The Jakob Eriksson Prize for Plant Pathology was established in 1923 to honor the memory of Jakob Eriksson, a prominent Swedish mycologist and plant pathologist who died in 1931. He was also a dedicated internationalist who espoused the cause of international cooperation in plant pathology. The Jakob Eriksson Prize will be awarded at the 7th International Congress of Plant Pathology (9-16 August 1998) in Edinburgh. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences administers the Jakob Eriksson Prize Fund which provides for a gold medal award at Congresses of the International Society for Plant Pathology.

Nominations are solicited for a candidate of distinction in recognition of research in mycology, in plant pathology, or in virus diseases, or of a particular publication dealing with such subjects, with the understanding that the work being recognized is of a distinct international value and merit.

The following two rules apply to those making nominations: 1) nominators must provide a curriculum vitae and a short statement justifying the selection of nominees; and 2) names of all nominees must be strictly confidential.

All nominations are to be sent to Prof Berndt Gerhardson, Chairman, or Dr Lennart Johnsson, Secretary, Jakob Eriksson Prize Committee, before 30 April 1998. Address: Plant Pathology and Biocontrol Unit, P O Box 7035, SE - 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.

A Message from Peter Scott, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, about the 7th International Congress of Plant Pathology, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, 9-16 August 1998, reminds that now is a good time to register for ICPP98. If you haven’t already got a copy, ask the Congress Secretariat (see below) for the

* Call for Papers and Invitation to Register

* or visit the Congress Web Site at: <http://www.bspp.org.uk/icpp98>

The closing date for the cheaper Early Registration, for the reserved Hotel Accommodation, and for the Visits and Tours is 30 April 1998.

It may still be possible to reserve University accommodation and to submit Abstracts. If you want to do so, please act now. The deadline for submitting Abstracts has passed: if you still have an Abstract you want to submit, please ask the Secretariat whether this is possible.

Interest in the Congress is running at a high level. To avoid disappointment, do act now if you want to attend. Interest in the Commercial Exhibition is also high. If you know of an organization that should be there, please encourage them to act quickly.

Some Highlights

Our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, daughter of Her Majesty The Queen, will attend the Opening Plenary Session and will give an address.

Some 50 Symposia, as listed in the Invitation to Register and on the Web Site, have been organized, comprising several hundred invited papers, arranged within five Themes:

1. Plant-pathogen interactions
2. Population biology, ecology and epidemiology
3. Plant pathology in practice
4. Global perspectives
5. New control options

Poster Sessions are associated with all these Themes. Well over 1000 posters had been offered by 31 January.

The Public Discussion Forum on "Global Food Security: The Role of Plant Pathology" includes a presentation by Dr Norman Borlaug, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace.

The Symposium on "Information Technology for Plant Pathology" includes presentations by Professor Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government, and by Professor Peter Cochrane, Head of Research at British Telecom.

Our two Honorary Presidents will attend the Congress. Lord Sainsbury of Turville is the Chairman of Sainsburys supermarkets and benefactor of the Sainsbury Laboratory of Molecular Plant Pathology. Professor Ronald Wood was Secretary of the First International Congress of Plant Pathology.

More than 30 Evening Meetings are being organized.

PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PLANT PATHOLOGY

An Exhibition will be mounted at the Royal Botanic Garden as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, 4-19 April, and will remain in place through to the Congress in August.

MORE THAN JUST PLANT PATHOLOGY

Edinburgh and Scotland are special! The Congress features a full Social Programme for delegates and their registered guests. It includes a Welcome Reception, a Farewell Ceilidh, daily excursions in and around Edinburgh, and five Post-Congress Tours which are a mixture of plant pathology and sightseeing in Scotland.

We chose the week of the Congress to be near a remarkable series of Edinburgh events. The Edinburgh International Jazz Festival is held just before the Congress. The Edinburgh Tattoo and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe run during the Congress. The Edinburgh International Festival starts the week after the Congress. So does the Edinburgh International Film Festival. See <http://www.go-edinburgh.co.uk>.

KEEPING IN TOUCH

The Congress Web Site will be kept up to date. Abstracts will be posted as they become available. The Congress Secretariat can provide further details of all aspects of the Congress:

Cheryl Goff, Sophie Ure, Congress Secretariat, 7th International Congress of Plant Pathology, c/o Meeting Makers Ltd, 50 George Street, Glasgow G1 1QE, Scotland, UK; Telephone: +44-141-553-1930; Fax: +44-141-552-0511; e-mail: <icpp98@meetingmakers.co.uk>; Web: <http://www.bspp.org.uk/icpp98>.

"The detection, isolation and manipulation of soil and rhizosphere micro-organisms" is the theme of a joint meeting of two societies in Warwick, UK, in December 1998 (see "Coming Events").

The program will include sessions of invited speakers, the P H Gregory Paper Reading Competition sponsored by the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP), a Postgraduate Poster Competition sponsored by the Society for Applied Microbiology, offered papers and the Annual General Meeting of BSPP.

Conference information will also appear on the BSPP web pages at <http://www.bspp.org.uk/>.

Advice from the General Secretary of the European Foundation for Plant Pathology (EFPP), Dr J F J M van den Heuvel, is that the 5th Meeting of the Board of the EFPP and Delegates of Member Societies will be held at the 7th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Edinburgh, Scotland, during 9-16 August 1998. Items for discussion shoud be sent to the General Secretary by Fax: +31-317-410113 or e-mail: efpp@ipo.dlo.nl

The Publishing Editor of the European Journal of Plant Pathology included the information that in 1998, volume 104 will be published comprising 9 issues at a membership price of NLG 160.00. He may be contacted at Fax: +31-78-639-2334.

The semiannual newsletter (Volume 1, Number 2) of the Tropical Vegetable Information Service (TVIS) arrived recently. This issue contains a number of articles on plant disease, including the following topics:

• Early and late blight infections and tomato yield
• Root-knot nematodes and tomatoes in Tanzania
• Sources of bacterial wilt resistance in eggplant
• A virus-resistant okra
• Soybean rust in Madhya Pradesh, India
• Genetic diversity in the tomato bacterial wilt pathogen in Taiwan
• Grafting and blossom end rot in summer tomatoes
• Chemical management of Alternaria porri in onions in India.

Further information can be obtained from The Editors, TVIS Newsletter, AVRDC, P O Box 42 Shanhua, Tainan 741, Taiwan; Fax: +886-6-583-0009; e-mail: <avrdcbox@netra.avrdc.org.tw> or <avrdc@ms1.hinet.net.>

 Mycotoxicology

The new Editor of the Mycotoxicology Newsletter is Dr Angelo Visconti in Bari, Italy. Notices of symposia and meetings and other information should be sent to him directly and not to Dr Urban Diener of Auburn University, Alabama, USA, who has been Editor for the past eight years. The Mycotoxicology Newsletter is an international forum for mycotoxins, and has been sponsored by the ISPP Committee on Mycotoxicology and the IUMS Mycology Division and by Auburn University.

Among notices in the last issue produced by Dr Diener is a report on the Paul Nelson Memorial Symposium held from 16-18 November 1997 at Pennsylvania State University, USA. This Symposium was arranged by Lester Burgess, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sydney, Australia. A book on Fusarium mycology is to be produced based on the Proceedings, and this will be edited by Brett Summerell with Wally Marasas and Wayne Bryden editing the sections on mycotoxins.

Also listed is advice on the IX Brazilian Meeting on Mycotoxins and Symposium on Qualitative Grain Storage of Mercosul, to be held in Florianopolis, Brazil, from 18-21 May 1998. For further information, contact Dr V M Scussel, Food Science and Technology Department, P O Box 476, Centre of Agricultural Sciences Florianopolis, SC, Brazil; Fax: +55-48-331-9943; e-mail: enm98@cca.usfc.br

The address for Dr Visconti is CNR-Inst. Toss. & Micotoss., via Amendola 197 F, I-70126 Bari, Italy.

This is the name of the Newsletter of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). ICSU is a non-governmental organization founded in 1931 to bring together natural scientists in international scientific endeavour. Its national membership comprises 95 multidisciplinary bodies (scientific research councils or science academies) and 25 international single-discipline Scientific Unions, one of which is the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and another is the International Union of Microbiological Sciences (IUMS). The IUBS representative is Dr David Hawksworth appointed in 1995, and the IUMS representative is Dr H P Makela appointed in 1996. The International Society for Plant Pathology (ISPP) is a member of IUBS and also of IUMS.

The December 1997 issue, number 66, of the Newsletter contains articles on environmental issues, including Antarctic Research, the Global Outlook and World Climate Research, on scientific spotlights, including the Electronic Scientific Archive and Health Information Provision, on science and technology for development, including Land Cover Changes, Sustainable Agriculture and their interactions with Global Change with focus on the southern African region and the meeting of the Third World Academy of Sciences in Rio. There are also reports of the XXIIIrd General Assembly, International Astronomical Union, and of the 73rd meeting of the ICSU Executive Board.

Future meetings described include the Xth General Assembly of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment in Piscataway, New Jersey, USA, in June 1998, a World Science Conference in 1999 and a World Conference on Higher Education at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, from 5-9 October 1998.

For more information, contact ICSU Secretariat, 51 Boulevarde de Montmorency, Paris 75016, France; Fax: +33-1-4288-9431; e-mail: <icsu@Imcp.jussieu.fr> or see the web site at <http://www.Imcp.jussieu.fr/icsu/>.

The British Crop Protection Council (BCPC) has published a BCPC Review 1997/98. The Council was set up in 1967 as an independent forum bringing together representatives of all aspects of crop protection in order to discuss issues, provide information and present views to policy makers. The Review describes the mission and membership of the Council, lists the 1997 Medallists and publications, including the new edition (11th) of "The Pesticide Manual" in paper and an electronic format via Pesticide Fact File via Dialog, and gives the BCPC web site <http://www.BCPC.org>. The Review also has sections on better technologies, issues and events and publishes highlights of the 1997 Bawden Lecture given by Dennis Avery, Director of the Center for Global Food Issues.

Reflecting the many recent changes in the crop protection business, the Council set up a Beneficial Change Group to take a critical look at the future and to make recommendations about the perceptions of BCPC and to set priorities for the organisation.

For further information, contact Dr John Fisher, General Secretary, British Crop Protection Council, on e-mail <gensec@BCPC.org>.

Introducing Number 21 of the Mycologia Memoir Series, namely "Mycosphaerella spp. and Their Anamorphs Associated with Leaf Spot Diseases of Eucalyptus" (1997) by Pedro W. Crous. ISBN: 0-89054-190-6. Collation: softcover; 170 pages; 140 black and white photographs and illustrations

This is the first complete guide to leaf spot diseases of Eucalyptus associated with Mycosphaerella spp. and their anamorphs. As a laboratory and field resource, the book can be used to identify Mycosphaerella spp. based on disease symptomatology and fungal morphology.

This monograph covers 57 species of Mycosphaerella, including six new species. A discussion of disease assessment, provenance selection and general epidemiology is combined with an evaluation of the value of taxonomic features such as symptomatology, teleomorph and anamorph characters.

Disease identification is improved through new features such as ascospore germination patterns and cultural characters. Cultural characteristics and cardinal temperature requirements assist in identification of disease organisms in various cultures. Several new anamorph and teleomorph corrections have been established to link various states of related pathogens and to identify previously unknown diseases.

Symptom photographs and illustrations of Mycosphaerella spp. and their anamorphs that help with disease identification make this monograph a valuable field guide. Also provided are standardized methods that aid in studying species of Mycosphaerella spp.

This monograph will be an asset to mycologists, plant pathologists, forest pathologists, foresters, and extension agents in the field or laboratory, as a source of complete up-to-date research on the subject.

Contact: APS Press, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121-2097, USA; fax: +1-612-454-0766; e-mail: aps@scisoc.org

Coming Events 

6th International Workshop on Allium White Rot in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.

2-5 March 1998.

Contact: Luis Perez Moreno; e-mail: <lperez@irapuato.ira.cinvestav.mx> or Andrew Entwistle, Sandiacre, Sandy Lane, Blackdown, Leamington Spa, Warwick CV32 6QS, UK; Fax: +44 1926 338289; e-mail: andrew.entwistle@ndirect.co.uk 

The First International Conference on Date Palms in Al-Ain, United Arab Republics.

8-10 March 1998.

Contact: Mahmoud A Al-Afifi, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, P O Box 17555 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates; Fax: +971-3-632384; e-mail: date-palm@omar.uaeu.ac.ae 

13th Iranian Plant Protection Congress at Shahid Chamran Ahwaz University, Iran.

26-31 March 1998.

Contact: M Izadayr, Secretary of the 13th Iranian Plant Protection Congress, P O Box 1454, Tehran 19395, Iran; Fax: +98-21-240-3691 or 240-2570.

Future of Fungi in the Control of Pests, Weeds and Diseases an international symposium of the British Mycological Society, in Southampton, UK.

6-9 April 1998.

Contact: Dr Tariq M Butt, IACR-Rothamsted,

Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK; e-mail: Tariq.Butt@bbsrc.ac.uk

 II International Workshop on Control Applications in Postharvest and Processing Technology in Budapest, Hungary.

3-5 June 1998.

Contact: Prof I Farkas, Department of Physics and Process Control, University of Agricultural Sciences, Gd11, Pater K u 1, 2103 Hungary; Fax: +36-2831-0804; e-mail: ifarkas@fft.gau.hu

 2nd International Workshop on Bemisia and Geminiviral Diseases in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

7-12 June 1998.

Contact: Mrs D Guy, Secretary-Treasurer, 2120 Camden Road, Orlando, FL 32803-1419, USA; Phone: +1-407-897-7304; Fax: +1-407-897-7337; e-mail: rmayer@ix.netcom.com; Web: http://www.wisc.edu/plhealthser/gv-wf/index.htm

Annual Meeting of the Canadian Phytopathological Society will be held jointly with the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

20-24 June 1998.

Contact: Dr Rudra Singh; e-mail: SinghR@EM.AGR.CA

 III International Symposium on the Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants in Edinburgh, UK.

20-26 July 1998.

Contact: Dr C Alexander, Royal Botanic Gardens, Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK; Fax: +44-1315-527-171; e-mail: c.alexander@rbge.org.uk

 International Conference on Integrated Fruit Production in Ku-Leuven, Belgium.

27 July - 1 August 1998.

Contact: Royal Research Station of Gorsem, Brede Akker 3, B-3800 Sint-Truiden, Belgium

 9th IUPAC International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry, The Food-Environment Challenge, in London, U.K.

2-7 August 1998.

Contact: Dr John F Gibson, Pesticide Chemistry, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, London W1V 0BN, UK

Phone: +44-171-437-8656; Fax: +44-171-734-1227; e-mail: iupac98@rsc.org

 XXV International Horticultural Conference in Brussels, Belgium.

2-7 August 1998.

Contact: H Willocx, Secretary 25th IHC, c/o Ministry of SME and Agriculture, Bolwerklaan 21, 15th Floor, B-1210 Brussels, Belgium; Fax: +32-2-206-7209; e-mail: 25ihc98@tornado.be

 2nd International Rice Blast Conference (IRBC) in Montpellier, France.

4-8 August 1998.

Contact: Secretariat IRBC 98, CIRAD-CA, UR PHYMA, Bat. 2, BP 5035, 34032 Montpellier, France; Fax: +33-4-67-61-56-03; e-mail: IRBC98@cirad.fr

 8th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

9-14 August 1998.

Contact: Meeting Planners, Ardenne International Inc., Suite 444, World Trade & Conference Centre, 1800 Argyle Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 3N8; Fax: +1-902-423-2143; e-mail: ardenne@fox.nstn.ca

 The VIIth International Congress of Plant Pathology in Edinburgh, UK.

9-16 August 1998.

Contact: Dr D J Royle, Chairman, 7ICPP, Long Ashton Research Station, AFRC Institute of Arable Crop Protection, Long Ashton, Bristol BS18 9AF, UK; Fax: +44-1275-394-007; e-mail: david.royle@bbsrc.ac.uk

 Downy Mildew Workshop at the VIIth ICPP in Edinburgh, UK.

During 9-16 August 1998.

Contact: Dr Peter T N Spencer-Phillips, Department of Biological Sciences, University of the West of England, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK; Fax: +44-117-976-3871; e-mail: IN:p5-spenc@uwe.ac.uk

 9th Conference of the ISHS Vegetable Virus Working Group in Turin, Italy.

22-27 August 1998.

Contact: Dr P Caciagli, Istituto di Fitovirologia Applicata, 9th Conference ISHS - VVWG, Strada delle Cacce 73, I-10135 Torino, Italy; Fax: +39-11-343809. See home page at <http://ifa.to.cnr.it/vvwg>

 6th International Mycological Congress in Jerusalem, Israel.

23-28 August 1998.

Contact: Secretariat, Sixth International Mycological Congress, P O Box 50006, Tel Aviv 61500, Israel.

 8th International Workshop on Fire Blight in Kusadasi, Turkey.

12-15 October 1998.

Contact: Prof H Saygili, Ege University, Faculty of Agriculture, Plant Protection Department, 35100 Bornova - Izmir, Turkey; Fax: +90-232-388-1864; e-mail: saygili@ziraat.ege.edu.tr , Web: http://www.intrepid.net/afrs/fb7.htm

or Dr Timur Momol, Plant Pathology Department, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456, USA; Fax: +1-315-787-2389; e-mail: tmml5@cornell.edu

Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

6-10 December 1998.

Contact: Corinne Dacus, 3340 Pilot Knob Rd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55121-2097, USA. Phone: +1-612-454-7250; Fax: +1-612-454-0766; e-mail: aps@scisoc.org

Joint Meeting, British Society for Plant Pathology and Society for Applied Microbiology - rhizosphere micro-organisms in Warwick, UK.

15-17 December 1998.

Contact: Dr Mark Hocart, Plant Science Division, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK; Fax: +44-131-667-2601; e-mail: m.hocart@ed.sac.ac.uk

First Australasian Soil-Borne Disease Symposium in Brisbane, Australia.

February 1999.

Contact: Dr Rob Magarey, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, P O Box 566, Tully, Queensland 4854, Australia; Fax: +61-70-681-907; e-mail: bses.edp@b023.aone.net.au

6th International Conference on Pseudomonas syringae pathovars in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

24-27 March 1999.

Contact: Dr E Lucienne Mansvelt, Infruitec, Private Bag X5013, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa; e-mail: lucienne@infruit2.agric.za

XIVth International Plant Protection Congress in Jerusalem, Israel.

25-30 July 1999.

Contact the Congress Secretariat: P.O. 50006, Tel Aviv 61500, Israel; Phone: +972-3-514-0000; Fax: +972-3-514-0077 or +972-3-517-5674; e-mail: ippc@kenes.com ; Web site: http://www.kenes.co.il/IPPC

XVI International Botanical Congress in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.

1-7 August 1999.

Contact: The Secretary General, XVI IBC, c/o Missouri Botanical Garden, P O Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA; Fax: +1-314-577-9589; e-mail: ibc16@mobot.org; XVI IBC Web site at: <http://www.ibc99.org>.

Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society (Joint with the Canadian Phytopathological Society) in Montreal, Canada.

6-12 August 1999.

Contact: APS Headquarters, 3340 Pilot Knob Rd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55121-2097, USA. Phone: +1-612-454-7250; Fax:+1-612-454-0766; e-mail: aps@scisoc.org

XIII Congress of European Mycologists in Madrid, Spain.

21-25 September 1999.

Contact: Dr R Galan, Dpto. de Biologia Vegetal, Facutdad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcala, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Fax: +341-885-5066; e-mail: BVMHF@JARIFA.ALCALA.ES

12th Biennial Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference in Canberra, ACT, Australia.

27 September-1 October 1999.

Contact: Greg Johnson (Convenor), Postharvest Technology - ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra, ACT 2601; Fax: +61-2-6217-0501; e-mail: johnson@aciar.gov.au

or Ms Philippa Rowland (Secretary), Bureau of Resource Sciences, P O Box E11, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia; Fax: +61-2-6272-4896; e-mail: pcr@mailpc.brs.gov.au

5th EFPP Conference on Biodiversity in Plant Pathology in Taormina, Sicily, Italy.

September 2000.

Contact: Professor Antonino Catara, Universita di Catania, Italy.