Plant research seminars

Forests hold much of terrestrial plant carbon and biodiversity, but they are being altered with climate change. It is difficult to study how the tens of thousands of tree species worldwide are responding to climate change and other stressors (for example droughts, pests and pathogens) because traditional field-based approaches cannot collect sufficiently large sample sizes for most species. As part of the winning team of the XPRIZE Rainforest competition, Étienne Laliberté led the development an AI solution using drone imagery that can greatly accelerate the mapping of individual trees at scale (hundreds to thousands of hectares). The drone hardware needed is affordable and readily accessible to researchers. In this talk, Étienne will present this technology, which he will argue has the potential to revolutionize forest science, conservation, and restoration. He will talk about the opportunities, as well as some challenges that need to be addressed to unlock the potential of this technology for monitoring the biodiversity and health of forest canopies.

Advances in molecular diagnostics are reshaping how we detect and understand high-risk bacterial pathogens of potato. In this seminar, we will highlight recent scientific progress in characterizing and diagnosing Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs R3Bv2) and Clavibacter sepedonicus, including:

• developing and validating a new in-house qPCR assay that improves specificity and repeatability for weak-positive Rs R3Bv2 results
• establishing enhanced water treatment and filtration protocols that strengthen Rs R3Bv2 detection in irrigation water used in commercial greenhouse surveillance
• showcasing collaborative Canada–U.S. efforts to harmonize molecular diagnostics through joint evaluations of enrichment-based qPCR and multiplex assays
• presenting a new qPCR assay for C. sepedonicus that exceeds the sensitivity of ELISA and conventional PCR for low-level infections
• demonstrating how metagenomic sequencing and comparative genomics reveal distinct mutation patterns across recent Canadian and U.S. isolates

Together, these advancements expand Canada's diagnostic capacity, reinforce cross-border biosecurity, and underscore the importance of collaborative science in protecting plant health.

Join us to explore how innovations in molecular tools, surveillance methods, and genomics are transforming the detection and understanding of key potato pathogens!

Digital identification tools are advancing beyond traditional methods like dichotomous keys and photo reference guides. In this seminar, we will demonstrate the latest developments in creating user-friendly identification keys and integrating AI into this space, including:

• creating both dichotomous and random-access keys
• highlight successful quarantine-focused tools, and discuss the ease of developing AI tools, and
• discussing the ease of developing AI tools for pest identification.

These digital and AI technologies are making taxonomy expertise more accessible, transforming it into a daily tool for diagnostic labs, inspection officers, academia, and beyond.

Join us to explore how these advancements in digital tools and AI are reshaping pest identification and taxonomy expertise!

Dr. Ruojing Wang,
Section Head, CFIA

Matt Taylor, Director,
Identic Pty Ltd, Australia

Dr. Hume Douglas,
Research Scientist, AAFC