About Trinity College Dublin
Trinity is Ireland's leading university and is ranked 87th in the world (QS World University Rankings). Founded in 1592, the University has a rich history and reputation for excellence in education, research, and innovation.
About the Project
A part-time Research Assistant is required to support a DAFM-funded project entitled 'Detect PNP: Detecting plant nursery pathogens using HTS technology'. The project aims to provide methods for the detection of pathogens in plant nurseries using high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies.
The Challenge
Plant nurseries are normally inspected visually for pathogen collection and screening; however, this is time-consuming and relies on the presence of disease symptoms and specialist knowledge. To overcome these limitations, HTS methods offer high potential through eDNA application for pathogen detection and quantification.
The Solution
We will sample wastewater, growing media, and plant material from nurseries, botanic gardens, and research environments and develop HTS pipelines for long and short read sequence detection of pathogens. Whole genome sequencing of core isolated and cultured target microbes will provide genomic reference tools for further characterization and screening.
Focus Areas
The focus is on hardy ornamental nursery stock and fungal and bacterial non-quarantine pathogens of Rhododendron and Prunus, including Phytopthora and Pseudomonas. This project will provide a more general methodology to apply these methods in routine pathogen surveillance, guide inspection staff, and understand the implications of this approach for the detection and regulation of plant pathogens.
Collaboration and Impact
The project is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin, Teagasc, DAFM, and the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin. It will develop a road map on how HTS technology could be used to augment plant health surveillance in nurseries and other ecosystems in Ireland.