Improve early detection of existing and newly introduced plant pathogens by introducing new and proven procedures and technologies to staff at USDA's animal plant health inspection service (aphis),…

Improve early detection of existing and newly introduced plant pathogens by introducing new and proven procedures and technologies to staff at USDA's animal plant health inspection service (aphis), state departments of agriculture (SDA) and the national plant diagnostic network (npdn) laboratories. This is done by USDA-aphis-PPQ- s & t, ppcdl scientists through adoption of new and proven methods and technologies and the transfer of this information to npdn diagnosticians in an interactive laboratory setting. The objective of this project is to provide training workshops and other professional development trainings to diagnosticians across the nation as a mechanism to transfer newly developed and/or validated methods. The training has a specific focus on regulatory plant pathogens. These training events play a key role in protecting our nation from newly introduced and highly significant plant pathogens by preparing diagnosticians in every state and/or region across the nation. The primary benefit of this training is the protection and competitiveness of U.S. Agriculture, to provide food security and promote U.S. Agricultural products in world trade. These trainings also function as a mechanism for technology transfer to stakeholder laboratories to proactively prepare for the rapidly changing environment of new outbreaks. Scientists at the USDA-aphis-s & t ppcdl laboratory provide resources to advance the skills of the diagnosticians, contributing to the nation's diagnostic preparedness for plant diagnosticians and the nation's diagnostic preparedness for plant pathogen incursions in each state and within the united states as a whole. This project also creates a more experienced and adaptable, highly skilled, national diagnostic response network to serve the U.S. Agricultural sector.