U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation OBCL Research Highlights





- About OIREC
- International Research Partnerships
- Global Food Security
- Regional Contacts
- Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation Team
- About OBCL
- OBCL Research Highlights
- Archive OBCL Research Highlights

Using a new diagnostic approach for screening biological control agents Cytisus scoparius, also known as Scotch broom, is a woody shrub native to western and central Europe and a serious invasive weed in the United States and New Zealand. As part of a biological control program in New Zealand, a sap-sucking insect Arytainilla spartiophila, also known as the broom psyllid, was imported from the United Kingdom, and released to New Zealand in 1993. In collaboration with CABI in the United Kingdom and Landcare Research in New Zealand, a retrospective risk assessment provided evidence that a bacterium was accidentally introduced into New Zealand via the weed biocontrol agent. This vector-borne bacterium belongs to a group of pathogenic bacteria responsible for important plant diseases. Because of this and other accidental introductions via the importation of biocontrol agents, insect microbiome investigations are becoming an essential procedure for pre-release safety screening of biological control agents that are potential vectors of plant pathogens. European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) researchers are applying a new diagnostic approach using metagenomics to new and promising biocontrol agents. Metagenomics is the study of collecting genetic material from a mixed community of organisms. By using this technique, researchers will be able to make sure biological control agents under evaluation are not carrying any plant-based diseases. Diagram of the metagenomic techniqueA schematic diagram of the metagenomic technique being used by European Biological Control Laboratory to identify accidental introductions with the importation of biocontrol agents. (Graphic by Mélanie Tannières) Author: Mélanie Tannières Contact: Michael Grodowitz *The European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) was established in 1991 near Montpellier, France. EBCL was created by the merger of the former European Parasite Laboratory, established in Paris in 1919, and the Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory in Rome. EBCL has a satellite laboratory in Thessaloniki, Greece. As the only USDA ARS-operated laboratory outside the United States, EBCL develops biological control technologies which can be used to suppress invading weeds and insect pests of Eurasian origin. EBCL researchers do this by searching for natural enemies (insects, mites, and pathogens) in their native habitat, determining their identity, testing their host specificity and potential impact in laboratory and field experiments, and shipping promising organisms to the U.S. for further testing as biological control agents. EBCL collaborates with scientists in many countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa to explore in regions of origin of the target weeds and insects.*


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov