APS Committee Sponsoring the Proposed Session: Bacteriology
Biological Control
External Group Support/Co-Organization: None
Description: Gram-positive bacteria play a unique dual role in plant health, acting as both friends (beneficial microorganisms) and foes (pathogens). Beneficial genera such as Bacillus, Streptomyces, and Paenibacillus have plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol capabilities, enhancing crop productivity and resilience to stress. On the other hand, pathogenic genera such as Clavibacter are responsible for devastating diseases, including quarantine-restricted pathogens that threaten global agriculture by reducing yields and economic sustainability.
While Gram-positive bacterial pathogens are fewer than their Gram-negative counterparts, their impacts are significant. Recent advances have shed light on their virulence mechanisms, host-pathogen molecular interactions, transmission routes, and the genetic resistance strategies that crops employ. Similarly, research into beneficial Gram-positive bacteria has unveiled their potential for sustainable agricultural practices, such as integrated pest management (IPM), early pathogen detection, and biotechnological applications in breeding disease-resistant crop varieties.
This session offers value to a broad APS audience, including researchers, educators, and practitioners working on bacterial plant pathogens, plant-microbe interactions, and biocontrol approaches to control plant diseases.
Plant Health 2025 Theme: Global Challenges and Disease Management
The proposed session highlights the global agricultural impact of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, addressing their role in reducing crop yields and economic sustainability. This aligns with the theme's focus on combating the spread of plant diseases across borders.
Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Exploring beneficial Gram-positive bacteria for biocontrol and plant-growth promotion aligns with the APS goal of promoting sustainable and integrated pest management practices.
Collaboration Across Disciplines
By bringing together experts to discuss both the pathogenic and beneficial roles of Gram-positive bacteria, the proposal embodies the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach APS 2025 seeks to foster.
Translational Research for Practical Solutions
The focus on translational approaches—linking fundamental research to applied practices—directly supports the APS 2025 theme of leveraging scientific innovation to address real-world challenges in plant health.
APS Committee Sponsoring the Proposed Session: Bacteriology
Biological Control
External Group Support/Co-Organization: None
Description: Gram-positive bacteria play a unique dual role in plant health, acting as both friends (beneficial microorganisms) and foes (pathogens). Beneficial genera such as Bacillus, Streptomyces, and Paenibacillus have plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol capabilities, enhancing crop productivity and resilience to stress. On the other hand, pathogenic genera such as Clavibacter are responsible for devastating diseases, including quarantine-restricted pathogens that threaten global agriculture by reducing yields and economic sustainability.
While Gram-positive bacterial pathogens are fewer than their Gram-negative counterparts, their impacts are significant. Recent advances have shed light on their virulence mechanisms, host-pathogen molecular interactions, transmission routes, and the genetic resistance strategies that crops employ. Similarly, research into beneficial Gram-positive bacteria has unveiled their potential for sustainable agricultural practices, such as integrated pest management (IPM), early pathogen detection, and biotechnological applications in breeding disease-resistant crop varieties.
This session offers value to a broad APS audience, including researchers, educators, and practitioners working on bacterial plant pathogens, plant-microbe interactions, and biocontrol approaches to control plant diseases.
Plant Health 2025 Theme: Global Challenges and Disease Management
The proposed session highlights the global agricultural impact of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, addressing their role in reducing crop yields and economic sustainability. This aligns with the theme's focus on combating the spread of plant diseases across borders.
Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Exploring beneficial Gram-positive bacteria for biocontrol and plant-growth promotion aligns with the APS goal of promoting sustainable and integrated pest management practices.
Collaboration Across Disciplines
By bringing together experts to discuss both the pathogenic and beneficial roles of Gram-positive bacteria, the proposal embodies the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach APS 2025 seeks to foster.
Translational Research for Practical Solutions
The focus on translational approaches—linking fundamental research to applied practices—directly supports the APS 2025 theme of leveraging scientific innovation to address real-world challenges in plant health.
APS Committee Sponsoring the Proposed Session: Biological Control Committee
External Group Support/Co-Organization: None
Description: Microbial biopesticides offer many potential benefits over traditional chemical pesticides. Their likely multiple modes of action preventing development of resistance, ability to continue increasing in number throughout the growing season, and advantageous safety profile should make their adoption widespread. However, while the adoption of biological control agents against plant pathogens continues to increase, broader use is limited by a reputation for inconsistent performance.
There is much ongoing research in the field to improve this reputation with everything from formulation improvements to application methodologies. Many researchers see the improvement of microbial biopesticides through genetic modification as one avenue to address this perceived shortcoming. Countless literature reviews have extolled the potential of transgenes and base changes to improve biopesticides, yet there is surprisingly little work currently being done in this area.
In this session, you will hear from some of the few working in this exciting emerging field. Invited speakers will discuss several areas of research surrounding the development and use of genetically-modified (GM) biopesticides. Speakers will discuss how the development of GM biopesticides help to understand mode of action and support formulation improvements. Additionally, speakers will present ways in which genetic modifications can provide novel modes of action such as gene drives. Speakers will also address how utilization of transgenes and transpecific RNAi could be utilized to improve biopesticide performance. Finally, a representative from USDA APHIS-BRS will discuss how the agency is addressing early research regulatory concerns for GM organisms that can easily persistent in the environment.
Plant Health 2025 Theme: Given their multiple modes of action, ease to deregulate, and broad pathogen efficacy, biological controls will be an increasingly important risk management tool in protecting against current and emerging plant pests. The minimal concerns for residues of biocontrol agents across jurisdictions, also make them an important tool in global trade as growers address pest issues near the time of or during export. Most importantly, the rarity of pests developing resistance to biocontrol agents, gives them an important role in protecting chemical pesticide efficacy. This protection is most important in regions where the poor stewardship practices in one country impact pesticide efficacy in adjoining jurisdictions due to movement of resistant pest strains. This session focuses on efforts underway to improve issues around levels and consistency of efficacy and stability, which have prevented wider scale adoption of biocontrol agents, despite these benefits.
APS Committee Sponsoring the Proposed Session: Biological Control Committee
External Group Support/Co-Organization: None
Description: Microbial biopesticides offer many potential benefits over traditional chemical pesticides. Their likely multiple modes of action preventing development of resistance, ability to continue increasing in number throughout the growing season, and advantageous safety profile should make their adoption widespread. However, while the adoption of biological control agents against plant pathogens continues to increase, broader use is limited by a reputation for inconsistent performance.
There is much ongoing research in the field to improve this reputation with everything from formulation improvements to application methodologies. Many researchers see the improvement of microbial biopesticides through genetic modification as one avenue to address this perceived shortcoming. Countless literature reviews have extolled the potential of transgenes and base changes to improve biopesticides, yet there is surprisingly little work currently being done in this area.
In this session, you will hear from some of the few working in this exciting emerging field. Invited speakers will discuss several areas of research surrounding the development and use of genetically-modified (GM) biopesticides. Speakers will discuss how the development of GM biopesticides help to understand mode of action and support formulation improvements. Additionally, speakers will present ways in which genetic modifications can provide novel modes of action such as gene drives. Speakers will also address how utilization of transgenes and transpecific RNAi could be utilized to improve biopesticide performance. Finally, a representative from USDA APHIS-BRS will discuss how the agency is addressing early research regulatory concerns for GM organisms that can easily persistent in the environment.
Plant Health 2025 Theme: Given their multiple modes of action, ease to deregulate, and broad pathogen efficacy, biological controls will be an increasingly important risk management tool in protecting against current and emerging plant pests. The minimal concerns for residues of biocontrol agents across jurisdictions, also make them an important tool in global trade as growers address pest issues near the time of or during export. Most importantly, the rarity of pests developing resistance to biocontrol agents, gives them an important role in protecting chemical pesticide efficacy. This protection is most important in regions where the poor stewardship practices in one country impact pesticide efficacy in adjoining jurisdictions due to movement of resistant pest strains. This session focuses on efforts underway to improve issues around levels and consistency of efficacy and stability, which have prevented wider scale adoption of biocontrol agents, despite these benefits.
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Organizer: Sehgeet Kaur – School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Graduate Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A
Moderator: Sehgeet Kaur – School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Graduate Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A
Moderator: Boris A. Vinatzer – School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
The path of a scientist is exciting and meaningful but it can also be overwhelming. Across all stages of a scientific career, from students to faculty to industry professionals, many of us quietly struggle to balance research, writing, deadlines, expectations, and personal well-being. In this Idea Café, I want to create space for open and honest conversation about the experience of being a scientist from navigating burnout and imposter syndrome to managing overcommitment and uncertainty in our personal and professional lives. What parts of this journey feel the hardest? What strategies have helped, and what still feel out of reach? This discussion welcomes anyone navigating the challenges of a scientific career and seeking support, ideas, or simply a space to feel less alone in the process.Target Audience:This Idea Café is open to anyone in the scientific community who has ever tried to balance the demands of research with their own well-being. It’s especially relevant to students, postdocs, and early-career researchers — but also to more experienced scientists who’ve been through these challenges and can share what they’ve learned. The goal is to create a space where we can talk honestly, listen openly, and support each other across different stages of our journeys in science.
Moderator: Paul Esker – Penn State
Organizer: Rubella Goswami
Moderator: Rubella Goswami
This is a session highlighting the impactful work of our federal researchers and federal funding organizations. Each invited researcher will give a short research update and provide ideas three ways APS can help them fulfil their missions. Federal employees from funding agencies will give a brief update on the state of funding programs and how the APS community can help them be effective.Target Audience:All members interacting with US Federal research programs wanting the latest research up-dates and wanting to contribute to the success of these programs.
Organizer: Fereshteh Shahoveisi – University of Maryland
Moderator: Fereshteh Shahoveisi – University of Maryland
This Idea Cafe will focus on discussing the turfgrass industry's needs and gaps in terms of disease management. Attendees will share their opinion and the committee will use the information from this session to plan for future workshops, special sessions and webinars.Target Audience:Turfgrass pathologists including faculty and students.
Organizer: Dimitra Valsami – Newcastle university
Moderator: Dimitra Valsami – Newcastle university
The rapid advancement of bioinformatics and AI tools is transforming plant science, enabling researchers to process vast datasets, model complex systems, and generate hypotheses faster than ever before. But as computational methods take center stage, are traditional wet lab skills being pushed to the margins? How can we achieve a balance between in silico and in vitro science? Is there a shift in training priorities or hiring practices and how will this affect early career researchers?
Target Audience:Early career researchers, university students, interdisciplinary researchers, general APS audience.
Organizer: Stacey E. Swanson
Moderator: Stacey E. Swanson
Moderator: Charlotte Oliver – Colorado State University
On-farm application of synthetic and biological agricultural inputs represents a critical technology in managing diseases as part of an integrated pest management system. Commercial methodologies used in product application vary immensely across crops and geographies and continue to evolve, impacting efficacy, worker safety, and grower cost. Potential topics of discussion include in-field applicator factors such as spray volume/droplet size/speed/coverage, drone/aerial applications, see-and-spray technologies, adjuvants and additives, and formulation types and technologies (chemical + biological). This topic is relevant for conference participants interested in applied disease management and research.Target Audience:Target audience is anyone who is involved with grower / farmer interactions, demo-scale research trials, commercial efficacy evaluations, and related applied disease management. These can include those with an academic role, particularly cooperative extension personnel, as well as crop protection industry affiliated folks, as well as students interested in applied plant pathology.
Organizer: Becca Hall – The University of Minnesota
Moderator: Becca Hall – The University of Minnesota
Moderator: Gazala Ameen, n/a – Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007
Let’s face it, plant pathology doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves, especially outside of our core departments. This idea café will be an open discussion for anyone interested in brainstorming real, doable ways to boost visibility and enrollment in plant pathology courses across colleges and disciplines. Whether you’ve tried cross-listing classes, teamed up with other departments, or used creative outreach tools like social media or hands-on experiences, we want to hear what’s worked (and what hasn’t). Come swap ideas, share your challenges, and leave with new strategies to help the next generation discover plant pathology.Target Audience:Any APS members who are instructors, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.
Organizer: Ronald D. French-Monar – USDA APHIS PPQ FO Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program
Moderator: John Bowman
This will be an opportunity for students and young career professionals to engage with several plant pathologists who have had significant experience in the world of international agricultural development. The experience will extend beyond the realm of just academic/research work done overseas, to areas such as private and public sector engagement, e.g., working abroad for multinational companies, participating in donor-driven projects on either the donor side (grant management) or the implementer side (program execution). The question of "how to get one's foot in the door" will be addressed, as well as special skills needed for international development work. Recent funding cuts to organizations such as USAID, MCC, Peace Corps, and USDA/FAS can be discussed from the perspective of "what other opportunities still remain?" In summary, this is an opportunity for young plant pathologists thinking about international work to be inspired and informed by panelists who already have had significant experiences with agricultural systems in the developing world.Target Audience:APS members interested in engaging in long or short term international career work, especially with an eye toward service to low-income countries.
Organizer: Deborah Groth-Helms – Agdia, Inc.
Moderator: Kylie Rau, n/a – Agdia, Inc., Elkhart, IN
Genetic sequences are freely published and traded to aid the plant pathology community in designing new tests for high consequence pests and for creating critical test controls to monitor the quality of testing performed. There are legal aspects to these sequences that are often overlooked in academia. Synthetic oligos have restrictions on their distribution and use per the fine print of the synthesizing manufacturer, More worrisome, precedent has been set in the EU for patenting the natural genomic sequence of viruses of concern to breeders. The effect of this precedent is that commercial and users are now required to pay royalties to the organization that first claims "discovery".. What can be done in the US to protect test developers and diagnosticians against IP liability?Target Audience:Test developers, Diagnostic laboratories, Private industry.
