Sixth Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium

The first Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium was held on the Gold Coast in 1999, and was followed by successful meetings at Lorne, the Barossa Valley, Christchurch and Thredbo. The sixth symposium will be held at another pleasant venue: Twin Waters resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. 

The meeting date (9-11 August 2010) is the week following the 19th World Congress of Soil Science in Brisbane, which means that ASDS delegates have the opportunity to use one airfare to attend two world-class conferences (and also spend more time in Queensland's winter sunshine)! 

Planning for the symposium is well advanced, and a stimulating and forward-looking program is being developed.  Keynote speakers are:

• David Coleman (University of Georgia, USA).  Dr Coleman is one of world’s leading soil ecologists and co-author of the widely read textbook “Fundamentals of Soil Ecology”.  His research interests include energetics, decomposition, nutrient cycling and soil biodiversity.
•  James Tiedje (Michigan State University, USA).  Dr Tiedje’s research focuses on microbial ecology and the use of molecular methods to understand microbial community structure and function.  Currently his research group is making major advances in the use of genomic, proteomic and microarray approaches to better understand soil microbial processes.
• Ralph Noble (University of Warwick, UK).  Dr Noble is an expert in the production of composts from organic waste materials.  At present he is involved in research on controlled composting technologies, the influence of input materials on compost quality and the use of composts to control soil-borne pathogens.

Invited papers will be presented on many other topics that are vital to improving soil health and reducing losses from soilborne diseases:

• Farming systems for improved soil health and more sustainable vegetable production
• Future strategies for enhancing plant resistance to soilborne pathogens
• Composts, biochar and other organic materials as soil improvers
• Novel formulations and application strategies to increase the activity of biocontrol agents
• New technologies for better diagnosis and prediction of soilborne diseases
• Restoration of organic carbon in soil and its role in disease suppression 

There will also be poster and contributed paper sessions, so all those participating in the meeting will have a chance to present their research results and discuss them with others.   

The attractiveness of this meeting is its breadth.  It encourages interaction between people working in a wide range of disciplines, including fungal, bacterial and nematode pathogens; field crops and horticulture; microbial ecology and molecular biology; chemical and biological control; and integrated pest and disease management.   

This is a conference that should not be missed, so note the date in your diary and start making plans to come to Twin Waters in August 2010.