Molecular and Physiological Plant Pathology (MPPP)

Plant pathology is an applied discipline, rooted in agronomy, microscopy and microbiology but increasingly dominated by biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics and genomics. Research using these techniques is expanding exponentially. The first specialised journal in this area (Physiological Plant Pathology) was formed in 1971. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions was launched in 1988 and this has been followed by Molecular Plant Pathology in 2000. The power of molecular approaches means that this research is not only being published in high profile, general journals, it also is delivering valuable practical benefits in agriculture and horticulture. To reflect this trend, the APPS has formed a new special interest group in this area.

The goal of the group is to highlight and promote research using these disciplines and to form a bridge with scientists in plant, animal and microbial biology who develop, use and apply these techniques. The scope of the group is broad; we include studies of fungal, oomycete, bacterial, viral and nematode plant pathogens and host plant resistance that use the approaches and techniques of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics and genomics. It includes studies of pesticide targets, mode of action and resistance. It highlights research done in laboratories and greenhouses.

Inaugural Committee

Richard Oliver (Chair), Professor of Agriculture, Curtin University. Research interests in necrotrophic pathogens of crops and in fungicide resistance (richard.oliver@curtin.edu.au; 0414305999)

Elaine Davison (President APPS; Minutes Secretary)

Klaus Oldach (Local Organiser for COMBIO 2012, Adelaide) Leader Gene Function Program, SARDI. Molecular genetics of biotic stress resistance in crop plants, e.g. barley and Rhynchosporium secalis.

Angela van der Wouw (Treasurer), Resistance and virulence in pathogens of canola.

Donald Gardiner (Fund raising) Fusarium pathogens of cereals.

COMBIO 2012; Adelaide

COMBIO is the annual combined meeting of the major biological learned societies in Australia. Core members are the ASBMB (Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), the ASPS (Australian Society of Plant Scientists) and ANZSCDB (Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology. COMBIO in 2012 will be held in the Adelaide Convention Centre, 23-27^th September, 2012. The meeting is expected to attract major international and national speakers of great general interest to all biologists. The attendance is expected to be about 1000.

The COMBIO societies have welcomed the participation of the MPPP special interest group and have accepted our proposal to organise two symposia at the meeting. The symposia will include one or two plenary and two symposium speakers as well as 3 or 4 speakers selected from submitted abstracts. There will also be a poster display and other specialised activities. We urge members of the APPS to attend the meeting and to take part in the MPPP session.

Molecular and Chemical Crop Protection session

Andy Leadbeater – Syngenta Crop Protection, Switzerland - Challenges and recent advances in chemical control of plant diseases

Frank van den Bosch, Rothamsted Research, UK - Fungicide resistance management

Peter Solomon (TBC), ANU, Australia - Using functional genomics to analyse necrotrophic diseases of wheat

Plant-Pathogen Interactions session

Barry Scott, Massey University, New Zealand - Defining the Epichloe festucae symbiosis gene set  by RNAseq combined with targeted gene replacement

Corby Kistler, USDA, USA - A toxic character:  Fungal small molecules that potentiate plant disease

Brande Wulff, Sainsbury Laboratory, UK - Exploiting wild relatives of wheat for resistance to stem rust race Ug99

Arati Agarwal, DPI Vic, FPB award winner 2011 - Transcriptomic analysis of Arabidopsis for clubroot disease of Brassica vegetables