March 2012 Phytopathology News

www.apsnet.org

March 2012 • Volume 46 • Number 3

The Sky Is Not Falling David M. Gadoury, Internal Communications Officer, dmg4@cornell.edu Like the title? It got you to read this far. When I find it necessary to communicate with my peers in the department, and it’s something they should not miss, I’ve found that they will open any e-mail that combines the word free and either wine or pizza in the subject line. If I had told you from the outset that I was going to list the highlights of a meeting of APS Council, you’d likely be gone by now. But stick around; you’ll like this.

APS Council met in Tucson from January 18 to 22. This is our midyear strategic planning meeting. The above title reflects some interesting data that we reviewed at the meeting: a December 2011 census of plant pathology faculty and graduate students in the U.S. university system.

The last time APS Council did this was 2007 (see Plant Dis. 93:1228David M. Gadoury 1237). Given the steady drumbeat of news on economic stagnation since 2008, one might be forgiven if they assumed that our numbers had been drastically reduced in the last four years. In fact, they have not. Let’s take a look at the data.

Figure 1 shows the number of self-identified plant pathology faculty in academic departments in all 50 states. There has been a very slight decline in the total number of faculty (from 673 to 642).

However, with one exception, both positive and negative changes in faculty numbers were relatively small. Most departments are slightly smaller now than in 2007, but many are also larger (albeit to the same small degree). One half of the decline nationwide was due to the one “outlier” department indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. Change in faculty numbers was not related to absolute size of a department or to whether or not the department was multidisciplinary. Many departments contacted still anticipate a significant number of retirements in the next five years and expressed “cautious optimism” regarding the refilling of many of the vacated positions.

The data shown in Figure 2 are from the same census, but this time for self-identified plant pathology graduate students, and here there was a 19% increase in the total numbers (from 685 in

News Call for Papers Closes March 15, 2012 APS invites submissions of poster and oral technical abstracts for the 2012 APS Annual Meeting. Submissions will be accepted online through March 15, 2012. Submissions will not be accepted after March 15, 2012. Acceptance of oral presentations is limited, so submit early.

Visit the website for criteria for acceptance, submission instructions, and more at www.apsnet.org/meet. n

You’re Invited to the Eighth Annual OIP Silent Auction The Office of International Programs (OIP) will be holding its eighth annual Silent Auction on Sunday, August 5, 2012, from noon to 6 p.m.

We invite members to join us for this one-ofa-kind fundraising event. All proceeds raised from the auction will support OIP’s Global Experience Program. Since its inception, the Silent Auction has raised nearly $23,000. Let’s make this year our best yet!

To participate in this year’s Silent Auction, we request that you gather fun and unique cultural items from around the world to be part of the auction. Popular donations in the past have included jewelry, fabric, wine, wood carvings, regional food specialties, books, and other items that reflect your culture or cultures you have visited. When travelling, please keep us in mind and donate your unique, cultural souvenir to a great cause.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2 The Sky is Not Falling continued on page 39

Items can be brought with you with a completed donation form (available online) or sent directly to our member volunteer. More details are available online at www.apsnet.org/members/ outreach/oip/Pages/SilentAuction.aspx. n

In this Issue Editor’s Corner .......................................... 38 Public Policy Board ....................................40 APS Foundation .........................................42 Division News ........................................... 43

Annual Financial Report ........................... 45 Meetings ................................................... 46 People ....................................................... 47 Classifieds .................................................. 50

APS Journal Articles ...................................51 Calendar of Events .....................................52

www.apsnet.org

March 2012 • Volume 46 • Number 3

News

Editor-in-Chief: Doug Jardine Managing Editor: Michelle Bjerkness Editor: Amanda Aranowski Design: Agnes Walker Advertising Sales: Cindy Anderson

Editor’s Corner Why Come to Providence?

Doug Jardine, Kansas State University, PhytoNewsEditor@scisoc.org David Letterman, host of CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, has been making people laugh for years with his nightly Top 10 lists. Frequently, these lists are delivered by celebrity guests.

Phytopathology News (ISSN 0278-0267) is published eleven times per year by The American Phytopathological Society (APS) at 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121 U.S.A. Phone: +1.651.454.7250, Fax: +1.651.454.0766, E-mail: aps@scisoc.org, Web: www.apsnet.org. Phytopathology News is distributed to all APS members. Subscription price to nonmembers is $76 U.S./$90 Elsewhere. Periodicals paid at St. Paul, MN. CPC Intl Pub Mail #0969249. Postmaster: Send address changes to Phytopathology News, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121 U.S.A. Submission Guidelines Address all editorial correspondence to: Doug Jardine, Department of Plant Pathology, 4024 Throckmorton Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506-5502 U.S.A. Phone: +1.785.532.1386; Fax: +1.785.532.5692; E-mail: PhytoNewsEditor@scisoc.org. In order to ensure timely publication of your news items and announcements, please send in material six weeks prior to the date of publication. Material should be no more than six months old when submitted. Submission of materials as electronic files, via e-mail, will speed processing. For information on submitting electronic images contact Agnes Walker at awalker@scisoc.org. Deadline for submitting items for the April 2012 issue is February 15, 2012.

APS Leadership Council President: Carol A. Ishimaru President-Elect: Michael J. Boehm Vice President: George S. Abawi Immediate Past President: John L. Sherwood Internal Communications Officer: David M. Gadoury Treasurer: Randall C. Rowe Treasurer-Elect: Steven A. Slack Senior Councilor-at-Large: Anne E. Dorrance Intermediate Councilor-at-Large: Walter F. Mahaffee Junior Councilor-at-Large: Jeff B. Jones Divisional Councilor: David G. Schmale III Publications Councilor: Anthony P. Keinath Executive Vice President: Steven C. Nelson Editors-in-Chief APS PRESS: Margery L. Daughtrey MPMI: Gary Stacey Phytopathology: George W. Sundin Phytopathology News: Doug J. Jardine Plant Disease: R. Mike Davis Plant Disease Management Reports: Frank P. Wong Plant Health Progress: Ned A. Tisserat The Plant Health Instructor: Katherine L. Stevenson Board and Office Chairs and Directors APS Foundation Chair: Ray D. Martyn Divisional Forum Chair: Jim E. Adaskaveg PPB Chair: Jan E. Leach Publications Board Chair: Anthony P. Keinath OE Director: Scott E. Gold OEC Director: Seogchan Kang OIP Director: Sally A. Miller OIR Director: Brian D. Olson OPRO Director: Monica L. Elliott AMB Director: Scott T. Adkins AXMB Director: Rick Bennett Division Officers Caribbean Divisional Forum Rep.: Lawrence Datnoff President: Ronald D. French-Monar Vice President: Judith K. Brown Secretary-Treasurer: Aaron Palmateer North Central Divisional Forum Rep.: Tamra Jackson President: Anne Dorrance Vice President: James Stack Secretary-Treasurer: Carl Bradley Northeastern Divisional Forum Rep.: Wade H. Elmer President: Beth K. Gugino Vice President: Christian A. Wyenandt Secretary-Treasurer: David C. Thompson Pacific Divisional Forum Rep.: Jim E. Adaskaveg President: Debra A. Inglis President-Elect: Themis Michailides Secretary-Treasurer: Akif Eskalen Potomac Divisional Forum Rep.: Daniel Roberts President: Boris A. Vinatzer Vice President: Yilmaz Balci Secretary-Treasurer: Bingyu Zhao Southern Divisional Forum Rep.: Timothy B. Brenneman President: Raymond W. Schneider President-Elect: Jason Woodward Vice President: Thomas Allen Secretary-Treasurer: Donald M. Ferrin

38 Phytopathology News

For those social-media-savvy members who monitor APS’s Facebook page (and that is less than 25%), our very own celebrity Internal Communications Officer David Gadoury has been posting his personal top 10 reasons (in addition to the scientific program) that members should attend the annual meeting in Rhode Island later this year.

Doug Jardine

With his permission, and so that the entire APS membership can share in his reasoning, here are his top 10 reasons (in addition to the scientific program) why you should go to this year’s APS Annual Meeting in Rhode Island:

#10—The south shore barrier beaches. #9—Visit “The Breakers,” the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport. #8—The WaterFire festival on the river junction, downtown Providence. See www.waterfire.org. #7—Arrive a day or two early and catch the Newport Jazz Festival. #6—Fishing in Narragansett Bay and off the south shore beaches. A one-week license is $5. #5—Getting all the awful jokes in episode 13 of The Family Guy: The Road to Rhode Island. #4—Get 10 or more friends together and charter a 12-meter racing yacht that actually competed (and possibly won) the America’s Cup. No sailing experience needed. It comes with a crew, although you’ll be encouraged to help out.

Google “12 meter yacht charter RI” for lots of options. #3—Take in a play at Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company.

Google “Trinity Rep RI.” #2—The best Italian restaurants on this side of the pond! #1—To catch the sunset in my hometown: Scituate, RI. Besides Gadoury’s reasons (and of course the scientific program), other great reasons to come to the APS Annual Meeting in Providence include networking, fellowship, and hopefully beautiful weather.

I hope to see you there. n

IMPORTANT APS DATES TO REMEMBER March 2012 15 APS Annual Meeting Call for Papers closes 21 APS Foundation Student Travel Award applications due 21 Applications due for the Browning Plant Medicine and Health Travel Award July 2012 1 Art in Phytopathology contest submissions due

The Sky is Not Falling continued from page 37

2007 to 812 in 2011). Some mid- to large-sized departments have nearly doubled enrollment. Nearly all declines across the spectrum of department sizes were comparatively small. Once again, change in the number of graduate students was not related to department size or whether the department was multidisciplinary. There was no consistent theme to the increases (e.g., increased international enrollment). Some departments appear to have developed more aggressive recruitment and workforce development programs in response to the job market (see Plant Dis. 93:1238-1251).

What job market you may ask? Again, given the wide reporting of a lackluster economy, one might assume that there are few jobs for recent graduates. Again, this runs contrary to the current data on placement of plant pathology graduates. The impact of present-age demographics will likely outweigh anything but the most draconian reductions in university, industrial, and government staffing as a factor in future hiring. Current broadly trained plant pathology graduates are often hired soon after, and sometimes before graduation, into university, government, and private sector careers. The key to success is to ensure that you are superbly trained and philosophically open to the greatest number of upcoming opportunities. Narrow interests and narrow training may translate into equally narrow opportunities (again, see Plant Dis. 93:1238-1251).

So, indeed the sky is not falling. That does not mean that our discipline can become complacent.

Our present situation may be envious (in a relative sense), but its future is not guaranteed. The principal reason for strategic planning and action by APS is to capitalize on opportunities. Much of what transpires in the course of the winter meetings of APS Council deals with the foregoing.

For example, we are working on new media presentations to tell the story of the relevance of plant pathology in meeting global challenges: food security, food safety, climate change, and energy. Don’t yawn because this is all too familiar to you. If you doubt the need to do a better job of telling our story to the world at large, you need only look so far as the recent list of the 10 most useless college majors (http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm). APS, with the help of our membership and allied societies, plans to become much more active in reshaping this perception.

Our discussions in January focused on four additional strategic issues: 1) the future of plant pathology at land-grant universities, 2) the pipeline for future plant pathologists, 3) industry partnerships, and 4) scientific gaps and opportunities. One of the challenges our discipline will face in the future will involve learning how to best align with the current priorities of a university at the highest levels of administration: the provost and boards of trustees. As a united voice for a discipline at a national and international level, APS can position itself to provide timely advice and information to departments for use in negotiations with higher administration. APS is already a leading scientific society in the quantitative study of workforce development and in providing leadership for the industry consortium, the Coalition for a Sustainable Agricultural Workforce (CSAW). Regarding the final strategic issue, APS will explore promoting new funding models for agricultural research and outreach through partnerships and advocacy with commodity groups at the state, regional, and national levels.

None of the foregoing would be even remotely possible without the concerted effort of APS Council members, all of whom are volunteers, and the constant input and long hours worked by the headquarters staff of APS. Moreover, council is largely a planning body. The real work is often accomplished by the hundreds of APS members who serve on committees, boards, offices, and foundations. If you have read this far, there just might be a place for you among them.

Get involved. If you have ideas on how APS can better serve its members and enhance the future of plant pathology, please share your perspectives. Your suggestions are welcome at APSCouncil@scisoc.org. n

Molecular Plant-Nematode and Plant-Insect Interactions

Here’s just a few of the headlines you missed this month from the APS Twitter feed.

BBC: “Serious” disease found in rare North Pennines plant http://bbc.in/yajzrS ARS: Biobased Approaches Examined in Fight Against Zebra Chip http://1.usa.gov/AmiOry White Mold Poses Significant Threat to Soybean and Dry Bean Yields http://bit.ly/z7qTZC Call for Papers! Molecular PlantNematode and Plant-Insect Interactions Focus Issue http://bit.ly/zjIDjV New Insights into Invasive Plant Management http://1.usa.gov/yQ0GHi Fungus threatening avocados http://bit.ly/x1WjnB Gene Editing http://bit.ly/zi2LdS Tree disease: Myrtle rust hits Melbourne http://bit.ly/AtF7fn New technology to stop spread of damaging blackspot disease http://bit.ly/yCGRmF CSAW Calls for Action: Federal Support Needed to Meet Agricultural Challenges, Community Encouraged to Respond http://bit.ly/yS88Hv ARS: Corn Gene Helps Fight Multiple Leaf Diseases http://1.usa.gov/z4RLOc Bring Your Best Research! Submit Your Abstract Today! http://bit.ly/dQAjNY #APS12

MPMI will dedicate a focus issue on the work being done on the molecular biology and molecular genetics/genomics of parasitic interactions of nematodes and insects with plants.

Oregon takes action to stop new plant disease http://1.usa.gov/xzPR1K

CALL FOR PAPERS Article Submission Deadline: May 21, 2012 Please select “focus issue” when submitting your manuscript to MPMI. For more information about the scope of this issue, please contact Guest Editor Geert Smant, Professor of Nematology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, at Geert.Smant@wur.nl.

Follow APS at www.twitter.com/plantdisease for breaking news as it happens. #M8628-2/2012

MPMI Special Focus Issue

@PlantDisease

Phytopathology News 39

Public Policy Board U.S. Federal Budget Outlook Kellye Eversole, Public Policy Board DC Representative, eversole@eversoleassociates.com The agricultural research, education, and extension programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and related science programs at other federal agencies survived the tumultuous fiscal year 2012 Kellye Eversole appropriations cycle for the U.S. government with only a few scars.

While all early indications pointed to a year of colossal cuts in USDA research, education, and extension programs, consistent advocacy for maintaining the viability of the agricultural sector through basic and applied science and technology programs yielded results on Capitol Hill and led to only minor decreases in funding for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Even though the overall decreases for NIFA and the ARS are 1% and 0.4%, respectively, when compared to the FY2011 levels, there were a few programmatic reductions that will have significant ramifications for some individuals. For example, ARS is closing 12 agricultural programs at

FY 2011

10 locations, and funding was zeroed out for NIFA’s integrated food safety program that has funded essential pathogen-host interaction studies. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) sustained a funding cut of almost 6%, and 15 APHIS offices will be closed. Funding for the Basic Energy Sciences Program at the Department of Energy was reduced by almost 5%, while research and related activities at the National Science Foundation received an increase of almost 4%.

Total funding for nondefense research and development at all U.S. governmental agencies will be 1.4% less in FY2012 than in 2011 (in nominal terms).

After surviving last year’s funding difficulties and ending up with a less dire situation than expected, we might be tempted to think that we can take it easy this year and not worry too much about funding levels for plantpathology-related programs at the USDA and other agencies. Who would expect major cuts in an election year? After all, even the “Super Committee” was not able to reach an agreement on measures to put the U.S. fiscal house in order. Then, of course, with a potentially tight Presidential race, neither party will want to take unpopular decisions that might alienate voters.

So, we can sit back, relax, and wait until next year, right? Wrong.

FY 2012

Difference FY’11 to FY’12

Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Biological & Environmental Research

$1,778.0

$1,694.0

-$84.0

$612.0

$612.0

0.0

$5,509.9

$5,719.0

$209.1

$861.0

$829.0

National Science Foundation Research & Related Activities Education & Human Resources

Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service

(in millions)

(in millions)

-32.0 Change in millions

$1,133.2

$1,094.6

-$38.6

$1,214.7

$1,202.4

-$12.3

$236.3

$236.3

$0.0

Cooperative Forestry Research

$32.9

$32.9

$0.0

Evans-Allen Program

$50.9

$50.9

$0.0

$265.0

$264.5

-$0.5

National Institute of Food & Agriculture and levels for select programs Hatch Act Formula

Agricultural & Food Research Initiative Food & Agriculture Defense Initiative (Includes NPDN)

$6.0

$6.0

$0.0

Higher Education Programs

$51.0

$67.4

$16.4

Smith-Lever 3(b) & 3(c)

$295.0

$294.0

-$1.0

Extension Activities

$479.1

$475.2

-$3.9

Integrated Activities

$36.9

$21.5

-$15.4

40 Phytopathology News

Precisely because the Super Committee was not able to put together a $1.5 trillion, 10-year package of budget reductions last year, automatic, acrossthe-board cuts (“sequestration” of funds) will begin in January 2013 unless Congress and the President take additional actions. As part of the debt limit agreement enacted late last summer, a mechanism was put in place to force automatic cuts if Congress and the Administration were unable to implement significant reductions in spending before the end of 2011.

While the exact level of overall cuts is not yet known, this automatic mechanism could require annual cuts of more than $100 billion per year. If there is a budget and appropriations agreement this year that implements programmatic reductions in spending sufficient to meet the statutory spending caps outlined in the debt limit agreement, the sequestration can be avoided. Alternatively, if that fails, the only way to avoid the sequestration is to change or repeal the relevant provisions of the 2011 Debt Limit Agreement. Either scenario will require the Congress and the President to reach an agreement this year. Yes, this year, an election year in which the control of the Senate and the White House is up for grabs. As occurred with the Super Committee last fall, this may prove too tall an order for the political leaders of either political party. Thus, there is an increasing likelihood that we will see automatic cuts within the next year. Of importance to agricultural research, extension, and education programs is the fact that these cuts will not be applied at the same level for all programs as the Administration retains the authority to move funding between programs. Thus, it is possible that USDA programs could sustain a much larger percentage cut than other agencies.

No one disputes that something must be done about the escalating U.S. budget deficits. While spending cuts are certainly in order, concurrent investments in research and development must also be made to jumpstart our economy in the short term and build a foundation for sustainable economic viability for our longterm future. Numerous studies have indicated the significant return that accrues from investment in agricultural research programs.

Unfortunately, many forget about agricultural research when developing science and technology stimulus packages. Each of us needs to remind policy makers of the importance of maintaining and, indeed, increasing funding for federally supported agricultural research programs. If we fail to make our case convincingly and persistently to policy makers, we could see massive reductions in agricultural research, extension, and education programs, the repercussions of which could be with us for decades to come.

This article was reproduced from a recent Phytopath Policy Blog post, published online at www.apsnet.org/members/outreach/ppb/blog/ default.aspx. n

Feed Your Hunger for Plant Pathology with New Schumann and D’Arcy Title APS PRESS is thrilled to bring you another title from Gail Schumann and Cleo D’Arcy, Hungry Planet: Stories of Plant Diseases. The book will ship in March, so be sure to pre-order your copy now for an introductory discount at www.apsnet. org/apsstore. Anyone interested in science, environmental issues, food production, or sustainability will find this book fascinating, so please make sure you ask your library to order a copy too.

Hungry Planet tells the stories of plant pathology with a passionate voice and laces each tale with the essential research-based information to help readers understand the interrelationship between agriculture and the human condition and the science that connects the two. The book examines the effects plant diseases have had on human culture by weaving together truelife tales from ancient days and modern times.

Hungry Planet explores sometimes controversial topics that challenge readers to think beyond the disease outbreaks to consider the impact these biological events have on our personal lives.

This clearly written book is an ideal entrylevel text for inquisitive college students who are majoring in a subject other than plant pathology, especially those in general education and core science classes. There is a student resources website organized around the book’s topics that will help bring the stories of plant diseases to life through podcasts, exercises, and other teaching tools. For those teaching with this book, there is an instructors-only web interface with resources that will be your course guide throughout the semester. If you wish to build a course around Hungry Planet, these award-winning educators have already done the preparation work for you—it is only a click away on APSnet. Anyone who has taught a course with Schumann’s earlier book, Plant Diseases: Their Biology and Social Impact, will find Hungry Planet to be an amazing update of one of the perennial favorites among APS PRESS books.

Together with the authors, APS PRESS has worked to keep the price of this new book as low as possible to make sure it is affordable for students. n

After 50-Year Absence, APS Annual Meeting Returns to New England Registration for the 2012 APS Annual Meeting in Providence, RI, Opens in Mid-March Be sure to register by May 2, 2012, to receive the best rates. The registration brochure, including a complete listing of special sessions, speakers, presentation titles, field trip opportunities, and more, is available online at www.apsnet.org/meet.

Discounts Available on Housing APS has negotiated discount rooms at three hotels in Providence, the Westin Providence (headquarters hotel also connected to the convention center), and the Courtyard Marriott and Biltmore Hotels (within one to two blocks from the convention center).

To assist APS members with their housing, Courtesy of the Providence Warwick CVB reservations must be made through our housing bureau; APS-discounted rates will not be honored if reservations are made directly through the hotel(s). Discounted rates are available three days before and three days after the meeting dates. Remember, staying in an APS-designated hotel helps support the society.

Making Your Travel Plans? Check Out the New 2012 Program Schedule We’ve made some changes based on feedback from the 2011 meeting. There will be more poster time, more scientific sessions, and more time for networking, and we have moved the final night party to Wednesday.

Saturday, August 4 Times TBA 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

8:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Premeeting Field Trips and Workshops Committee Meetings Committee Meetings

Sunday, August 5 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

4:00 – 4:45 p.m.

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

4:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Open Evening

Committee Meetings Opening General Session and Awards & Honors Ceremony Special & Technical Sessions University Alumni Socials Welcome Reception with Exhibition and Posters Extended Time! Poster Viewing Industry & Extension Social

Monday, August 6 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Open Evening

Poster Viewing Special & Technical Sessions Plenary Session New Time! Technical Sessions Poster Viewing

Tuesday, August 7 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Open Evening

Poster Viewing Special & Technical Sessions New Extended Time! Poster Viewing with Authors Poster Viewing

Wednesday, August 8 (note: extended session time and final night party) Special & Technical Sessions 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Extended Program! Special & Technical Sessions 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

New Day! Final Night Celebration Plus check out the field trips and workshops being held premeeting. Visit www.apsnet.org/meet for more information on the annual meeting. n Phytopathology News 41

APS Foundation Apply by March 21 for Browning Plant Medicine and Health Travel Award The Browning Plant Medicine and Health Travel Award was established specifically to assist graduate students majoring in a Doctor of Plant Medicine or the Doctor of Plant Health program to attend and participate in a professional meeting or conference appropriate to their interests. This travel fund allows students to participate in other professional society meetings, in addition to APS, such as the Entomological Society of America, the Crop Science Society of America, the Agronomy Society of America, Weed Science Society of America, and others. Additionally, there is no restriction as to where the meeting or conference is held, domestically or internationally. Awards are typically in the range of $500–$600. The application materials should be sent to Anne Alvarez via e-mail (alvarez@hawaii.edu) by 5:00 p.m. central time on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. More information is available at www.apsnet.org/ members/foundation/apply/Pages/Browning PlantMedicineHealthTravelAward.aspx. n

Students: Apply Today for $500 Travel Award If you are an APS student member giving an oral or poster presentation at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Providence, RI, you are eligible to apply for a 2012 Student Travel Award. The APS Foundation is seeking students who are the best and brightest in their field. Awards of $500 will be provided to successful applicants.

Details on the application process are available online at www.apsnet.org/members/ foundation/apply/pages/studenttravelawards. aspx. Questions? Contact Jonathan Jacobs (jmjacobs2@gmail.edu), University of WisconsinMadison, chair of the APS Graduate Student Committee. n

First-Ever Field Crops Rust Symposium—An All Around Success The 2011 Field Crops Rust Symposium held in San Antonio, TX, December 14–16, 2011, was the first-ever event of its kind and drew 140 attendees from more than 10 countries. The first day of the symposium began with a motivating keynote address given by Philip Pardey of the University of Minnesota. Pardey touched on the relationship between research and development investments, agricultural productivity, and food security. Other highlights from the first day of the symposium included presentations by Ralf Voegele, Universitat Hohenheim (Germany), describing ways that the rust fungi manipulate their hosts through proteinaceous effectors and the ecological dynamics of the native Australian 2011 Field Crops Rust Symposium Coordinator flax-flax rust association by Jeremy Burdon, Don Hershman CSIRO Plant Industry (Australia). Day one of the symposium wound down with a presentation

by Reid Frederick, USDA-ARS, describing the on-going efforts to use the tools of genomics to provide novel insights into the interaction of soybean rust and its host.

The second day of the symposium offered attendees a second round of high-quality scientific sessions addressing the movement, detection, and management of rust pathogens. Highlights of these sessions included simulations of the potential atmospheric movement of wheat stem rust from Africa to wheat production regions around the world by Scott Isard, The Pennsylvania State University, and a discussion of modern approaches to the management of rust diseases with fungicides provided by Robert Kemerait, University of Georgia. The symposium closed with a presentation by Chris Mundt, Oregon State University, discussing both conceptual and practical aspects of attaining durable genetic resistance to rust diseases.

Scott Isard talks about the global movement of rust pathogens in the atmosphere.

The symposium included a continuous display of posters on a range of topics related to field crops rust. The poster viewing room also served as the site for the poster reception and meeting breaks in order to give those in attendance ample opportunity to view posters, discuss poster content with the authors, and network with colleagues.

Attendees and committee members alike will agree that circling the wagons around field crops rust in a location like San Antonio was a wise decision. A postmeeting survey indicated that 92% of those who attended the Field Crops Rust Symposium felt like the objective of the symposium—“to offer a cross pollination of ideas and professional networking on field crop rusts”—was achieved. The city’s weather and abundance of local culture helped participants enjoy their free time away from the symposium; local food and live music kept the whole group energized! Ninety percent of attendees were excited about the possibility of organizing another edition of the Field Crops Rust Symposium in the near future. APS is looking forward to the next Field Crops Rust Symposium, which will hopefully build on the momentum and success of the 2011 symposium.

The 2011 Field Crops Rust Symposium Program Committee was chaired by Erick DeWolf.

Members of the committee included Cathy Aime, Bill Dolezal, Prakash Hebbar, Glenn Hartman, Isard, Tamra Jackson, Kemerait, James Marois, Tim Murray, Alison Robertson, Ed Sikora, Les Szabo, and Paul Vincelli. The symposium was coordinated by Don Hershman. This event was sponsored by the APS Auxillary Meetings Board, directed by Rick Bennett, as well as a host of industry, commodity, and government sponsors.

An online proceedings for the symposium, including PowerPoint presentations, will be available soon on the Plant Management Network website. n

42 Phytopathology News

Division News APS Northeastern Division Meets in New Jersey to Help Celebrate 100 Years of Plant Pathology at Rutgers University Beth Gugino, Northeastern Division President, bkgugino@psu.edu, and Andy Wyenandt, Northeastern Division Vice President, wyenandt@aesop.rutgers.edu The 71st Annual Meeting of the APS Northeastern Division was held at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ, October 12–14, 2011, to help celebrate the centennial anniversary of the plant pathology program at Rutgers University. The annual meeting was attended by more than 80 members and guests and highlighted by the symposium “The Oomyctes: Current and Future Challenges.”

Presentations were made by invited speakers André Lévesque, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Gary Moorman, Penn State University (PSU); and Robert Marra, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Before the meeting officially kicked off, participants had the option to participate in a cranberry harvest tour or an ornamental, turf, and nut tree tour at the Rutgers Horticultural Research Farm. The annual extension/industry meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon and provided researchers and industry representatives the opportunity to report on findings and observations from this past season. On Thursday, 15 graduate students participated in the student competition with the winner Anwar Bin-Umer from Rutgers University who presented “Trichothecene

mycotoxins inhibit mitochondrial translation—Implication for the mechanism of toxicity.” Later in the evening, banquet attendees were addressed by APS President Carol Ishimaru (University of Minnesota) and Northeastern Division President Russell Tweddell (Université Laval). Northeastern Division Vice President Beth K. Gugino (PSU) was awarded the Early Career Achievement Award, and Bruce B. Clarke (Rutgers University) was awarded the prestigious Award of Merit for his dedication and significant contribution to turfgrass pathology. The banquet came to a close with the passing of the American chestnut gavel from outgoing President Tweddell to Vice President Gugino.

On Friday, more than 100 members Bruce B. Clarke (left) was awarded the prestigious Award of Merit for his dedication and significant contribution to turfgrass pathology. and invited guests attended two symposia entitled “The Changing Landscape of Plant Pathology” and The 2012 meeting of the Northeastern Division “Plant Pathology in the 21st Century: Advances in Plant and Human Health,” will be held in conjunction with the APS Annual Meeting in Providence, RI. The Northeastern which were held in conjunction with Division officers for 2011–2012 are Gugino, presthe 100th anniversary celebration. At ident; Andy Wyenandt (Rutgers University), vice the anniversary banquet on Friday president; Dave Thompson (Rutgers University), evening, Clarke presented a lively secretary-treasurer; Wade Elmer (The Connectiand fun-filled history of the plant cut Agricultural Experiment Station), Divisional pathology program at the university to Forum representative; and Tweddell, immediate more than 160 attendees. In addition past president.

APS President Ishimaru and Gugino presented plaques to James F. White We wish to thank the corporate sponsors for and the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology on behalf of APS and the their support of this year’s meeting: Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, FMC, New Jersey Gold Northeastern Division in recognition Course Superintendents Association, New Jersey of excellence and service to the field of plant pathology over the past 100 years. Turfgrass Association, Sciessent, AgraQuest, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Crop Protection, New In addition, Debora A. Esposito and Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, and Lisa A. Beirn received awards for their United Phosphorus, Inc. excellence in graduate research, and Gene H. Varney received the Lifetime To see the complete Service Award from the New Jersey program, visit the Mycological Association. A special APS Northeastern thanks goes out to Clark and the rest Northeastern Division Vice President Beth K. Gugino (left) Division website at of the Local Arrangements Committee was presented with the Early Career Achievement Award from www.apsnet.org/ for all their efforts in organizing and Norman Lalancette. members/divisions/ coordinating such a spectacular event! ne. n

Phytopathology News 43

APS Leadership Institute Moves Forward with Programs in 2012 Richard Bostock, stock@ucdavis.edu, and Christine Smart, cds14@cornell.edu, Leadership Institute Committee Cochairs The APS Leadership Institute Committee was formed in 2009 and is now a standing committee within APS. The committee develops and coordinates, on behalf of APS Council, programs and resources that are designed to nurture and cultivate leadership skills. The Leadership Institute and its associated activities are intended to provide important mentoring experiences for APS members to help us develop leadership and administrative skills not only for our primary place of employment, but also within our service to APS and similar volunteer organizations.

Plans for the 2012 APS Annual Meeting in Providence include two full-day leadership workshops, led by Teri Balser, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida, and a half-day personal development workshop led by talent management experts from Monsanto Co. “Leadership I—Finding Your Style” is the first of the two full-day workshops and will cover the following areas: what and who are leaders, why leadership is critical to your career and profession, types of leaders, leadership and personalities, developing effective leaders, leaders and change, and leaders in professional organizations. The workshop is intended for a broad spectrum of participants, including early, mid-, and senior career professionals. Building on the knowledge gained in Leadership I, “Leadership II—Working with Others” is designed to help individuals go deeper in their understanding of the interpersonal aspects of leading and managing and explore ways to apply their understanding to areas of conflict or change in their professional, personal, and societal lives.

This workshop will focus on conflict and conflict management. Completion of Leadership I is not a prerequisite for Leadership II but is beneficial in gaining the best experience from the session.

Monsanto will again sponsor a half-day workshop free of charge to interested graduate students and post-docs. This year, their talent experts will offer the DiSC interactive personal development workshop. DiSC is a personal assessment tool that generates an individual’s profile to describe human behavior in various situations, for example how you influence others or respond to rules and procedures. Early registration is required to allow for processing of a questionnaire to be completed prior to the workshop. All personal information will be kept confidential and will not be retained by APS or Monsanto.

The offerings for this year’s meeting build upon the success and positive responses of the Leadership Institute’s initial offerings in Charlotte in 2010 and Honolulu last year. Be sure to watch for the APS leadership training opportunities for details during the upcoming registration for the 2012 Annual Meeting.

In addition to the planned annual meeting workshops, the Leadership Institute Committee is developing a page on the APS website with information and links to resources on leadership and management skills. The committee will also have features on various issues of leading and managing in the current environment in forthcoming editions of Phytopathology News. n

New Bacterial Ring Rot Webcast Produced in Focus on Potato Bacterial ring rot is one of the most feared diseases of potato because of the devastating losses it can cause. The latest Focus on Potato webcast, Bacterial Ring Rot of Potato, by Neil Gudmestad of North Dakota State University, addresses the identification and management of this economically important disease. The presentation focuses on the symptoms of bacterial ring rot, which include wilt, discoloration of tubers, and periderm cracking; detection methods; and disease management strategies. Gudmestad’s presentation and other Focus on Potato webcasts can be accessed at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/fop.

Focus on Potato is a publication of the Plant Management Network (PMN), a nonprofit online publisher whose mission is to enhance the health, management, and production of agricultural and horticultural crops. It achieves this mission through applied, science-based resources. PMN is jointly managed by the American Society of Agronomy, APS, and the Crop Science Society of America.

APS members can take advantage of PMN’s full line of applied crop protection and crop production resources by subscribing at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/subscriptions or by signing up for its PMN Update newsletter at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/update/default.cfm. n 44 Phytopathology News

Call for Creativity: Now Announcing the 2012 Art in Phytopathology Contest Art in Phytopathology is a competition sponsored by the Graduate Student Committee at the APS Annual Meeting. The competition is designed so students and members of APS can showcase their artwork in the area of phytopathology.

2011 First-Place Winner in the Arts and Crafts Category, “Which Came First: The Sporangium or the Zoospore?” by Amara Dunn.

The 2012 competition artworks will be separated using the following categories: 1. Microscopy 2. Whole Plant/Nature 3. Digitally Altered 4. Wacky/Humor 5. Arts and Crafts The entries will be judged on creativity/ originality, aesthetic value, technical merit, color/shade, and relatedness to phytopathology.

The Graduate Student Committee would like to solicit submissions for the 2012 Art in Phytopathology contest.

Submissions will only be accepted in a digital format. Two‐ or three-dimensional art must be scanned or digitally photographed for online submission. Entries must be in .jpeg format with a minimum of 300 dpi. All artwork must be original, related to the general theme of plant disease, and have been created by a current member of APS. Each entrant may submit up to three pieces. APS reserves the right to use, reproduce, or publish submitted artwork. A slideshow of the digital entries will be displayed at the 2012 APS Annual Meeting and posted on APSnet after the meeting.

To enter, send your artwork as an e‐mail attachment to phytopathart@gmail.com. Please include the following in your e-mail: full name, job title, employer address, title of your artwork, permission for APS to reproduce or publish your submission, and a brief description of your artwork. Entries must be submitted by July 1, 2012. n

Annual Financial Report Annual Audited Summary of APS Finances for Fiscal Year 2011 Randy Rowe, APS Treasurer, rowe926@gmail.com The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) and APS headquarters staff met on January 20, 2012, to review financial matters related to the operation of the society and to refine the APS strategic financial plan.

FAC, headquarters staff, and leaders of the APS business centers update and revise the strategic financial plan annually to ensure that funds are available to support all activities of the society. An overall society programmatic strategic plan is in place to put forth a strategy to meet the mission and vision for the future. Council and the officers regularly analyze the external environment and make progress toward assigning responsibility for developing and executing strategies to attain the goals of the society’s strategic plan. Having a strategic financial plan helps us, Randy Rowe as a society, to provide a focus for our resources and is used as a guide for the various committees and staff to do their jobs. Strategic targets inform everyone as to what is expected from their programs several years in advance so they can build and execute strategies over several budget years. The role of FAC in this process is not to get involved in strategy building, but rather to develop financial goals, build business plans to meet those goals, and monitor progress toward each goal. FAC continually asks the difficult questions, such as which programs should break even and which are expected to generate surplus to invest in our programs and services that best benefit our members. This plan continues to work for the society, allowing us to invest in our future.

Fig. 1. Audited Income – 6/30/11 G&A 2% Annual Meeting 14% Phytopathology 18%

APS PRESS 20% Plant Disease 16%

Plant Mgmt Network 8%

Table 1. Audited Summary of Income and Expenses—6/30/11 (Twelve Months)

Net Before

Income Expenses Overhead Member Services Phytopathology Plant Disease Phyto News MPMI Plant Mgmt Network APS PRESS Annual Meeting G & A (Overhead)

Net After Overhead

$347,652 7% $857,933 18% (510,281) (813,267) 908,297 18% 313,966 6% 594,331 465,837 777,933 16% 368,991 8% 408,942 244,093 5,504 0% 40,964 1% (35,460) (50,515) 722,922 15% 335,894 7% 387,028 258,483 389,868 8% 274,674 6% 115,194 (57,521) 1,007,608 20% 823,865 17% 183,743 4,614 671,353 14% 515,263 11% 156,090 5,407 91,600 2% 1,334,056 27% (1,242,456) –

Total $4,922,737 $4,865,606 $57,131

Surplus (Loss) $57,131

$57,131

MPMI 15%

Phytopathology News 0%

Fig. 2. Audited Expenses – 6/30/11

The FY11 budget from operations (excluding investments) was concluded with a surplus of $57,131.

APS saw FY11 as a reinvestment year after several years of cash containment and expense savings.

FY11 continued to see a recovery in the APS and APS Foundation investment portfolios with unrealized gains of $827,761.

The FY11 income and expense categories for the society are detailed in Table 1. Our total income ($4,922,737) was derived from nine sources as indicated in Figure 1, and our total operating expenses ($4,865,606) incurred during FY11 were partitioned as indicated in Figure 2. The income and expenses of the society for the most recent 11 FYs are presented in Table 2. The total assets of the society as of June 30, 2011, including restricted funds, were $7.6 million and liabilities totaled $4.5 million. This resulted in total net assets of $3.1 million. n

Member Services 7%

Member Services 18%

G&A 27%

Phytopathology 6% Plant Disease 8% Annual Meeting 11%

Phytopathology News 1% MPMI 7%

APS PRESS 17%

Plant Mgmt Network 6%

Table 2. Comparison of The American Phytopathological Society fiscal years 2001 to 2011 before reserve allocation Fiscal Surplus Year Income Expenses (deficit) FY11 $4,922,737 $4,865,606 $57,131 FY10 $5,116,883 $4,572,696 $544,187 FY09 $4,935,612 $4,508,102 $427,510 FY08 $4,734,346 $4,712,582 $21,764 FY07 $4,538,077 $4,327,412 $210,665 FY06 $4,289,254 $3,754,227 $535,027 FY05 $3,959,027 $3,819,096 $139,931 FY04 $3,963,006 $3,700,013 $262,993 FY03 $3,748,845 $3,864,217 ($115,372) FY02 $4,045,587 $3,997,846 $47,741 FY01 $3,952,594 $4,059,101 ($106,507)

Phytopathology News 45

Meetings National Agricultural Biotechnology Council 24: International IPM Water Sustainability in Agriculture Symposium Coming to Memphis Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of fresh water on the planet and is fully dependent on a sustainable supply of quality water. Therefore, it is critical that agricultural researchers, food and fiber producers, and agriculture-related industries are fully aware of the many facets of their activities that impact water sustainability. Water-related issues are central to many themes within agriculture, including efficient water use, coping with drought, water rights, and environmental impacts. These and other issues will be explored at the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council’s (NABC’s) twenty-fourth annual conference, Water Sustainability in Agriculture, hosted in Fayetteville, AR, June 11–13, 2012, at the University of Arkansas. Speakers at NABC 24 will include leading experts in areas of sustainability, water use in major plant crops, and wateragriculture issues. The program is centered on active discussion among participants and will also include focused consideration of future challenges. In addition, NABC 24 will have poster sessions, providing meeting attendees an organized opportunity to present and discuss their own research findings. Details regarding meeting registration, travel, and accommodations will be forthcoming via the NABC meeting website (http://nabc24.uark.edu). The meeting location in northwest Arkansas is easily accessible by air travel and offers a wealth of activities beyond the meeting. The newly opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is located in nearby Bentonville and houses a world-class collection covering colonial to contemporary artworks in an architecturally stunning setting. The vacation and arts destination of Eureka Springs is less than a one-hour drive away, and outdoor activities abound in the nearby Ozark Mountains. We look forward to seeing you in Fayetteville. Please direct questions regarding NABC 24 to Ken Korth and Rick Bennett, Program Committee cochairs, +1.479.575.2447, kkorth@uark.edu and rbennett@uark.edu. n

Fourth International Workshop for Phytophthora, Pythium, and Phytopythium and an International Web Symposium on Oomycetes of Regulatory Concern in International Trade We are very pleased to announce the presentation of the 4th International Workshop for Phytophthora, Pythium, and Phytopythium and the international web symposium Oomycetes of Regulatory Concern in International Trade to be held May 21–25, 2012, at the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park, MD. The primary purpose of the workshop is to provide hands-on training on morphological and molecular tools used to identify species within the genera. Participants will have the chance to examine a selected assemblage of species from each genus using type species. The innovative “Morphological and molecular identification tools for oomycetes: Phytophthora—Lucid and tabular keys” with important information of the described species will be presented at the event.

Z. Gloria Abad, USDA CPHST, and Yilmaz Balci, UMD, are the organizers. Instructors for the workshop are Frank Martin (USDA ARS, Salinas, CA); Michael Coffey (World Oomycetes Genetics Resource Collection, University of California); Abad and Balci; and Arthur de Cock (CBS, Fungal Biodiversity Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands). Invited Speakers are Niklaus Grünwald (USDA ARS, Horticultural Crops Research, OR); Seogchan Kang (Pennsylvania State University, Phytophthora Database); and Kurt Zeller (USDA CPHST, Beltsville, MD).

The international web symposium will be presented during the morning of Wednesday, May 23, 2012, as an additional activity for the workshop. Invited Speakers are Clive Brasier and Joan Webber (Forest Research Agency, Farnham, United Kingdom); Marco Thines (University of Hohenheim, Germany); Trena Burgess (The Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management, Australia); André Lévesque (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada); and Paloma Abad (Mediterranean Agroforestal Institute of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain).

Registration for the workshop will be open until April 30, 2012, at www.psla.umd.edu/faculty/Balci/ workshop2011/index.cfm. n 46 Phytopathology News

Professionals who use IPM take a thoughtful approach, tolerate harmless pests, and evaluate all of the control options, including mechanical, biological, and cultural means.

They also monitor the results of their efforts and emphasize the options that have the least environmental impact.

On March 27–29, 2012, an international group of scientists will descend on Memphis, TN, for the 7th International IPM Symposium.

The symposium is the only one of its kind worldwide. Held every three years, it drew more than 700 people in 2009.

Make your plans now to attend, share your experiences, and learn from others (www.ipmcenters.org/ipmsymposium12). n

International Conference on Mycotoxins to be Held in Ottawa, Ontario The MycoRed North America conference will be held at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 24–28, 2012. MycoRed is a globally scaled research, training, and outreach project, funded by the European Union (Novel Integrated Strategies for Worldwide Mycotoxin Reduction in Food and Feed Chains). Previous MycoRed conferences have been held in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. The 2012 conference will emphasize the impacts of mycotoxins in North America, with keynote lectures by international experts, oral presentations, poster sessions, and discussion groups. Sessions will be organized around the topics of economic impacts, genetic resistance and plant genomics, toxicology, mycotoxin detection, mycology and fungal genomics, epidemiological modeling, and management. Registration is open to all interested parties. Abstracts are due March 30.

Details are available at http://mycored.ca. More information about the MycoRed project can be found at www.mycored.eu. n

People Student Awards/Degrees Ruoxi Chen received her master’s degree from the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology at Louisiana State University in December 2011. Her research focused on a molecular genetic study on the TofI/ TofR quorumRuoxi Chen sensing system of Burkholderia glumae, the major pathogen that causes bacterial panicle blight of rice. This research was conducted under the guidance of Jong Hyun Ham. Chen will continue on for her Ph.D. degree in the department.

Rebecca Melanson received her M.S. degree in plant health with a concentration on plant pathology from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, LA, in December 2011. Her thesis, “A systematic study of Xylella Rebecca Melanson fastidiosa strains isolated from pecan, grapevine, oleander, and sycamore in Louisiana,” was conducted under the supervision of Jong Hyun Ham. Melanson, a native of Marrero, LA, is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Societies and is currently serving her second year as president of the Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology Graduate Student Association at LSU. She received a number of travel awards to attend national and regional APS meetings from 2009 to 2011 as well as the 2010 Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association scholarship. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. degree in plant health with a concentration on plant pathology at LSU under the direction of Hyun Ham. Dipak Sharma Poudyal completed the requirements for a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology from Washington State University (WSU) under the supervision of Xianming Chen.

His supervisory committee included Dipak Sharma Poudyal Kulvinder Gill, Dennis A. Johnson, and Timothy D. Murray. Poudyal’s Ph.D.

dissertation was entitled “Prediction of disease damage, determination of pathogen survival regions, and characterization of international collections of wheat stripe rust.” Poudyal conducted three studies in regional, national, and international scopes with a focus on the epidemiology of the disease. In the first study, he developed a series of models for predicting potential yield loss for the U.S. Pacific Northwest using historical climatic and disease data. In the second study, he determined the regions for over-seasoning of the stripe rust pathogen in the mainland United States using long-term means for temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, dew point, snow depth, and availability of plant hosts. In the third project, he determined virulences and molecular genotypes for more than 200 stripe rust isolates from 18 countries on 20 single resistance gene lines and 20 wheat differential genotypes and 17 SSR markers. His research showed common and unique virulences in different countries and two genetic groups with some of admix genotypes. Poudyal’s research findings provided a better understanding of the virulence and genetic variation of the pathogen populations and should be useful for control of stripe rust using disease resistance. Poudyal grew up in Chitwan, Nepal, and received his B.S. degree in soil science in 1998 and an M.S. degree in plant pathology in 2001 from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Bishnu K. Shrestha received his master’s degree from the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology (PPCP) at Louisiana State University (LSU) in December 2011. His research was focused on characterization and utilization of Bishnu K. Shrestha rice defense system associated with partial resistance to bacterial panicle blight; an emerging rice disease in southeastern United States which is caused

by Burkholderia glumae. He is now working on genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci associated with partial resistance to bacterial panicle blight in rice, under the guidance of Jong Hyun Ham for his Ph.D. degree in the Department of PPCP at LSU. Award Marc A. Cubeta, a professor at North Carolina State University, has been awarded a Fulbright scholar grant to teach and conduct research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, during the 2011–2012 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William

Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Cubeta will teach fungal biology and plant pathology and investigate the disease ecology and population dynamics of Rhizoctonia fungi on forest tree seedlings and Marc A. Cubeta closely related nonpathogenic species that associate with orchids and decayed wood. Cubeta is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2011–2012.

Collaboration Forrest Nutter from Iowa State University (ISU) visited Martin Chilvers, Jarrod Morrice, and the Department of Plant Pathology at Michigan State University (MSU) to develop a collaborative project to examine the potential of remote sensing and GIS systems for the monitoring and detection of soybean sudden death syndrome and other crop diseases. During Nutter’s visit to MSU, he gave the presentation “What’s Up Looking Down at Plant Disease Epidemics Using GIS and Satellite Imagery.”

Retirement Marty Carson, research leader of the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory, retired September 30, 2011.

Carson is from Arcola, IL, and was an undergraduate at Eastern Illinois University. He obtained his M.S. Marty Carson and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology at the University of Illinois.

Carson was on the faculty at South Dakota State University (SDSU) for eight years and then joined the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Group in Raleigh, NC, in 1989. At SDSU and in Raleigh, Carson became well known for his research on many different maize diseases. In 2002, he accepted the research leader position for the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory (CDL) in St. Paul, MN. His research at the CDL focused on characterizing durable adult plant resistance to crown rust in oat and variation in populations of the crown rust fungus Puccinia coronata. In recognition of his research accomplishments, Carson was named a fellow of APS in 2009. Carson was People continued on page 48 Phytopathology News 47

People continued from page 47

active in APS, serving as associate editor and senior editor of Phytopathology and as a member of the Host Resistance Committee.

While at the CDL, Carson oversaw a large expansion of the laboratory facilities, an addition of a conference room, new containment facilities for working with foreign pathogen collections, expanded seed storage facilities, updates to the environmental controls for the main building, and modernization of the greenhouse control units. During his time at the CDL, he was instrumental in placing the CDL at the forefront in addressing the threats posed by rust diseases and Fusarium head blight to cereal production in the United States and worldwide. Carson’s support and guidance was critical to the research accomplishments of the scientific staff at the CDL in the last nine years.

Carson and his wife Deb plan to remain in the Twin Cities area. Their immediate plans are to relax and enjoy some traveling. Carson is an active gardener and may have some future adventures with large rocks in his yard.

Turner Bond Sutton retired from North Carolina State University (NCSU), Department of Plant Pathology, on November 30, 2011.

Sutton earned a B.A. degree in botany and chemistry from the University of Turner Bond Sutton North CarolinaChapel Hill in 1968 and a master’s degree and doctorate at NCSU in 1971 and 1973, respectively. Following a post-doctoral position at Michigan State University, he returned to NCSU in 1974 as a research associate and joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1976. He was promoted to associate professor in 1981 and full professor in 1987. From 2004 to 2010, he served as the department’s extension leader. At the time of his retirement, he held appointments in teaching, extension, and research.

His research specialty areas included the biology, epidemiology, and management of fruit diseases, initially focusing on apples and later including those of brambles and winegrapes. At the time of his retirement, Sutton was invited annually to speak at many winegrape growers’ meetings throughout the eastern United States. Sutton became a world leader in the management of summer diseases of apples and

48 Phytopathology News

the development of IPM programs for apple diseases. His approach to solving apple diseases combined the knowledge and thoroughness of a classical plant pathologist with the skills of a modern epidemiologist extremely well versed in understanding the options available for integrated cultural and chemical control of a complex of diseases caused by many distinct pathogens. He with his students and colleagues made significant contributions to the knowledge and management of various summer diseases of apples, including bitter rot, Glomerella leaf spot, Botryosphaeria rot, black rot, Brooks fruit spot, black pox, sooty blotch, and flyspeck. Through students from Costa Rica, he also conducted research on the epidemiology and control of black Sigatoka on banana, greasy spot on citrus, and the characterization of the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, on banana. Sutton was an author of more than 100 referred journal papers and hundreds of fungicide efficacy studies published in Fungicide and Nematicide Tests and now Plant Disease Management Reports.

Sutton actively supported his profession, having served as a senior editor of Plant Disease, an associate editor of Phytopathology, a section editor of the former Fungicide and Nematicide Tests, and a member of various committees of APS. He coorganized a highly successful IPM conference along with entomologist George Kennedy and then coedited the proceedings, Emerging Technologies for Integrated Pest Management. Most recently, he was coeditor for the second edition of the APS Compendium of Apple and Pear Diseases and Pests. He was actively involved in professional organizations, including those of APS, and served as APS representative to the Council of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CAST). He continues to serve as an officer of CAST. In 2004, he was elected a fellow of APS. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, such as a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Gamma Sigma Delta Certificate of Merit for exemplary service to the scientific community, and the APS Lee. M. Hutchens Award.

In addition to his research and extension activities, Sutton taught his department’s core course in epidemiology and disease control for 16 years and chaired the advisory committees of 12 Ph.D. and 13 M.S. plant pathology graduate students. Additionally, he served on the graduate advisory committees of numerous other students in plant pathology, horticulture science, and entomology.

Sutton was born in Windsor, NC. He and his family have returned to this eastern North Carolina town, where he plans to spend more time with his family, fishing and hunting, as well as tending the family farm.

In Memory Fields White Cobb, Jr. was born on February 16, 1932, in Key West, FL, to Fields Cobb Sr. and Alice (Presson) Cobb. Fields’ family moved back to Virginia when he was six months old.

Fields loved fishing and hunting in the woods and swamps surrounding his home. Once he discovered forestry, he realized it was the profession for him. Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled at Virginia Tech and then North Carolina State University, where he received his B.S. degree in forestry in 1955.

He then went to work for the Forest Service as a research forester and eventually his supervisor encouraged him to pursue a master’s degree.

Fields applied and was then accepted to Yale University. Fields met his future wife, Octavia “Tavie” Hickcox Smith, while attending Yale.

Fields received his M.S. degree in forestry in one year and then returned to the Forest Service and was assigned to Gulf Port, MS, as a forest pathologist.

After a year in Gulf Port, he resigned and returned to New Haven, where he worked as an agriculture economist while Tavie finished her nursing degree. Tavie and Fields were married on May 24, 1958, and together they moved to Pennsylvania State University (PSU), where Fields pursued his Ph.D. degree in forest pathology. His dissertation work was on oak wilt.

While at PSU, they had their first child, Cynthia Leigh Cobb, and about two and a half years later, their first son, David Fields Cobb. Shortly after receiving his Ph.D. degree, Fields was offered a position as professor of forest pathology at the University of California (UC)-Berkeley. After the move to California, the family grew by another son, Stephen Lewis Cobb.

Fields taught and conducted research in forest pathology at UC-Berkeley for 30 years. He worked on a wide variety of forest tree diseases in California. He was best known for his work on root diseases, especially annosum root rot and black stain root disease and on the interactions of fungi with bark beetles. He was an insightful researcher, often pointing to the interactions of forest trees, pathogens, and insects at the landscape level.

Teaching was an absolute joy for him. For many years he taught Forest Insects and Diseases to forestry majors with Don Dahlsten. He mentored 18 Ph.D. candidates and many master’s students. His Ph.D. students included David Nelson, Mike Srago, Leonard Felix, James Byler, John Davidson, John Muir, Rich Hunt, Bob James, Don Goheen, Tom Harrington, Thom Lawson, Detlev Vogler, and Matteo Garbelotto. Fields was terrifically proud of his students’ accomplishments and he lives on through the positive impact he had on them.

Fields retired in 1993, and he and Tavie moved to Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho to be closer to their grandchildren. In 2008, Fields and his colleague Dick Parmeter were recognized by their graduate students and peers with a large and boisterous reunion in Post Falls, ID. Fields loved life and was a consummate practical joker, story-teller, and southern gentleman. He was an intelligent, passionate, loving, and courageous man of the highest integrity. He was remarkable for his deep sense of fairness and staunch insistence on always doing what was right.

Fields fought a long and courageous battle with both heart disease and diabetes. On November 7, 2011, at the age of 79, Fields passed away in Sandpoint, ID. Written by Detlev R. Vogler and Thomas Harrington in cooperation with the Cobb Family.

Jerome (“Jerry”) Eugene Dimitman (1920–2011), highly respected plant pathologist, professor, mentor, and leader, passed away in his sleep of a stroke on December 14, 2011, surrounded by his own beloved Jerome “Jerry” Eugene Kwa Luk Gardens Dimitman of Chinese tropical fruits, an impressive orchard with stricter plant import restrictions than most countries, where he developed the Wong Pummelo and other superlative cultivars.

He was 91.

Jerry earned his B.S. degree in botany at the University of California (UC)-Berkeley in 1943, after which he enlisted in the Navy and served in World War II in the Pacific. In 1949, he completed a master’s degree and in 1958 a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology, both recorded at UC-Berkeley, but his doctoral research on “Physiological studies on two Phytophthora species pathogenic to citrus” was completed at the Citrus Experiment Station of the fledgling University of California-Riverside.

In 1949, Jerry was hired as a faculty member in agricultural plant sciences and plant pathology at the southern California Voorhis Campus of California State Polytechnic College (CSPC).

His enthusiasm, inspiration, and absolute dedication soon sent students into graduate work in plant pathology. In 1961, Jerry began 12 years as chair of the Biological Sciences Department at CPSC’s new Pomona campus, where he assembled and nurtured a diverse faculty in botany, zoology, and microbiology into an

exceptionally effective group of nationally and internationally known teachers and research scientists. For more than 42 years, Jerry, who taught several lecture and field courses in both the Colleges of Agriculture and Science, steered hundreds of students into graduate work and many careers, including an impressive number in plant pathology, mycology, and related fields.

A “natural” teacher with a delightful sense of humor, he excelled especially in the field where he inspired students to value agriculture. In 1972, Jerry was CSPC Pomona’s nominee for outstanding professor of the California State University System. He retired as professor emeritus in 1983.

In 1971–1972, he served on a CSPC team for the KATE Project in Greece to develop biological and agricultural curricula for five technical campuses. In 1982, he was on a design team for horticultural improvement and training in a USAID program for the Yemen Arab Republic and assessed the health of citrus and other tree fruits there.

Jerry provided generous and unfailing outreach and diverse services to agriculture, particularly in pathological and horticultural areas of the citrus and avocado industries, throughout his professional career and beyond. He was a founding contributor to the APS Foundation.

In 1987, he commenced 13 years as a consultant for the California Citrus Research Board, involved with funding and guidance of research.

Later he was a board member for nine years.

On July 8, 2010, the Citrus Research Board named its new disease detection and monitoring center at Riverside, CA, the “Jerry Dimitman Laboratory.” He also contributed to progress at the USDA/UC-Riverside National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates. On November 16, 2010, Jerry received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Citrus Institute for 25 years of service to the industry.

In 1969, 1970, and 1984, Jerry was a coauthor with J. H. Wu on articles in Virology and the Journal of Phytopathology dealing with physiological studies on TMV resistance and TMV movement in beans as affected by heat, UV irradiation, leaf structure, and callose deposition; and by sugar and light.

The article published here is an abbreviated version of the original submission. To view the full obituary, visit www.apsnet.org/ publications/phytopathologynews/obituaries/Pages/ DimitmanJeromeE.aspx.

John Richard “Dick” Parmeter Jr. was born on September 16, 1927, and grew up in The Dalles, OR. At the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Marines and was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. After his service, he attended Oregon State College and earned a B.S. degree in botany and plant pathology in 1951. He then went to the University of

Wisconsin, where he earned a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology in 1955.

Parmeter’s dissertation was entitled “Oak wilt development in bur oaks,” and was completed under John Richard “Dick” the direction of Parmeter Jr. A. J. Riker and J. E. Kuntz. From 1955 to 1957, he worked for the USDA Forest Service at the Lake States Experiment Station in Wisconsin.

In 1957, he was hired as assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of California (UC)-Berkeley, where he stayed until retirement, sharing a lab with Fields Cobb. Dick became a world’s authority on the root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, but he devoted much of his career to forest pathology, including the dwarf mistletoes of pines and firs, air pollution effects on pines, bark beetle-pathogen interactions, and the root diseases.

His passion for and skill at fishing and hearts were legendary, as was his wit. He had many professional interests, among which were the effects of smoke on fungi and the role of root pathogens in shaping the structure, composition, and dynamics of forests in Yosemite Valley.

His Ph.D. students included Bob Scharpf, Stu Whitney, Paul Miller, Richard S. Smith, Doug Piirto, Johann Bruhn, Jim Worrall, Devon Zagory, and Mark Schultz.

Many of the ideas and lessons that Parmeter taught were conveyed outside the classroom, while fishing, over the campfire, or during a game of hearts. Dick and his colleague Cobb had small offices on either side of the lab and the graduate students would do their work—reading, writing, experimenting, or just chatting—in the space between. It was there that conversations between the students, Dick, and Fields would often start. They were usually a raucous variant of the Socratic method.

The conversations started there helped make the Cobb and Parmeter lab a special place for generations of forest pathologists.

The discussions that developed could go in many directions, sometimes hilarious, others deadly serious, but always memorable. Dick always emphasized that the pathogens they studied were agents of change that shaped forest ecosystems.

This was an issue of such importance to him that in oral exams he would sometimes alarm students by asking them to imagine a forest without pathogens, insects, or fire. Under the stress of the exam, the students might flounder answering, until they would remember these People continued on page 50 Phytopathology News 49

conversations, and how Dick had impressed upon them that a forest without disease or death would likely become an impenetrable biological desert.

Dick retired from Berkeley in 1991, and he and his wife Anita moved to the coastal town of Florence, OR. Dick once said that he chose Florence because of the moderate climate and because he believed the bounty of the ocean would offer relief from economic collapse or other disaster. In other words, ready access to fish was an important consideration. Dick and Anita travelled extensively to see their children and to visit colleagues in the United States and Europe. In 2008, Dick’s and Cobb’s former graduate students organized a reunion and tribute to both professors in Post Falls, ID. It was well attended and a resounding success.

Dick died in Oregon on October 27, 2010, at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Anita and by their children.

Written by Detlev R. Vogler and Robert F. Scharpf. n

Last Call for StorkanHanes-McCaslin Foundation Awards The Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation Awards are named in honor of Richard C. Storkan, Gerald L. Hanes, and Robert L. McCaslin. In addition to unrestricted cash awards ($5,000–$10,000), new awardees will also receive round-trip fares to the APS Annual Meeting and are presented their awards at a luncheon. The research for which the award is given should be performed by the applicant during the 2012–2013 academic year and a onepage progress report is due one year from the date of the award.

Applications must be received before May 1, 2012, for funding to begin September 1, 2012.

Please submit six copies each of a short, twoto three-page research proposal containing a concise statement of the objectives, methods and materials, and projected impact of the proposed research, a one-page resumé, and a letter from the applicant’s major professor or research director. Preference will be given to those proposals containing innovative, creative, and/or novel research approaches to the stated objective(s) and to the overall quality of the written proposal. Send applications to A. Paulus (albert.paulus@ucr.edu or +1.951.827.3431), Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0122. n 50 Phytopathology News

Classifieds R&D Agronomist The North Carolina State University (NCSU) at Raleigh Department of Plant Pathology invites applications for a tenure-track position in plant pathology at the assistant professor level. This position is funded 70% by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and 30% by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service.

A Ph.D. degree in plant pathology or closely related field is required. This individual will be responsible for building a dynamic extension and research program focused on diseases of sweet potato, cucurbits, and other vegetable crops. The successful candidate will develop innovative training programs and technologydriven resources for field faculty, growers, and related industry personnel that foster implementation of integrated and sustainable disease management programs. The successful candidate will be expected to provide diagnostic support/disease management recommendations for vegetable samples submitted to the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic. For further information, contact james_moyer@ncsu. edu. For a complete job description, please refer to http://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/3194.

The closing date is March 1, 2012, but the position is open until filled. NCSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. NCSU welcomes all persons without regard to sexual orientation. Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process should contact Marci Walker, marci_walker@ ncsu.edu, +1.919.515.2730 (main number) or +1.919.515.7716 (fax). NCSU is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their experience, research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community. The university is responsive to the needs of dualcareer couples.

Phytopathology Special Focus Issue

Human Pathogens on Plants

Assistant Professor of Plant Science/ Extension Plant Pathologist South Dakota State University (SDSU) Plant Science Department has an opening for a plant pathology extension specialist/assistant professor, Cooperative Extension Service (75%) and Agricultural Experiment Station (25%).

This position is a 10-month, tenure-track appointment with a two-month supplementary salary. Contracts are annually renewable, and the two-month supplemental salary is guaranteed for five years. The appointee is expected to provide statewide leadership and develop a nationally recognized Extension Plant Pathology Program addressing plant diseases impacting South Dakota and the surrounding region. To apply, visit https://yourfuture.sdbor. edu, search by the position title, view the job announcement, and click on “apply for this posting.” The system will guide you through the electronic application form. The employment site will also require the attachment of the following: 1) letter of application, 2) current CV, and 3) names/contact information of five professional references. Please contact SDSU Human Resources at +1.605.688.4128 if you require assistance with this process. Official university transcripts for all degrees are required and should be sent to Lucinda Olson, Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University, Box 2108, Brookings, SD 57007; telephone: +1.605.688.5156; fax: +1.605.688.4602; e-mail: lucinda.olson@sdstate.edu. Position is open until filled. Review of applications will begin March 1, 2012. Application materials should present an accurate description of the candidate’s abilities, knowledge, skills, and interests as they pertain to the stated qualifications. Dates for past positions should include month and year, indicate whether the position was full or part time, and include a short description of the position duties. n

Research labs worldwide are making progress in this emerging area of science.

Phytopathology will dedicate a focus issue on the work being done in this area.

CALL FOR PAPERS Article Submission Deadline: August 31, 2012 Please select “focus issue” when submitting your manuscript to Phytopathology. For more information about the scope of this issue, please contact George Sundin, Phytopathology Editor-in-Chief, at sundin@msu.edu.

#M8629-2/2012

People continued from page 49

APS Journal Articles Phytopathology March 2012, Volume 102, Number 3 The Filamentous Phage fRSS1 Enhances Virulence of Phytopathogenic Ralstonia solanacearum on Tomato.

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gene, hshB, in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola Co-Regulated by Quorum Sensing and clp.

Systemically Induced Resistance and Microbial Competitive Exclusion: Implications on Biological Control.

A Rapid Microbioassay for Discovery of Antagonistic Bacteria for Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae.

Orchard Factors Associated with Resistance and Cross Resistance to Sterol Demethylation Inhibitor Fungicides in Populations of Venturia inaequalis from Pennsylvania.

Larval Bradysia impatiens (Diptera: Sciaridae) Potential for Vectoring Pythium Root Rot Pathogens.

Colonization of Vitis spp. Wood by sGFP-Transformed Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, a Tracheomycotic Fungus Involved in Esca Disease.

Characterization of CbCyp51 from Field Isolates of Cercospora beticola.

Variation for Resistance to Kernel Infection and Toxin Accumulation in Winter Wheat Infected with Fusarium graminearum.

Molecular Characterization of Pyraclostrobin Resistance and Structural Diversity of the Cytochrome b Gene in Botrytis cinerea from Apple.

Phenotypic Variation Within a Clonal Lineage of Phytophthora infestans Infecting both Tomato and Potato in Nicaragua.

Development of an Assay for Rapid Detection and Quanti­ fication of Verticillium dahliae in Soil.

Plant Disease March 2012, Volume 96, Number 3 Verticillium Wilt, A Major Threat to Olive Production: Current Status and Future Prospects for its Management.

Assessing Systemicity of Peanut Fungicides Through Bioassay of Plant Tissues with Sclerotium rolfsii.

Effect of Glyphosate on Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat and Barley Under Different Soil Tillages.

Interactive Effects of Temperature and Leaf Wetness Duration on Sporangia Germination and Infection of Cucurbit Hosts by Pseudoperonospora cubensis.

Antimicrobial Activity of Chestnut Extracts for Potential Use in Managing Soilborne Plant Pathogens.

Identification of New Pathogenic Races of Common Bunt and Dwarf Bunt Fungi, and Evaluation of Known Races Using an Expanded Set of Differential Wheat Lines.

Rhizoctonia Web Blight—A New Disease on Mint in Israel.

Roles of Infected Seed Tubers and Soilborne Inoculum on Verticillium Wilt of ‘Russet Burbank’ Potato.

Fungicide Sensitivity of Pythium spp. Associated with Cavity Spot of Carrot in California and Michigan.

Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity of Sclerotium rolfsii in Groundnut Fields in Central Vietnam.

Genetic and Virulence Analysis of Rhizoctonia spp.

Associated with Sugar Beet Root and Crown Rot in the Northeast Region of Iran.

Cationic Surfactants: Potential Surface Disinfectants to Manage Agrobacterium tumefaciens Biovar 1 Contamination of Grafting Tools.

Baseline Sensitivity of Monilinia fructicola from China to the DMI Fungicide SYP-Z048 and Analysis of DMIResistant Mutants.

Short Exposure to High CO2 and O2 at Curing Temperature to Control Postharvest Diseases of Citrus Fruit.

Anthracnose and Gummy Stem Blight Are Reduced on Watermelon Grown on a No-Till Hairy Vetch Cover Crop.

PCR-Based Detection of Cephalosporium gramineum in Winter Wheat.

Predicting Take-All Severity in Second-Year Wheat Using Soil DNA Concentrations of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici Determined with qPCR. First Report of Bacterial Canker of Kiwifruit Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in Turkey.

First Report of a Soft Rot of Philodendron ‘Con-go’ in China Caused by Dickeya dieffenbachiae.

First Report of Zebra Chip Disease and “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” on Potatoes in Oregon and Washington State.

First Report of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” Associated with Psyllid-Affected Carrots in Sweden.

First Report of Zebra Chip Disease and “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” on Potatoes in Idaho.

First Report of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” Associated with Psyllid-Affected Carrots in Norway.

First Report of Erwinia persicinus Causing Wilting of Medicago sativa Sprouts in China.

First Report of In-Vitro Boscalid-Resistant Isolates of Alternaria solani Causing Early Blight of Potato in Idaho.

First Report of Peanut Pod Rot Caused by Neocosmospora vasinfecta in Northern China.

Fusarium Canker of Bitternut Hickory Caused by Fusarium solani in the North-Central and Northeastern United States.

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia fructicola on Stored Apple in Serbia.

First Report of Target Spot of Tobacco Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-2.1.

First Report of Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii on the Invasive Exotic Weed, Vincetoxicum rossicum (Pale Swallow-Wort), in Western New York.

First Report of Nectria haematococca Causing Stem Rot of Soybean in China.

Golovinomyces biocellatus on Oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Compactum’) in Italy.

First Report of Aspergillus niger Causing Postharvest Fruit Rot of Cherry in the Prefectures of Imathia and Pella, Northern Greece.

First Report of Colletotrichum acutatum and C. fragariae Causing Bitter Rot of Apple in Uruguay.

First Report of Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Exserohilum rostratum on Pineapple in Hainan Province, China.

First Report of Multiple Species of the Botryosphaeriaceae Causing Bot Canker Disease of Indian Laurel-Leaf Fig in California.

First Report of Spruce Needle Drop Associated with Setomelanomma holmii on Spruce in Illinois.

First Report of Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2IIIB Infecting Potato Stems and Stolons in the United States.

First Report of Amphobotrys ricini Causing Gray Mold Disease on Acalypha australis in Central China.

First Report of Postharvest Fruit Rot in Avocado (Persea americana) Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in Italy.

First Report of Pilidiella granati Causing Dieback and Fruit Rot of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) in Iran.

First Report of Apricot pseudo-chlorotic leaf spot virus Infecting Plum (Prunus domestica) in the Czech Republic.

First Report of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 in a Hybrid Grape ‘Vidal Blanc’ in Missouri.

First Report of China Rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) as a Host of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Spain.

First Report of Chilli ringspot virus on Chili Pepper in China.

First Report of Cherry leaf roll virus in Hydrangea macrophylla.

First Report of Apple mosaic virus in Alaska.

First report of Cymbidium mosaic virus and Odontoglossum ringspot virus in orchids in Mexico.

First Report of Bidens mottle virus Causing Mosaic and Leaf Deformation in Garland Chrysanthemum and Lettuce in Taiwan.

MPMI March 2012, Volume 25, Number 3 MGOS: Development of a Community Annotation Database for Magnaporthe oryzae.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Genes Encoding Small Secreted Proteins Identifies Candidate Effectors in Melampsora larici-populina (Poplar Leaf Rust).

NTRC and Chloroplast-Generated Reactive Oxygen Species Regulate Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato Disease Development in Tomato and Arabidopsis.

Avirulence Proteins AvrBs7 from Xanthomonas gardneri and AvrBs1.1 from Xanthomonas euvesicatoria Contribute to a Novel Gene-for-Gene Interaction in Pepper.

Development and Application of a Multilocus Sequence Analysis Method for the Identification of Genotypes Within Genus Bradyrhizobium and for Establishing Nodule Occupancy of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr).

Glutathione Is Required by Rhizobium etli for Glutamine Utilization and Symbiotic Effectiveness.

Identification and Characterization of Tomato Mutants Affected in the Rx-Mediated Resistance to PVX Isolates.

Nitrogen Metabolism in Sinorhizobium meliloti–Alfalfa Symbiosis: Dissecting the Role of GlnD and PII Proteins.

Involvement of a Class III Peroxidase and the Mitochondrial Protein TSPO in Oxidative Burst Upon Treatment of Moss Plants with a Fungal Elicitor.

An Avirulent Tomato Powdery Mildew Isolate Induces Localized Acquired Resistance to a Virulent Isolate in a Spatiotemporal Manner.

N-Terminal Motifs in Some Plant Disease Resistance Proteins Function in Membrane Attachment and Contribute to Disease Resistance.

Evidence That Thaxtomin C Is a Pathogenicity Determinant of Streptomyces ipomoeae, the Causative Agent of Streptomyces Soil Rot Disease of Sweet Potato.

Role of the Sucrose Synthase Encoding PrSus1 Gene in the Development of the Parasitic Plant Phelipanche ramosa L. (Pomel).

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum g-Glutamyl Transpeptidase (Ss-Ggt1) Is Required for Regulating Glutathione Accumulation and Development of Sclerotia and Compound Appressoria.

EDS1 Contributes to Nonhost Resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana Against Erwinia amylovora.

Salicylic Acid Regulates Basal Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat.

Plant Management Network www.plantmanagementnetwork.org Plant Health Progress First Report of Erysiphe knautiae (Erysiphales) on Lomelosia caucasica (Caucasian Pincushion Flower) in North America.

Sensitivity of Kansas Isolates of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa to Boscalid.

Compatibility of Foliar Insecticides and Heterodera glycines Bioassays.

Outbreak of Blackleg in Canola in North Dakota is Caused

by New Pathogenicity Groups.

Cultivar and Fungicide Effects on Pythium Leak of Snap Bean. n

Phytopathology News 51

PERIODICALS

News The American Phytopathological Society 3340 Pilot Knob Road St. Paul, MN 55121 United States of America

Calendar of Events

APS Sponsored Events

March 2012 14-16 — APS Potomac Division Meeting.

Winchester, VA. www.apsnet.org/members/divisions/pot April 2012 15-18 — APS Caribbean Division Meeting.

South Padre Island, TX. www.apsnet.org/ members/divisions/carib/meetings June 2012 13-15 — APS North Central Division Meeting. Wooster, OH. www.apsnet.org/members/divisions/nc 27-29 — APS Pacific Division Meeting.

Sacramento, CA. www.apsnet.org/members/divisions/pac August 2012 4-8 — APS Annual Meeting. Providence, RI. www.apsnet.org/meetings/annual APS Northeastern Division Meeting will be joint with the APS Annual Meeting Upcoming APS Annual Meetings August 10-14, 2013 — Austin, TX. August 9-13, 2014 — Minneapolis, MN.

Other Upcoming Events March 2012 1-3 — Second International Symposium of Bio-Pesticides and Eco-Toxicological Network.

Bangkok, Thailand. www.isbiopen.sci.ku.ac.th/contact_us.html

20-22 — Joint Meeting of the 58th Annual Conference on Soilborne Plant Pathogens and the 44th Annual California Nematology Workshop. San Marino, CA. http://soilfungus.ars.usda.gov April 2012 22-26 — Ascochyta 2012: The 3rd International Ascochyta Workshop. Córdoba, Spain. www.ascochyta.org May 2012 20-24 — Bouyoucos Conference on the Advances in Research on Soil Biological, Chemical, and Physical Properties for Sustainable Constructed Rootzones.

Philadelphia, PA. www.constructedrootzones.org 21-25 — 4th International Workshop for Phytophthora, Pythium, and Phytopythium.

University of Maryland, College Park, MD. www.psla.umd.edu/faculty/Balci/workshop2011/ index.cfm June 2012 18-21 — Eighth International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases. Valencia, Spain. www.upv.es/gihf/iwgtd 24-28 — MycoRed North America (Mycotoxin Reduction in Food and Feed). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. http://mycored.ca July 2012 1-5 — Plant and Canopy Architecture Impact on Disease Epidemiology and Pest Development.

Rennes, France. https://colloque.inra.fr/ epidemiology_canopy_architecture 9-13 — XVII Biennial Workshop on the Smuts and Bunts. Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. smut2012@163.com 29-August 2 — XV Intl. Congress on MPMI. Kyoto, Japan. www.ismpminet.org

August 2012 26-29 — 20th Iranian Plant Protection Congress. Shiraz, Iran. www.20thippc.ir September 2012 9-14 — Sixth Meeting of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Party 7-02-09 “Phytophthora in Forests and Natural Ecosystems.” Córdoba, Spain. http://iufrophytophthora2012.org November 2012 4-10 — Third International Symposium on Biological Control of Plant Bacterial Diseases. Agadir, Morocco. www.iavcha.ac.ma/biocontrol2012 19-21 — Sixth Meeting on Induced Resistance in Plants Against Pathogens. Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. fabricio@ufv.br 25 — Third International Symposium on Biological Control of Plant Bacterial Diseases. Agadir, Morocco. www.iavcha.ac.ma/biocontrol2012 April 2013 22-26 — ISAA 2013—10th International Symposium on Adjuvants for Agrochemicals.

Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil. http://events.isaa-online.org August 2013 25-30 — 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology. Beijing, China. www.icppbj2013.org n

For the most current listing go to www.apsnet.org/meetings/meetingcalendar.