INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER ON PLANT PATHOLOGY

(UK Registered Charity No 1065521)

Material for the Newsletter is invited from individual members of ISPP, Associated Societies, Council members, Chairs of all Committees and representatives of Affiliated Societies and Supporting Organisations.

Editor, Brian J. Deverall,  e-mail: bdeveral@mail.usyd.edu.au

In this issue:

• 1st Asian Conference on Plant Pathology
• Instructional Technology Online Symposium
• News from APS
• Australasian Plant Pathology
• Professor Chiu Wei-Fan
• Coming Events

During the Conference in Beijing, ISPP held meetings of its Executive Committee, convened a "Media Workshop on Biotechnology for Plant Pathology in Sustainable Agriculture" and issued a statement of support for the opportunities presented by biotechnology.

The Agenda for the Executive Meetings covered administrative and program matters in its first session and finance in its second. Matters discussed were:

• The bidding process for ICPP08, including facilitating bids from developing countries

• Voting on the revised ISPP statutes. Votes were still needed from about 10 ISPP Councillors

ICPP03. A full report from ISPP Secretary-General Charlie Delp and Vice-President Richard Falloon and from Ian Harvey was received and it was acknowledged that the program structure was well in hand. All features about the presentation and environment were considered to be excellent.

Task Force on Global Food Security. Paul Teng joined the Executive for this item. Progress was described, leading to preparations for the Media Workshop and to the idea of the Executive adopting a broad statement of support for the appropriate use of biotechnology for the management of plant disease in sustainable agriculture, both as described below.

Membership of IUBS, awaiting a report from Antonio Graniti after the November 2000 meeting of IUBS in Naples, Italy.

Structure of Executive Committee. It was decided to keep the present structure.

On financial matters:

ISPP Treasurer Chuji Hiruki reported on the1999 accounts, the 2000 budget and proposed a 2001 budget. He also summarized the overall financial position of ISPP and a dedicated sum in an "Accumulated Fund" at the Bank of America as the trust fund deriving from the Francenia Fisher bequest for a working directory of international plant pathologists.

The program of activities of ISPP was re-addressed and financial targets were set to match. The broad activities were identified with their indicative budget figures, within an overall total of US$ 30,000, as:

1. Activities of the Task Force on Global Food Security: US$10,000

2. Activities of the Subject Matter Committees: US$ 10,000

3. Communication activities (Website etc.): US$ 1,000

4. Training/travel bursary for students from developing countries: US$ 6,000

5. Executive costs: US$ 3,000

The Media Workshop on Biotechnology for Plant Pathology in Sustainable Agriculture had a panel of 5 experts including Paul Teng, Ed French, Tom Mew and Tien Po, and was attended by Chinese, Malaysian and Indian journalists and a number of delegates from the Conference. A debate took place on the opportunities and responsibilities associated with the properly managed use of transgenic crops and some other biotechnologies. China’s position became apparent as a major user of transgenic technology, through extensive laboratory work and contained trials, some field trials and substantial commercialisation of Bt cotton. This was in addition to the adoption of an older and important technology whereby 80% of the Chinese rice crop is now in hybrid cultivars. Overall, the workshop emphasised the opportunities presented by biotechnology for improving global food security.

We, the Executive Committee of the International Society for Plant Pathology, meeting in Beijing, China, August 25-29 2000, believe and support the application of modern biotechnology as a tool to enhance agricultural productivity; to feed and improve the lives of the fast-growing world population and to address environmental degradation, hunger, and poverty. We also strongly advocate using sound science as the basis for regulatory and political decisions pertaining to biotechnology. We promote the careful, unbiased and science-based evaluation of technologies and products of modern biotechnology.

Modern biotechnology has tremendous potential and offers remarkable innovations to support efforts aimed at attaining food security. In particular, losses in quantity and quality of food caused by plant pathogens are known to be significant. Developing countries in general are expected to benefit more than developed countries from biotechnology in the areas of food and agriculture, health and medicine, environmental protection and trade and industry.

Products of modern biotechnology promise to reduce farmers’ high input costs, increase their yields while helping conserve the ecosystem and enable crops to grow under normally unfavorable conditions. Biotechnology products can even provide greater benefits to consumers, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of technological innovations. For instance, modern biotechnology can be used as a tool to attain greater nutritional security through enhanced products qualities such as higher vitamin content, better protein quality and decreased post-harvest losses. Modern biotechnology can also produce healthier oils and develop vaccines to fight dreadful diseases like cholera and malaria.

While we recognize the importance of modern research, we must emphasize the new technology must be openly available (shared) as much as possible. We also recognize that no technology is without risk. However, we have great confidence in the safety of biotechnology conducted under appropriate protocols and in the products which undergo proper regulatory reviews before they are approved by governments for general use.

We therefore advocate and promote the safe and responsible applications of modern biotechnology in science and technology, agriculture and food, health and medicine, environment and trade and industry. Considering the tremendous potential of this technology, we urge policymakers to base their decisions on sound scientific evidence.

Instructional Technology Online Symposium

An online symposium in Instructional Technology will be held from 15 May - 30 June 2001. It has been organized by the Teaching Committee of the International Society of Plant Pathology. It includes an opportunity to "present papers" on various instructional technologies with online discussions between the authors and other instructors. It also includes several discussion sessions on topics related to instructional technology. The symposium allows time for instructors to try various demonstrations and then participate in discussions about how best to use them. Papers and discussions will be posted at different times throughout the symposium. Even after the active presentations are complete, all materials will be archived and available. This symposium is particularly exciting because it can literally involve instructors in plant pathology (and related disciplines) from around the world. You can register now at the website listed above to receive updates as the symposium develops.

Participants interested in submitting papers are reminded that papers are due by 15 December 2000 or at earliest convenience. You can submit papers at the website listed below. This will allow enough time to organize the presentations and to make sure that hyperlinks, demonstrations, etc. are working properly in time for the symposium. Note that the actual papers are restricted in length and are essentially a summary of what is to be presented. Longer discussions and demonstrations can be linked to these papers.

Dr Terry Stewart of Massey University is the webmaster <http://www.ispp-itsymposium.org.nz/> for this event and is generously contributing his time and effort. The organizing committee members are Drs Cleora D’Arcy, Darin Eastburn, David Guest, Thorsten Kraska, and James Partridge and me. We look forward to your ideas and suggestions.

Gail L Schumann Chair, ISPP Teaching Committee, University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA, USA. Phone: +1-413-545-3413; e-mail: <schumann@pltpath.umass.edu>.

Repeat of key points: dates 15 May-30 June 2001; location at <http://www.ispp-itsymposium.org.nz/>; papers are due by 15 December 2000.

1) Neal Van Alfen, then President of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), announced Plant Health Progress in July 2000. This is a new interdisciplinary and electronic-only journal directed to those involved or interested in the practice of plant health. APS Council approved the journal at its meeting in February 2000, and it is officially open.

Editor-in-Chief, Tim Murray, wrote an introduction to Plant Health Progress, together with answers to some frequently asked questions. The message is located at <http://www.planthealthprogress.org/about/apsintro.asp>. Any suggestions or comments about Plant Health Progress (PHP) should be sent to <php@scisoc.org>.

News in August 2000 about Plant Health Progress was that many APS members had already registered at <www.planthealthprogress.org> for their free newsletter and others had reserved their 2001 subscription. The journal’s focus is now a call for papers. Details on submissions are at <www.planthealthprogress.org/about/submissions/call.htm>.PHP will be a peer-reviewed publication venue for reaching plant health practitioners.

Diagnostic guides by Carol Windels and Don Mathre have been published at <www.planthealthprogress.org/current/diagnosticguides>. A research article by Gary Grove is available at <www.planthealthprogress.org/current/research/sprayoil>.

2) The APS website at <www.apsnet.org> has been revised and renewed. It features several enhancements including easier navigation and open access to most used items. An introduction with links to the site is available at <http://www.apsnet.org/apsnetintro.htm>. "Genomics of plant-associated bacteria: a glimpse of the future that has become reality" was the August feature on the site, showing how the era of genomics will advance understanding of plant-pathogen interactions.

3) At the conclusion of the APS Annual Meeting from 12-16 August 2000, new officers of APS took up their responsibilities with Stephen A Slack as President, Noel Keen as President-elect, Jacqueline Fletcher as Vice-President from 2002-2003, Neal K Van Alfen as Immediate Past-President and John H Andrews as Councillor-at-large from 2002-2003.

This is the journal of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS). Australasian Plant Pathology publishes results of original research in all branches of plant pathology. It is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge of plant pathology and its practice in the Australasian region.

For the first time and from 2001, Australasian Plant Pathology will be published in print and electronic formats by CSIRO Publishing, which is a not-for-profit, self funding and independent business unit of CSIRO. CSIRO Publishing publishes sixteen other peer-reviewed journals and offers them in print and electronic formats. Well-known to many plant biologists will be their Australian Journal of Botany and Australian Journal of Plant Physiology.

Further information about Australasian Plant Pathology under its new publisher at CSIRO may be seen at <www.publish.csiro.au/journals/app>.

The Executive Committee of the International Society for Plant Pathology has extended condolences on the death of Professor Chiu Wei-Fan, Honorary President of the Chinese Society for Plant Pathology and Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Plant Pathology [see the February 1999 issue of the ISPP Newsletter 29 (1), 1 at <http://www.isppweb.org/nlfeb99.htm#hm>]. He recently passed away peacefully at the age of 88.

Coming Events

XVI Peruvian Congress of Phytopathology in Piura City, Peru.
1-6 October 2000.
Contact: Dr Edgar Rodriguez at e-mail: <erg@tallan.unp.edu.pe>.

Seed Health as Quality Criterion, an International Seed Health Conference in IHAR Radzikow, Poland.
9 - 11 October 2000.
Contact: Dr Elzbieta Zakrzewska, Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, Radzikow 05-870, Blonie, Poland; Fax: +48-22-725-47-14; e-mail: <e.zakrzewska@ihar.edu.pl> or <t.goral@ihar.edu.pl>; Web site: <http://www.ihar.edu.pl>.

Seventh Arab Congress of Plant Protection in Amman, Jordan.
22-26 October 2000.
Contact: Dr Walid Abu-Gharbieh, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; Fax: +962-6-5355577/8; e-mail: <sacpp@ju.edu.jo>; web site: <http://sacpp.ju.edu.jo>.

Workshop on Cavity Spot Disease of Carrots in Perth, Australia.
28 October 2000.
Contact: Elaine Davison, Agriculture Western Australia, Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia 6983; Fax: +61-8-9367-2625; e-mail: <edavison@agric.wa.gov.au>. See <www.wavga.iinet.com.au/conference.html>.

Pests and Diseases 2000, the British Crop Protection Council Conference In Brighton, UK.
13-16 November 2000.
Contact: Professor P E Russell, AgrEvo UK Ltd., Chesterford Park, Saffron Walden CB10 1XL, UK: Fax: +44-1799-573505; e-mail: <phil.russell@agrevo.com>; see also <www.bcpc.org>.

International Symposium on Tropical and Subtropical Fruits in Cairns, Australia.
26 November-1 December 2000.
Contact: Dr R Drew, School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia; Fax; +61-7-3875-7618; e-mail: <ishstfs@mailbox.gu.edu.au>.

Symposium on Durable Disease Resistance, Key to Sustainable Agriculture in Wageningen, The Netherlands.
28 November-1 December 2000.
Contact: Dr J E Parlevliet, Plant Breeding, Wageningen UR, P O Box 386, NL 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands; e-mail: <jan.parlevliet@users.pv.wau.nl>. See also the web-site at <http://www.spg.wau.nl/pv/symposium.htm>.

7th International Symposium on dsRNA Viruses in Aruba (the Caribbean).
2-7 December 2000.
Contact: Terry Dermody, Vanderbilt University; see <www.mc.vanderbilt/microbio/dsrna.html>.

8th International Symposium on Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes in Sydney, Australia.
3-7 December 2000.
Contact: Professor Ivan R Kennedy, SUNFix Centre for Nitrogen Fixation, Department of Agricultural Chemistry & Soil Science, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Fax: +61-2-9351-5108; e-mail: <int.symp@acss.usyd.edu.au>. Visit the website at <http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/agric/SUNFix/Sunfix.htm>.

Plant-Microbe Interactions and Resistance to Disease and Nematodes, a PACIFICHEM 2000 Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
14-19 December 2000.
Contact one of: Dr Robert Stipanovic, Fax: +1-409-260-9470; e-mail: <rds846a@acs.tamu.edu>; Dr Rong Tsao, Fax: +1-905-562-4335; e-mail: <caor@em.agr.ca>; Dr Gregory S Basarad, Fax: +1-302-366-5738; e-mail: <barsarab@esvax.dnet.dupont.com>; Dr Robert Hill, Fax: +64-7-858-4702; e-mail:<rhill@hort.cri.nz>.

Plant-pathogen interactions: understanding mechanisms of resistance and pathogenicity for disease control, BSPP Presidential Meeting 2000 in Wye College, UK.
18-20 December 2000.
Contact: Dr Mark Hocart, BSPP Programme Secretary, SAC Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK; Fax: +44-131-667-2601; e-mail: <m.hocart@ed.sac.ac.uk>.

Whitefly Symposium in Sicily, Italy.
February 2001.
Further information is at <whitefly@bemisia.freeserve.co.uk> or contact David Oliver, the Research Facilitator, at <network.ewsn@bbsrc.ac.uk>.

2nd Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium in Lorne, Victoria, Australia.
5-8 March 2001.
Contact: Marg Scarlett, The Conference Organisers Pty Ltd, Box 1127, Sandringham, Victoria 3191, Australia; Fax: +61-3-9521-8889; e-mail: <conforg@ozemail.com.au>. See the web-site: <www.nrevic.gov.au/agvic/ihd/asds.htm>.

On-line Instructional Technology Symposium on Plant Pathology hosted by Terry Stewart at <http://www.ispp-itsymposium.org.nz/>, Massey University, New Zealand. Papers due by 15 December 2000.
15 May-30 June 2001.
Contact: Gail L. Schumann, Chair, ISPP Teaching Committee, University of Massachusetts, 209 Fernald Hall, Amherst MA 01003-2420, USA; Fax: +1-413-545-2532; e-mail: <Schumann@pltpath.umass.edu>.

Sixth International Symposium on Positive Strand RNA Viruses in Paris, France.
28 May-2 June 2001.
Contact: e-mail: <vdeubel@mailhost.pasteur.fr>.

26th Congress of the International Seed Testing Association in Angers, France.
14-22 June 2001.
Contact: ISTA Secretariat, P O Box 412/Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046 Zurich, Switzerland; Fax: +41-1-377-60-01; e-mail: <istach@iprolink.ch>.

World Congress of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 2001 in Budapest, Hungary.
8-10 July 2001.
Contact: Dr Oszkar Kock, National Institute for Agricultural Quality Control, P O Box 30, 93., H-1525 Budapest, Hungary; Fax: +36-1-2122-673; e-mail: <map.congr@ommi.hu>.

XIth meeting of the International Sclerotinia Workshop in York, UK.
8-12 July 2001.
Contact: Dr Nigel Hardwick, Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK; Fax: +44-1904-462111; e-mail: <nigel.hardwick@csl.gov.uk>. The provisional programme will appear on the BSPP web pages at <http://www.bspp.org.uk/>.

20th Annual American Society for Virology Meeting in Madison, USA.
21-25 July 2001.
Contact: via <www.mcw.edu/asv/meetings.html>.

The XIth Latin American Phytopathological Congress (XI Congreso Latinoamericano de Fitopatologia) in Sao Pedro (near Piracicaba), State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. To be held jointly with the XXXIV Brazilian Phytopathological Congress (Congresso Brasileiro de Fitopatologia).
5-10 August 2001.
Contact: Professor Sergio F Pascholati, Setor de Fitopatologia, ESALQ / Universidad de Sao Paulo, C P 09, 13418-900 Piracicaba, SP - Brasil; e-mail: <sfpascho@ciagri.carpa.usp.br>.

American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, USA.
25-29 August 2001.
See <http://www.scisoc.org>.

International Symposium on Asian Pears in Kurayoshi, Tottori, Japan.
25-29 August 2001.
Contact: S Iwahori, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan; Fax: +81-298-53-6617; e-mail: <iwahori@sakura.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp>.

9th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology - Interactions in the Microbial World in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
26-31 August 2001.
Contact: for scientific program - Jan Woldendorp, CTO-NIOO, P O Box 40, 6666 ZG Heteren, The Netherlands; Fax: +31-26-4723227; e-mail: <woldendorp@cto.nioo.knaw.nl>, or for organisation - Dr Wietse de Boer at e-mail: <wdeboer@cto.nioo.knaw.nl>.

13th Biennial Conference of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society in Cairns, Australia.
24-27 September 2001.
Contact: Suzanne Denyer, Centre for Tropical Agriculture, P O Box 1054, Mareeba, Queensland 4880, Australia; Fax: +61-7-4092-3593; e-mail: <DenyerS@dpi.qld.gov.au>.

IUFRO Meeting - Phytophthora Diseases in Forest Trees and Natural Ecosystems in Western Australia.
1-5 October 2001.
See:<http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/conf/phytophthora/index.html>.

IX International Workshop on Fire Blight in Napier, New Zealand.
8-12 October 2001.
Contact: Dr Christopher Hale, Hort Research, Private Bag 92169, Auckland, New Zealand; Fax: +64-9815-4201; e-mail: <chale@hort.cri.nz>.

The 3rd International Bacterial Wilt Symposium in Sun City, Republic of South Africa.
Late January or early February 2002.
Contact: Jody Terblanche, Tobacco and Cotton Reserach Institute, Private Bag x 82075, Rustenberg, 0300, Republic of South Africa; Fax: +27-142-993113; e-mail: <Jody@NITK1.AGRIC.ZA>.

The 8th General Symposium of the Plant Virus Epidemiology Group of ISPP in Aschersleben, Germany.
May 2002.
Contact: RogerJones, Chairman, ISPP Plant Virus Epidemiology Committee; e-mail: <rjones@agric.wa.gov.au>.

XXVIth International Horticultural Congress & Exhibition in Toronto, Canada.
11-17 August 2002.
See: <www.ihc2002.org>. Contact: IHC2002 c/o Congress Canada, 49 Bathurst Street, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada MSV 2P2; e-mail: <IHCreg@congressscan.com>.

8th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Christchurch, New Zealand.
2-8 February 2003.
Contact: Congress Chairman, Dr Ian Harvey, PLANTwise, P O Box 8915, Christchurch, NZ; Fax: +64-3-325-2946; e-mail: <harveyi@plantwise.co.nz> or Helen Shrewsbury, ICPP Secretariat, P O Box 84, Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ; Fax: +64-3-325-3840; e-mail: <shrewsbh@lincoln.ac.nz>. Website:<http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/icpp2003/>.