AUSTRALIAN scientists are trying to develop a forensic method for airport detection of microscopic fungal spores unwittingly brought into the country by overseas travellers.
The research is a new approach to curb exotic plant diseases from entering Australia and damaging the grain industry.
Leading the Co-operative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity project is the West Australian Department of Agriculture and Food's Dominie Wright.
Ms Wright said the research was aimed at developing a more rigorous detection method for plant pathogens using forensic tape commonly used by police in their crime-scene investigations.
"As part of this airport forensic project, we are researching if pathogens can be detected using forensic methods, initially focusing on cereal rust and the level of human mediated rust entries into Australia," Ms Wright said.
"The pathway for this material is not currently regulated as the organisms are not visible to the naked eye."
Some devastating diseases of cereals, such as karnal bunt, are not present in Australia.
Others, such as the West Australian strain of stripe rust which emerged in 2002, are believed to have entered Australia through overseas visitors or locals returning from abroad.
Rust experts fear an outbreak of stem rust could devastate the Australian wheat industry.
The last outbreak in 1973-74 cost the industry about $200-$300 million - about $1 billion in today's terms - in yield losses.
A recent Grains Research and Development Corporation study estimated cereal diseases cost Australian farmers more than $1 billion each year.
"When returning from overseas, the first thing farmers want to do is rush off to see their crops without thinking," Ms Wright said.
"The airport forensic project will look at the development of a rapid forensic kit, covering hair, footwear and clothing which may be used on targeted passengers in the future."
Ms Wright said researchers were eight months into a preliminary investigation to see whether they could use police forensic tape to capture fungal spores inadvertently brought into to Australia by plane passengers.
She said the next step was to develop a test which rapidly processed the tape to identify the plant pathogens.
She said the test would be used randomly at airports as it was difficult to screen every passenger.
She said it could take up to a week to get results from the screening process but if there was evidence of an incursion, it might be enough time to follow up with passengers to secure clothing or ensure it had been properly cleaned.
Ms Wright said any potential test was probably five years away from development.
"We have to see how technology develops during that time," she said.
Ms Wright said there was also a need for passengers entering Australia to be better educated about the risk to the nation's crops of exotic diseases and a campaign was needed to inform the general public.
'She will speak about her research at the inaugural Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference in Brisbane next month.
