Dr. Jonathan Griffiths

Image Jonathan Griffiths
Research Scientist

I am a molecular plant biologist and virologist who studies viral diseases of tree fruits, grapevines, small berries, and tomatoes.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
4902 Victoria Avenue North, Vineland Station, Ontario

Current research and/or projects

I employ molecular biology and genomics approaches to study the interactions between plant viruses and fruit crops. Major research areas include approaches to surveying viral extent and diversity in agricultural settings, studying the molecular nature of viral infection in stone fruits and tomatoes, and development of resistance to major viral diseases in stone fruits and tomatoes.

Research and/or project statements

Current projects:

-Plant virus surveillance using bees

-Investigating the cause of tree fruit decline

-Development of resistance to Plum pox virus in peach

-Development of resistance to Tomato brown rugose fruit virus

-Genomics of grapevine viruses

Education and awards

Ph.D. UBC Botany, 2013

AgreenSkills post-doctoral Fellowship, Marie Curie Co-fund, 2015-2017

Additional links

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NNTV0ZkAAAAJ&hl=en

Key publications

  1. Raičević J , Cunningham M, Griffiths JS, Wu L, Pernal, SF, Deckers T, Tran L, Ortega Polo, Zorz J, Clarke K, Newman T, Lansing L, Rott ME, Bilodeau GJ, Bishop C, Jabbari H, Guarna MM (2022) Honey bees as biomonitors of plant pathogens, pesticides, and antimicrobial resistance. EurBee 9 – 9th European Congress of Apidology Proceedings, p. 352, 20-22 September 2022, Belgrade, Serbia. (Poster) https://zenodo.org/record/7239012#.Y4BgMnbMKUk

    2022 - View publication details

  2. Burlakoti, R. R., Novinscak, A., and Griffiths, J. 2022. Identifying resistance to tomato brown rugose fruit virus. British Columbia Greenhouse Growers’ Association Town Hall Minor Use Meeting. October 14, 2022. Abbotsford, BC, Canada.

    2022 - View publication details

  3. Burlakoti, R. R. Novinscak, A., and Griffiths, J. 2022. Identification of sources of resistance for tomato brown rugose fruits virus. Poster presented at 2022 Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Research Symposium, August 17-18, 2022, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    2022 - View publication details

  4. Burlakoti R. R., Novinscak A., vanBaar K., and Griifiths J. 2022. Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus-Global Threat to Greenhouse Tomato Production. Annual Symposium of Professional Pest Management Society of BC, February 24-25, 2022, Virtual.

    2022 - View publication details

  5. Cunningham MM, Tran L, McKee CG, Ortega-Polo R, Newman T, Lansing L, Griffiths JS, Bilodeau GJ, Rott M, Guarna MM. Bee-based environmental biomonitoring of pesticides, pollutants, and pathogens. North America Bee Research Conference. Virtual, Jan 13-14, 2022

    2022 - View publication details

  6. Gladish DW, Rott ME, Guarna MM, Pernal SF, Griffiths JF, Bilodeau GJ (2022) Evaluation of plant-pollinator ecosystem health and rapid detection of plant and bee pathogens by high-throughput sequencing of European honey bee (Apis mellifera). Tri-Society Virtual Conference: Canadian Phytopathological Society, Canadian Society for Horticultural Science, Canadian Society of Agronomy, 2021, 5-9 July 2021 Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology (in press)
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/07060661.2021.2009254?needAccess=true

    2022 - View publication details

  7. Cunningham, M.M., Tran, L., McKee, C.G., Ortega Polo, R., Newman, T., Lansing, L., Griffiths, J.S., Bilodeau, G.J., Rott, M., Marta Guarna, M. (2022). Honey bees as biomonitors of environmental contaminants, pathogens, and climate change, 134 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108457

    2022 - View publication details

  8. Griffiths, J., Ellouze, W. 2021. Rapid Apple Decline research updates. Ontario Apple Growers Annual Report.

    2021 - View publication details

  9. Cunningham M M, Tran L, McKee C, Newman T, Gladish DW, Lofano AK, Bilodeau GJ, Rott M, Guarna MM (2021). Honey bees as environmental biomonitors of pathogens and contaminants. Entomology 2021, 69th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, 31 Oct - 03 Nov, Denver, CO, hybrid meeting proceedings

    2021 - View publication details

  10. Ellouze, W., Griffiths, J. (2021) AAFC research update on sudden apple decline and fruit tree decline disorders in Ontario. Orchard Network Newsletter, February 2021. p. 16-19.

    2021 - View publication details

  11. Burlakoti R. and Griffiths J. 2020. Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus research project. BC Greenhouse Growers Association Town Hall Minor Use Meeting, Virtual. November 5, 2020.

    2020 - View publication details

  12. Griffiths, J., Ellouze, W. (2019) Research activities working towards identifying causes of tree fruit decline. Orchard Network Newsletter, December 2019. p. 6-7.

    2019 - View publication details

  13. Nguyen HDT, Grunwald NJ, Abad ZG, Martin FN, Crouch J, Hambleton S, Dettman J, Liu M, Harris LJ, Castlebury L, Salagado-Salazar C, Cowger C, Ellouz O, Mollov D, Fall ML, Ling K, Griffifths J, Mahaffee W, Chen W, Sultata T, Yu Q, Carta LK, Skantar AM, Tambong J, Rogers E, Li S, Dumonceaux TJ, Widmer TL. The 2019 AAFC-USDA meeting on genotyping and monitoring of high-risk plant pathogens.

    2019 - View publication details

  14. Griffiths, J., Lofano, A., Ellouze, W., Wang, A. (2019) Apple and apricot decline in Ontario. Plant Canada 2019, July 7-10. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

    2019 - View publication details

  15. Babu, M.R., Griffiths, J.S., and Wang, A.M. (2010). "Isolation and transfection of plant protoplasts for studying infection and replication of plant viruses.", in Wang, A. (ed.) - Principles and Practice of Advanced Technology in Plant Virology, Research Signpost, Kerala, India, Chapter 8, pp. 141-152.

    2010 - View publication details

  16. Griffiths, J.S. and Wang, A.M. (2007). "Isolation and Characterization of Arabidopsis Translation Initiation Factors Associated with Plum Pox Virus Infection.", Plant Biology 2007 and Botany 2007 Joint Congress, Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, July 7-11, 2007.

    2007 - View publication details

  17. Wang, A.M., Babu, M.R., Huang, T.-S., Griffiths, J.S., Yi, J., Gagarinova, A.G., and Chen, L. (2007). "Virus-plant interactions: molecular identification of host genes associated with potyvirus infection.", Plant Biology 2007 and Botany 2007 Joint Congress, Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, July 7-11, 2007.

    2007 - View publication details

  18. Raghupathy, M.B., Griffiths, J.S., Stobbs, L.W., Brown, D.C.W., Brandle, J.E., and Wang, A.M. (2006). "A genome-wide microarray study in Arabidopsis: activation and suppression of gene expression in response to plum pox virus infection.", 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA, July 15-19, 2006.

    2006 - View publication details

  19. Raghupathy, M.B., Griffiths, J.S., Stobbs, L.W., Brown, D.C.W., Brandle, J.E., and Wang, A.M. (2006). "Transfection of Arabidopsis protoplast with a Plum pox virus (PPV) infectious clone for studying early molecular events associated with PPV infection.", Journal of Virological Methods, 136(1-2), pp. 147-153.

    2006 - View publication details

  20. Griffiths, J.S., Babu, M.R., and Wang, A.M. (2006). "Analysis of Arabidopsis translation factors in Plum pox virus infection.", 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA, July 15-19, 2006.

    2006 - View publication details

Contact

Research facility

London Research and Development Centre
1391 Sandford Street
London, ON N5V 4T3
Canada

Expertise

Agriculture›Plant viruses›Plant pathogen interactions
Plant›Pathology›Virus

Affiliations

Adjunct Professor, Brock University

Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology

Language

English
French