Enhancing biosecurity against virus disease threats to Australian grain crops: current situation and future prospects

Abstract

Australia is a major grain exporter, and this trade makes an important contribution to its economy. Fortunately, it remains free of many damaging virus diseases and virus vectors found elsewhere. However, its crop biosecurity is under increasing pressure from global ecological, climatic, and demographic challenges. Stringent biosecurity and plant health programs safeguard Australian grain production from damaging virus and virus vector incursions entering via different pathways. These programs formerly relied upon traditional testing procedures (indicator hosts, serology, PCRs) to intercept incoming virus-contaminated plant material. Recently, the integration of rapid genomic diagnostics innovation involving High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) smart tools into sample testing schedules is under exploration to improve virus testing accuracy, efficiency, and cost effectiveness under diverse circumstances. This process includes evaluating deployment of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technology shotgun sequencing. It also includes evaluating targeted viral genome HTS and virus vector metabarcoding approaches. In addition, using machine learning and deep learning capacities for big data analyses and remote sensing technologies will improve virus surveillance. Tracking damaging virus variants will be improved by surveillance networks which combine virus genomic-surveillance systems with an interoperable virus database. Sequencing Australian virus specimen collections will help ensure the accuracy of virus identifications based solely on genetic information. Enhancing routine diagnosis and data collection using these innovations will improve post entry virus interception and background virus and vector surveillance. This will help reduce the frequency of new incursions, improve virus management during eradication, containment and other plant health activities, and achieve more profitable Australian grain production.