Metabolomics for Plant Health Biosecurity Diagnostics and Response

Alastair B. Ross (), Hadley Muller, Arvind Subbaraj, Ines Homewood, Flore Mas, Scott Hardwick, Lloyd Stringer, Jessica Vereijssen, Sandra Visnovsky, Adriana Najar-Rodriguez and Karen F. Armstrong
Additional contact information
Alastair B. Ross: AgResearch, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Hadley Muller: AgResearch, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Arvind Subbaraj: AgResearch, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Ines Homewood: AgResearch, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Flore Mas: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
Scott Hardwick: AgResearch, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Lloyd Stringer: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
Jessica Vereijssen: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
Sandra Visnovsky: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
Adriana Najar-Rodriguez: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
Karen F. Armstrong: Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Lincoln 7608, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: The increasing diversity of potential biosecurity threats makes their diagnosis a complicated and evolving area, requiring moving beyond traditional taxonomic species identification. New biosecurity diagnostic tools should provide a greater depth of information on threat biology to enable accurate risk assessment for the more efficient and effective deployment of biosecurity resources. Metabolomics is amongst the new approaches being explored for biosecurity diagnostics, where a broad spectrum of metabolites might signify relevant biological characteristics of an intercepted organism. Examples of these characteristics are physiological signatures of age, reproductive status, geographic origin, pathogen status of potential invertebrate vectors, and the distinction between diseases and abiotic plant stress symptoms. This broad-based approach is attractive, where several biological characteristics of an organism can be assessed with a single measurement. However, it can be impractical as several hundred biological replicates of the organism are needed to build a robust model of a species. New approaches such as mass spectral fingerprinting substantially reduce the time taken for metabolomics measurements, and more sophisticated modelling methods aid feasibility. Promising data are emerging for metabolomics and metabolite fingerprinting for potential biosecurity applications. We discuss the possibilities and potential uses for these new tools for post-detection decisions, diagnosis, and biosecurity.

Keywords: ambient ionisation mass spectrometry; translational metabolomics; plant health; plant pathology; insect pests; entometabolomics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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