National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria
Encyclopedia
The National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria (NCPPB) is a UK Government owned, non-profit-making biological
culture collection which specialises in acquiring, authenticating, preserving, and distributing plant pathogenic reference bacteria, and DNA
for research in the life sciences. It is housed at the Food and Environment Research Agency
which was formerly known as The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) which was an executive agency
of the UK government department the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA) until it became Fera
on 1st April 2009.
The National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria culture collection is internationally recognised, and specialises in Bacteria
which affect temperate and tropical crops, plants and plant produce (Plant pathogens). The NCPPB lies within the United Kingdom National Culture Collection (UKNCC) http://www.ukncc.co.uk/
European Culture Collections' Organisation(ECCO)http://www.eccosite.org and World Federation of Culture Collections (WFCC) http://www.wfcc.info/.
The culture collection comprises some 3500 strains and includes all type strains and pathotype strains.It houses almost all bacterial plant pathogens and is one of the largest and most frequently used collections in the world for the deposition of reference and type strains of plant pathogenic bacteria.
It is a requirement of being a member of the EU that each country has laboratories specialising in plant health so that the spread of crop diseases is minimised. These laboratories require reference material with which to compare the suspected causal agents of crop diseases so that rapid identification is possible. Culture collections such as the NCPPB provide such reference material.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/
In 1947 the National Collection of Type Cultures, at the Lister Institute, decided it should shed cultures not of direct interest to the medical sciences. The bacterial plant pathogens were combined with a collection at the Botany School, Cambridge, and the whole collection was maintained on behalf of the Agricultural Research Council until 1956.
This collection, of 200 cultures, was transferred to the Plant Pathology Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) at Harpenden in 1956, and in that year was recognised as a National Collection by the UK National Committee of the Commonwealth Collections of Micro-organisms. In 1988, the Plant Pathology Laboratory, now the Harpenden Laboratory, was incorporated along with other government departments, into the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), an executive agency of MAFF
.
In 1996, the UK National Culture Collection (UKNCC) was formed with the NCPPB as a member and CSL, and the NCPPB together with some 3,500 strains, moved to purpose built laboratories near York, UK.
In 2002 MAFF became the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) where the NCPPB still continues its primary role of providing scientific support to the Plant Health Service.
, and the USDA
in the USA, ICMP in New Zealand, CFBP in France, BCCM/LMG in Belgium, IBSF in Brazil, DSMZ
in Germany, and others. These culture collections frequently exchange cultures between themselves so that important reference strains are not lost to science and to assist in the distribution of strains for scientific research purposes.
A new National Fungal Culture Collection has been established in Georgia (Former Soviet Union) with assistance from the NCPPB. This new Collection is based at Kobuleti on the black sea.
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
culture collection which specialises in acquiring, authenticating, preserving, and distributing plant pathogenic reference bacteria, and DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
for research in the life sciences. It is housed at the Food and Environment Research Agency
Food and Environment Research Agency
The Food and Environment Research Agency, a new Defra executive agency was vested on 1 April 2009.-History:The agency was formed by bringing together the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton, the Plant Health Division / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate in York, the Plant Variety Rights...
which was formerly known as The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) which was an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the UK government department the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(DEFRA) until it became Fera
Fera
Fera or FERA may refer to:* Fera , a local name for several fish species and the eponymous dish* Coregonus fera, an extinct freshwater fish* FERA, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration* FERA, the Federation of European Film Directors...
on 1st April 2009.
The National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria culture collection is internationally recognised, and specialises in Bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
which affect temperate and tropical crops, plants and plant produce (Plant pathogens). The NCPPB lies within the United Kingdom National Culture Collection (UKNCC) http://www.ukncc.co.uk/
European Culture Collections' Organisation(ECCO)http://www.eccosite.org and World Federation of Culture Collections (WFCC) http://www.wfcc.info/.
Purpose
The Collection exists primarily to preserve and maintain, for use by research and educational establishments and by industry, cultures of the world's bacterial plant pathogens and the bacteria closely associated with them. Bacteriophages useful for the determination of bacterial pathogens, and for the diagnosis of the bacterial diseases they cause and which are potential biocontrol organisms are also maintained.The culture collection comprises some 3500 strains and includes all type strains and pathotype strains.It houses almost all bacterial plant pathogens and is one of the largest and most frequently used collections in the world for the deposition of reference and type strains of plant pathogenic bacteria.
It is a requirement of being a member of the EU that each country has laboratories specialising in plant health so that the spread of crop diseases is minimised. These laboratories require reference material with which to compare the suspected causal agents of crop diseases so that rapid identification is possible. Culture collections such as the NCPPB provide such reference material.
History
The bacterial culture collection has been maintained for over 60 years and is funded by the Governmental 'Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs' DEFRA (formerly MAFFMinistry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and from 1919 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries...
http://www.defra.gov.uk/
In 1947 the National Collection of Type Cultures, at the Lister Institute, decided it should shed cultures not of direct interest to the medical sciences. The bacterial plant pathogens were combined with a collection at the Botany School, Cambridge, and the whole collection was maintained on behalf of the Agricultural Research Council until 1956.
This collection, of 200 cultures, was transferred to the Plant Pathology Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) at Harpenden in 1956, and in that year was recognised as a National Collection by the UK National Committee of the Commonwealth Collections of Micro-organisms. In 1988, the Plant Pathology Laboratory, now the Harpenden Laboratory, was incorporated along with other government departments, into the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), an executive agency of MAFF
MAFF
MAFF is a four-letter acronym that may refer to:* MAFF , a transcription factor* Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia*Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, one of ministries of Japanese government....
.
In 1996, the UK National Culture Collection (UKNCC) was formed with the NCPPB as a member and CSL, and the NCPPB together with some 3,500 strains, moved to purpose built laboratories near York, UK.
In 2002 MAFF became the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) where the NCPPB still continues its primary role of providing scientific support to the Plant Health Service.
Links with other collections
The NCPPB has close working links with several other international culture collections, including ATCCAmerican Type Culture Collection
The American Type Culture Collection is a private, not-for-profit biological resource center whose mission focuses on the acquisition, authentication, production, preservation, development and distribution of standard reference microorganisms, cell lines and other materials for research in the...
, and the USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
in the USA, ICMP in New Zealand, CFBP in France, BCCM/LMG in Belgium, IBSF in Brazil, DSMZ
Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen
The Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen - DSMZ - GmbH was founded 1969 as the national culture collection in Germany...
in Germany, and others. These culture collections frequently exchange cultures between themselves so that important reference strains are not lost to science and to assist in the distribution of strains for scientific research purposes.
A new National Fungal Culture Collection has been established in Georgia (Former Soviet Union) with assistance from the NCPPB. This new Collection is based at Kobuleti on the black sea.