Room 313 A
Wanderson Moraes
Research Scientist
Corteva Agriscience
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Rebecca Sweany, PhD, PhD
U.S. Department of Agriculture
New Orleans, LA, USA
Rebecca Sweany, PhD, PhD
U.S. Department of Agriculture
New Orleans, LA, USA
Wanderson Moraes
Research Scientist
Corteva Agriscience
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Drew Olson (he/him/his)
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, United States
APS Sponsoring Committee: Mycotoxicology Committee
External Group Support/Co-Organization: None
Description: Our present world is marked by rapid and often polarizing technological advancements, environmental changes, and societal shifts. As climate change and globalization drive the global spread of plant pathogens and diseases, maintaining food and feed safety, security, and quality is increasingly challenging yet critical to support the demands of our growing world. Fortunately, rapid advances in technologies can mitigate these threats. However, adoption of new technologies is often hampered by a lack of knowledge and/or cultural acceptance. Mycotoxins are a food safety threat worldwide, posing acute risks to human and livestock health and agricultural economics. Regions with limited resources and/or knowledge of mycotoxins are at a greater risk for harm. In our ever-changing world, managing mycotoxins presents a unique challenge. However, we also have a unique opportunity to leverage global connections to integrate cutting edge research with cultural knowledge and precise communication strategies, allowing us to develop sustainable methods to mitigate mycotoxin contamination. This Special Session will explore translational research in mycotoxin management, including breeding for host resistance to mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin accumulation, novel food storage practices, advanced decontamination techniques, and sustainable biocontrols. Further, this Session will examine effective communication strategies to increase mycotoxin knowledge and risk management globally, across pipelines from farmers to policy makers. This section will discuss the socio-economic challenges of mycotoxin management, particularly in developing countries. Together, we will explore how precise communication-based strategies can be used to increase (1) governmental knowledge and support, (2) education/training for key target audiences (e.g., educators, health professionals, producers), and (3) public awareness. Together, this Session will highlight the need for global cooperation and capacity building to ensure equitable and effective mycotoxin control measures.
Plant Health 2025 Theme: Our Special Session, “Leveraging Diverse Knowledge to Address Socio-Economic Disparities in Mycotoxin Management Worldwide” directly aligns with the Plant Health 2025 theme of “Global Communities Collaborating to Address Global Risks”. We focus on sustainable and equitable mycotoxin management, emphasizing innovative technologies, global collaboration, cultural knowledge, and communication. This includes:
1. Breeding and host resistance: Breeding for host resistance to mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxin accumulation. Showcasing cutting-edge, translational research that bridges the gap from identifying sources of host resistance (genetic and metabolomic) with selecting, deploying, and applying more resistant cultivars. This section will also highlight the challenges for breeding against mycotoxin contamination.
2. Global spread of disease: Highlighting advanced mycotoxin control and decontamination techniques designed to cope with increased mycotoxin contamination risks due to climate change (e.g., Europe).
3. Culture, communications, and global connections: Addressing the socio-economic challenges of mycotoxin management, particularly in developing countries. Exemplifying community-based research, citizen science, and context-sensitive interventions to address socio-economic disparities in mycotoxin management and mitigate mycotoxin exposure (e.g., Africa, Southeast Asia). Emphasizing how culturally appropriate and strategic communication can be used to increase government support, target audience education (e.g., educators, health professionals, producers), and public awareness to improve food and feed safety and public health outcomes (e.g., Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America).
Our Session’s focus on innovative, culturally appropriate, communication-based strategies for mycotoxin management, and its emphasis on global collaboration for sustainable outcomes, exemplifies the vision of the Plant Health 2025 theme. By exploring these groundbreaking approaches, we aim to significantly contribute to enhancing and safeguarding global plant health for a more sustainable tomorrow.
Speaker: John F. Leslie, PhD – Kansas State University, USA
Speaker: Alejandro Ortega-Beltran – International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
Speaker: Robert C. Kemerait, Jr., PhD – UGA Dept of Plant Pathology