BSPP WEBINAR: Biocontrol of plant disease – the use of living organisms to suppress the effects of disease

To mark UK Plant Health Week 2020, David Collinge (BSPP President Elect) presented our first live webinar on Monday 21^st September, to over 200 participants. This followed the first ever, online, Annual General Meeting of the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP), where participants were updated on BSPP events from 2019-2020. To add to the novelty of meeting as a society online for the first time, participants also voted for full conversion of the British Society for Plant Pathology to become a Charitable Incorporation Organisation (CIO) under the UK Charities Commission. A day filled with virtual firsts for the BSPP!

You can download a PDF of the slides here

You can also watch the full video below…

Over 2 weeks, 300 potential participants from 28 countries registered for the webinar, entitled: “Biocontrol of plant disease – the use of living organisms to suppress the effects of disease”.

Despite the busy schedule, David and a panel of 5 experts came together to deliver a 20-minute live presentation on Biocontrol of plant diseases, followed by an open debate using the Zoom platform. David represented the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Society for Phytopathology, as well as the BSPP, in his role as chair of the meeting and main presenter at the beginning of the webinar. We were joined by 4 experts in the field, including:

Dr. Sabrina Sarrocco, of the University of Pisa, researches plant pathology, biocontrol and fungal ecology.  She is a board member of the Italian Phytopathological Society (SIPaV) and is “Aggregate Member” of the “Accademia dei Georgofili” (Florence, Italy).

Professor Dan Funck Jensen of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, researches plant pathology and the biological control of plant diseases. He has been president of the “Danish Society for Plant Diseases and Pests” and is currently president for the “Swedish Society for Plant Pathology”. He is also a board member of the Swedish Centre for Biological Control (CBC).

Professor Michael Shaw, of Reading University and a BSPP member and President in 2013. His research into biocontrol of plant disease involves theoretical studies and the population biology of some hyperparasites and commensals.

Dr. Dick Shaw is Country Director for CABI’s UK science site in Surrey, is an applied entomologist, specialises in Invasive Species and led the pioneering work on a suite of classical weed biocontrol projects for the UK.

Many researchers and commercial experts, in the Biocontrol sector and beyond, participated in the meeting and a recording is available here to view for interest and educational purposes. We also include a pdf version of the presentation slides for educational purposes. This first BSPP webinar received much praise as a virtual event on Biocontrol. Participants enjoyed the opening presentation to set the scene for an open and interactive debate, at a time when many had been ‘locked-down’ due to restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

We very much look forward to hosting the next BSPP webinar!

Original information about the conference below…

David Collinge, President Elect of the British Society for Plant Pathology, is presenting at a live webinar on Biocontrol followed by a panellists’ discussion with Dick Shaw (CABI), Sabrina Sarrocco (University of Pisa, Italy) Dan Funck Jensen (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Michael Shaw (University of Reading, UK). A virtual event in support of the International Year of Plant Health and on the launch of UK Plant Health Week.

Biological control for plant diseases can be defined briefly as the use of living organisms to suppress the effects of disease. Compared to disease resistance and chemical methods for disease control, biological control has had relatively little impact on global agriculture.  In this webinar we will address why and whether biological control has the potential to be an important part of our fight against disease.

Professor Michael Shaw works at Reading University and his research into biocontrol of plant disease involves theoretical studies and the population biology of some hyperparasites and commensuals.

Dr. Dick Shaw is Country Director for  CABI’s UK science site in Surrey, is an applied entomologist, specialises in Invasive Species and led the pioneering work on a suite of classical weed biocontrol projects for the UK.

Dr. Sabrina Sarrocco works at the University of Pisa researching plant pathology, biocontrol and fungal ecology.  She is a board member of the Italian Phytopathological Society (SIPaV) and is “Aggregate Member” of the “Accademia dei Georgofili” (Florence, Italy).

Professor Dan Funck Jensen works at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in plant pathology and the biological control of plant diseases. He has been president of the “Danish Society for Plant Diseases and Pests” and is currently president for the “Swedish Society for Plant Pathology”. He is also a board member of the Swedish Centre for Biological Control (CBC).

Please join us to learn about and debate the current status for biocontrol of plant diseases.

Register using the forms below, we’ll then share Zoom details with those who register.

Deadline for registration was Friday 18th Sept.