universities, overseas research institutes, businesses, and private individuals.
Although the facility will primarily be used to securely hold and study microorganisms associated with plants, it can also be used to hold invertebrates if required (e.g. if the Miller Invertebrate Containment Facility at Lincoln is at capacity, or where projects would be better done from Auckland such as developing biocontrol for weeds that don’t occur in the South). All imported material entering the facility must have approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, under section 40 of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996, as well as approval to import into containment from MPI, granted under the Biosecurity Act 1993. MPI also audits the facility, initially to certify that it is fit for purpose, and then at least annually to check for compliance with regulations.
One of the key features of the facility is the ability to grow plants in sealed glasshouses under natural light. “Providing natural light is very important so that growing conditions match those expected in the field and help to maintain healthy host plants. “Rust fungi, for example, often need natural light to sporulate and remain viable,” explained Sarah.
A detailed manual for the running of the facility has been prepared by Sarah and this describes the quality assurance systems in place to achieve a level of physical containment for plant pathogens – which have a higher risk of escape than invertebrates. The security, emergency and maintenance procedures are also provided in the manual, which is reviewed annually to reflect any changes in standards. Some of the specialised features include HEPA filters to clean the air circulating in the glasshouses and laboratories, sterilisation (using heat treatment) of all waste water before it joins regular waste water, and the ability to autoclave all solid-waste material and packaging before it is removed from the facility. There is also an air-locked entrance room containing an insect light trap, which operates continuously. This leads to a changing room, used for dressing into and out of containment clothing, as well as a decontamination shower. There are wet and dry laboratories in addition to the four plant growth rooms, which have individual air-conditioning systems. The direction of air flow is controlled to ensure the containment of airborne spores and insects within the facility and that there is no cross-contamination between plant growth rooms. All walls, ceilings, light fittings and floors have been constructed so that they are completely sealed and can be decontaminated easily.
Access to the plant growth rooms and glasshouses is strictly limited to authorised personnel only who have been specifically trained in microorganism and invertebrate containment procedures. Authorised users are required to read and understand the facility’s manual and pass a training test before being allowed access. Small groups of visitors may only be taken into the lower-containment-level parts of the building (wet and dry laboratories and corridor), but even then cannot take anything with them (cameras, jerseys, coats, bags/cases, hats, notebooks etc.).
As soon as the final checks are completed to ensure the facility is running properly, and all the paperwork is in place, we will import the first inhabitants, hopefully before Christmas. These are likely to be the newly approved lantana rusts (Puccinia lantana and Prospodium tuberculatum), allowing releases to begin in the New Year.
Ross and Jessica Beever
This facility is named in honour of a very special couple, Dr Jessica Beever and the late Dr Ross Beever, who have given decades of valued contribution to Landcare Research, to DSIR, and to the community.
Botanist Jessica specialises in taxonomy of New Zealand’s mosses and, through her papers, books and illustrations, is recognised nationally for her expertise. Currently she is collaborating to prepare a complete flora of New Zealand mosses. Jessica has been a Research Associate of Landcare Research since its inception in 1992. Earlier, some of her Landcare Research colleagues benefited from her lecturing role at the University of Auckland. She shares her awareness of her whakapapa and her passion for te reo and waiata with all colleagues here at Tamaki. The late Ross Beever (1946–2010) was a mycologist, plant pathologist, fungal geneticist, botanist, and mentor to many. Ross is remembered for many achievements including his research on the destructive Botrytis disease of grapes, identifying the causes of cabbage tree decline and kauri dieback, and describing the truffle-like fungi of New Zealand. He also co-led establishment in 1986 of the still-continuing annual NZ Fungal Foray. Ross’s astute observational skills, insight, and clarity of thought combined in the production of an extensive list of high quality research publications in multiple fields.
Although botany was a hobby for Ross, he and Jessica have for decades been key members of the Auckland Botanical Society, with Ross awarded life membership. They also were active members of the Offshore Islands Research Group. Ross’s role in ensuring the survival of the world’s then rarest plant, Pennantia baylisiana, is commemorated with a dedicated tree “Te Hokingamai” planted at the entrance to the main Landcare Research building at Tamaki.