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Pectobacterium atrosepticum and potato roots.

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Pectobacterium atrosepticum and potato roots.

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Most potato roots inoculated with Pectobacterium atrosepticum show a low level of colonisation of the rhizosphere around the root hairs and rhizodermis. However, occasionally the bacteria manage to penetrate the cell layer called the exodermis and divide to fill the spaces between the cortical cells, as seen here in these confocal laser scanning micrographs deep inside potato roots.

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Darren Evans & James Kitson, CALIBER project

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Life is a picnic: sampling oak processionary moths in a London park

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Life is a picnic: sampling oak processionary moths in a London park

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Some plant pests and pathogens pose a public health risk. The highly invasive oak processionary moth is one such example - contact with the caterpillar hair can cause severe rashes and even hospitalise people. In this photo, Dr. James Kitson (right) from the CALIBER project is kitting up for a round of sampling (and is still to put on full face mask and gloves) on a hot summer day. Imagine settling down for a nice picnic under an oak tree in your local park only to find this pair already there. What would be your first question?

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This picture was taken in a cherry orchard in Kent during the 2021 September sampling. The cherry fruit and the leaves in this picture look so healthy and pretty! My colleagues and I collected some leaf and shoot samples from this cherry tree and were very excited to see whether Pseudomonas were there!

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Shannon Greer (Xanthomonas Threats Consortium)

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Under the microscope: black rot of cabbage

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Under the microscope: black rot of cabbage

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Left: A cabbage with a V-shaped lesion, a characteristic of black rot infection caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc). Right: Savoy cabbage variety Wirosa infected with different races (R1, R4, R5 and R6) of Xcc have reduced photosynthetic efficiency (green-blue regions) compared to the mock inoculated control. Images were taken on a chlorophyll fluorescence camera at 12 days post inoculation.

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Part of the DeS BL team meeting up after a long time in lockdown being very positive about the work acheived and the next steps. NB. All vaccinated, tested negative and window and door open to get plenty of through draft.

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Voting will be open Monday 29 November to Sunday 12 December with the winners announced by Friday 17 December.

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Something new I learned during the project is the cause of this green patch on this oak leaf. This phenotypic pattern is called the green-island and is caused by certain leaf-miners. They prevent the senescence of the leaf to prolong their feeding resource.

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Reflecting upon our progress at Loch Lomond

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Reflecting upon our progress at Loch Lomond

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It took a while, but eventually we managed to get together for an in person DeS-BL meeting at SCENE. For me this was my first time meeting any of the project partners. And what a location to "reflect" upon the past year's remote working.

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Shannon Greer (Xanthomonas Threats Consortium)

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Black rot lesions observed on cabbage growing in a Lincolnshire field, August 2021. The causal agent of black rot, the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, was later isolated from the symptomatic leaf tissue.

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One of many (many, many!) flies caught in sticky traps set up to monitor for insect transmission of Pectobacterium atrosepticum, the bacterium that causes blackleg disease of potato plants and soft rot of tubers

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The original prototype for the DeS BL logo was sent to our graphics team without much hope of success but I think they did a fantastic job! If anyone wants to buy this sheet of paper all proceeds will go to charity!

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This is an old Quercus cerris (turkey oak). It sprouted and grew long before any of us were born. It has seen many changes of our times and will see many more beyond us if it can survive. Rooted in the past for the future.

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Usman Hussain (photographer), Marine C. Cambon (in picture) | BACSTOP 

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Whilst sampling for rhizosphere samples Marine stumbled upon a long fungal mycelial cord running through pieces of deadwood.

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How lucky are we to be taking samples from the cover crop experiment stood in a field overlooking the beautiful river Tay just as the sun starts to set?

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Up close: Potato roots with Pectobacterium atrosepticum and nematodes.

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Up close: Potato roots with Pectobacterium atrosepticum and nematodes.

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Confocal laser scanning micrographs of potato roots colonised by Pectobacterium atrosepticum (green), the cause of blackleg disease, inoculated along with a field population of free-living nematodes. A nematode is located inside a root (left) with bacteria colonising the spaces between cortical cells, and (right) rotifers (blue) swimming around a root damaged by feeding nematodes.

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Wondered why nothing was coming out when trying to water my field trial. Gave the watering can a shake and out popped this guy!

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Sally Simpson on behalf of Bac-Stop team

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Fancy tea pot serving snap-freezing liquid nitrogen for tea.

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Dr Sandra Denman, Daniel Maddock (PhD student, UWE) and a member of the Tree Survey Unit work around the clock and tree, collecting 80 soil and root samples (the rhizosphere) from native oaks to be used in understanding the role they play in oak health and AOD development.

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Potato plants in a field trial were inoculated with Pectobacterium atrosepticum, and then spread via aerosols, insects and rainwater was monitored.

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This leaf was sacrificed to test and develop the most suitable method for collecting leaf samples from the field and to test DNA extraction methods. A hole punch was used to create leaf discs.

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During the Future Oak field sampling at the Great Monks Woods a rather curious frog emerged, so of course we had to take a picture!

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Members of the FUTURE OAK team receiving training in oak stem tissue collection and sample processing for microbiome and metabolome analysis by the Aberystwyth University team. (Pictured left to right: Usman Hussain, Alejandra Ordonez, James McDonald, John Draper).

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After months of separation researchers from Bangor, FR and RRes have a joyous scientific experience fishing live Agrilus larvae from an inoculated log at Alice Holt

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Our first trip 'back to the field' where Dr Sandra Denman trained Helene Kile (MRes student, UWE) to remove bark panels from a Tilia with bleeding cankers, whilst maintaining social distancing!

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There is no stopping the Bac-Stop team! Undertaking our science with great accuracy, any time, any place in our new mobile laboratory.

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The silhouette of an old oak afflicted with AOD against the late afternoon sky at Hatchlands Park. In the late stages of the decline, the crown of the tree has mostly died with few secondary branches and leaves left. This oak is unlikely to remain standing much longer.

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Sally Simpson on behalf of the Bac-Stop team

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No time for freshening up, straight from the field to the pub.

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'Digging' for the underlying cause of blackleg

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'Digging' for the underlying cause of blackleg

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On the afternoon of November 19, 2021, we are drilling soil samples from the James Hutton Institute crop cover field. These soil samples will be subjected to genetic sequencing and nematode isolation culture with the aim of identifying the causative agent of blackleg disease.

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Sally Simpson on behalf of the Bac-Stop team

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Professor John Draper cutting stem samples for metabolomic analyses. By the way it's not tea in the urns on the right!

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Still in the game! Ancient oak estimated to be between 600-700 years old at Southwick a Future Oak site with high forest. Protected by fencing giving the old oak roots a wide berth.

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The first opportunity for some of the Future Oak team members to meet in person, observe Acute Oak Decline symptoms, and discuss plans for the field work. Pictured (left to right): Sandra Denman, Norman Dandy, Alejandra Ordonez, Jim Downie.

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A cherry picker, also known as a MEWP - Mobile Element Working Platform, being used to collect leaves from oak trees from the experimental site in Little Snoring, Norfolk.

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When your lab is at the back of a pick-up, it may be hard to ignore your colleagues' meeting next door. Alejandra Ordoñez is collecting microbes from healthy oak trees for the Future Oak project.

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Sally Simpson on behalf of the Bac-Stop team

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Citizen scientists assessing tree condition where they are putting theoretical training to the practice. During the Covid lockdown volunteer scientists received online training from our social science team using photos and Google Earth satellite images, to assess tree condition. Finally, this summer they had the opportunity to try it for real in a parkland setting.

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Prof. John Draper slices Oak tree cores in Little Snoring, Norfolk.
Samples were split into sapwood and phloem, then cut into eighths ready to be flash frozen (in liquid nitrogen containing dewars on the right hand side) and distributed to colleagues in Bangor University and Forest Research, as well as analysed in our Metabolomics Laboratory.

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Science brings him to his knees! Professor James McDonald sorting the roots from the soil. Its a bit like preparing the kids lunch on a picnic really

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Using our mobile 'lab', oak leaf, stem and rhizopshere samples were processed within hours of collection in the field to maximise the successful isolation of microorganisms from healthy oak trees. This unusual set-up often drew interest from curious members of the public who came over to ask questions, and we could give a hands-on demonstration of the research. This photo was taken in a car park in Stratford upon Avon during the extreme summer heatwave, and I can confirm that the lab does not have air conditioning!

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This magnificent oak had its eye wide open to check on the scientists sampling it's microbiome.

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Murray Grant, Joana Vicente and Shannon Greer, Xanthomonas Threats

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Back to the glasshouse to screen brassicas!

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Back to the glasshouse to screen brassicas!

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Checking Brassica napus plants following inoculation with Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris the cause of black rot of crucifers. We are screening brassicas to identify potential useful sources of resistance. This was also an ideal opportunity to train new members of our group.

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Sally Simpson on behalf of the Bac-Stop team

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In the lab or the field aseptic working is essential for accurate results. Dr Anparasy Kajamuhan wounding trees for inoculation with bacteria and Agrilus biguttatus eggs and larvae.

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Isolates of Xanthomonas nasturtii, the cause of black rot of watercress. Although the colour of the isolates growing on King's B medium can be very different, these isolates are all very close genetically and cause the same disease on watercress.

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This curious cow was interested in our oak sampling protocol and also wanted to eat the foliage our tree climbers had just collected from more than 30 metres up. Thankfully Marine was on hand to fend them off until Alejandra had processed the samples! (Pictured: Marine Cambon and un-named bovine)

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Picture taken by Stuart Greig on behalf of Caliber Team

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Absolutely thrilled to be back in the insectary and able to work on the role of UK psyllids and "Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum" transmission to crops.

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Pictured is just a small part of the sampling kit needed to sample oak microbiomes in the field. We spent many hours huddled and crouched over these small camping tables painstakingly punching holes in oak leaves, processing stem punches and sorting through soil cores - all while maintaining sterility as best as possible - before snap-freezing everything in liquid N.

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3D image of gfp-tagged Caenorhabditis Elegans acquired by a custom-made light-sheet imaging system. Combing with "transparent soil" This newly developed imaging system will be used to investigate how nematode affectes Pectobacterium infections.

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Manfred Beckmann, John Draper, and Laura Lyons, Bac-Stop

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July 2021: A break in sampling Oak trees in Little Snoring, Norfolk. Fighting off the horseflies under the gazebo while it drizzled outside.

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Some of the old trees sampled for the Future Oak project were just too big to climb! Thankfully, the tree surgeons helping to collect branches had a few tricks up their sleeves.

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In situ plant root manipulation, for example laser ablation, can create controllable mechanical damages. This will help us to understand how mechanical damages on potatoes root would influence Pectobacterium infection process.

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One of the most mediatic activities of the Brigit project involved the public in a national Spittlebug Hunt. Xylella is not present in the UK, but it is important to study the potential insect vectors that are present in the country. We found spittle in fields and gardens and collected spittlebugs from different plants to be studied as part of the project. Here we can spot a spittlebug nymph peeking through the spittle on a daisy.

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Foliar sampling during FUTURE OAK fieldwork. A mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) is required to sample the little foliage that remains on this tree with severe Acute Oak Decline, highlighting the scale of tree health issues and the scale of work required to study them.

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Immature life stages of psyllids have a wildly different appearance to their adult forms and can easily be overlooked in inspections of imported produce. They are notoriously difficult to identify and often require the use of molecular tools to identify them, such as those designed at SASA. The role of immatures in “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” transmission is being studied by the CALIBER team. Trioza urticae on Urtica dioica.

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No social distancing observed here(!) - three leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) found while sweep net sampling for psyllids during CALIBER fieldwork.

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While sampling Oak trees in Norfolk a liquid nitrogen spill transformed a small patch of the woodland into a photo opportunity.

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Jennifer Cole and Adam Bryning // Brigit

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Touring vineyards in the Napa Valley in Northern California as part of a study visit for the BRIGIT project to gain knowledge and experience around Xylella fastidiosa. A tough job but someone has to do it...

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Bacterial disease in ornamental plants at a garden centre

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Bacterial disease in ornamental plants at a garden centre

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Wallflowers with symptoms of disease caused by Xanthomonas campestris. These ornamental plants were found at a garden centre in September 2020. Samples were collected and the isolates obtained were added to our extensive collection.

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Photo by Sylvia Breslin on behalf of the Caliber team

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A Trioza urticae psyllid ominously casts it shadow on its infected host Urtica dioica (stinging nettle). The role of this psyllid (and other species native to the UK) on “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” transmission to crops is being studied by the CALIBER project including: transmission studies; field monitoring; and comparative genomics.

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Natalie Barratt | Disease Suppressive Microbes Project

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How fun, yet scary, would it be to be able to shrink down to a tiny size walk amongst the microbes? In our work we are hunting for disease suppressive microbes from soil samples. One of these agar plates has some of the fungal population growing and the other has the bacterial. [3D printed scientist on agar plates]

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Phages isolated from river Thames capable of infecting Ralstonia solanacearum plant pathogenic bacterium.

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Tomatoes infected by Ralstonia solanacearum without (left) and with phage treatment (right)

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Micro Tom plants infected with Ralstonia solanacearum plant pathogenic bacterium