News and
announcements from all on any aspect of Plant Pathology are invited for the Newsletter. Contributions from the ISPP Executive,
Council and Subject Matter Committees, Associated Societies and
Supporting Organisations are requested.
News from Richard Falloon in Earthquake Affected Christchurch
Christchurch in New Zealand was affected by a severe earthquake (over 7 on the
Richter Scale) in the early morning of 4th September. It was the host
city for ICPP2003 and is the home of Richard Falloon, the Immediate past
President of ISPP. Greg Johnson got in touch with Richard, who sent Greg a
message in the early evening of 5th September detailing his knowledge
of the situation and the experience of himself and his wife Joy. Richard asked
for its wide distribution, and a slightly edited version follows:-
“Thanks for your concern. I guess the situation, in a word, is that all is as
well as could be expected.
Lincoln University and Plant & Food Research, along with most businesses and
institutions in Christchurch and the Canterbury region in a 60 km radius of the
city, will remain closed on the 6th, to assess local damage, and the
effects of the earthquake. Word is that only minor damage has occurred at both
the University and P & F R.
It seems that about 500 buildings in Christchurch, and many others in
surrounding small towns and farmland, are damaged to the extent of requiring
evacuation and extensive re-building or demolition. There has been no loss
of life and only a very few injuries, probably because of the 4.35 a.m. time of
the major quake, and is also testimony to the earthquake engineering that is
standard for NZ buildings.. This meant that the vast majority of people were in
bed at home. The major problems are property damage, and damage to
infrastructure (roads, water mains, sewage systems).
On a personal note, the experience was ‘one in a lifetime’. Joy and I were
awoken by the roar that slightly preceded the main shock, which shook our house
like a toy. I think the house was moving possibly with amplitude of 20 cm
or more. The lamp-post on the street outside was flexing about 2 m in each
direction. You could hardly stagger to the door arch of the bedroom, which
is the standard reaction taught to every child at school. Our home appears
to be completely unscathed; only two large ornamental vases broken. The only
real inconvenience for us was the loss of electricity for 6 hours and water for
12 hours. We have had relations staying overnight, because the brick
chimney of their house was tottering dangerously. This has been a very
common occurrence; many middle aged houses (50 years old or so) have had the
same problem.
Hope that puts you in the picture. The general situation is one of severe
infrastructural damage to municipal facilities and services, damage to homes
varying depending on age (old homes worse off than modern ones), and varying
levels of personal distress depending largely on extent of home damage, and no
serious injury to colleagues, friends and family.
Thanks again for your message, Richard.”
Postharvest Pathology
Further to the item in the ISPP Newsletter for April 2010, the program and
administrative details for the International Congress of Postharvest Pathology
to be held in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, in April 2011 have been announced. They
are on the newly available Congress
web-site
which also has a welcome from Lodovica Gullino, ISPP President. The conveners of
the congress are Inmaculada Viñas and Josep Usall. The scientific committee
includes Professor Dov Prusky (Volcani Center, Israel) who is Chair of the ISPP
Postharvest Pathology Committee.
The event is a world conference under the patronage of the ISPP to promote
international co-operation and collaboration among postharvest pathology
research groups.
The scientific programme has plenary sessions, oral and poster presentations, a
round table discussion and thematic meetings. Topics include:
host-pathogen-environment interactions; etiology and epidemiology; effect of
pre-harvest treatments on postharvest disease control; molecular tools applied
to postharvest pathology studies; chemical and alternative disease control
strategies; production and formulation of biocontrol agents.
The final day will have a plenary session on better exploitation of the
research-industry interface and enhancing the translation of research into
commercial products. The scientific presentations will be focused on new control
systems which are close to commercial validation. During this day, debate and
discussions between researchers and industry stake holders are intended.
Finally, there will be a round table discussion session where the present and
future vision for the science will be discussed.
Regulation for Disease Control and Food Security
The economic importance of the potato crop and the wide range of diseases and
pests affecting it have been driving forces in developing plant protection
policies in Europe. Potatoes were introduced into Europe around 1570 and reached
the UK by the end of the 16th century. The first major impact of
disease in the UK was in 1760, now attributed mainly to potato leaf roll virus.
Potato blight (Phytophthora infestans)
resulted in the famine particularly in Ireland from the 1840s. Then wart disease
(Synchytrium endobioticum) also went
near to completely destroying the potato crop in the UK from the 1870s.
Regulations attempting to overcome these diseases, to prevent introduction of
further diseases, and to prevent the spread of emerging or established diseases,
became very important in the UK. Reviewing potato diseases and the long history
of their regulation in the UK and now the European Community helps to understand
better why some policies have been successful, and others not, in contributing
to food security.
This is done in a paper by Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz, Alan MacLeod, Peter Reed
and Peter R Mills published (not for open access)
on-line 27 July in the
journal
Food Security
towards the September 2010 issue of volume 2.
It is titled “The role of regulatory mechanisms for control of plant
diseases and food security—case studies from potato production in Britain”.
The diseases (pathogens) chosen for case studies were wart disease (Synchytrium
endobioticum), ring rot (Clavibacter
michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus),
blackleg (Erwinia carotovora var
atroseptica) and powdery scab (Spongospora
subterranea). They were chosen because of the many regulations and policies
brought in over many years in the UK, and the ability now to assess their worth.
Inspection of crops and notification of disease, requirements for crop
rotations, quarantine measures, certification of seed potatoes and powers to
destroy crops were all the subject of regulations at different times. Potato
blight (Phytophthora infestans) is
not part of a case study, probably because its aerial distribution and
dependence on weather conditions make it elusive for regulation, but it receives
some mention in the review. European Community regulations and directives are
also important considerations of relatively recent occurrence.
Substantial work in the review leads to the conclusion that, in general,
government policies have worked well in protecting UK potato crops over the last
century, despite failures of some of the policies as discussed by the authors.
The policies have also contributed to the development of plant health policies
for other crops. Voluntary grower initiatives are a new mechanism complementing
existing formal policies with an additional level of security that allows
individual growers to take on additional responsibility rather than relying
entirely on government legislation.
American Phytopathological Society
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) has recently held its Annual
Meeting. A new APS Council under the Presidency of Professor John L Sherwood has
also been announced. Details may be found on the completely re-designed web-site
APSnet,
which was unveiled for members at the meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, and
went live on 16 August 2010.
The new web-site has taken nearly two years to build and includes over 100,000
pages and 20,000 images. It uses the latest technology so that it is claimed to
be easier to navigate with an advanced search function. It has a daily news
feed, a webcast section, large numbers of searchable abstracts and historical
archives. New features will be added to the web-site, such as collaboration
tools, opportunities for threaded discussion areas and aids for communication
among the public and plant pathologists around the world. Importantly for
international users, the on-line
APS PRESS Bookstore
continues with its wealth of books, compendia and CDs in support of teaching,
research and diagnostic work.
Chilean Phytopathological Congress
Dr Orlando Andrade Vilaró, the Co-ordinator General of this Congress, and of
INIA Carillanca, Temuco, Chile, contacted Dr Greg Johnson on behalf of the
Organizing Committee to let ISPP members know about the XIX Chilean
Phytopathological Congress to be held in Pucón City, southern Chile, in November
2010. See “Coming Events”. Further information is available from the
Congress web-site.
From the web pages of the
Chilean Phytopathological Society,
news about the society and presentation summaries about past congresses may be
found.
International Efforts to combat Rice Blast Disease
The 5th International Rice Blast Conference has recently met in
Arkansas, USA. About 175 researchers from 20 countries took part in the
conference. Former President Bill Clinton wrote a welcome letter to the
Conference emphasizing its international importance. Among the keynote speakers
were Bob Zeigler, Director of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
in the Philippines, and Yulin Jia of Arkansas. USDA plant pathologists Jim
Correll and Yulin Jia were co-chairs. You-Liang Peng, ISPP Vice-President, was a
member of the International Organizing Committee and he also made a number of
oral and poster presentations to the Conference.
The disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is most destructive in rice around the
world. Because rice is a staple food for over 3 billion people in the world,
rice blast research is very important. Global population increases will require
doubling of rice yields over the next 50 years, putting pressure on food
security internationally. Most rice production occurs in Asia but demand is
particularly strong in sub–Saharan Africa. The needed increase in yield far
exceeds that achieved in Asia in the past decade.
The main themes of the sessions at the Conference were:- understanding the
pathogen and its interaction with rice and other host plants, and the way
environment inhibits or promotes the disease; rice management strategies for
coping with the disease and preserving yields; discovery of marker genes to help
identify resistances and other traits that would increase resistance; ways to
develop more durable resistance against the constantly evolving rice blast
pathogen. Since the last Rice Blast Conference in Changsha, Hunan, China, in
2007, availability of the genome sequences of rice and the pathogen has resulted
in significant advances in rice blast research.
Professor Jim Correll of the Department of Plant Pathology, University of
Arkansas, issued a
news release
about the Conference and its significance. The release informs people in the
local blast-affected rice region of the USA and also internationally. A leaf
blast epidemic is currently underway in the delta region from northern Louisiana
to southern Missouri, USA. Effects on rice yields would also have a big impact
on the agricultural economy in Arkansas, which grows about half of the rice
produced and exported in the USA. Research by Yulin Jia is helping to develop
rice varieties with increased resistance to the disease. His genetic markers aid
plant breeders in Arkansas and elsewhere to put genes for blast resistance into
improved varieties. Development of new resistant varieties in Arkansas and
internationally is a continuous effort, however, because the blast pathogen is
constantly evolving so that resistance is not durable.
As with breeding wheat for resistance to rust pathogens, research examines the
interaction between resistance genes in rice and the genes in the blast fungus
that overcome resistance, and seeks means of getting some steps ahead of the
pathogen. Use of fungicides to minimize rice blast disease is also threatened by
evolution of resistance in the pathogen to these chemicals, so this aspect also
must be taken into account.
A
major questions posed by Bob Zeigler in his keynote address was whether farmers
have been empowered to better manage the problem than they could 20 years ago,
when a major resurgence in research on the pathogen and the disease began? His
answer was that after some initial successes, there has been little progress in
the past decade. He stated that a major outcome of the conference should be a
roadmap to develop tools and approaches that can be integrated by scientists and
farmers to face what will most likely be an even more serious challenge from the
blast pathogen ten to fifteen years ahead.
International Symposium on Potato Cyst Nematode Management
Dr Pat Haydock, Leader of the Nematology Research Group at Harper Adams
University College, Newport,
Shropshire,
UK, has sent the following information on the 3rd Symposium on Potato
Cyst Nematode to be held at the College in September 2010 – see “Coming Events”
and
www.aab.org.uk.
The conference follows on from those held in 2000 and 2005 and has been extended
to two-days. The first day will have presentations on developments in nematode
biology, diagnostics and the influence of legislation. Later that day there will
be field based demonstrations of trap-cropping, bio-fumigation, resistant
cultivars and nematicide application. Day two is concerned with the practical
management of potato cyst nematodes considering both individual control
components and an integrated approach.
The conference will be relevant to all concerned with potato cyst nematode
including agronomists, potato growers, crop protection specialists, regulators,
researchers and students.
A range of speakers from the UK and from France, Belgium, Norway, Russia,
Serbia, Canada and Australia will contribute and ensuing discussions should
enable management strategies for this pest to be improved.
Potato cyst nematodes are important pests of potato crops in the UK and
worldwide. The nematodes damage the root system making them less able to extract
water and nutrients from the soil. This leads to reductions in potato yield and
quality. Potato cyst nematodes infest approximately two-thirds of potato growing
land in England and Wales where they cause damage amounting to many millions of
pounds sterling. Potato cyst nematodes are managed using an integrated approach
involving the use of crop rotation, resistant cultivars and nematicides. Other
biological methods are under development.
Plant Pathology at Indooroopilly in Australia
Dr Greg Johnson, ISPP Secretary-General, was a member from 1974 to 1992 of the
Plant Pathology Branch of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI)
based at Indooroopilly, near Brisbane. Many international plant pathologists
will have visited or know of the facility at Indooroopilly which has been in
action for near to 50 years. Greg lets ISPP members know, as follows, about its
forthcoming relocation.
In October 2010, the Plant Pathology and Entomology staff of the now-named
Queensland Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI)
will relocate from Indooroopilly to a purpose built facility in the
Ecosciences Precinct,
at the site of a former prison, now called, imaginatively,
Boggo Road Urban Village,
in Brisbane’s Dutton Park.
As a fitting
farewell to the Indooroopilly labs, Denis Persley, leader of DEEDI Plant
Pathology, and his colleagues organized a reunion and barbecue with former staff
of Plant Pathology and Entomology in late August 2010. The reunion was
organized as part of an Open Day at the site, and over 100 current and former
staff attended. In this the International Year of Biodiversity, it is with hope
and optimism that the staff will make the move, and it was pleasing to see the
many young plant pathologists at the reunion.
In the 1960’s relocation of the DPI Science Branches from the BrisbaneWilliam Street headquarters of the then
Department of Agriculture and Stock to Indooroopilly had been championed by
the Director of Plant Pathology,
Dr Jack H Simmonds,
best known in plant pathology for his pioneering work on latency of
Colletotrichum on banana and other tropical fruit. The Plant Pathology and
Entomology Branches each had their own purpose built laboratories constructed at
Indooroopilly in spacious leafy surrounds. With initially about 16 (and later,
more) plant pathologists, and a similar number of support staff co-located, so
began four decades of economically significant research and development tackling
the diseases and pests of Queensland crops.
Banana Disease in Oman
A
correspondent in Oman,
Mr Ayyavoo Srinivasan, has written to ISPP about a serious problem which has
developed this year in his banana plantation. He has been cultivating banana in
about 300 acres for the last ten years without pest or disease problems. He then
planted G9 banana T C during December 2009 and early growth was normal. After 3
months, new leaves started drying and there was also tissue damage at the
pseudo-stem in contact with the soil. The plants started withering. He sent
numerous photographs of the damage and sought advice about control and
preventative action in order to avoid future damage. Three of the photographs
are shown below.
ISPP does not have a diagnostic role but members in some parts of the world
might understand the situation. ISPP put the grower in touch with
PestNet
and its Chair Grahame Jackson, who gave helpful advice on ways to proceed with
further diagnosis and advice through PestNet.
Wheat Genome not really cracked
On 27 August 2010, the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK
announced the public release of the first sequence coverage of the wheat genome
as a step towards a fully annotated genome. This research was by a BBSRC-funded
team at the Universities of Bristol and Liverpool and the John Innes Centre. The
BBSRC release was about a five-fold coverage of the genome sequence of cultivar
Chinese Spring. Most of the sequencing work for this particular project was done
using an advanced platform developed in the USA. The data are in a raw format,
but the complete copy of the genome will require much further research involving
further read-throughs, much work on annotation and the assembly of the data into
chromosomes. The wheat genome data have been made available for analysis and
application. Open access release of the data was a condition of the BBSRC
support for the project and has been done in line with its data sharing policy.
The research results have yet to be submitted for publication in appropriate
journals.
The
UK team is participating in work towards a complete genome sequence with The
International Wheat Genome Sequence Consortium, who comprise scientists, wheat
growers and public and private breeders from around the world. The Consortium
issued a press release on 30/31 August 2001 entitled “Significant Work Still
Needed to Really Crack Wheat’s Genetic Code”. The Consortium strongly disagrees
with excessive claims made in many press reports about the BBSRC-supported work
and states that they are a complete misrepresentation of the value of the work
to breeders and scientists Particular exception is taken to implications that
the material made available by the UK team represents in any way the sequence of
the wheat genome or that this work is comparable to genome sequences for rice,
maize or soybean. The Consortium appreciates the timely release of the 5X
sequence coverage of the wheat genome and believes that these raw sequences
complement previous approaches to collect information about genes and will be
very useful for future high throughput marker development. Ordering and
alignment of the genes is essential, however, for linking the information to the
important traits that breeders are targeting for improving wheat varieties.
Significant additional resources and effort, by far exceeding those invested to
achieve the five-fold coverage, will be needed over the next few years to obtain
a wheat genome sequence.
Fusarium Head Blight Forum
The Wheat and Barley
Scab Initiative of the USA (USWBSI) will be holding its annual conference, the
2010 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, in
December 2010. See “Coming Events” and the
web-site
for the forum.
There are five main sessions in the forum, and these are:- Gene Discovery and
Engineering Resistance; Pathogen Biology and Genetics; FHB Management; Food
Safety, Toxicology, and Utilization of Mycotoxin-contaminated Grain; Variety
Development and Host Resistance.
Freshcut
Fresh-cut fruit and
vegetables are an important and rapidly expanding food segment of interest to
growers, processors, retailers and consumers. In Europe, the fresh-cut industry
has a constant growth in terms of quantity and turnover. It is expanding faster
than any other segment of the fruit and vegetable market including to new
markets around the world. In Europe, Italy is one of the key players.
Fresh-cut products are
more perishable than whole produce and they are physically altered during
processing operations and are characterized by an accelerated metabolism. The
ultimate potential postharvest quality and shelf-life of fresh produce is
determined before harvest. Proper handling and the use of effective sanitizers,
optimal storage temperature and packaging reduce the rapid degradation of
fresh-cut produce. Efficient cultivation and postharvest processing management
and their synergy can contribute to a system aiming to be competitive.
The II International
Conference on Quality Management of Fresh Cut Produce called “Freshcut2011” will
be held in Torino, Italy, in July 2011. See “Coming Events” and the conference web-site. The convener is
Silvana Nicola.
New
knowledge about genetic material, genomics, biotechnology, production, handling,
storage, shipping, processing, sanitation, automation, tracking systems
including new advanced technologies, retailers, consumer demand, regulations,
economics is intended to be presented. Scientists, stakeholders, corporate and
business companies are invited to take part. A technical tour will be scheduled
during the conference week and Pre- and Post-Conference tours will be available.
Acknowledgements
I thank Greg
Johnson for his input.
Coming Events
3rd AAB Symposium on Potato Cyst Nematodes in Newport, Shropshire, UK.
18th Biennial Australasian Plant Pathology Meeting and 4th Asian Conference for
Plant Pathology at the Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin, Northern Territory,
Australia.
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.
