Lesson 2: Pest Identification Case Study

Topic 4: Good Record Keeping

As with most scientific work, it is important to keep accurate records of plant pest identification. Accurate records will help you convince others that certain actions may be necessary to protect agricultural production.

Objective:

  • To understand the importance of keeping accurate records of plant pest identification.

Detailed records of the entire pest identification process must be kept. These records are essential in supporting the identification and defending the findings to others. They let you show exactly how the identification was made and where the information came from. This is particularly important when the identification could justify drastic containment or eradication actions.

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There will always be someone questioning the accuracy of how certain pests were identified. Organized and accurate records can relieve some of these doubts. In the barumba berry case, IPPL is an accredited laboratory with a very organized system for tracking all samples and records of how assays are evaluated.

ISPM 27 lists the important information to keep records of:

  • Scientific name of pest identified
  • Code or reference number of the sample (for traceability)
  • Nature of infested material (including scientific name of host where applicable)
  • Origin (including the geographic location if known) of the infested material and location of interception or detection
  • Description of signs or symptoms (including photographs where relevant) or the absence of signs or symptoms
  • Methods, including controls, used in the diagnosis, and the results obtained with each method
  • Measurements, drawings, or photographs of the diagnostic features (where relevant) and an indication of the developmental stage (for morphological or morphometric methods)
  • Documentation of test results, such as photographs of diagnostic gels or ELISA printouts, of results on which the diagnosis was based (for biochemical and molecular methods)
  • Magnitude of any infestation, where appropriate (how many individual pests found, how much damaged tissue)
  • Name of the laboratory and, where appropriate, the name of the person(s) responsible for and/or who performed the diagnosis
  • Dates of collection of the sample and of detection and identification of the pest
  • Status of the pest, alive or dead, or viability of its development stages, where appropriate

Evidence such as any cultures of the pest, nucleic acid of the pest, preserved/mounted specimens, and test materials (e.g., photograph of gels, ELISA plate printout results) should be retained. This is even more important in cases of noncompliance (ISPM 13:2001) and where pests are found for the first time (ISPM 17:2002). Additional items and information may be required under other ISPMs (for example, ISPM 8:1998, determination of pest status in an area).

The length of time that records should be kept depends on the purpose for which a diagnosis is made. In cases where other parties may be adversely affected by the results of the diagnosis, records and evidence of the results of the diagnosis should be kept for at least one year.

Click here to review the full ISPM 27 document. Then watch the following clip.

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course_01/lesson_02/topic_04/asset_001

Keep good records of the pest identification process. You will need the evidence to convince others of necessary action that may not be popular.

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