INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER ON PLANT PATHOLOGY

In this issue:

• Task Force on Global Food Security
• Committee for Common Names of Plant Diseases
• Durable Disease Resistance
• The Plant Protection Sciences
• CPS/APS Annual Meeting, Montreal, 1999
• Crop Protection Compendium
• Coming Events

This task force has been established and has a special web-site at <http://www.isppweb.org/gfs.htm>. An outline of the background and principles of operation are set out below.

At the 7th International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP98), Edinburgh, August 1998, a Special Public Meeting was convened on "Global Food Security: The Role for Plant Pathology". Abstracts have been archived at:

<http://www.bspp.org.uk/icpp98/abstracts/toc_global.html>.

Presentations were followed by a public discussion, during which Paul Teng (International Rice Research Institute, Philippines) and David Thurston (Cornell University, USA) issued a challenge to the International Society for Plant Pathology (ISPP) to establish an ISPP Task Force on Global Food Security

The challenge issued at ICPP98 to establish an "ISPP Task Force on Global Food Security" has been taken up by the Executive Committee of the ISPP.

The function of such a Task Force is potentially so demanding and open-ended that its activities must be sharply focused if tangible results are to be achieved by an organization with limited resources such as ISPP. ISPP Executive therefore proposes to proceed according to the following principles:

1. ISPP will establish a small Task Force to address initially the nature of the global food security problem, and the principles and modalities whereby plant pathologists may realistically tackle it.

2. Attention will be focused on delivering tangible results of demonstrable benefit to global food security.

3. A programme will be chosen that can benefit from ISPP’s facilitating or coordinating role in relation to existing or planned programmes in plant pathology, rather than from initiation of new work.

4. Achievable results are likely to derive from coordinating existing research programmes, or through surveying incidence of damage, or through supporting extension or outreach programmes.

5. ISPP’s own funds are very limited, so fundraising in support of such action is likely to be one objective.

6. The first activity of the Task Force will be to convene a meeting in 1999, to agree a work programme for the following 3 years, with a budget and time schedule.

7. The work of the Task Force will be monitored by ISPP Executive Council and reported to the Membership through Councillors. Feedback from the Membership will be encouraged, to guide the future programme.

The Board of the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) has now undertaken to support ISPP’s Task Force initiative, by providing funding for an initial meeting of the Task Force.

ISPP has invited an international group of plant pathologists to be Members of the Task Force, to participate in the first meeting, and to continue to participate in the programme to be amplified at the first meeting. While Membership is not expected to be time-consuming on a routine basis, invitees have been asked to be ready to continue to participate in the activities decided by the Task Force itself.

The first meeting of the ISPP Task Force took place in association with a Round Table meeting on: "Sustainable Agriculture: the Global Issue" in Bangkok, from 13-15 September 1999. Details of the Round Table are on the Web at <http://www.apcpa.org/conference.html>. The Round Table meeting is convened by the Asia Pacific Crop Protection Association (APCPA, an industry-sponsored group) and the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR, a group sponsored by FAO and the World Bank).

These can be followed on the web-site at <http://www.bspp.org.uk/ispp/gfs.html>.

The ISPP President, Peter Scott, has authorized the establishment of the "ISPP Committee for Common Names of Plant Diseases", as described below, as an ISPP Subject Matter Committee.

In doing so, ISPP recognises the initiative and the activities of the APS Committee on "Standardization of Common Names for Plant Diseases", and through Melodie Putnam, Chair of the APS Committee, wishes to ensure that there is reasonable harmonization between the two initiatives.

* To recommend Principles (guidelines) for the naming of plant diseases. The three Principles recommended are:

1. Internationally approved common names should indicate a prominent symptom, possibly also the part of the plant attacked, and possibly also the nature of the causal organism, e.g. "bacterial wilt", "Phytophthora root rot".

2. The same approved common name should be used for all similar diseases of different hosts when the pathogen is the same, e.g. wilt diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum should all have the same name, e.g. "bacterial wilt".

3. An approved name should be internationally meaningful. The use of a geographical place name, e.g. Dutch elm disease, or a compass direction, e.g. southern blight, or a person’s name e.g. Pierce’s disease, or other words of largely local or national significance should be discouraged.

* To approve common names of plant diseases considered to be appropriate.

* To establish, circulate and encourage the use of lists of internationally approved common names of plant diseases.

a) The approved names will initially be in English.

b) Names in other languages will be approved later as required.

c) Only well investigated diseases will be considered for internationally approved common names.

d) Lists of proposed approved common names for each host plant will be recommended by subcommittees appointed by the Committee.

e) The lists of proposed approved common names will be posted on the Internet and comments invited.

f) In approving common names, the Committee will consider

- whether the name is consistent with the Principles.

- whether the name is in common use.

- whether the name is easy to use.

- whether the name is acceptable to the majority of plant pathologists and others who will be using the name.

g) The Committee will post lists of internationally approved common names on the Internet.

Dr Joan Breach, National Adviser-Import Health Standards (General), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Biosecurity Authority, Plant Imports Team, ASB Bank House, 101-103 The Terrace, PO Box 2526, Wellington, New Zealand; Phone: +64-4-474-4248 (direct dial) or +64-4-474-4100 ext. 8248; Fax: +64-4-474-4257; e-mail: <breachj@maf.govt.nz>.

Dr Randy C Ploetz, University of Florida, IFAS, Tropical Research & Education Center, 18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031-3314, USA; Phone: +1-305-246-7005; Fax: +1-305-246-7003; e-mail: <RCP@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU>.

Dr David S Teakle (Chair), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia; Phone: +61-7-3365-4880 (work) or +61-7-3870-1806 (home); Fax: +61-7-3365-4620; e-mail: <teakle@biosci.uq.edu.au>.

Dr Jim M Waller, CABI Bioscience, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey TW20 9TY, UK; Phone: +44-1491-829-045; Fax: +44-1491-829-200; e-mail: <J.WALLER@CABI.ORG>.

Please follow the new web-site for the ISPP Committee on Common Names of Plant Diseases at <http://www.bspp.org.uk/ispp/ccn.html>.

This is the title of a symposium being organised by Dr Jan Parlevliet and colleagues in The Netherlands aided by an International Scientific Committee. It will be held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, from 28 November - 1 December 2000 (see ‘Coming Events’).

The symposium is intended for all interested in durable resistance and sustainable agriculture. A key requirement of sustainable agriculture is stated to be a strong reduction in pesticide use, which might be achieved through a wider use of durable resistance.

The program will cover the present situation about knowledge and application of the durability of resistance, then consider genetic variability in pathogens, mechanisms of resistance and their relation with durability and conclude by examining methods of obtaining durable resistance through current and emerging technologies.

Please see the web-site at <http://www.spg.wau.nl/pv/symposium.htm>.

A new international association the "International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS)" has been established.

IAPPS evolved through efforts of the International Plant Protection Congresses (IPPC) and was inaugurated at the IPPC held from 25-30 July 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Background information on this new associaton can be found at <http://www.plantprotection.org>. Further information may also be obtained from J Lawrence Apple, Secretary General, International Plant Protection Congresses and Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology & Genetics Center for IPM, Box 7533, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA; Fax: +1-919-513-1114; e-mail: <j_apple@ncsu.edu>.

The annual meeting of the Canadian Phytopathological Society was held jointly with the American Phytopathological Society in Montréal, Québec, Canada, from 6-12 August 1999. The theme was "Plant Health: Meeting the Challenges". There were just over 1,600 registrants, contributing 158 oral presentations and 546 posters. A Glenn Anderson Lecture was presented by Dr Per Pinstrup-Andersen, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington D C, USA. Invited speakers made presentations at six symposia co-sponsored by the two societies. Abstracts from APS members can be found in Phytopathology 89 (6), June 1999-Supplement and at <http://www.scisoc.org/meetings/abstract>. Abstracts from CPS members are in The Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 21 (2), 1999.

The CPS presented Dr Michele C Heath, University of Toronto, with the Award for Outstanding Research. Dr C André Levesqué, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Summerland, British Columbia, received the Gordon Green Outstanding Young Scientist Award, and Mr C Harold Lawrence AAFC, Fredericton, New Brunswick, was elected Honorary Member of the CPS. Best Student Presentations were awarded to Dr Siva Sabaratnam, AAFC, London, Ontario, and Shannon J Deeks, Canadian Forest Service, Victoria, British Columbia.

The CPS Executive Board Members for 1999-2000 are:

President: Zamir Punja, Past-President: George Lazarovits, President- Elect: Roger Rimmer, Vice-President: Greg Boland, Treasurer: Peter Sholberg, Membership Secretary: Vikram Bisht, Secretary: Lone Buchwaldt, Directors: Tim Paulitz and Tony Sturz.

For more information contact the CPS Secretary, Lone Buchwaldt, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK Canada, S7N 0X2; Phone: +1-306-956-2826; Fax: +1-306-956-7247; e-mail: <BuchwaldtL@em.eagr.ca>.

CAB International announces the Global Module of "Crop Protection Compendium" on CD-ROM, providing quick and easy access to the world’s information on Crop Protection. It covers over 1,500 pests, diseases, weeds and 150 crops and 150 countries.

A demonstration is available on the PEST CABWeb site at <http://pest.cabweb.org/>, where you should click Crop Protection Compendium.

CAB International may be contacted in the UK on Fax: +44-1491-829292; e-mail: <orders@cabi.org> and in the USA on Fax: +1-212-686-7993; e-mail: <cabi-nao@cabi.org>. For specially reduced rates for developing countries, see <http://pest.cabweb.org/cpc/howorder.htm>.

The 1st International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases - Esca (Black Measles) and Grapevine Decline in Tuscany, Italy.
1-2 October 1999.
Contact the Secretarial Office, MPU: Laura Mugnai, Istituto di Patologia e Zoologia forestale e agraria, Piazzale delle Cascine 28, 50144 Firenze, Italy; Fax. +39-055-354786; e-mail: <laura@ipaf.fi.cnr.it>.

International Working Group on Plant Viruses with Fungal Vectors in Monterey, California.
5-8 October 1999.
Contact: John L Sherwood; Fax: +1-706-542-1262; e-mail: <sherwood@arches.uga.edu> or see the web-site <www.res.bbsrc.ac.uk/plantpath/Iwgpvfv/Monterey.html>.

19th ASEAN Postharvest Seminar, Quality Assurance in Agricultural Produce in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
9-12 November 1999.
For further information see the web-site: <http://www.aciar.gov.au/aciarptp/index.htm>.

BMS Sympoium - Fungal Conservation in the 21st Century in Kew, UK.
13 November 1999.
Contact: Conservation Officer, Maurice Rotheroe, Fern Cottage, Falcondale, Lampeter, Dyfed SA48 7RX, UK; Fax: +44-1570-423437; e-mail: <FernCottage@netwales.co.uk>.

National Academy of Sciences Colloquium on Virulence and Defense in Host-Pathogen Interactions: Common Features between Plants and Animals in Irvine, California, USA.
9-11 December 1999.
See the NAS web-site at <http://www.nas.edu/nas/colloquia>.

British Society for Plant Pathology Presidential Meeting: Vector-pathogen-plant interactions in UK.
December 1999.
Contact: Dr Mark J Hocart, Crop Science & Technology, SAC Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH12 8NJ, UK; Fax: +44-131-667-2601; e-mail: m.hocart@ed.sac.ac.uk

Combined Millennium Meeting Biotech SA 2000 in the broad area of Experimental Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Plant Pathology in Grahamstown, South Africa.
23-28 January 2000.
Contact the BIO Y2K Secretariat, c/o Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa; Fax: +27-46-6223984; e-mail: <bioy2k@ru.ac.za>.

International Symposium on Tropical Mycology in Liverpool, UK.
25-29 March 2000.
Contact: Profesor Roy Watling; e-mail: <r.watling@rbge.org.uk>.

European Congress of Fungal Genetics 5 in Arcachon, France.
25-29 March 2000.
Contact: Dr Beatrice Felenbok, Institute de Genetique, Universite Paris-Sud, Centre d’Orsay, Batiment 409, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France; Fax: +33-1-6915-7808; e-mail: <felenbok@igmors.u-psud.fr>.

Postharvest 2000 in Jerusalem, Israel.
26-31 March 2000.
For further information, see the web-site <www.agri.gov.il/events/PostHarvest2000.html> or e-mail: <postharvest@kenes.com>.

Canadian Phytopathological Society Joint Meeting with the Pacific Division of the American Phytopathological Society in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
18-21 June 2000.
See <http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/conf/cps_aps/>.Contact: Jack R. Sutherland, Chair, Local Arrangements Committee; Fax: +1-250-598-1959; e-mail: <jsuther@islandnet.com>.

10th International Conference on Plant Pathogenic Bacteria in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
23-27 July 2000 .
Contact: Dr Solke H De Boer, Centre for Animal and Plant Health, 93 Mount Edward Road, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 5T1, Canada; Phone: +1-902-368-0950; Fax: +1-902-368-0960; e-mail: <deboers@em.agr.ca>. A conference website is maintained at <www.isn.net/~ppb2000/>.

7th International Symposium on the Microbiology of Aerial Plant Surfaces in Berkeley, California.
3-8 August 2000.
Contact: Steven Lindow, University of California, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Fax: +1-510-642-4995; e-mail: <icelab@socrates.Berkeley.edu>.

American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans, USA.
12-16 August 2000.
See <http://www.scisoc.org>.

The 1st Asian Conference on Plant Pathology (ACPP 2000) in Beijing, China.
25-28 August 2000.
Contact: Dr Guo Li Yin, Chinese Society for Plant Pathology, Plant Protection Building No. 313, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 1000904, China; Fax: +86-10-6289-1025; e-mail: <bauicbe@public.bta.net.cn>; web-site: <http://www.chinaspp.com>.

Biotechnology 2000 in Berlin, Germany.
3-8 September 2000.
Contact: DECHEMA e.V., c/o 11th IBS, Theodor-Heuss-Alee 25, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; e-mail: <info@dechema.de>.

A Symposium on Chemical and Non-Chemical Soil and Substrate Disinfestation in Grugliasco, University of Torino, Italy.
11-15 September 2000.
Contact: Maria Lodovica Gullino, Di.Va.P.R.A. - Patologia Vegetale, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44,10095 GRUGLIASCO (TO), Italy; Phone: +39-011-6708539; Fax: +39-011-6708541; e-mail: <congress.mlg@agraria.unito.it>. For a second circular see <http://www.agraria.unito.it/news/SD2000.html>.

European Virology 2000 in Glasgow, UK.
17-21 September 2000.
Contact: Dr Bill Carman, Institute of Virology, University of Glasgow, Church Street, Glasgow G11 5JR, UK; Fax: +44-141-337-2236; e-mail: <w.carman@vir.gla.ac.uk>.

5th EFPP Congress, Biodiversity in Plant Pathology in Taormina and Giardini-Naxos, Italy.
18-22 September 2000.
Contact: EFPP 2000 Congress Secretariat, Institute of Plant Pathology, Universita di Catania, Via Valdisavoia, 5- 9123 Catania, Italy; Fax: +39-95-234416; e-mail: EFPP 2000@mbox.fagr.unict.it

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>.

The XIth Latinamerican Phytopathological Congress in Piracicaba, State of Sao Paolo, Brazil.
August 2001.
Contact: Brazilian Phytopathological Society (SBF).

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

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>

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>

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>. ICPP2003 Website: <http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/icpp2003/>.