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)
In this
issue:
ISPP
Public Forum at the 2008 Congress in Turin
Following the
pattern established at ICPP 1998 and ICPP 2003, there will be a Public
Forum on Plant Pathology and Global Food Security at ICPP 2008. The
organizers of ICPP 2008 intend to involve the press in the Public Forum.
Richard Strange (r.strange@ucl.ac.uk)
and Peter Scott (p.scott@cabi.org) have developed the following program
for the Forum, and, at this stage, they welcome comments.
- Public
Discussion Forum
-
- Plant
Pathology and
- GLOBAL
FOOD SECURITY
-
- Monday
25 August 2008
- 19:30
- 22:00
- Lingotto
Conference Centre, Torino, Italy
-
- Organized
by ISPP's Task Force on Global Food Security
- as
part of the
- 9th
International Congress of Plant Pathology
THE ENORMITY OF THE
PROBLEM
During the World
Food Summit in Rome in 1996, Heads of States proposed to halve the number
of undernourished people by 2015. In the ensuing 10 years, virtually no
progress has been made towards this goal.
- More
than 800 million people do not have adequate food
- 1.3
billion live on less than $1 a day
- At
least 10% of global food production is lost to plant disease
Plant pathologists
cannot ignore the juxtaposition of these figures.
Virtually all
undernourished people live in the developing countries of Asia, Africa and
Latin America. Hunger and poverty are inextricably linked and the solution
does not rely on one factor, but on an interrelated complex of factors
that includes population, technology, policy and social changes.
Nevertheless, it is
clear that reducing the impact of plant disease can help to alleviate the
enormity of the problem of achieving global food security. A vast number
of plant pathogens, from viroids of a few hundred nucleotides to higher
plants, cause diseases in our crops. Their effects range from mild
symptoms to catastrophes in which large areas planted to food crops are
destroyed. Plant diseases threaten our food supplies: adequate resources
should be devoted to their control.
WHAT ARE THE
OPTIONS FOR MANAGING PLANT DISEASES TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY?
Six different
aspects will be addressed.
- PETER
SCOTT, International Society for Plant Pathology; RICHARD
STRANGE, Birkbeck
College, University of London
|
ISPP
and the challenge of food security
|
-
GURDEV KHUSH,
World Food Prize Laureate, University of California Davis
|
Why
plant diseases matter to food security |
-
HARRY EVANS, JIM
WALLER, CABI
|
Globalization
and the threat to biosecurity
|
- JAMES
BROWN, John Innes Centre, Norwich
|
Genetic
uniformity of crops and the threat to food security
|
- FLORENCE
WAMBUGU, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International; DAVID
BAULCOMBE, University of Cambridge
|
GM
as a new tool in the resistance toolbox
|
- CORRADO
CLINI, Global Bioenergy Partnership
|
Concluding
remarks
|
These presentations
will be followed by a general discussion to which all are invited to
contribute.
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Pierre
de Wit, APS Award Recipient
The American
Phytopathological Society (APS) has announced the recipients of its 2007
awards, which were presented at the recent annual meeting in San Diego.
See (www.apsnet.org/members/awards/2007.asp).
Pierre J G M de Wit
of Wageningen University, The Netherlands, received the Noel T Keen Award
for Research in Molecular Plant Pathology. This award recognizes
individuals who have made outstanding contributions in host pathogen
interactions, plant pathogens or plant-associated microbes, or molecular
biology of disease development or defense mechanisms.
Most of Pierre’s
career has been based in plant pathology at Wageningen University, where
he became Professor in 1990 and Head of the Laboratory of Phytopathology
in 1992. Pierre has made several outstanding contributions in analysing
the molecular events underlying avirulence and viulence and host
resistance in the interactions between the fungal pathogen Cladosporium
fulvum and cultivars of tomato. Among major accomplishments was the
cloning and characterization of the fungal avirulence gene, Avr9, in 1991.
To-date, his research group has cloned eight effectors of C. fulvum and,
to all of them, cognate Cf resistance genes have been shown to exist in
wild accessions of Solanum spp..
The work of his
group and collaborators has greatly influenced international research on
host specificity and disease resistance, resulting in the cloning of
resistance genes of plants. The topic of fungal avirulence is also being
advanced. Avirulence genes have become well-understood in obligate
biotrophic fungi and oomycetes. Realising the virulence function of
effector proteins is central to understanding pathogenicity not only in
fungi but also in bacteria, oomycetes, and nematodes in their interactions
with plants.
His approaches have
lead to several patents towards breeding for resistance to disease based
on Avr-R gene interactions and defense signalling genes. Pierre also plays
leadership roles in the service internationally of plant pathology and
particularly molecular plant pathology.
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Dr
Dorothy Shaw
26 April 1920 – 27 August 2007
Dr Dorothy Shaw,
foundation and honorary member of the Australasian Plant Pathology
Society, has passed away. A service to commemorate her life was held on 31
August in a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Dr Shaw was
Government Plant Pathologist in Papua New Guinea from 1953-1976. She was
awarded an MBE. She had been visiting scientist at the Queensland
Department of Primary Industries at Indooroopilly from 1976 until April
2007.
In her time at
Indooroopilly, Dorothy continued not only her interest in plant pathology,
but also maintained an extensive correspondence with colleagues around the
world. She also pursued interests in Aroids (flowering and pollination and
Aroids on stamps), and the collection of fungal spores, particularly those
of Neurospora spp., by bees. See ( http://www.australasianplantpathologysociety.org.au/Pathology/McAlpine/DM12.htm
).
Her memories and
stories of the people and places from her career were phenomenal. An
inspiration to many, Dorothy will be sadly missed by her numerous
colleagues and associates.
-
New
Director of CGIAR
The Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) announced the
appointment of Dr Ren Wang as director of its global network of research
Centers. Dr Wang was Deputy Director General for Research at the CGIAR-supported
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines for the
past seven years. In that time, Dr Wang developed collaborative
initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia and managed IRRI
programs in 14 countries.
Katherine Sierra,
Chair of CGIAR and Vice President of the World Bank's Sustainable
Development Network, welcomed Dr Wang as director because of his major
experience as a scientist and manager of ambitious research initiatives in
developing countries. Dr Wang, who holds a PhD in entomology from Virginia
Polytechnic and State University, USA, has also helped to shape China’s
agriculture research services. He was Vice President of the Chinese
Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), where he was key contact for
China’s partnership with the CGIAR. Dr Wang also helped to establish the
Sino-Japan Center for Sustainable Agriculture at CAAS.
Dr Wang is now set
to lead the large CGIAR team of scientists in helping agriculture deal
with the consequences of climate change.
See ( http://www.cgiar.org/newsroom/releases/news.asp?idnews=589
).
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The
10th International Congress of Plant Pathology, ICPP 2013
Associated
Societies of ISPP are invited to present bids to host the 10th
International Congress of Plant Pathology in 2013.
Bids are invited by
31 October 2007. They should be sent to the Business Manager of ISPP, with
c.c. to the Secretary ISPP, as e-mail attachments and/or Web addresses.
- Peter Williamson
- Business Manager, International
Society for Plant Pathology
- businessmanager@ISPPWeb.org
Selection among
bids is made by ballot of ISPP Councillors, representing Associated
Societies, early in 2008.
The Business
Manager can provide further guidance on the presentation of bids. Bids
should meet the following criteria:
1) Bids must come
from an ISPP Associated Society (national or regional) or combination of
societies and not from a city or national convention bureau.
On the other hand, the society or societies making a bid should
consider working with a local convention bureau to help identify and
advertise the unique features of their country that will interest the
delegates.
2) The financial
obligations of hosting an International Congress of Plant Pathology are
the responsibility of the host society (or societies). ISPP does not underwrite the financing of the Congress.
3) The society (or
societies) hosting the Congress is responsible for organizing the program,
and therefore must be sufficiently large to provide leadership in the
major sections of plant pathology. The
program of a past Congress may be consulted as a guide.
Some help can be expected from ISPP Subject Matter Committees and
organizers are strongly advised to seek their inputs.
Previous Congresses
have included oral presentations of Keynote and Concurrent Session Papers,
and poster presentations of Offered Papers. The potential Congress venue
should provide up-to-date facilities for both types of presentations.
4) The site (city
and hotels/campus) should normally be able to accommodate more than 2000
delegates and provide meeting rooms for around 10 concurrent sessions, as
well as numerous small meeting rooms.
The site should preferably offer a variety of amenities with a
range of costs. Ideally, a
university campus should be near to provide low-cost accommodations for
those unable to afford more expensive hotels and meals.
5) The host city
must be easily accessible by international airlines and offer a variety of
cultural and tourist attractions. One
day of the Congress may be scheduled for tours of local attractions.
6) Consideration
should be given to strategies for enabling attendance of delegates from
developing countries.
- Dr Greg Johnson
- Secretary-General, International
Society for Plant Pathology
- c/- Horticulture 4 Development
- PO Box 412, Jamison ACT 2614
- Australia
- Tel: +61 2 62515658
- Mobile: +61 4 05087870
- E-mail: greg.johnson@velocitynet.com.au
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Advances
in Virology – Keynote Speakers
The Association of
Applied Biologists is holding a meeting on Advances in Virology in London,
United Kingdom, from 11-12 September 2007; see “Coming Events”.
The keynote
speakers are:-
M J Roossinck
(Plant Biology Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore,
Oklahoma, USA),
J A García
(University of Madrid, Spain),
O Voinett (CNRS,
Strasbourg, France).
The titles of
papers and names of other speakers are in the program at (http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist).
Mycotoxicology
Newsletter
This is the
newsletter of the International Society of Mycotoxicology (ISM). Issue 1
of Volume XI (2007) has just reached my desk, and it carries news of the
first period in the life of ISM, which was established in November 2005
and held its first general meeting in September 2006. Its First
International Congress is being planned for 2009.
The newsletter also
carries news of cognate symposia and conferences during early months of
2007, and relevant news from international agencies. It reports on
regulatory news about mycotoxins, especially products of Fusarium species.
See ( http://www.mycotoxicology.org/2007/index.html
).
The editor of the
newsletter is Dr Angelo Visconti, Director of the Institute of Sciences of
Food Production, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy; e-mail: ( angelo.visconti@ispa.cnr.it
). The new ISM web-site is at ( http://www.mycotox-society.org
).
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For
African Rice Production
Three leading
international agricultural research institutes will combine their
activities to focus on African rice production. They are the Africa Rice
Center (WARDA) in Benin, the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical
(CIAT) in Colombia and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in
the Philippines. Each center is supported by the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
The plan is to
establish a sub-Saharan Africa Rice Consortium (SARC), which will
consolidate the two existing regional rice networks, the West and Central
Africa Rice Research and Development Network and the Eastern and Central
Africa Rice Research Network, and also cover other parts of sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA). SARC will also collaborate with National Agricultural
Research and Extension Systems (NARES) in order to promote rice and rice
research in SSA and extend technology and information from international
research to NARES and farmers in the region.
In doing so, a
critical mass of trained scientists for Africa’s capacity in rice
research will be created. It is hoped that better coordination in the rice
sector in Africa and co-operation with Asia and Latin America in terms of
germplasm use will follow.
See ( http://www.warda.org/warda/newsrel-riceproduction-aug07.asp
).
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Sudden
Oak Death in California and Requested Precautions
This disease in oak
is caused by Phytophthora ramorum. The American Phytopathological Society
(APS) reports that the pathogen also causes a foliar or twig blight on
more than 100 plant species, including Douglas-fir, coastal redwood, and
numerous ornamentals, such as rhododendron and camellia. Unlike sudden oak
death, the foliar and twig blight rarely causes the host plant to die.
Instead, many of these hosts allow spores to build up on leaf and twig
surfaces, thereby facilitating pathogen spread. These ornamental hosts
have been found in P. ramorum-positive nurseries throughout the USA and
other countries.
Although California
has lost more than a million trees and at least another million are
currently infected, only 10.5 percent of the state's forests considered at
risk for pathogen establishment are currently infested.
Inadvertently
planting infested ornamentals can damage areas not yet exposed to the
pathogen. Landscapers and homeowners are asked, therefore, to inspect host
plants for health and freedom from browning of leaf tips or edges before
making a purchase. A P. ramorum-susceptible plant then should be kept in
an isolated area outside for eight weeks before planting to make sure that
no symptoms appear. Host plants should not be planted near susceptible
oaks and tanoaks.
People visiting
areas known to be infested should comply with state and federal
regulations by not removing any host material from the site, including
firewood. As an added caution, visitors should remove all organic material
from shoes, equipment, tyres and other surfaces before leaving an infested
area to ensure that they are not accidentally taking the pathogen with
them to their next destination.
New DNA research
has revealed three lineages of P. ramorum. The technology helps greatly in
finding where infested material is coming from, in tracking spread
patterns and in being aware of the presence of different lineages in a
single location. Different lineages can potentially mate and generate
further problems.
More information is
available at ( http://nature.berkeley.edu/comtf
).
Handbook
of Small Grain Insects
The Handbook of
Small Grain Insects is new and is a comprehensive text that examines the
biology and management of arthropod pest and beneficial species of small
grain crops. It is edited by G David Buntin, Keith S Pike, Michael J
Weiss, and James A Webster. The handbook contains the latest information
on the management of small grain pests with introductory chapters
discussing management tactics specifically related to small grain
production. It also brings together in one place an extensive amount of
information on the biology and management of many minor pests of small
grains that is often difficult to locate.
It includes more
than 135 color photographs and maps, illustrated keys of pest injury and
insect identification, references, glossary, and an index. It is
co-published by the Entomological Society of America and The American
Phytopathological Society.
See ( http://www.apsnet.org/apspress/email/7.19.07.htm
).
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Coming
Events
- International Symposium on Novel
Approaches to Disease and Pest Management in Banana and Plantain in
Greenway Woods, White River, South Africa.
- 10-14 September 2007.
- See ( www.promusa.org
).
-
- AAB (Association of Applied
Biologists) Advances in Virology at the University of Greenwich,
London, United Kingdom.
- 11-12 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist
).
-
- AAB Plant Nematology Workshop at
Agri-Food and Biosciences Instiute, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- 11-13 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist
)
-
- Molecular Biology of Plant
Pathogens 2007 Meeting (MBPP2007) in Bath, United Kingdom.
- 11-12 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.scri.ac.uk/mbpp/index.htm
).
-
- The BSPP Presidential Meeting:
Attack and Defence in Plant Disease at the University of Bath,
United Kingdom.
- 12-14 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.bsppmeetings.org.uk
).
-
- 13th European Congress on
Biotechnology in Barcelona, Spain.
- 16-19 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.ecb13.eu
).
-
- International Conference of
Agricultural Biotechnology (AgriBio-2007) "Maximizing Gains,
Minimizing Risks" in New Delhi, India.
- 17-18 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.AgriBio2007.com
).
-
- First International Symposium on
Chili Anthracnose at the Convention Center, Hoam Faculty House,
Seoul National University, Korea.
- 17-19 September 2007.
- See ( http://www.avrdc.org/anthracnose/index.html
).
-
- 16th Biennial Australasian Plant
Pathology Society Conference (“Back to Basics: Managing Plant
Disease”) and 9th Australasian Mycological Society Conference in
Adelaide, South Australia.
- 24-27 September 2007.
- See ( www.australasianplantpathologysociety.org.au
).
-
- 2nd International Conference on
Bacterial Blight of Rice (ICBB) in Nanjing, China.
- 1-3 October 2007.
- See ( http://icbb2007.njau.edu.cn
).
-
- II International Symposium on
Tomato Diseases in Kusadasi, Turkey.
- 8-12 October 2007.
- See ( www.2istd.ege.edu.tr
).
-
- AAB Advances in Pest Management
at Studley Castle, Warwickshire, UK.
- 11 October 2007.
- See ( http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist
).
-
- XVIth International Plant
Protection Congress (IPPC) in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
- 15-18 October 2007.
- See ( www.bcpc.org/iapps2007
).
-
- 14th International Botrytis
Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa.
- 21-26 October 2007.
- See ( http://academic.sun.ac.za/botrytis2007/
).
-
- Borers and Rots in Eucalypts
Conference in Perth, Western Australia.
- 5-7 November 2007.
- See ( www.promaco.com.au/2007/borers
).
-
- First Meeting of International
Phytoplasmologist Working Group (IPWG) in Bologna, Italy.
- 12-15 November 2007.
- See ( http://www.mpunion.com
).
-
- 6th World Avocado Congress in
Vina del Mar, Chile.
- 12-16 November 2007.
- See ( www.worldavocadocongress.com
).
-
- 20th Venezuelan Congress of
Phytopathology in Yaracuy State, Venezuela.
- 13-16 November 2007.
- See ( www.sovefit.org
).
-
- VI International Pineapple
Symposium in João Pessoa, Paraiba State, Brazil.
- 18-23 November 2007.
- Contact: Dr. Domingo Haroldo
Reinhardt, Embrapa Cassava & Tropical Fruits, Cruz das Almas,
Bahia, Brazil ( dharoldo@cnpmf.embrapa.br
).
- See ( www.ipsbrasil2007.com.br
).
-
- Third International Conference
on Plant Pathology & 7th Biennial Meeting of Pakistan
Phytopathological Society in the University of Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan.
- 19-21 November 2007.
- See ( http://www.pu.edu.pk/conference/mppl-conference-07.asp
).
- Contact: Professor Dr Rukhsana
Bajwa, Chairperson, Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology,
University of the Punjab, Lahore-54590, Pakistan. Tel: +92
429231846-7.
- Fax: +92 429231187. E-mail: ( chairperson@mpp.pu.edu.pk
).
-
- 1st International Phytophthora
Capsici Conference in Islamorada, Florida, USA.
- 27-29 November 2007.
- See ( http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/pcap
).
-
- 5th Canadian Workshop on
Fusarium Head Blight in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
- 27-30 November 2007.
- See ( atekauz@agr.cg.ca
).
-
- 2007 National Fusarium Head
Blight Forum in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
- 2-4 December 2007.
- Contact ( scabusa@scabusa.org
).
- See ( www.scabusa.org/forum07.html
).
-
- AAB (Association of Applied
Biologists) Advances in Nematology at the Linnean Society, London,
United Kingdom.
- 11 December 2007.
- See ( http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist
).
-
- National Soybean Rust Symposium
in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
- 12-14 December 2007.
- Contact ( aps@scisoc.org
).
- See ( www.apsnet.org
).
-
- AAB International Advances in
Pesticide Application 2008 at Robinson College, Cambridge, United
Kingdom.
- 9-11 January 2008.
- See ( http://www.aab.org.uk/contentok.php?id=184&basket=wwsshowconflist
).
-
- Plant Innate Immunity (X2) at
Keystone Resort, Keystone, Colorado, USA.
- 10-15 February 2008.
- www.keystonesymposia.org/Meetings/viewMeetings.cfm?MeetingID=932
-
- Third International Late Blight
Conference 2008 in Beijing, China.
- 3-6 April 2008.
- See ( http://research.cip.cgiar.org/typo3/web/index.php?id=1053
).
-
- International Conference on
Banana and Plantain in Africa: Harnessing International Partnerships
to Increase Research Impact in Mombasa, Kenya.
- 7-10 April 2008.
- See ( http://www.banana2008.com
).
-
- 6th International Seed Testing
Association Seed Health Symposium at Kruger National Park, South
Africa.
- 14-18 April 2008.
- www.up.ac.za/conferences/ielc
-
- 12th International Symposium on
Virus Diseases of Ornamental Plants at
- Van der Valk Hotel, Haarlem, The
Netherlands.
- 20-24 April 2008
- www.plant-virology.nl/ISVDOP12
-
- VIII Symposium on Plant
Biotechnology. Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba.
- 23-25 April 2008.
- http://simposio.ibp.co.cu
-
- 13th International Congress on
Infectious Diseases (ICID) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- 19-22 June 2008.
- See ( http://www.isid.org/13th_icid
).
-
- 5th International Congress of
Nematology in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- 13-18 July 2008.
- See ( www.5icn.org/
).
-
- The 16th Congress of the
Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB) in Tampere,
Finland.
- 17-22 August 2008.
- See ( http://www.fespb2008.org
).
- Also satellite symposium on
Peroxidases.
- 20-23 August 2008.
- See ( http://www.peroxidase2008.org
).
-
- 4th International Symposium on
Rhizoctonia in Berlin, Germany.
- 20-23 August 2008.
- See ( http://rhizoctonia.org
).
-
- 3rd International Phytophthora/Pythium
Workshop in association with the 9th ICPP-2008 in Torino, Italy.
- 23-24 August 2008.
- See ( www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/identification/phytophthora
).
-
- APS Centennial Meeting,
Minneapolis in Minnesota, USA.
- 26-30 July 2008.
- Contact: ( aps@scisoc.org
).
- See ( http://meeting.apsnet.org/centennial/default.cfm
).
-
- 9th International Congress of
Plant Pathology (ICPP 2008) in Torino, Italy.
- 24-29 August 2008.
- Contact: Congress Secretariat,
Valentina Communication, Via Cibrario 27, 10143 Torino, Italy.
Phone: +39-0114374250; Fax: +39-0114374318; e-mail: ( info@icpp2008.org
).
- See ( www.icpp2008.org
).
-
- APS Caribbean Division Meeting,
part of the 6th International Scientific Seminar on Plant Health, in
Havana, Cuba.
- 22-26 September 2008.
- Contact: ( aps@scisoc.org
).
- See ( www.apsnet.org
).
-
- 16th Ornamental Workshop on
Diseases and Pests in Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA.
- 22-26 September 2008.
- See ( www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/activities/societies/ornamental
).
-
- 10th International Fusarium
Workshop in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy.
- 30 September-2 October 2008.
- See ( www.cdl.umn.edu/scab/10th_fhb_wkshp.htm
).
-
-
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