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 In this issue:From the President 75th Anniversary Symposium and Conference Photo Competition NZPPS Medal 2021 Scholarship Winners Members in the News Related Events NZPPS Books NZPPS Corporate Members Contacts We look forward to your feedback.From the President The next conference, at the Christchurch Town Hall, in August 2022, will be a celebration of 75 years of the Plant Protection Society. Several ideas to mark the 75th anniversary are in progress, some of which are reported in this newsletter. To begin with, a special 75th anniversary logo was designed for this year, which is depicted in this newsletter and on the website. Those of you with keen eyes may notice some slight modifications to the logo. Since we engaged a professional graphic designer to create the 75th logo and a new banner, it was a good opportunity to make some improvements to the existing logo. The revised logo is higher resolution, and the arrows embracing the plant have been tightened and made more fluid. The colour version uses a two-tone approach, with light and dark green, giving a more unique and modern look. Importantly, the logo remains the same, as it still captures the essential purpose of the Society ‘to pool and exchange information’ related to plant protection. Given the anniversary occasion, it is timely to reflect on the history and meaning of Society’s logos, past and present. In the formative years of the Society, as a weed-control conference, there was no logo but, from 1962 until 1983, the cover of the published proceedings featured an illustration of a weed or pest. In 1984, the Society developed its first logo, which was the depiction of a weed (possibly a buttercup species) and a pest (a scarab grub), contained within a hexagon. The weed was in the light (aboveground) section, and the scarab in the dark (belowground) section. At a glance, it is a literal depiction of the focus of the Society at the time, weeds and pests.However, the logo possibly had greater significance, reflecting a shift in thinking at the time, away from pesticides as the panacea, towards integrated pest management. Hexagons are ubiquitous in nature and used to symbolise harmony. And the perfectly balanced dark and light halves of the harmonious hexagon conjure a yin and yang interconnectedness. As the scope of the society further evolved, encompassing plant protection research and extension activities in the broadest sense, a new logo was needed. In 1996, the Society adopted its current logo, which was described by the President at the time, Richard Falloon, in his Presidential Address at the 49th conference. The arrows indicate interactions and information exchange that occurs through the interdisciplinary approach to plant protection. The protective circle conveys plant health resulting from plant-protection activities, and sustained plant health is depicted as the plant grows through the circle. I do not know who designed either of the logos, and I have possibly over interpreted the first logo. If any members know more about the logos or their designers, please get in touch. In the coming months, the Executive will be reaching out to previous Presidents and others who have had an enduring impact on the Society to invite them to share their reminiscences, learn about past success stories, and receive advice for the future. Mark your calendars, submit your abstracts, and stay tuned for more news about this year’s symposium and conference. Mike Cripps  The NZPPS Executive are delighted to advise that theNZPPS 75th Anniversary Symposium and Conferenceare proceeding as in-person events at theChristchurch Town Hall.Dame Juliet Gerrard will give the conference opening address on Tuesday 9 August.Symposium: 8 August 2022 Plant pathogens that keep us awake: past, present and future threats to native species. https://nzpps.org/events/nzpps-symposium-2022/A day of invited presentations focussed on microbial threats to our native taonga plants. Leading scientists, kaitiaki, international experts and representatives from government agencies will bring attendees up to date with progress on myrtle rust, kauri dieback, Pacific biosecurity, Ceratocystis, Xylella and more. The day will conclude with a networking and poster session. Those interested in submitting a poster for the symposium should submit an abstract (maximum 250 words) to Renee Johansen (JohansenR@landcareresearch.co.nz) by 31 May 2022. Conference: 9-11 August 2022 Celebrating 75 years of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society https://nzpps.org/events/nzpps-conference-2022/ Three full days of presentations including special sessions, conference dinner with 75th anniversary cake for dessert and a slideshow of competition photos. The first session on Tues 9 August has been reserved for participants who wish to present a talk on the symposium topic. Abstract submission for the 2022 conference is open. Deadline is 30 April 2022.  NZPPS 75th AnniversaryPhoto Competition Get clicking and enter your pictures here for the 75th anniversary photo competition. The photo within each category with the most member votes wins. Categories: Plant protection in action Plant pests Plant diseases Plant weeds The growing crop Plant protection science People in plant protection Winners and their photos will be showcased on the NZPPS website, at the conference and in the newsletter. Closing date: 30 June 2022.  NZPPS Plant Protection MedalThis medal has been instituted by the New Zealand Plant Protection Society to honour those who have made exceptional contributions to plant protection in the widest sense. The medal will be awarded based on outstanding services to plant protection, whether through research, education, implementation or leadership.Details of the nomination process are available here.Deadline 1 July 2022.2021 NZPPS Research ScholarshipAshleigh Mosen is an MSc student at Massey University.Development of a novel disease control strategy to protect Pinus radiata from Dothistroma needle blight.  The hemibiotrophic fungus Dothistroma septosporum is a foliar pathogen of Pinus radiata that causes a disease known as Dothistroma needle blight (DNB). This forest tree disease is destructive to pines, resulting in dieback of needles, premature defoliation and in severe cases tree death. Necrotic lesions, which are seen on infected needles become a brick-red colour, characteristic of the fungus producing a toxic virulence factor called dothistromin. DNB is an economically important disease impacting upon New Zealand’s forest industries, costing the NZ economy ~$20 million per year. Current control measures include copper fungicide spraying, silvicultural methods such as pruning and thinning, and breeding pine trees for increased resistance to pathogen attack. A radical new approach, spray-induced gene silencing using RNA technology, has great potential to control DNB.My project explores the potential for applications of this technology by using RNA molecules, that specifically target and silence pathogen genes, to effectively lower the virulence of the pathogen. The candidate genes DsAflR (dothistromin pathway regulatory protein) and eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) were pursued as targets for RNA silencing trials. As a result, dothistromin production and virulence of the pathogen is expected to be reduced, and decreased DNB symptoms on pine. Confocal microscopy analyses have been performed demonstrating dsRNA uptake into fungal cells. In vitro and in planta silencing trials suggest no clear evidence whether there is knockdown of AflR and eGFP. However quantitative real time PCR analyses are in progress to determine if there is a reduction in transcript levels. Disease symptoms have been monitored on infected pine needles and are showing reduced lesions, as a result of spraying with dsRNA targeting AflR. In combination, biomass assays will verify if there is a reduction in fungal biomass and hence suppressed virulence. The effects of timing and concentration of the dsRNAs have been established to achieve maximum silencing. By the end of my project I hope to determine if treatment with the dsRNA has had any effects in terms of suppression of the target genes and create a framework to optimise silencing in this forest pathogen for future studies. This could be an effective solution to augment current control measures and could be applicable to agricultural and horticultural disease control. My project is of great importance to NZ, its forest industries, and other plant-based industries. This will be the first study of its kind in NZ, which will be a blueprint for controlling other forest, agricultural and horticultural pathogens.Dan Watkins Scholarship in Weed Science Robert Gibson II is a PhD student at Lincoln University. Establishment risk of wilding Pinus radiata and its hybrid in New Zealand high country.  Non-native conifers have been well integrated throughout New Zealand’s landscape for amenity and shelter, erosion control, and commercial forestry purposes. Unwanted individuals that self-perpetuate from these cultivations are categorised as wildings. Wildings are the largest weeds in New Zealand and one of the biggest weed problems, posing a significant threat to the biodiversity and functioning of native ecosystems, particularly on the South Island. The conifer species most tightly interwoven throughout New Zealand’s landscape, industry, and culture is Pinus radiata. As a result, P. radiata propagules are genetically bred and widely distributed across both main islands with sufficient mutualists; all factors that can increase the risk of wilding. From a commercial forestry and afforestation perspective, previous research suggests P. radiata has a limit of establishment around 700 m due to cold-intolerance (i.e. reduced germination, growth, and cone production). As a result, a natural hybrid between P. radiata and P. attenuata is being assessed as commercial forestry and afforestation programmes shift to higher elevations. The aim of this research is to assess the potential threat of wilding establishment of both taxa in high country native grasslands and shrublands. This will be achieved through evaluating the potential biotic and abiotic barriers associated with these ecosystems on the fate of seeds and seedlings along an elevation gradient from the putative limit of establishment (< 700 m) to the high country (900 m and 1100 m). Across six sites and three microhabitats, this study is investigating: 1) seed viability, seed loss to predation and the potential for deposition into the soil seed bank; 2) emergence and seedling establishment; and 3) the response of 12-month-old seedlings to herbivory, and the interaction between herbivory and climate. This study isolates each seed and seedling stage with a different experiment to disentangle the influence of different barriers and how the magnitude of those barriers may fluctuate across multiple life stages to gain insight into the big picture of what may induce establishment failure of these two taxa. Lastly, this research will determine whether the information around the elevation limitation of P. radiata establishment from commercial plantations holds under natural conditions, and whether any of those barriers may be surpassed by the inclusion of the hybrid into high country ecosystems.Members in the News 2018 NZPPS Medal winner Barbara Barratt has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi for pioneering internationally relevant research into the biosafety of introduced biocontrol agents for insect pests and for leading a major theme in a multi-agency research collaboration focused on border biosecurity risk assessment. Read more here. NZPPS editor Ruth Falshaw is the latest person to be profiled in the “Women in Horticulture” series published in the NZGrower magazine. The publisher Horticulture NZ and author Elaine Fisher have given permission for the article to be reproduced and it can be viewed here. Related Events Canterbury University is running a webinar entitled: Mahi Tahi: work together to build biosecurity capability on 13 April 2022. Find out more at: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/biosecurity-innovations/news-and-events/mahi-tahi-.html 12th International Symposium on Adjuvants for Agrochemicals Bordeaux 24 – 29 April 2022. https://www.isaa2022.org/general-information/ The Weed Management Society of South Australia (WMSSA), on behalf of The Council of Australasian Weed Societies (CAWS), will be hosting the 22nd Australasian Weeds Conference (22AWC) at Adelaide Oval from 25-29 September 2022. https://eventstudio.eventsair.com/22AWC The 8th International Weed Science Congress: “Weed Science in a Climate of Change” will be held in Bangkok from 4 – 9 December 2022.https://www.iwsc2020.com/ BooksFor sale There is a 10% discount for NZPPS members on NZPPS titles purchased from Nationwide Book Distributors: 351 Kirikiri Road, Oxford 7495 Phone: 0800 990 123 Email: books@nationwidebooks.co.nz Web: http://www.nationwidebooks.co.nzBest sellers include: Farewell Silent Spring – the New Zealand Apple Story An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand (Third Edition) An Illustrated Guide to Weed Seeds of New Zealand An Illustrated Guide to Common Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of New Zealand A Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Weeds in ColourFree to NZPPS members:Hard copies of: Future Challenges in Crop Protection Surveillance for Biosecurity2010 Microbial Products Paddock to PCR The Plant Protection Data Toolbox Utilising Plant Defences for Pest Control Contact the Secretary at secretary@nzpps.org if you would like one.NZPPS Corporate MembersAgResearch Ltd Adama New Zealand Ltd Arxada New Zealand Ltd BASF New Zealand Ltd Bayer New Zealand Ltd Corteva Agriscience Environmental Protection Authority Foundation for Arable Research Horticulture New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand Apples & Pears Inc. New Zealand Avocado New Zealand Winegrowers Nufarm NZ Limited Peak Research Limited Scion Staphyt Research Ltd Syngenta Crop Protection Ltd The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd UPL New Zealand Ltd Zespri International Ltd |
| ContactsPresident Dr Mike Cripps AgResearch Christchurch Ph: (03) 325 9936 mike.cripps@agresearch.co.nz Vice President Dr Hayley Ridgway Plant & Food Research Christchurch Ph: (03) 325 9450 Hayley.Ridgway@plantandfood.co.nz Immediate Past President Dr Eirian Jones Lincoln University Christchurch Ph: (03) 423 0746 Eirian.jones@lincoln.ac.nz Secretary Jenny Taylor PO Box 21839 Henderson 0650 Ph: (09) 8128506 Mob: (027) 477 9821 secretary@nzpps.org Treasurer Dr Jason Smith Horteye Ltd Nelson Mob: (027) 249 9370 jason@horteye.co.nz Journal Editor/ Communications Manager Dr Ruth Falshaw Mahana Editing Services Rotorua Mob: (027) 380 9839 nzppeditor@outlook.com Website Editor Mike Barley mike@hortplus.comCommittee Members Rebecca Campbell, Plant & Food Research, Motueka Joy Tyson, Plant & Food Research, Auckland Stephen McKennie, Arxada NZ Ltd, Auckland Laura Tomiczek, Ministry for Primary Industries, Auckland Rebecca Fisher, Horticulture New Zealand, Wellington Dr Soonie Chng, Plant & Food Research, LincolnCopyright © 2022 New Zealand Plant Protection Society Inc.All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: secretary@nzpps.org Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
New Zealand Plant Protection Society: March 2022 Newsletter
May 3, 2022 by IAPPS
Global Plant Protection News 
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