Soybean Rust: Lessons learned from the Pandemic in Brazil. (2021) By José Tadashi Yorinori. Edited by Glen L. Hartman, Maurício C. Meyer, Ademir A. Henning, and Cláudia V. Godoy. 136 pp. Published by APS Press, American Phytopathological Society, St Paul, Minnesota, USA. ISBN 978-0-89054-663-5 Price $169. The publication of this book is a timely reminder that global

Some of the key work being undertaken by USDA scientists is reviewed by Len Copping.

A Process for Increasing the Samples of Coffee Rust Through Machine Learning Methods

This article describes how coffee rust has become a serious concern for many coffee farmers and manufacturers. The American Phytopathological Society discusses its importance saying this: “…the most economically important coffee disease in the world…” while “…in monetary value, coffee is the most important agricultural product in international trade…” The early detection has inspired researchers to apply supervised learning algorithms on predicting the disease appearance. However, the main issue of the related works is the small number of samples of the dependent variable: Incidence Percentage of Rust, since the datasets do not have a reliable representation of the disease, which will generate inaccurate predictions in the models. This article provides a process about coffee rust to select appropriate machine learning methods to increase rust samples.

A Beacon for Applied Plant Pathology: The Origins of Plant Disease

This year marks a full century since the founding of the journal Plant Disease. The story of how the journal developed, from its origins as a service publication of the USDA in 1917 to the leading applied journal in the field today, reflects on major historical themes in plant pathology. Central to this narrative is the delicate balancing act in plant pathology between fundamental and applied science. During the 1960s and 1970s, substantial numbers of plant pathologists in the U.S. expressed concerns through the American Phytopathological Society (APS) over what they viewed as an alarming and increasing scarcity of applied papers in the flagship journal, Phytopathology. These concerns led increasingly to calls for a second APS journal devoted to applied research. After a period of uncertainty and indecision, the dissolution of the USDA Plant Disease Reporter (PDR) in 1979 offered APS leadership an unusual opportunity to assume publication of a journal with a 63-year legacy of publishing practical plant pathology. In a bold move, APS Council, with the decision in 1979 to take on the publication of PDR under the new title, Plant Disease, provided plant pathologists and the larger agricultural science community with an innovative vehicle to communicate applied plant pathology.

Mining the Gap: Assessing Leadership Needs to Improve 21st Century Plant Pathology

Scientists and plant pathologists are trained in scientific knowledge and critical thinking as part of their career preparation process. However, the extensive training in science-related skills may come at a cost to “soft skills,” the competencies needed for interpersonal skills, communication, management, and leadership. A survey of the American Phytopathological Society indicated that the vast majority of its members (91%) were in leadership and management roles. Despite this, a minority of survey participants felt that their scientific training had prepared them to lead (30%) or manage others (36%). Plant pathologists had received the most training in topics that were tied to science. Less common were critical topics such as resilience, entrepreneurship, visioning, and persuasion, and participants were likely to choose skills considered necessary for management, as opposed to leadership. While scientific training is the primary purpose of graduate training, the lack of leadership training and professional development represents a critical deficiency at a time when science is increasingly moving toward larger collaborative projects. Soft skills training options are available, but utilization of these resources needs to be encouraged. An increased emphasis on augmenting leadership and management skills is critical to prepare scientists for a competitive, dynamic, and increasingly collaborative science landscape.

First Report of Xanthomonas fragariae Causing Angular Leaf Spot on Strawberry Plants in México

The state of Michoacán is the most important strawberry producer in México. During January 2007, field-grown strawberry plants cv. Aromas showing vein necrosis were observed in 3 ha in Zamora County, in fruit production fields. The average disease incidence in the field was 80%. Infected plants presented water-soaked lesions limited by veins on the lower leaf surfaces, which enlarged to form angular spots (1). Additionally, most affected plants presented severe necrosis in the main veins and reddish to necrotic lesions on the upper leaf surfaces. Gram-negative bacteria were consistently isolated from leaves with water-soaked lesions. Isolated bacteria produced mucoid, yellow colonies on YDC, grew on tween and nutrient agar (NA), but not on SX media. Strains produced non-fluorescent colonies on King's B media, were positive starch hydrolysis, negative esculin hydrolysis; and produced acid from fructose but not from arabinose, galactose, celobiose, and trehalose. Growth was inhibited by 2% NaCl (3). Indirect ELISA analysis (NEOGEN, Lansing, MI) was conducted using antibodies specific for Xanthomonas fragariae. Conventional PCR assay using the primer pairs 241A/241B was performed (2). The ELISA test was positive. The expected 300- and 550-bp bands were observed in the PCR analysis. The bacteria was identified as X. fragariae Kennedy and King. Pathogenicity tests were conducted twice in a greenhouse (24 ± 4°C) on a total of five strawberry cv. Aromas plants. The main vein of each of three leaves per plant were punctured using sterile needles. Pathogen inoculum was obtained from 6- to 8-day-old NA cultures. Bacteria were applied onto the wounds with a sterile cotton swab dipped into the bacterial suspension (105 CFU/ml). Inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags for 48 h. Symptoms resembling those seen in the field developed on all inoculated plants after 9 days. X. fragariae was re-isolated from the necrotic lesions and identified by PCR. Control plants were similarly inoculated with water but did not develop symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first report of X. fragariae causing angular leaf spot in strawberry in Michoacán, México. References: (1) J. L. Maas, ed. Compendium of Strawberry Diseases. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1998. (2) M. R. Pooler et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:3121, 1996. (3) N. W. Schaad et al. Laboratory Guide for Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. 3rd ed. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2001.