BIOSECURITYA View from the CT Foxhole: James Stack, Director, Great Plains Diagnostic Network
There are multiple definitions of biosecurity, and oftentimes it intersects with definitions of biosafety. But if we look at biosecurity in the sense of the unintentional or intentional introduction of an organism, we have a long history on the plant side in terms of protecting food systems and natural plant systems. But 9/11 did bring a focus on the intentional side.
James Stack, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized leader in the field of plant biosecurity. A professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University since 2003, Dr. Stack provided leadership in the development of the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) and became regional director of the Great Plains Diagnostic Network (GPDN), one of the five regional networks, soon after it was formed. From 2006 to 2008, he served as the director of KSU’s Biosecurity Research Institute, a biocontainment facility for plant, animal, and human health.
Dr. Stack’s research focuses on genome-informed diagnostics for plant-pathogenic bacteria to the subspecific and population levels of discrimination, as well as research on the epidemiology and ecology of toxigenic fungi and bacteria. He speaks regularly on plant biosecurity topics, to include at the U.S. Naval War College and the National Academy of Sciences, among other forums.
CTC: You are an internationally recognized leader in the plant biosecurity field. If you had to characterize the evolution of the plant biosecurity field, how would you describe where it has been and where it is currently?
Stack: Biosecurity in the plant world is not new. It didn’t begin at 9/11. It has a history of well over 100 years, going back to the time when cherry trees were first imported into Washington, D.C. That first attempt was a total failure because the trees were heavily infested with fungi and insects, and most of the trees died or were burned. Most of the crops we grow in the U.S. are not native to North America; they were introduced by food explorers. An entomologist named Charles Marlatt was cautioning the plant explorers that were going around the world and bringing plants back to the United States. He worked with the USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] and was responsible for initiating the legislation around 1915 to start safe-guarding against the introduction of organisms into the United States on plants and plant materials.
With respect to plant biosecurity in the context of intentional introductions for nefarious purposes, accusations have been leveled for many years between different nations, including between the United States and Cuba, one accusing the other of intentionally introducing a plant pathogen into their agricultural systems to undermine their economy.
