Plant disease focus of Cairns conference

Getting the message out about combating plant diseases and tackling tropical plant pathogens, including some which have the potential to devastate many of the state's primary industries, will be topics of focus at an upcoming Cairns conference that will unite experts from across Australia and the Pacific Rim.

Recent discoveries of plant diseases and pests, including black Sigatoka and Fire Ant, have demonstrated that these threats to Australia are real, and their consequences significant. DPI Nematologist, Tony Pattison, from the department's innovation arm, the Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences, said it is the first time the Australasian Plant Pathology Society has held a conference in the tropics. "Australia is positioned to become a leading scientific research centre for tropical plant pathology. Cairns, due to its physical location, is the obvious choice for scientific conferences on tropical agriculture.