1. Overview Erich S. Rudyj, NCPN Management Team USDA/APHIS/PPQ
Science and Technology

2. Purpose
NCPN provides a network for existing U.S. Clean Plant Centers, operating in government agencies & universities to accomplish:
Diagnostics to identify plant pathogens
Therapy to “clean” plants of targeted viruses
Propagation to increase availability of clean materials
Distribution clean planting stock to nurseries & growers

3. Seven Specialty Crops Represented
Currently 27 Clean Plant Centers across the country, some serving more than one of the seven crops in the Network:
Fruit Trees: stone and pome fruits, including ornamentals
Grapes: table, raisin, juice, and wine grapes
Citrus: all types
Berries: Fragaria, Rubus, and Vaccinium
Hops: common and special varieties
Sweetpotatoes: edible and ornamental
Roses: large growers and small nurseries

4. Currently 40 collaborating programs operating in 27 Centers across 20 states, serving the entire United States

5. Benefits for stakeholders
Access to plants otherwise prohibited entry into USA
Increased access to ‘clean’ planting material
Reduces industry business risk and regulatory safety risk
Non-regulatory solution to plant pathogen mitigation
Collaborative cadre of cooperating scientists and stakeholders, and links allied’ programs (e.g. PEQ, nursery certification)

6. Crop Deliverable: Maintaining Foundations
Fruit Trees (Stone and Pome Fruits): about 2,250 clean fruit tree accessions
Grapes: about 1,000 selections of clean grapevine accessions
Hops: about 75 clean hop selections
Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Cane Fruit): diagnose and clean about 75 new berry accessions annually and maintain clean plant foundations
Citrus: about 400 clean citrus tree accessions
Sweetpotato: add about 40 new sweetpotato accessions annually to existing foundations
Roses: initiated advanced testing of about 600 rose selections currently maintained in foundations

7. Crop Deliverable: Distributing Clean Material
Fruit Trees (Stone and Pome Fruits): has delivered more than 500,000 cuttings, scions, and plantlets as well as more than 1.7 million buds to nurseries and growers
Grapes: distributed more than 700,000 clean grape-wood cuttings, buds, plants, or special seed to industry
Hops: foundation screenhouse accommodates about 30 percent of the world’s need for clean hops
Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Cane Fruit): produces nearly 30 million clean berry plants annually
Citrus: delivers ‘starter material’ to industry that has resulted in more than 275 million clean citrus trees over the past 6 years
Sweetpotato: adds about 40 new sweetpotato accessions annually to existing foundations
Roses: initiated advanced testing of about 600 rose selections currently maintained in foundations

8. Movement of Plant Material

9. Governance & Structure
Designed for Collaboration

10. A Collaborative Network
NCPN Mgmt Team
Clean Plant Centers
Working Groups
Tier 1
Tier 2
National networking, coordination, balance, and visibility
Manages funding mechanism
Forum for critical discussions
Advises on funding decisions
Includes
Research, regulatory, extension, educators, and industry for given crop
Manages charter, membership, prioritization
Advocacy for crop needs
Conducts diagnostics & therapeutics, establishes & manages foundation materials
Delivers services
to stakeholders
Recipient of national funds
Strategic Planning
Education, Outreach, & Communications
Economics
Quality
Scientific Information Sharing

11. Tier 1 Core Working Group National Governing Board
Tom Bewick – USDA/NIFA
Gary Kinard – USDA/ARS
Clint McFarland – USDA/APHIS
Cindy Cooper – WA Dept. Agric.
Joseph Postman – ARS/Germplasm
Robin Rosenbaum – MI Dept. Agric.
Ruth Welliver – PA Dept. Agric.
Phil Wilson – NC Dept. Agric.

12. Tier 2 Governance ensures broad representation
6 Industry Reps 4 Research/Extension Reps 3 Regulatory Reps
10 Industry Reps
8 Research/Extension Reps
6 Regulatory Reps
8 Industry Reps
2 Regulatory Reps
7 Industry Reps
8 Research/Extension Reps
2 Regulatory Reps
4 Industry Reps
4 Research/Extension Reps
2 Regulatory Reps
6 Industry Reps
5 Research/Extension Reps
3 Regulatory Reps
9 Industry Reps
7 Research/Extension Reps
1 Regulatory Rep

13. Special Initiatives Strategic Planning
Education, Outreach & Communications
Economics
Quality
Scientific Information Sharing

14. Strategic Planning Initiative
Updating original Plan created in 2008
Team of 10 representatives revisiting NCPN mission, vision, strategies, goals, and objectives
Intention is to strengthen and advance the Network
Anticipated completion in 2019/2020

15. Education, Outreach & Communications Initiative
Cross-Network team working together since 2010
Output includes tools such as brochures, fact sheets, newsletters, posters, and presentations
Renewed focus on national-level communications plan
Examining options for leadership and expanding Extension component
More focus on how to implement use of tools developed thus far

16. Economics Initiative
Approximately 40 NCPN members participating in planning and implementing workshops
Assessing existing economic studies
Identifying gaps and need for additional data
Create roadmap for using economic data for educating others about value of using clean plants

17. Quality Initiative Examining use of quality disciplines in:
Scientific programs
Governance and management
Record keeping
Information management
Administration of foundation collections
Communications

18. Scientific Information Sharing Initiative
Analyzing existing processes for collaboration and sharing of pathogen information amongst scientists, regulators, and industry
Exploring opportunities to improve efficiency and timeliness of sharing emerging information and best practices for mitigating virus threats
Assessing potential for establishing state-of-the-art online information services

19. Cooperative Agreements Program 2018-2019
The “Engine” for Collaboration

20. Grant Funding: Approximately $6.15 million annually
What is Supported
Governance
Critical staffing needs
Equipment/supplies
Infrastructure improvements
Service work: diagnostics, therapeutics, foundations

21. Grant Funding: cont’d Select Program Priorities Existing facilities
Highly restricted crops
Formative program “governing bodies”
Industry-focused service activities
Program self-sufficiency

22. Historical allocations across seven crops
About $5m
Fruit Trees: 20% - 25%
Grapes: 20% - 25%
Citrus: 20% - 25%
Berries: 10% - 15%
Sweetpotato: 5% - 10%
Roses: 5% - 7%
Hops: 3% - 5%
Special Issues: 10%-12%

23. RFP Process Request for Applications Issued annually
Late summer/Early autumn, open for 10 weeks
Competitive process

24. RFP Process, cont’d Eligible Applicants Land-Grant universities
Non Land-Grant universities
State Agricultural Experiment Stations
State or local governments
Federal agencies

25. Governing Board meets to review all proposals
RFP Process, cont’d
Proposal Reviews
‘Ad Hoc’ Committees for pre-proposals
Governing Board for final proposals
Chair sends a letter of participation in the review process to each Principal Investigator to include with their proposal to USDA
Ad hoc Committee reviews proposals and writes letter to Governing Board
Principal Investigators send draft proposal to NCPN Tier 2 Chair and Coordinator
Governing Board meets to review all proposals
Proposals Due to USDA

26. [slides to be created and customized by participants]
Crop Networks
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27. NCPN Grapes
Established 2008

28. NCPN-Grapes Tier 2
Industry Reps Eric Amberg Phil Freese Dustin Hooper Kevin Judkins Rachel Lipman Steve Mudd Dennis Rak Vicky Scharlau Keith Streigler Fritz Westover
Research/Extension Reps Marc Fuchs (Vice Chair) Deborah Golino (Chair) Scott Harper Jim Kamas Robert Martin Tim Martinson Rhonda Smith Wenping Qiu
Regulatory Reps David Johnson Margaret Kelly Josh Kress Gary McAninch Liz Vavricka (vacancy)
Coordinator Kristen Farrar

29. NCPN Fruit Trees
Established 2008

30. NCPN-Fruit Trees Tier 2
Industry Reps Phil Baugher Cliff Beumel Jim Bittner Chalmers Carr Wanda Gale Dale Goldy
Research/Extension Reps Maher Al Rwahnih (Vice Chair) Scott Harper Simon Scott (Chair) Bill Shane
Regulatory Rep Richard Kaitany Dipak Poudyal Vicky Smith
Coordinator Tanner Hunt

31. NCPN Berries
Established 2010

32. NCPN-Berries Tier 2
Industry Reps Yongjiam Chang Bill Foote David Lawson Nate Nourse (Chair) Wendy O’Donovan Elizabeth Ponce Jon Umble (Vice Chair)
Research/Extension Reps Christie Almeyda Maher Al Rwahnih Chad Finn Bob Martin Natalia Peres James Polashock Annemeik Schilder Ionnis Tzanetakis
Regulatory Rep Dipak Poudyal (Vacant)
Coordinator Kevin Schooley

33. NCPN Citrus
Established 2010

34. NCPN-Citrus Tier 2
Industry Reps Aaron Dillon Dan Finch (Vice Chair) Jim Gorden Dale Murden
Research/Extension Reps John da Graca Raghuwinder ‘Raj’ Singh Georgios Vidalakis (Chair) Glenn Wright
Regulatory Rep Robert Krueger Benjamin Rosson
Coordinators Irene Lavagi Fatima Osman

35. NCPN Hops
Established 2010

36. NCPN-Hops Tier 2
Industry Reps Gayle Goschie Nate Jackson Michael Ferguson Jason Perault Bernard Gamache Brian Tennis (Vice Chair) Ed Atkins (Chair) Paul Matthews
Regulatory Rep David Gent Jared Stuart
Coordinator Tanner Hunt

37. NCPN Roses
Established 2015

38. NCPN-Roses Tier 2
Industry Reps Pamela Allenstein Christian Bedard Jacques Ferare Bruce Gibson Wes Harvell Megan Mathey Craig Regelbrugge Mike Shoup Dan Waterhouse Matt Woolf
Research/Extension Reps David Byrne (Chair) Deborah Golino (Vice Chair) John Karlik Malcolm Manners Brent Pemberton Ionnis Tzanetakis David Zlesak
Regulatory Rep Jamie Legg
Coordinators Natalie Anderson Pamela Hornby

39. NCPN Sweetpotato
Established 2015

40. NCPN-Sweetpotato Tier 2
Industry Reps Jason Chandler Bill Foote (Vice Chair) Matt Garber Jim Jones Sue Leggett Dave Souza
Research/Extension Reps Christie Almeyda Chris Clark (Chair) Henry English Stephen Meyers Scott Stoddard
Regulatory Reps Ann Gallagher Richard Miller Sean Runyon
Coordinator Dianne Coats