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Volume 16, No. 3 Sept 2003

Quarterly Commentsfrom the APPS PresidentPractical challenges for plant pathology

I have recently attended two meetings thathave stressed the practical importance of plantpathology for the vegetable industries ofAustralasia, emphasising how our disciplineis essential for the production of high yielding,high quality crops. These meetings bothrelated to potatoes, well recognised as veryimportant vegetable crops in Australia, NewZealand and throughout the world. The 3rd

Seed Potato Industry Workshop in Portland,Victoria, and the Potato Industry AdvisoryCommittee Workshop in Melbourne, in lateAugust, both focused particularly on plantdisease problems. In Portland, nine of the 17invited speakers addressed important potatodisease problems caused by viruses, bacteria,fungi and protozoa. The Melbourne meetingaimed to develop long term potato industryresearch strategies to solve problems forgrowers and processors, and these particularlyinvolve soil health, soilborne diseases anddiseases caused by viruses.

Plant pathology is a science that canprovide deep insights in biology, as wecontinue to elucidate the intricacies of

interactions between plants, their pathogensand the environments in which they co-exist.However, the prime reasons for our scienceremain the need for practical solutions to theproblems caused by plant pathogens. Thepotato industries continue to provideimportant products for human consumption,as the demands from consumers of fresh andprocessed potatoes continue to expand.However, potato growers are faced withintractable problems caused by severalsoilborne pathogens, diseases caused byviruses, and, in some areas, the late blightpathogen. These problems are not new, asany student of plant pathology knows, butthe increasing demands for low pesticidemethods of disease control, combined withincreasing intensity of crop production, requiredisease management strategies that are moreholistic and more “sustainable” than the veryeffective strategies based on syntheticpesticide chemicals. Indeed, these holistic,integrated approaches are likely to be the onlyway for reduction of intractable diseaseproblems in the future.

These two meetings have focused on the

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needs of a particular section of horticulture,but they have very adequately emphasisedurgent requirements for practical solutions thatcontinue to be demanded from our science. Asplant-based industries intensify productionmethods, and as consumers increasinglydemand low or nil pesticide productionsystems for food and fibre crops, practical,sustainable solutions are increasingly requiredfor disease problems that continue to constrainagrarian activity. Plant pathology continuesto be an integral part of the researchrequirement for agriculture, horticulture andforestry, providing essential knowledge fromwhich disease management solutions can bedeveloped for plant-based industries.

Australasian Plant PathologyThe APPS Management Committee has

just completed very amicable and productivenegotiations with CSIRO Publishing to

News from the Editor-in-Chief of APP:

New Senior Editors for Australasian Plant Pathology

The following scientists have been appointed to the Editorial Board of APP.

Dr Keith Harrower, Central Qld UniversityDr Peter Revill, Queensland University of TechnologyDr Ross E. Beever, Landcare Research, Auckland

As time and resource pressures increase on all of us, the voluntary efforts of these andthe current Editors of our journal are much appreciated.

Remember that papers can be submitted via email to the Editor-in-Chief if they are lessthan 4MB.

Ric Cother

continue the contract for publishing of ourSociety’s journal. Adding APP to the CSIROjournal stable has raised the profile and overallpresentation of our journal, very suitablycomplimenting the excellent editorial standardsthat have, and continue, in the presentation ofplant pathology research findings andknowledge by our Society. Our journal shouldbe the first publication option for all APPSmembers. International recognition of APP isburgeoning, due both to the excellentpublication and editorial standards of thejournal, and the science content. Publicationof APP is one of the key functions of the APPS.We are fortunate to have very able anddedicated editorial input from Ric Cother andhis Editorial Board, and efficient and highstandard publication, distribution andmarketing support from CSIRO Publishing.

Richard Falloon

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REGIONAL NEWSQUEENSLAND

I would like to welcome Mr PeterTrevorrow into the fold of APPS regionalcouncillors, as the new co-councillor fornorthern Queensland. Peter will now be thefirst point of contact for north Queenslandmembers, and for anyone wanting informationon APPS activities in the north. Howeverthis is a fairly loose arrangement, and of courseall Queensland members are welcome tocontact either Peter or myself for any mattersconcerning APPS in Queensland regardless ofarea.

The transfer of the Queensland Branch’sfinances away from the Commonwealth Bankof Australia (CBA) has been completed. Thismove was undertaken, as APPS no longermeets the CBA’s definition of a non-profitorganisation, resulting in considerable bankfees and charges being applied to our account.The Queensland branch finances have beentransferred to the Heritage Building Society,which is pleased to have our business; doesconsider us to be a non-profit organisation ofconsiderable benefit to the community andwon’t be charging us any account keeping fees.

ICPP 2003 CONFERENCE REPORTS –26 MARCH

I sincerely apologise to the speakers fromthe morning session of the ICPP 2003conference report seminar day, and to GrahamStirling who spoke in the afternoon, as Iomitted their seminar summaries from my lastreport. Prior to the awards ceremony forGraham and Helen, were conference highlightsgiven by the four QDPI staff officially allowedto attend ICPP. These seminars provided anexcellent opportunity for those who wereunable to attend the congress to catch up onsome of the major topics covered.

The seminars were chaired by AndrewGeering.

Viruses and other small thingsDenis Persley (Senior Plant Pathologist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

Denis began his presentation by discussingsome of the difficulties encountered in gettingpermission from the Minister for PrimaryIndustries for any staff from QDPI to attendthe congress, even though people had industryfunding available to them. Unfortunately forQDPI staff, and staff from various similarorganisations throughout Australia the issueof overseas travel remains a difficult one.

1. Genetically modified crops – Papayaringspot virus (PRSV) resistant papaya

2. Tospoviruses – causing major lossesworldwide in a range of crops

3. Biosecurity issues – two diseasesregarded as the most important for Australia

4. Other pathogens of interest –phytoplasmas and other fastidiousprokaryotes and phytomonads

Applications of gene technology forpathogen resistanceRalf Dietzgen (Principal Biotechnologist,QABC, QDPI)

Ralf presented information from one ofthe congresses night sessions on technologiesthat are still at the laboratory developmentstage, giving details of five new approaches toproviding pathogen resistance.

1. Virus-mediated resistance2. Inactivation of virulence factors, by

Syngenta Biotechnology3. Expression of antimicrobial peptides4. Expression of broad spectrum

fungicides, by Syngenta Biotechnology5. Modulation of programmed cell death

ICPP2003 - Emma’s perspectiveEmma Colson (Plant Pathologist, AFFSFarming Systems, QDPI)

Emma briefly described the “feel” of thecongress, including a brief synopsis of theAPPS Presidential Address “Biosecurity,Trade and Plant Pathology” and the welcomeHaka. Emma spent most of her time discussinga workshop she attended prior to the congress

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“The Roy E Grant Memorial Workshop onCrop Loss” which addressed the topics ofdisease assessment terms, sampling issues,precision and accuracy of visual diseaseassessments. Of particular value was thechance to practise with the computer program“Severity Pro” which allows the user topractise making disease assessments, and thento find out the answers. Emma found theexercise very valuable, with her success rateimproving significantly after doing theexcercises.

Native & Plantation Forestry - Diseases,Biosecurity & QuarantineMichael Ramsden (Forest Health SurveillanceOfficer, AFFS Forestry, QDPI)

Michael started his talk by saying howmuch he enjoyed the congress, and gave thethree main benefits from his attendance, asbeing the chance to

1. Forge links with interstate andinternational researchers

2. Explore and expand collaboration onprojects of common interests

3. Seek out innovative technologies.Michael then went into details of the follow

on developments from the conference, and toexplain the current situation for plantpathology with the Queensland ForestryResearch Institute.

The role of soil health in plant growth anddisease suppressionGraham Stirling (Biological Crop Protection,Fellow APPS)

Graham’s talk focused on the importanceof soil health to both plant growth and diseasesuppression. The first important step is howto measure plant health, and discussed in detailthe method used by his group, which uses thenematode community (in particular non-parasitic nematodes) as an indicator of the soilfood web. Unfortunately, Graham has foundthe status of most soils used for vegetableproduction in Queensland to be very poor,with these soils having bacteria dominatedsystems. No-till systems were much better

than fumigated / plastic mulch / tilled soils,however these systems still have a way to go.Graham feels that the future improvement ofQueensland soils will rely upon a minimumtill system incorporating a range of organicamendments depending upon individual soilneeds. Graham then gave a detailed exampleof some work his group has been doing withsome sugarcane growers, and how the healthof these soils was greatly improved by theuse of a no-till planting system and croprotation.

PLANT PATHOGENIC ASCOMYCETEWORKSHOP Dunwich Research Station, Stradbroke Island,Queensland – April 9-11 2003.

• Workshop run by Roger Shivas and staff(Dean Beasley, Jan Dean, Sophie O’Neill andDesley Tree) from the QDPI Plant PathologyHerbarium (BRIP)• Blackout before dinner at the Point LookoutHotel• Early morning trip to sight see at PointLookout• New ascomycete discovered by Ceri Pearce• No fish too tough, no sea too rough!• Beautiful weather, lovely views, goodcatering, excellent facilities• Maybe a bit too much microscopy for thoseof us not used to looking down a microscopefor 8 hours a day?

Led by Roger Shivas (Curator – QDPIPlant Pathology Herbarium; BRIP), the BRIPteam (Dean Beasley, Jan Dean, Tom Marney,Sophie O’Neill and Desley Tree) put on aninteresting workshop, which provided anexcellent introduction to the major orders ofplant pathogenic ascomycetes through a seriesof presentations by noted Australianmycologists (John Alcorn, James Cunnington,Ian Pascoe, Ceri Pearce, Michael Priest, MalRyley, Brett Summerall).

As well as the strong intellectual program,this workshop was held in a teachinglaboratory with what is arguably the best view

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from any research station in Australia, or eventhe southern hemisphere. Dunwich researchstation also the catchiest motto “No fish tootough, no sea too rough!” Stradbroke Islandturned on some fabulous weather, which wasbest appreciated by an early morning walkaround the Point Look Out headland. Thisworkshop was pleasantly informal, with lotsof useful information, lots of practical sessions,good access to infected plant material andcultures and excellent presenters. The onlydownside was the eye strain… Especially forthose of us not used to more than six hours ofmicroscopy in one day!

Well done Roger and team!

REDLANDS TECHNOLOGY PARKSEMINAR / FIELD DAY 10 JUNE 2003

Redlands Technology Park (ResearchStation) was the location for the second APPS/DPI Seminar day for the year. I would like toextend thank you’s to Kaylene Bransgrove(Scientist, AFFS Horticulture, QDPI) fororganising the day, and to Kaylene and CherieGambley (Plant Pathologist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI) for packing up after Ileft early due to the flu.

Lucky door prize won by Shirley Jones(QDPI, Toowoomba).

Research at Redlands a History andOverviewDavid Lack (Research Station Manager, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

Established in 1948 with the purchase ofnine hectares of land (and three draft horses),Redlands Research Station has grown to 66hectares and has replaced the draft horses with(three) tractors – how times change! Over thelast 54 years, research and development workat Redlands has covered most horticulturalcommodities grown in Queensland, but is nowfocused on amenity (lifestyle) horticulture,including turf, cut flower, landscape andnursery industries.

In response to the Public ServiceManagement Commission review, Redlandsspent of the 1980’s under serious threat of

sale. This state of affairs has recently turnedaround, with lifestyle horticulture, andRedlands, now regarded as an importantcomponent of AFFS Horticulture priorities.This new stage of development is exemplifiedby the change in name from Redlands ResearchStation to Redlands Technology Park, and therecent upgrade of office and glasshouse facilitiesthrough major capital works.

Introduction to GrowSearchChristine Lane (Extension Officer, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

GrowSearch Australia is an informationservice with a difference. Designed forproducers of ornamental, horticultural andnursery crops, GrowSearch provides accessto a database of over 20 000 articles fromgrower/ industry focused journals andnewsletters. GrowSearch offers desktopdocument delivery, pest and disease imagesand the latest information on newtechnologies. GrowSearch also offers asubscriber service, which is mainly used bylecturers from TAFE’s and Universities,industry groups and organizations such asQDPI. For further information check out thewebsite www.growsearch.net or email directto growsearch@dpi.qld.gov.au

Plant Diagnostics (GrowHelp Australia) -An overviewJean Howell (Experimentalist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

GrowHelp is a fee-for-service plantdiagnostic service, which provides ‘accuratedisease diagnosis and practical plant healthsolutions’. GrowHelp services a range ofclients from the nursery, cut flower, fruit andvegetable, landscape and turf industries, as wellas emerging industries like olives. Samplesare checked for pests (insects) and diseases,with verbal and written diagnoses provided atspecified times.

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Plant Diagnostics (GrowHelp Australia) –Some memorable diseases of nursery andflower cropsLeif Forsberg (District Experimentalist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

Leif’s presentation took us back to pureplant pathology with a brief discussion ofcommon ornamental pathogens, includingChalara elegans (Black root rot),Phytophthora, Cylindrocladium, Rhizoctonia,Verticillium and Pythium species.

Turf Research Activities at RedlandsDon Loch (Senior Scientist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

The turf industry, both in Australia andworldwide is currently enormous, and onlyexpected to get bigger. As a prime example thelast turf field day held at Redlands attractedover 220 people! Don gave us a brief overviewof the turf groups work, which covers manyareas including physiology, geneticimprovement (mainly plant adaptation),management (weed control, nutrition,mowing), industry services (plant breedersrights, certification, variety multiplication,water conservation and acting a general sourceof information. Currently one of the mainthrusts for the group is sports turf, helping toprovide management strategies for highlystressed turf, such as that used in footballstadiums, golf courses and racetracks.

Afternoon Field WalkDavid Lack directed the afternoon field

walk, providing an excellent commentary onthe broad range of fieldwork carried out atRedlands. The highlight of the afternoon wasa tour of the turf plots, over 100 in all. Thetour also included the Heritage Garden,frangipani, pineapple, strawberry and pawpawtrial, and despite the brief shower of rain justas the group headed off, was enjoyed by all.

THIRD APPS/QDPI SEMINAR DAY 5AUGUST 2003

The third seminar day in the APPS/QDPIseminar series for 2003, was held at theIndooroopilly Sciences Centre on Tuesday, 5August 2003. The day was very well attended,with over 55 QDPI staff and APPS members,from throughout southeast Queensland. A hotpizza lunch organised by the QDPI seminarcommittee and Plant Pathology social clubwas also very well received.

Screening new products for citrus diseasecontrolAndrew Miles (Plant Pathologist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

Andrew began his talk by brieflydescribing the major diseases affecting citruscrops in Queensland, including Alternariabrown spot (Alternaria sp.) and citrus blackspot (Guignardia citricarpa). Unfortunatelyat this time there are only three chemicalsavailable to target these diseases, mancozeb,copper and benomyl all of which haveundesirable side effects, such as mancozebbeing a major marine pollutant and, likebenomyl, decimating the predatory mitepopulation. Andrew and the Fruit Pathologygroup based at Indooroopilly have been doingsome work to test a range of other chemicalalternatives, along with the aim of reducingthe volume of chemical sprayed and findingother more effective chemicals with lessenvironmental impact. So far Andrew has hadsome promising results with the strobiluringroup and systemic resistance activators suchas Bion.

Stilbocarpa mosaic: a badnavirus from thesub-AntarcticAnne Mackenzie (Research School of BiologicalSciences, Australian National University)

Thirteenth International Symposium on the Biology of ActinomycetesMelbourne Dec 2003. http://www.conferencestrategy.com.au/isba/index.html

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Stilbocarpa polaris (Macquarie Islandcabbage) is one of the dominant plant speciesfound on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island1400 km south east of Tasmania. A slowgrowing megaherb, it was favoured as a foodsource for many early explorers and sealerson the island. Recently, Anne Mackenzie andco-workers have detected Stilbocarpa mosaicbacilliform virus, a badnavirus, from manyplants on Macquarie Island. Diseasesymptoms vary from mild to striking, withleaves showing very bright yellowing,sometimes as a zigzag pattern around the edgeof the leaf. Other leaf symptoms include moretraditional mosaics or ring patterns; with someplants showing such extreme chlorosis thatthe leaves are almost completely white.Affected plants can also be stunted. At thisstage very little else is known about the disease,with transmission vectors unknown and thepotential for alternative hosts uncertain.Interestingly, sequence information indicatesthat Pineapple bacilliform virus (PBV) iscurrently the most closely related virus,although the relationship between the twoviruses is not really a close one. Anne spenttwo weeks working with the Virology group,who work with several pineapple virusesincluding PBV, at QDPI Indooroopilly inAugust.

WSMV - doomsday for industry or justanother pathogen?Andrew Geering (Plant Pathologist, AFFSHorticulture, QDPI)

Andrew began his talk by reminding us ofsome of the more alarmist articles written bythe press at the beginning of the Wheat streakmosaic virus (WSMV) outbreak earlier thisyear. Coming hot on the heals of the SARSepidemic, it certainly seems as though the termvirus is a very emotive one for mostAustralians at the moment. WSMV is amember of the potyvirus family, the largestfamily of plant viruses, and possessesfilamentous particles, 15 nm wide by 700 nmin length. Found in Europe, the Middle East,North America and Australia, WSMV is

transmitted by Aceria tosichella (wheat curlmite) and requires 15 min of feeding to uptakethe virus, which is retained for at least 9 days,and a further 15 min of feeding to transmitWSMV. The mites can be blown up to severalkilometres in the wind, allowing the diseaseto move substantial distances. WSMV has awide host range including wheat, barley, oats,rye and certain lines of maize sorghum andmillet, as well as a broad range of wild grasses.Australian isolates of WSMV are most similarto those in the USA, Canada and Turkey.Andrew thinks that WSMV has the potentialto be a serious problem for Queensland graingrowers, with our higher summer rainfallfavouring the establishment of a ‘green bridge’between wheat crops. Summer cerealproduction is also very significant in thisregion, and WSMV poses a threat to thesecrops.

WSMV-it’s discovery in QLD, quarantine& surveillanceEmma Colson (Plant Pathologist, AFFSFarming Systems, QDPI)

As every field pathologist knows, thereis more to a disease outbreak than just thespread of symptoms and disease diagnosiEmma gave us a brief glimpse into the morepersonal aspects of the WSMV crisis for theLeslie Research Centre (LRC) staff called inhandle the outbreak. Starting with a timelineof events, from the first diagnosis in Canberra,to the first diagnosis of WSMV in LRC plants(on the Friday before a long weekend – isn’t italways the way?) to the final lifting ofquarantine restrictions at LRC (the day beforeher presentation). WSMV also affected arange of other projects, as staff were divertedat short notice to perform surveys, theproblems associated with quarantinerestrictions including the postponing of wintertrial sowing. However, in the end a marvellouseffort was made by all, with every Graincosilo in Queensland surveyed in the first round,and the second round of surveys about tobegin.

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Potato Late Blight in the HighlandsIn early March 2003, an unknown disease

swept through the English potato gardens inthe Highlands, causing total fear and confusionamongst the illiterate potato growers. Theseriousness of the problem prompted theNational Government to call for PlantPathologists to visit the food gardens in theHighlands to determine the cause of thediseases. In a preliminarily visit by Mr. PereKokoa (Plant Pathologist with the NationalAgriculture Research Institute based atKerevat) the causal agent was indentified asPhytophthora infestans. In early June, twoPlant Pathologists from PNG Cocoa and

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

New Genetics, Food and Agriculture:Scientific Discoveries-Social DilemmasDr Gabrielle Persley (Chair, The DoyleFoundation), introduced by Dr ChrisHaywood.

There are now 60 million hectares ofGenetically Modified (GM) crops grown in16 countries around the world in 2003. DrGabrielle Persley is an international consultantin biotechnology and has recently completeda report commissioned by the InternationalCouncil for Science, entitled “New Genetics,Food and Agriculture: Scientific Discoveries-Social Dilemmas”. In this report more than50 individual reviews of Genetically ModifiedOrganisms and Living Modified Organismswere reviewed, and the key issues relating tothe development and use of geneticallymodified foods-an area of interest and relevanceto all biologists were identified.

The five key questions on geneticallymodified foods and living modified organisms

1. Who needs GM foods? In one formor another we all need them, ie: poorer countriesneed more food, while richer countries wanthigher quality food, from less land, with lesswater and causing less environmental damage.

2. Are GM foods safe to eat? Thecurrently available foods are fine to eat, basedon the millions of meals eaten with nodocumented ill effects. However, there aregaps in the knowledge, such as the long-termeffects of such foods, and there is always thepossibility of unintended effects.

3. Will GM foods affect theenvironment? Yes – of course they will, allagriculture affects the environment, some inmore detrimental ways than others. Some ofthese effects have been very positive though,eg: Bt cotton, which has markedly reduced(by up to 50%) insecticide sprays.

4. Is there adequate regulation of GMfoods? No for efficiency, transparency andinternational agreement – with most countriestaking a different approach to regulation.However, most GM foods are far morestringently regulated that other products in

agriculture.5. Will GM foods affect trade? Yes.

However, lots of currently availabletechnologies would benefit agriculture more,particularly in poorer nations. GM foods willnot solve problems on their own. The need forlabelled foods will become increasinglyimportant, as consumers demand the right tochoose what they eat.

So where to from here? The answer is forscientists to engage more with the community,participate more in the current dialogue aboutGM foods, find the gaps in scientificknowledge and fill them.

More information on Gabrielle’s report canbe found at the following websites:www.icsu.org and www.doylefoundation.org

Christine Horlock

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training was sponsored by the Plant ProtectionDivision of the Community of the SouthPacific (SPC). The course, which was mainlypractically orientated was organised and runby Professor Terry Price (Head of theDepartment of Agriculture, University ofVudal) and included the basics of plant diseasediagnosis; field observation, collection anddespatch of plant disease specimens foridentification by national or internationalherbaria or other Institutes; identification ofthe major pathogen groups (fungi, bacteria,nematodes, viruses and phytoplasmas), basicphytopathological microscopy techniques andcultural techniques. The participants also spentone week with Dr Konam and the plantpathology section at the Cocoa and CoconutInstitute learning about Cocoa diseases andmanagement, and one week at the plantpathology laboratory at NARI Keravat withMr Pere Kokoa seeing the research work ondiseases of taro and other food crops includingtissue culture. This course was a follow up ofa similar course run for scientists within PapuaNew Guinea in December 2002, alsosponsored by the SPC.

Coconut Research Institute, Mrs. JosephineSaul and Dr. J. Konam, joined Dr. Trevor Wicks(Senior Plant Pathologist at the SouthAustralian Research and DevelopmentInstitute) and Tony Pitt (Victoria PotatoIndustry) on an investigative mission into thePotato Blight affected areas of the Highlands.

The pathogen was confirmed asPhytophthora infestans and it was suspectedthat the more destructive mating type A2 wascausing the problem. We notice the wholeplant, leaves, petioles and stem succumbingto the diseases. Some plants survived to aboutthe 6th week and if no prophylactic fungicidetreatments were applied, the plants weretotally destroyed. The situation reports wereprepared and sent to the National Departmentof Agriculture and livestock for quick action.The National Agriculture Research Institutehas already contacted the International PotatoCentre to bring in more varieties to trial in theHighlands. We noted that Phytophthorainfestans has not been reported in PNG before.It was suspected that the pathogen might havecrossed into PNG from Indonesia. The rateof spread of the pathogen is notably very fast.Found in Tambubil in March, it had spread toEnga province and devastated gardens therewithin the same month. By May it had spreadinto the Western Highlands, Simbu and EasternHighlands. The Potato Industry in PNG,though small, is a valuable food and cash cropfor the high altitude people. A warning to ourPlant Pathologists in far North Queensland:this strain of P. infestans may be on its waydown.

PNG Plant Pathology Training Workshopfor South Pacific Scientists

Three scientists from the South Pacific,Mr Sarlaesh Kumar (Senior TechnicalAssistant, Plant Protection, Fiji), Ms MerriamSeth (Assistant Plant Protection Officer,Quarantine, Vanuatu), and Ms Sela Tupouniua(Senior Plant Pathologist, Tonga) attended aone month Basic Plant Pathology TechniquesTraining Workshop held at the University ofVudal from 29 June to 25 July 2003. The

Merriam, Sela and Sarlesh examining aspecimen of diseased rice growing at OISCA.

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VICTORIA

The Victorian branch of APPS held a midyear meeting and get together on the 4th ofJuly 2003 at the Institute for HorticulturalDevelopment at Knoxfield. An early careerresearcher Dr James Cunnington and anexperienced researcher Dr Peter Merrimanentertained the members. James described theresearch he has been doing since thecompletion of his PhD research which is amarriage between classic taxonomy andmolecular biology. He gave a brief history ofthe fungal collection (VPRI) at IHD andencouraged people to submit specimens ofplant pathogenic fungi, no matter howcommon the fungus to the collection. Heexplained how he got DNA out of oldspecimens (up to 100 years), to identifyTaphrina species on pear and Prunus necroticringspot virus on cherry and the delicate natureof the work. He has been using beta-tubulinsequences to identify Neofabraea species onapple in Australia. James gave the group ademonstration of the Victorian plant pest anddisease database that is only available to DPIstaff. The database lists plant pathogens andpests in the DPI collections, along withdistribution maps in Victoria and diagnosticinformation for specific diseases.

James also described molecular biologicaltechniques he has used to differentiate similarspecies of smuts, cercosporoid fungi, woodrotting Hymenochaetales and downy mildews.

Dr Ian Porter (IHD Knoxfield) gave a 5minute introduction about Peter Merrimanwith much heckling from Peter. Peter spokeabout his career since arriving in Australia inthe late 1960’s and briefly described his jobinterview in a UK pub with a bunch of Aussiesand a lot of lager. Peter has worked on anumber of soil borne pathogens during hiscareer and described some of the good resultsand not so good results over the years. Peterwas involved with an ACIAR project on coffeerust in PNG along with many other Victorianplant pathologists at the time and reminiscedabout some scary stories in the hills of PNG.

More recently, Peter has been heavilyinvolved in biosecurity at Knoxfield and PlantHeath Australia. And finally, Peter gave thegroup his thoughts on the future of plantpathology in Australia.

Peter will retire from DPI Knoxfield onthe 12th of September this year and we allwish him well in his future endeavors.

The next meeting of the Victorian Branchwill be held in early December.

Tonya Wiechel

Carol Walker’s excellence in undergraduateplant pathology was recently acknowledgedby award of the D.B. Adam Memorial Prizefor 2002. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. JamesMcWha, presented the prize that recognisesthe best plant pathology student in theB.Ag.Sc. at the University of Adelaide. Oncompleting her degree, Carol is building onher success and has begun research in plantpathology under the supervision of EileenScott and others. GWRDC and AustraliaPostgraduate Award provide support for herwork on the effects of novel control measuresfor powdery mildew on microflora ofgrapevines.Ian Riley

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Prof. McWha congratulates Carol Walkeron receiving the D.B. Adam Memorial Prize.

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E. C. STAKMAN AWARD TO BOBMCINTOSH

Professor Bob McIntosh was awarded the2002 E. C Stakman award in a ceremony atthe University of Minnesota earlier this year.This is a prestigious internationally recognizedaward for excellence in plant pathology thathas been presented at by the Department ofPlant Pathology at the University ofMinnesota annually since 1956.

The committee that made the awardoffered the following comments concerningBob's achievements:

“Professor McIntosh received the awardfor being one of the best classical plantgeneticists of the 20th century, as well as beinga critical thinker, a dedicated scientist, and anenthusiastic teacher. He has been a tirelessworker in the field of genetics and resistancebreeding for more than 40 years. His life hasbeen dedicated to understanding and utilizingplant genetics to control of cereal rust diseases.The impact of his discoveries and work hasextended far beyond the confines of theUniversity of Sydney’s Plant BreedingInstitute and his native Australia. Majorachievements include the collection ofaneuploid stocks of Chinese Spring wheat,chromosome location and genetic linkagestudies, and identification of twenty-four rustresistance genes in wheat (seven for leaf rust,fourteen for stem rust, and three for striperust). Several of these genes were transferredinto agronomically superior wheat cultivarsand greatly reduced losses to rust diseasesworldwide. Professor McIntosh pioneeredthe concept of pre-emptive or anticipatorybreeding after the “boom and bust” cycles ofplant breeding proved a failure. He was amajor force in developing wheat with durablestem rust resistance. For more than 30 years,

Dr. McIntosh coordinated and published theinternational catalogue of wheat geneticnomenclature. It became the primary referencefor wheat breeders and wheat pathologistsaround the world. In it are the identities ofwheat genes with effects on morphological andphysiological as well as disease resistance.Internationally, he has been a consultant onprojects in Mexico, India, and China, and wasrecently elected a Fellow of the AmericanPhytopathological Society.”

Bob joins three Australians who havereceived this award (Dr W. L. Waterhouse,1956; Dr I. A. Watson, 1966; Dr A. Kerr,1991).

Robert ParkUniversity of SydneyPlant Breeding Institute, Cobbitty

Prof Bob McIntosh is presented with the 2002E. C Stakman Award by Prof Francis Pfleger,Head of the Department of Plant PathologyUniversity of Minnesota at Saint Paul,Minnesota.

8-11 February 2004, The Barossa Novotel, Rowland Flat, South Australiawww.plevin.com.au/ASDS2004

3rd Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium

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PERUVIAN SCIENTIST LUIS SALAZARWINS 2003 DEREK TRIBE AWARD

The Honorable Tim Fischer, Chairman ofthe ATSE Crawford Fund, announced that therecipient of the 2003 ATSE-Crawford FundDerek Tribe Award is Dr Luis Salazar, Headof the Plant Protection Department,International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru.

This prestigious Award was inauguratedin 2001 to mark the outstanding contributionsof Emeritus Professor Derek Tribe,Foundation Director of the Crawford Fund,to international agricultural research. Theaward is made biennially to a citizen of adeveloping country in recognition of theirdistinguished contributions to the applicationof research in agriculture or natural resourcemanagement in a developing country orcountries.

Luis Salazar, a Peruvian, is a world-recognized leader in research on potato andsweet potato pathogens, in particular, viruses.His contributions include the development ofhighly sensitive detection methodologies, aswell as important studies of pathogenpopulations and the development of pathogen‘clean-up’ methods that have had considerableimpact in developing countries.

“I am thrilled and honored to receive thisrecognition,” says Salazar. “The achievementsit recognizes, nonetheless, would not have beenpossible without the close collaboration ofmy colleagues in institutions throughoutChina. This is a true example of the value ofteamwork in getting technology out there, andmaking its impact felt in the areas of the worldwhere it is most needed.”

Throughout his career Dr Salazar hasplaced emphasis on training and informationexchange to facilitate the sharing of hisknowledge with scientists in developed anddeveloping countries throughout the world.Dr. Salazar’s greatest achievement, in termsof resulting impact, has been the developmentand implementation of virus clean-uptechnology for sweet potato - the staple foodand feed crop in Shandong and other provinces

in China. These measures were introduced incollaboration with colleagues at the AsianVegetable Research and Development Center,the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science,Sichuan and Shandong Academies ofAgricultural Science and the XuzhouSweetpotato Research Center (JiangsuProvince).

The rapid adoption of this technology forsweet potato production in Shandong Provincecontributed to 25-50 percent yield increasesduring 1995-2000 in a total area of about533,000 ha. The same technology has beenapplied to Sichuan and Anhui Provinces andthe potato production areas in Inner Mongoliaand Helonjiang. Since 1997 the resultanteconomic benefit at farm and village levels isestimated at US$550 million, the greatestsingle source of impact in the history of theInternational Potato Center.

This recognition takes place only a fewmonths after the passing of Prof Tribe, inApril of 2003. Among many otheraccomplishments in his career dedicated toadvancing and promoting the importance ofagricultural research, he, along with severalother influential colleagues, encouraged andsupported Sir John Crawford in his efforts toestablish the Australian Centre forInternational Agricultural Research (ACIAR),a landmark in Australia’s contribution tointernational agricultural research.

“Derek Tribe had a gentle and generousapproach about him which masked an innerstrength and ability to get things done,” saysFisher. “He was a natural leader in so manyfields and his guidance to so many over theyears will be sorely missed.”

Dr Salazar’s will visit Australia in the lastquarter of 2003 to receive the Award, and tospeak at various national institutions abouthis work.

submitted byGreg Johnston ACIAR

13

Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat andBarleyEds K.J. Leonard and W.R. BushnellAPS Press: St Paul ISBN 0-89054-302-X512 pp. Price US$89.00

Head blight has emerged as a diseaseof serious concern in wheat and barleyproduction around the world over recent years.While it is less important in terms of yieldloss than other diseases of cereals caused byFusarium species, the potential for mycotoxincontamination of grain has consequencesbeyond the immediate loss in production. Headblight is a sporadic disease for which there areno really effective control measures. There isnow a very large world-wide research efforton the disease, and this book provides a timelysummary and assessment of currentknowledge and future prospects.

The book has a strong emphasis onthe situation in North America and on thedominant species there, F. graminearum.However, this is also the dominant speciesassociated with recent outbreaks of head blightin Australia and in the North Island of NewZealand. Other species in the head blightcomplex, especially F. culmorum and F.avenaceum, do get a considerable number ofmentions in the text.

The book opens with a historicalperspective on head blight by Robert Stack.This includes both a history of epidemics anda summary of the early research work. One ofthe great values of this chapter is as an entryinto the older literature (there are almost 200references) that is not accessible throughelectronic databases.

The main part of the book is dividedinto five parts: The Pathogen and DiseaseDevelopment; Mycotoxins; Resistance;Control; and Impact; each with two to fivechapters, mostly contributed by activeworkers in the relevant field. The coverage ofthe disease is therefore very broad and it isdifficult to think of anything that has been

missed.The first section includes chapters on

systematics of head-blight fusaria, populationbiology, the infection process, andepidemiology. The epidemiology chapterexplicitly focuses on North America, but itprovides a valuable update of the 1982 paperby Sutton that most authors use as a generalreference. For me, the outstanding chapter ofthe book is on histology and physiology ofhead blight by Bushnell, Hazen and Pritsch.This provides a context for much of thematerial in other chapters on epidemiology,role of toxins, mechanisms of resistance andso on.

The two chapters on mycotoxinsfocus on trichothecenes and cover theirchemistry and detection, biosyntheticpathways, and role in pathogenicity. Thereare no cook-book methods for analysis, butrather a survey of methods that have beenused. A recommendation for standardprotocols that reduce the variability betweenlaboratories would have been useful. On theother hand, the introductory chapter to thesection on resistance, by Dill-Macky, doescontain detailed protocols for inoculumproduction, inoculation and assessment ofdifferent types of resistance. This is followedby chapters on resistance breeding in Europeand China, which give a more globalperspective, and in barley. The concludingchapter to this section, by Muehlbauer andBushnell, covers the potential for transgenicapproaches to resistance. There is a discussionof genes or mechanisms that could be used, aswell as methods for introducing them intocereals and practical issues concerned withtheir deployment.

The section on control has chapterson chemical and biological control. Neithermethod is particularly effective yet, but thereis a summary here of what has been tried andwhat is worth exploring in the future. Thefinal part on impact of the disease covers issuesof which mainstream plant pathologists areoften only dimly aware. There are chapterson the effect of head blight on malting and

BOOK REVIEWS

14

brewing quality of barley, on safety andquality assurance for grain, and on economicand social effects of head blight.

I have very few criticisms of the book.There are some errors – the statement in onechapter that ascomycete stages are known forall Fusarium species except F. oxysporum isclearly not yet true for F. culmorum – butthey are hard to find. Some of the material onvariation within F. graminearum is beingovertaken by current research. Theidentification of apparently phylogeneticallydistinct lineages within this species byO’Donnell and co-workers is referred to inseveral chapters, but nowhere have theconsequences of this been properly workedout.

This is obviously a book that everyoneworking with Fusarium diseases in cerealsshould own or have access to. However, itsappeal should be much wider than that.Because it takes such a comprehensive look atall aspects of the disease, there will be muchin here to stimulate researchers, teachers andstudents with interests in other aspects ofplant pathology.

David BackhouseUniversity of New EnglandArmidale

Compendium of Pepper DiseasesEds K. Pernezny, P.D. Roberts, J.F.Murphy and N.P. GoldbergAPS Press: St Paul, 2003ISBN 0-89054-300-3, 63pp

This new addition to the APS Compendiumseries is the thirty-eighth volume. It follows astandard format, commencing with a briefintroduction on economically importantmembers of the genus, Capsicum. Sections thenfollow on diseases caused by infectious agents,arthropod damage, abiotic and physiologicaldisorders, herbicide injury, and finally

nutritional disorders. There are one hundredand twenty two colour plates of plantsymptoms in the centre of the book. Theinformation in each section is well referencedand the volume finishes with an index.

As with other members of the Solanaceaefamily, capsicums are affected by a wide rangeof diseases. For instance, there is a table listingno less than seventy viruses known to infectCapsicum species. Descriptions of seventeenvirus diseases are described in more detail.Again each description follows an establishedformat with an introduction stating theimportance and geographic distribution of eachdisease. This is followed by a description ofsymptoms, the casual agent, disease cycle,epidemiology and control. Included is acontribution by Denis Persley on Capsicumchlorosis virus, a new Tospovirus firstdetected in 1999 from Queensland.Unfortunately no images of this disease wereincluded with the colour plates. Bacterial andfungal diseases are treated adequately. I noticeda heading that distinguishes Oomycetes fromfungi which is strictly correct, and fine in thisvolume where only Phytophthora and Pythiumfeature. It may be harder to think of a DownyMildew as anything other than a fungal diseasein future volumes.

The only short-comings I can find withthis book is that the control sections are briefand tend to ignore recent developments in theuse of microbial biocontrols for both pestsand pathogens. In addition, the colour platesof plant symptoms in the centre of the bookare of variable quality. Most of the diseasephotographs are clear but some of the imagesdepicting disorders and herbicide injury arepoor quality reproductions in the reviewedcopy. Looking through the colour plates inthis compendium it is easy to see where aninexperienced person could mistake or confusedisease symptoms. This is particularly truefor many of the systemic mottles and mosaicsassociated with viral diseases (many of whichare not yet recorded in Australasia).

In contrast I thumbed through a 1991edition of a field guide (Pepper Diseases)

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15

Verticillium wiltsBy G.F. Pegg and B.L. BradyCABI Publishing

Wilt diseases caused by species ofVerticillium are important diseases of anenormous variety of plants and as such it isno surprise that a volume of this size on thisdisease has been produced. In this book theauthors have reviewed the literature pertainingto Verticillium with chapter topics such asTaxonomy, Morphology, Cytology throughto Pathogenesis , Resistance and Control. Itis certainly a comprehensive review of theliterature and covers all aspects of the disease.The most comprehensively covered areas ofthe book relate to the epidemiology, ecologyand control of the diseases. The sections ontaxonomy and morphology are brief and onlygive an overview of these topics and there aregaps in the literature relating to these areasthat are surprising. The book would have

benefited considerably from the inclusion ofsome photographs, particularly of thepathogen, the different species of Verticilliumand some disease symptoms; presumablythese were not considered in an effort to keepthe cost of the volume down. The lack ofillustrations tends to make this volume lessinviting than the recent volume edited byTjamos et al. (2000) and as such would beless useful for those looking to an introductionto these diseases. Also as would probably beexpected in such a comprehensive review,reading the book can be a little dry at timesand it is certainly not the type of book inwhich large sections could be read at a sitting.

One of the most useful features of thebook is the extremely comprehensive list ofthe literature in the bibliography and for anyresearchers actively studying the disease thiswould almost be reason enough to purchaseit. A good proportion of the literature cited isfrom “hard to source” proceedings and reportsand so it is useful to have a precise of them.The literature cited has a tendency to bedominated by older references but thisprobably reflects the level of activity ofresearchers on this disease in the last decadeor so. The authors also make the point that asignificant component of recent publicationsrepeat research that had been completed 20-30 years ago – it is likely that similar claimscould be made for other pathogens!

This book is essential reading for thoseactively researching diseases caused byVerticillium spp. It is likely to be a usefuladdition for those with an interest in othersoilborne diseases as many of the techniquesand methodology used on this fungus wouldbe applicable to other organisms.

ReferencesTjamos, E.C., Rowe, R.C., Heale, J.B.

and Fravel, D.R. (2000) Advances inVerticillium: Research and DiseaseManagement. APS Press, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Brett SummerellRoyal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

published through the Asian VegetableResearch and Development centre in Taipei(Black, LL, Green, SK, Hartman, GL andPoulos, JM). The images in that book aremuch clearer because they have used both fieldand studio photographs and are less confusingfor an inexperienced reader.

This is worthy addition to the set of APSdisease compendia. As a diagnostic pathologistI will use it as an additional tool; a compilationof useful information, despite the fact thatsome of it has been published elsewhere. Forinstance, several of the bacterial and fungaldiseases are common to tomatoes and havebeen previously described in an edition of theCompendium of Tomato Diseases.

Len TesorieroEMAI, Menagle

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APPS NEWS is the official newsletter of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society,published quarterly. Items for inclusion should be sent to Mrs B. Hall, Plant ResearchCentre, SARDI, GPO Box 397, Adelaide, SA. 5001. Ph. 08 8303 9562, Fax 08 83039393, Email: hall.barbara@saugov.sa.gov.au. Next deadline: 7th November.Editor-in-Chief APP: Dr Eric Cother, NSW Agriculture, Orange Agricultural Institute,Forest Road, Orange, 2800. Ph. 02 6391 3886, Fax 02 6391 3899, E-mail:ric.cother@agric.nsw.gov.au

Web Site: (http://www.australasianplantpathologysociety.org.au/)

On behalf of the Society, the ManagementCommittee would like to welcome thefollowing new members:

New Members

QLD: Ms L Lee McMichael

NT: Ms Claire C Streten

ACT: Mr Steve S Refshauge (Student)

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