The Fifth IUFRO Meeting on Phytophthora Diseases in Forests and Natural Ecosystems will be held at the Holiday Inn Auckland Airport and Blue Baths (Rotorua) in New Zealand from 7-12 March 2010.

Registration numbers are high and we look forward to welcoming delegates to what will be an excellent meeting. If you are travelling to New Zealand from another country, click here for important information.

The scientific programme for the meeting will consist of contributed and invited talks on all aspects of Phytophthora biology and pathology that are related to forests and natural ecosystems. The programme will include both applied and fundamental research, thus the content will be relevant to managers, regulators and scientists.

Session themes include:

• Pathogen detection: surveillance, monitoring and molecular identification.
• Pathogen management: control in nurseries as well as both native and managed field situations.
• Eradication: methods for risk assessment, delimiting surveys and eradication strategies.
• Epidemiology: fundamental knowledge leading to management solutions.
• Host / pathogen interactions: the molecular basis for infection, host recognition, resistance mechanisms.
• New and emerging species: taxonomy and speciation.
• Impacts of global trade on pathogen movement: invasion biology, hybridisation events, first contact disease situations and trade implications.
• Genetics: all aspects of genetics from population genetics to genomics.
  

The programme will also include a regional roundup where the current impacts of Phytophthora spp. in different parts of the world are outlined as well as moderated discussions to explore specific aspects of Phytophthora biology.

On the first full day of the meeting we will visit the Waitakere Ranges, west of Auckland, where decline of the pre-eminent indigenous conifer, Agathis australis (kauri), is associated with an as yet undescribed species of Phytophthora. In the afternoon, we will travel to Rotorua where the remainder of the meeting will be held.

Contributions are welcome from all who wish to share research results that are relevant to Phytophthoras in forests and natural ecosystems. For expressions of interest and to be put on the email list for meeting updates contact Pam Taylor. As there has been insufficient interest in the proposed field trip in eastern Australia to view Phytophthora sites this tour will not take place. Please check back regularly for updated information.

We look forward to welcoming you to New Zealand!


Margaret Dick, Scion
Tod Ramsfield, Scion
Pam Taylor, Scion

Ross Beever, Landcare Research
Stan Bellgard, Landcare Research
Peter Buchanan, Landcare Research

Nick Waipara, Auckland Regional Council

Daniel Hüberli, Adjunct @ CPSM, Murdoch University, Western Australia