In this issue:
Dr Ravi Singh - 2010 E C Stakman
Awardee
Dr Ravi Prakash Singh, Head of Irrigated Bread Wheat
Improvement and Rust Research at CIMMYT, Mexico, has been selected as the
2010 recipient of the E C Stakman Award. The Stakman Award is granted to
individuals of any country and nationality for outstanding achievements in
plant pathology research, teaching, outreach, international development,
or for any combination of these areas.
The award will be presented to Dr Singh on 18 May 2010 in a
ceremony in the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota.
Dr Singh is highly recognized and respected worldwide
for his contributions in controlling wheat rust diseases through the use
of durable genetic resistance.
His program elucidated the genetic basis of durable rust resistance
and also designed a bulk breeding scheme to efficiently select germplasm
containing high levels of additive, slow rusting genes to both leaf and
stripe rust and more recently, stem rust. Through breeding and release of
cultivars with higher yields, wider adaptation and enhanced disease
resistance, millions of farmers in developing countries obtain safe and
abundant harvests from rust resistant wheat cultivars without applying
fungicides. In addition, Dr Singh spearheaded CIMMYT’s global response to
Ug99, the new stem rust race with virulence on the majority of the world’s
wheat cultivars. He conducted emergency screenings of current CIMMYT
germplasm for Ug99 resistance and rapidly developed and released resistant
cultivars selected from the screening. He generously shares germplasm and
knowledge with colleagues and has educated many young scientists and
trainees in CIMMYT. Moreover, Dr Singh has been a strong advocate and
driving force in the creation of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative and
the Durable Rust Resistance Wheat Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.
Among numerous awards received, Dr Singh most recently
was honoured as a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society (2006),
Crop Science Society of America (2005), American Society of Agronomy
(2003) and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2003, India). He was
also Outstanding CGIASR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research) Scientist (2005) and he received the Jinding Award (2008) and
Caiyun Award (2008) which are the highest recognition to foreigners by the
Sichuan Province Government and Yunnan Province Government of China,
respectively.
Joint Meeting of CPS and Pacific Division of APS
Gayle Jesperson of CPS draws attention to the 2010 Canadian
Phytopathological Society joint annual meeting and conference with the
Pacific Division of the American Phytopathological Society. It will be
held in the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada from
20-23 June 2010.
There will be three symposia. 1) Contributions of Genomics to Plant
Pathology; 2) Emerging Stresses on Forests and Agroecosystems resulting
from Climate Change; 3) Canadian Forum on Biocontrol. On 24 June there
will be an optional tour of Fraser Valley agriculture.
See:
http://cps-scp2010.ubcconferences.com/
Erwinia Workshop
At the International Conference on Plant Pathogenic Bacteria (ICPPB) to be
held
in
Saint Denis, Ile de la Réunion, France, (see: “Coming Events”
and the updated web-site
http://www.icppb2010.org, there will be an
Erwinia workshop.
Following the success of previous "Erwinia" workshops held in Lyon (2002),
Madison (2004) and Dundee (2006), a similar workshop will take place from
5-6 June 2010 at the Hotel Best
Western in Saint Denis prior to the ICPPB.
The workshop will
include research undertaken on all plant pathogenic members of the
Enterobacteriaceae, and would also welcome contributions from other
bacterial plant pathologists as well as those working on human enterix
pathogens and their survival and distribution on plants. Ideas for themes
to be included in the program are: Diagnostic & Taxonomy, Functional
Genomics and Systems Biology, Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions, and
Ecology and Control (a morning or afternoon session devoted to each theme
depending on the number of attendees).
Further information will be
posted on the web-site in due course.
If you are interested in attending and have not so
far been contacted by e-mail, please contact
Teresa Coutinho for more information.
Joint EFPP and SPF Conference in
Portugal
Professor Maria Ivone Clara
of the
University of Évora, President of EFPP and SPF,
advises about the 9th Conference of the European Foundation for Plant
Pathology (EFPP) to be held jointly with the 6th Symposium of the
Sociedade Portuguesa de Fitopatologia (SPF) in Evora, Portugal, in
November 2010. The city of Évora is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
See: “Coming
Events” and http://www.efpp10.uevora.pt/
The theme of the meeting is
“Integrated Plant Disease Management” and aims to bring together
people interested in a thorough understanding of plant pathogens and
diseases in general, and in the development of new tools and approaches
that may offer solutions for the integrated control of diseases in the
ecosystems with the least cost and lowest impact on the environment.
Contributions are expected to cover a variety of interdisciplinary topics
ranging from recent progress on integrated management of major diseases
affecting food crops, forests, ornamentals and turf grasses, to more
specific topics emphasizing:
Strategies for disease resistance; Plant pathogen interactions;
Advances in biological and in chemical control of pathogens;
Epidemiology, modeling and forecasting of plant diseases; Global climate
changes and plant diseases; Molecular techniques for detection of
pathogens; Molecular variability of pathogens; Precision agricultural
technologies in IPDM;
Knowledge and technology transfer to IPDM.
AASPP and APPS Joint Conference – Darwin
This inaugural joint conference in April 2011 brings together the Asian
Association of Societies for Plant Pathology (AASPP) and the Australasian
Plant Pathology Society (APPS). The conference theme is “New
Frontiers in Plant Pathology for Asia and Oceania”, and delegates will be
representing the Asia and Pacific region, including Australia and New
Zealand. See:
www.appc2011.org
and “Coming Events”.
The occasion will provide an excellent opportunity to increase
collaboration between neighbouring countries and to share the latest
scientific knowledge. Potential topics include biosecurity, leading edge
bioinformatic tools, tropical horticultural and agricultural issues,
education and extension. Special interest groups for nematology,
soil-borne diseases, forestry and virology will be represented. Local and
international keynote speakers have been invited to share their
professional experiences and to help in educating the next generation of
plant pathologists.
Workshops will target current horticultural and agricultural issues which
include mango pathology. Educational workshops will assist upcoming
students particularly those from developing countries.
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and is
renowned as a vibrant city with tropical weather all year round,
multicultural heritage, beautiful sunsets, fabulous fishing, indigenous
art, natural wonders and a laid-back lifestyle. From Darwin, journeys can
be made to natural wonders such as Kakadu, the Tiwi Islands and the
Litchfield National Park.
The conference will be held at the Darwin Convention Centre, which is
situated on the gorgeous natural harbour. A large exhibition area provides
an opportunity for commercial participants to promote their products to a
wide international audience.
Call for ISPP Historical Information and Photos
The History of ISPP from 1964 is in preparation for presentation on the
ISPP website.
The urgent need is for information, photos and resources covering the
first 20 years, including the International Congresses for Plant Pathology
in London, Minneapolis, Munich, Melbourne and Kyoto.
Please send information to
charliedelp@verizon.net
for Charlie Delp, the ISPP Historian.
Dr
George N Agrios
Dr George Agrios died in Florida, USA, on 8 March 2010.
Gene McAvoy, County Extension Director
gmcavoy@ifas.ufl.edu
in Hendry County, Florida, sent to colleagues the news and information
about his life, on which the following is based.
Dr Agrios was born in
Galarinos, Haldkidikis, Greece, and received his PhD degree from Iowa
State University in 1960 under the auspices of a Fulbright Travel Grant.
After serving for 2 years in the Engineering Corps of the Greek Army as a
demolition expert, he moved to the United States, where he assumed a
faculty position at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His main
duties there involved teaching several courses in plant pathology and
conducting research on viruses of pepper, squash, corn, and pome fruits.
In 1980, he proposed and spearheaded the creation of a biotechnology
program at the University of Massachusetts and received a state wide
"Award of Excellence" for his services.
In 1988, he came to
Florida, and from 1990-2002 he was Chairman of the Department of Plant
Pathology at the University of Florida.
Dr Agrios was elected
Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society in 1983 and assumed the
highest administrative offices of the Society as Vice-President (1988-89),
President Elect (1989-90), and President (1990-91). He also served as
Secretary, Vice-President, and Chairman of both the Northeast Division of
APS and the Technical Committee on Viruses and Virus-Like Diseases of
Deciduous Fruit Trees and Vines.
None of his many achievements has
had a greater global impact than his "Plant Pathology" which was first
published in 1969 and, in 2005, appeared in its fifth edition. It is the
most widely used plant pathology text in the world and has been so for
more than 30 years. The original English version has been translated into
11 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Indonesian and
Korean, thus making this encyclopaedic work readily available in the
native tongues of much of the world's population.
As
Editor-in-Chief of the APS Editorial Board, Dr Agrios conceived,
organized, and implemented the APS Press, which continuously publishes and
sells an extensive body of plant pathological literature. Today, and as a
direct result of his efforts, more than 1.3 million US dollars worth of
books, periodicals, and various visual aids and computer software are now
being published and made available to plant pathologists and growers
annually throughout the world.
The most innovative of all of Dr Agrios' accomplishments at the University
of Florida was his creation of the multidisciplinary Doctor of Plant
Medicine program, now headed by Dr Robert J McGovern. Formalized in August
2000, it is approved as an official professional doctoral degree program.
Unlike conventional PhD programs, Doctor of Plant Medicine students are
not obliged to conduct research on a narrow and clearly restricted
project. Instead, these students receive extensive instruction in a broad
range of topics covering the gamut of all disciplines that deal with plant
health. Thus, people who have the Doctor of Plant Medicine degree will
have a broader educational base to solve plant production problems. In
retrospect, the concept of a "general practitioner" for plants seems only
logical.
ISPP acknowledges
the life of Dr George Agrios with the greatest respect.
International Potato Center Opens in China
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture
and the International Potato Center (CIP) have established the CIP-China
Center for Asia and the Pacific (CCCAP) in Beijing, China. This will be
the first officially recognized international scientific research
organization in China. The Center will host international scientists and
scholars with a research focus on potato and sweet potato, and on finding
ways to contribute to food security and income generation in China and the
greater Asia-Pacific region. The establishment of the Center is built on
three decades of collaboration between China and CIP on potato and sweet
potato research. This resulted in the development of high yielding potato
varieties adapted to local needs and conditions. A specific output for
sweet potato was the development of virus-clean-up technology and training
modules that boosted sweet potato production by more than 30% on 1 million
hectares in China.
China is the world's leading producer of both potato and sweet potato with
yields equaling 75 million and 104 million tons per year, respectively.
Both crops are staple food for the population and are used for animal
feeds, processed foods and other manufacturing purposes. The CCCAP will
serve as a platform for research and development across Asia and the
Pacific, building on existing CIP research and projects in Nepal, New
Guinea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia
and North Korea.
See the CIP press release at
http://bit.ly/ag1Ywo
Potato Scab in Mongolia – Help Sought
Dr Tsetseg Baljinova, Head of the Laboratory of
Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences,
Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia, requests help and seeks collaboration in
relation to work on strains of Streptomycetes associated with pathogenesis
in potato scab disease. There is a need for identification of genes of the
pathogenic island. She can be contacted at
tsetseg110@yahoo.com
Contributions to a Book Requested
Professor Arun Arya, University of Baroda,
India,
is currently editing a book on “Air Pollution
Management”. He invites research articles on fungal bio-pollutants causing
plant damage in the context of the changing global environmental scenario.
He would like articles to be sent to him within 6 weeks. More information
can be obtained from him and input made at
aryaarunarya@rediffmail.com
He and A E Perello, Universidad
Nacional de la Plata, Argentina, edited “Management of Fungal Pathogens”,
which was published in February 2010 as a hardback of 400 pages by CABI
Publishing.
This
book presents a review of research into pathogenic fungi in a diverse
selection of economically important crops, including fruits and cereals.
The establishment and management of fungal plant disease using
conventional and eco-friendly methods are discussed with an emphasis on
the use of microorganisms and biotechnology. Chapters also examine the
role of microbes in growth promotion, bio-protectors and bio-remediators
and presents practical strategies for using microbes as well as botanicals
in sustainable agriculture.
Potato Blight in Ireland – New Strain
According to a
recent issue of ProMed Plant, the potato crop in Ireland is under threat
from a new strain of Phytophthora
infestans known as Blue 13. This strain was particularly aggressive in
the UK in 2005 and has now spread to many parts of Ireland, where the wet
summer of 2009 favoured it. It was dominant on the east coast and had also
increased in Donegal but not Cork. The usual control procedures may be
less effective because this strain in the UK had resistance to widely used
fungicides such as those based on phenylamides.
See:
www.promedmail.org
and the posting on 12 February 2010.
Hanburyana
“Hanburyana”
is published annually by the Botany Department of the Royal
Horticultural Society in the UK. It is a serial
dedicated to horticultural taxonomy.
It
is available both in printed form and online; it is not necessary to
subscribe. See:
http://bit.ly/9WRILF
for access and downloading of individual articles or whole issues.
Coming Events
- Plasmodesmata 2010, 7th International Conference,
Sydney, Australia.
- 21-26 March 2010.
- See:
http://www.bio.usyd.edu.au/pd2010/
- Contact:
pd2010@bio.usyd.edu.au
- 5th Meeting of the Commission on
Phytosanitary Measures at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy.
- 22-26 March 2010.
- See:
http://www.ippc.int
- IX International Mango Symposium in Sanya, Hainan
Island, China.
- 8-12 April 2010.
- See:
http://www.mango2010.cn
- III International Symposium on Loquat, Antakya-Hatay,
Turkey.
- 3-6 May 2010.
- See: .http://loquat2010.mku.edu.tr/
.
- Climate Change and the Implications for Plant
Protection Symposium at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario,
Canada.
25-27 May 2010.
- See:
http://www.cropprotection.open.uoguelph.ca/
- XV International Botrytis
Symposium in Cadiz, Spain.
- 30 May-4 June 2010.
- See:
www.xvbotrytiscadiz10.com
- The 12th International Conference on Plant
Pathogenic Bacteria 2010 at Saint-Denis, Ile de La Reunion.
- 7-11 June 2010.
- See:
http://www.icppb2010.org/
- 2010 Canadian Phytopathological Society joint
Annual Meeting and Conference with the Pacific Division of the
American Phytopathological Society.
- 20-23 June 2010.
- See:
http://cps-scp2010.ubcconferences.com/
- International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium in
Cornell, New York, USA.
- 20-24 June 2010.
- See: .http://www.isppweb.org/ICPVE/
.
- Contact: Professor Alberto Fereres at
afereres@ccma.csic.es
- 13th Congress of the Mediterranean
Phytopathological Union in Rome, Italy.
- 20-25 June 2010.
- See:
http://www.cra-pavevents.com/
- Contact:
mpucongress.2010@entecra.it
- 11th International Symposium on
the Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms in Melbourne, Australia.
- 28 June–1 July 2010.
- See:
http://www.gim2010.org/
- 12th IUPAC International Congress of Pesticide
Chemistry in Melbourne, Australia.
- 4-8 July 2010.
- See:
http://www.iupacicpc2010.org/
- XVII Congress of the Federation of European
Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB) in Valencia, Spain.
- 4-9 July 2010.
- See:
http://www.geyseco.es/fespb/principal.php?seccion=general
- Contact:
fespb2010@geyseco.es
- 6th International Workshop on
Grapevine Downy and Powdery Mildew in Bordeaux, France.
- 4-9 July 2010.
- See:
https://colloque.inra.fr/gdpm_2010_bordeaux
- 3rd International Symposium on Tomato Diseases,
Ischia, Naples, Italy.
- 25-30 July 2010.
- See:
http://www.3istd.com/
- 34th International Carrot Conference in Kennewick,
Washington State, USA.
- 26-28 July 2010.
- See:
http://www.pnva.org/carrotconf/
- Contact: Lindsey DuToit
dutoit@wsu.edu
- Plant Biology 2010, Montréal, Canada.
- 31 July-4 August 2010.
- See:
http://www.aspb.org/meetings/pb-2010/
- 9th International Mycological Congress (IMC9) “The
Biology of Fungi” in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
- 1-6 August 2010.
- See:
http://www.imc9.info/
- 19th World Congress of Soil Science in Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia.
- 1-6 August 2010.
- See:
http://www.19wcss.org.au/
- APS Annual Meeting 2010 at Opryland, Nashville,
Tennessee, USA.
- 7-11 August 2010.
- See: http://www.apsnet.org
- 6th Australasian Soilborne
Diseases Symposium at Twin Waters, Sunshine Coast, Queensland,
Australia.
- 9-11 August 2010.
- See:
http://www.asds6.org/
- 5th International Rice Blast
Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
- 11-15 August 2010.
- See:
www.ars.usda.gov/irbc2010
- Phyllosphere 2010: Ninth
International Symposium on the Microbiology of Aerial Plant Surfaces
in Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
- 14-18 August 2010.
- See:
http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/phyllosphere2010
- ISHS 12th International Workshop
on Fire Blight in Warsaw, Poland.
- 16-20 August 2010.
- See:
www.fireblight2010.pl
- XXVIII International
Horticultural Congress (IHC2010) in Lisbon, Portugal.
- 22-27
August 2010.
- Contact:
info@ihc2010.org
- See:
http://www.ihc2010.org
- The 8th International Conference
on Pseudomonas syringae
and Related Pathogens in Oxford, UK.
- 31 August-3 September 2010.
- See: www.reading.ac.uk/Psyringae2010
- Contact:
syringae2010@plants.ox.ac.uk
- 3rd AAB Symposium on Potato Cyst Nematodes in
Newport, UK.
- 14-15 September 2010.
- See:
http://www.aab.org.uk/
- 11th European Fusarium Seminar – “Mycotoxins,
Taxonomy, Pathogenicity and Host Resistance” in Radzikow, near Warsaw,
Poland.
- 20-24 September 2010.
- Contact:
e.czembor@ihar.edu.pl or
t.goral@ihar.edu.pl
- British Crop Protection Council Congress 2010 at
ExCeL London, UK.
- 1-3 November 2010.
- See:
http://www.bcpccongress.com/
- 9th Conference of the European
Foundation for Plant Pathology & 6th Congress of the Sociedade
Portuguesa de Fitopatologia jointly in Évora, Portugal.
- 15-18 November 2010.
See:
http://www.efpp10.uevora.pt/
- International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and
Surveillance in Vienna, Austria. (medical matters)
- 4-7 February 2011.
- See:
http://imed.isid.org/
- International Congress of Postharvest Pathology in
Lleida, Spain.
- 13-15 April 2011.
- 18th Biennial Australasian Plant
Pathology Meeting and 4th Asian Conference for Plant Pathology at the
Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
- 27-29 April 2011.
- See:
http://www.appc2011.org
- XVIII International Botanical Congress – 2011 in
Melbourne, Australia.
- 24–30 July 2011.
- See:
http://www.ibc2011.com/
- Joint Meeting of APS and IAPPS
in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
- 6-10 August 2011.
- See:
http://www.apsnet.org
- Climate Change and Plant Disease Management Meeting
in Évora, Portugal.
- Postponed to 2011 – details to be advised by KNPV.
- A collaborative effort by KNPV, APS and EFPP.
- APS Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island,
USA.
- 4-8 August 2012.
- See:
http://www.apsnet.org
- 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology
(ICPP2013) in Beijing, China.
- 25-30 August 2013.
- Contact: Professor You-Liang Peng, Department of
Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, China
Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China. Phone:
+86-10-62733607; Fax: +86-10-62733607.
- e-mail:
president@cspp.org.cn
- See:
http://www.icppbj2013.org/
- 29th International Horticulture
Congress in Brisbane, Australia.
- 2014.
- See:
http://www.ihc2014.org
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