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.
Constraints to Yield of major crops
in High Poverty areas
A paper by Stephen R Waddington, Xiaoyun Li,
John Dixon, Glenn Hyman and M Carmen de Vicente “Getting the focus
right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and
African farming systems” was published on-line on 27th January 2010
for the March issue of Food Security 2, 27–48. This paper is highly
appropriate for “Food Security” because it traverses all the
constraints that the creators of the new journal had in mind. The
constraints go far beyond plant pathology and indeed agriculture
unless the latter is defined as including sociology and applied
economics.
Thirteen farming systems with objectively
defined high poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia and east Asia
were assessed for the performance of rice, wheat, cassava, sorghum,
cowpea and chickpea. A large team of experts gathered extensive data
which were thoroughly analyzed and listed.
Plant
diseases occur across the lists, but they were not always identified
as the major production constraints in the different crops. Only in
rice, chickpea and cassava were diseases found as major among the
abiotic, biotic, management and socio-economic categories of
constraint considered most important as bases of yield loss.
Specific mention was thereby made of leaf, stem and head diseases of
rice, Botrytis grey mould in chickpea and mosaic virus disease in
cassava.
Postharvest Pathology Congress
This Congress under the auspices of the ISPP
Postharvest Pathology Committee will take place in Lleida,
Catalonia, Spain, in April 2011 and will be hosted by the University
of Lleida and its IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia
Agroalimentàries). See: “Coming Events’’.
The aims of the meeting
are to update advances in research on Postharvest Pathology and to
provide an opportunity to exchange information between the 9th and
the 10th Congresses of the International Society of Plant Pathology
(ISPP).
This meeting will be organized by the
Postharvest Pathology Research group (IRTA) of the University of
Lleida in collaboration with Professor Dov Prusky, Chair of the ISPP
Postharvest Pathology Committee, and supported by Professor M
Lodovica Gullino, President of ISPP. The local conveners are
Professor Immaculada Viñas and Dr Josep Usall.
A web-site for the
congress is being prepared and meanwhile enquiries may be directed
to the Congress Secretary
fundacio@700.udl.cat .
Transfer of
Chromosomes between Strains of Fusarium
Collaboration between
research groups in many parts of the world gave rise to a paper
published on 18 March 2010 in Nature 464, 367-373, entitled
“Comparative genomics reveals mobile pathogenicity chromosomes in
Fusarium”.
The team compared the genomes of three
phenotypically diverse species: Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium
verticillioides and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
lycopersici. Their analysis revealed lineage-specific (LS)
genomic regions in F. oxysporum which included four entire
chromosomes and accounted for over a quarter of the genome. LS
regions are rich in transposons and genes with distinct evolutionary
profiles but related to pathogenicity. Sequence characteristics of
the genes in the LS regions indicated a distinct evolutionary origin
of these regions.
In experiments, the team demonstrated transfer
of two LS chromosomes between strains of F. oxysporum,
converting a non-pathogenic strain into a pathogen. The transfer
occurred during co-incubation of two otherwise genetically isolated
members of the species.
The relative ease with which new tomato
pathogenic genotypes were generated supports the hypothesis that
such transfer between strains may have occurred in nature and has a
direct impact on understanding the evolving nature of fungal
pathogens. Horizontal gene transfer has been documented rarely in
some eukaryotes. However, spontaneous horizontal transfer of such a
large portion of a genome and the direct demonstration of associated
transfer of host-specific pathogenicity is claimed to be a new
report.
Horizontal transfer of host specificity
factors between otherwise distant and genetically isolated lineages
of the fungus may explain the apparent polyphyletic origins of host
specialization and the rapid emergence of new pathogenic lineages in
otherwise distinct and incompatible genetic backgrounds.
Mobilization of LS chromosomes could, in one step, transfer an
entire suite of genes required for host compatibility to a new
genetic lineage. If the recipient lineage had an environmental
adaptation different from the donor, transfer could increase the
overall incidence of disease in the host by introducing
pathogenicity into a genetic background pre-adapted to a local
environment.
The threatening Puccinia psidii found in Japan
This rust fungus is a
pathogen of many members of the Myrtaceae. It originated on
native species in South America where it then affected plantations
of introduced Eucalyptus species. It causes one of the most serious
forestry diseases in Brazil and is considered to be the most serious
threat to eucalypt plantations worldwide, as pointed out strongly by
Coutinho T A, Wingfield M J, Alfenas A C and Crous P W (1998)
Eucalyptus rust: a disease with the potential for serious
international implications. Plant Disease 82:819-825.
Puccinia psidii
occurred in Mexico and Florida and parts of Central America
including the Caribbean, before being recorded on Metrosideros
species in Hawaii increasing concerns about its incursion into the
native members of the Myrtaceae and particularly Eucalyptus species
in Australia, as stated by Glen M, Alfenas A C, Zauza E A V,
Wingfield M J, Mohammed C (2007) Puccinia psidii: a threat
to the Australian environment and economy—a review. Australasian
Plant Pathology 36:1–16.
The rust fungus was found in 2007 in Japan on
Metrosideros polymorpha (ohia) as confirmed by the work of
Kawanishi T et al (2009) First report of rust disease on ohia and
the causal fungus, Puccinia psidii, in Japan. Journal of
General Plant Pathology 75:428–431. In experiments, it was shown to
be pathogenic on Eucalyptus amplifolia and E. rudis
in addition to previously reported host species.
The
obvious threat continues as the earlier reviewers warned.
BIT’s 1st World
Congress of Virus and Infections
BIT’s 1st World Congress
of Virus and Infections will be held from 31 July to 3 August 2010
in Busan, South Korea, as shown in “Coming Events”.
BIT
originated as Bio Integration Technology, based in Dalian, China,
and is now known as BIT Life Sciences. In 2008, BIT held its first
Annual World Summit of Antivirals in Kunming, China, and a second
one in Beijing in 2009, for updating current advances about novel
antiviral therapeutics.
Now BIT is also holding a World Congress of
Virus and Infections, and one part, the 11th, is relevant to Plant
Pathology and it comprises sections on Wheat and Rice Virus; Tobacco
Virus and the Economic Implications; Potato and Bean Virus, Other
Vegetable Virus; The Plant Virus Biodiversity; Ecology and Molecular
Virology; Viral Counter-defense Proteins; Tospoviruses; RNAi in
Plant Virus; Viral Pathogen and Plant Disease Control; Plant Virus'
Contributions to Green Biotech Products.
See: http://bit.ly/dgP3By
for the “plant” program, which needs some additional chair persons
and speakers to volunteer.
Contact: Ms Chris Zhao, Program Coordinator,
Organizing Committee of WCVI-2010, 26 Gaoneng Street, Room 405,
Dalian High-tech Zone, Dalian, LN 116025, China
chris@bit-wsa.com .
International Advances
in Plant Virology
This conference is being organised by the
Association of Applied Biologists in collaboration with the Dutch
Circle of Plant Virologists and will be held in Arnhem, The
Netherlands, in September 2010. See “Coming Events”. The program
will be open to any topics or areas within basic or applied plant
virology and will include all current areas of interest to Plant
Virologists and will consist of presentations by invited speakers as
well as offered papers by delegates. Confirmed speakers include: Michael Taliansky
(SCRI, Dundee); Sven Behrens (Martin-Luther-University
Halle-Wittenberg Institute of Biotechnology, Germany); Carole
Caranta (INRA, Montfavet, France) and Miguel Aranda (Dept of Stress
Biology & Plant Pathology, CEBAS, Murcia, Spain). Contact:
Rebecca@aab.org.uk .
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United
Nations, dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in developing
countries. Its work in remote rural areas of the world helps countries
achieve Millennium Development Goals. See: www.ifad.org
.
The International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) has a series of six short videos on
“Highlights of the Global Status of Biotech Crops”, which it dedicates
to the late Norman Borlaug. Within each video, Dr Clive James, ISAAA
Founder and Chair, provides an analysis of its theme. All six videos are
available in video streaming or in downloadable format at the ISAAA
website
http://www.isaaa.org or in YouTube.
The titles of the six videos
are - The Norman Borlaug Legacy - Global Adoption of Biotech Crops -
Biotech Crops in Developing Countries: The Significance of Bt Rice and
Phytase Maize in China - The Global Impact of Biotech Crops - The Future
Prospects of Biotech Crops - The Mission of ISAAA: Knowledge Sharing.
CropWorld
This is a crop production congress and exhibition
to be held in London, UK, from 1-3 November 2010. It has undergone name
changes and was once known as the British Crop Protection Congress. It
is now organised and presented by United Business Media and the British
Crop Production Council.
CropWorld embraces all aspects of crop production,
from seed to supermarket and beyond and is global in nature. Global food
security, climate change, environmental and regulatory factors affecting
crop production, the future for GM crops, agrochemicals, fertilisers,
seeds and crop nutrients, water utilisation and irrigation are among the
topics to be addressed. Running alongside the conference will be an
international exhibition.
See:
http://www.crop-world.com/ , where details are
also given of CropWorld India from 25-26 May 2010 in Mumbai. Personal
details can be entered on the web-site in order to receive updates or an
e-mail van be sent to
anna.knight@ubm.com for addition to the
mailing list.
Acknowledgements
I thank Elaine Davison, Greg Johnson and Wenhua
Tang for their input into this Newsletter.
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/ .
XVIth Biennial Workshop on
the Smuts and Bunts in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. 14-18 June 2010. Contact:
denis.gaudet@agr.gc.ca .
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/ .
BITs 1st World Congress of Virus and Infections-2010 “Voice of
Virologists” in Busan, South Korea. 31 July-3 August 2010. See: http://www.bitlifesciences.com/wcvi2010/ .
Fifth Symposium on Silicon in Agriculture in Viçosa Federal University,
Viçosa City, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 16-18 August 2010. See:
www.siliconagriculture.com.br/ . Contact: fabricio@ufv.br
.
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
.
International Advances in
Plant Virology in Arnhem, The Netherlands. 5-7 September 2010. See: http://www.aab.org.uk/
.
XXI Phytopathology Peruvia Congress in Tarapoto, San Martin, Peru. 5-10 September 2010. See:
www.aspefi.org/congreso/ .
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
.
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/ .
2nd International Conference
on Huanglongbing in Orlando, Florida, USA. 10-14 January 2011. See: IRCHLB.org
.
International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance in Vienna,
Austria. (medical matters) 4-7 February 2011. See: http://imed.isid.org/
.
International Congress of Post Harvest Pathology in Lleida, Catalonia,
Spain. 13-15 April
2011. Contact: The
Congress Secretary
fundacio@700.udl.cat .
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
.
2nd Argentine Congress of Plant Pathology in Mar del Plata, Buenos
Aires, Argentina. 26-28
May 2011. Contact :
ridaoaz@balcarce.inta.gov.ar .
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
.
APS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, USA. 10-14 August 2013. 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/ .
APS Annual Meeting in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. 9-13 August 2014. See: http://www.apsnet.org
.
29th International Horticulture Congress in Brisbane, Australia. August 2014. See: http://www.ihc2014.org
.
