British Society of Plant Pathology
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bspp.bsky.social
British Society of Plant Pathology
@bspp.bsky.social
BSPP supports the global plant pathology community through research, education, funding & policy work. Founded in 1981, we champion plant health to protect ecosystems & food security. 🌍🌿 www.bspp.org.uk
Delighted to share that James Brown has been awarded BSPP Honorary Membership 2025!

A career spanning pioneering pathogen genetics, major advances in wheat disease resistance, and work to protect UK trees from ash dieback and Dutch elm disease.
bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Call for PPATH 2026 Session/Workshop Proposals!
Norwich | 8–11 Sept 2026
We’re looking for exciting themed sessions, including techniques, pathogens, crops, AI, surveillance, and resistance - anything related to plant pathology!

www.bspp.org.uk/plant-pathol...
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
When heat waves hit, citrus viruses throw a party!
Rising temperatures supercharge citrus yellow mosaic virus, turning off the plant’s defences, allowing the virus to take over. But there’s hope: boosting “superhero genes” could help grow heat-resistant citrus trees.
www.bspp.org.uk/when-heat-wa...
October 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Future plant pathologists in action!
Our 2025 Summer Student Symposium showcased projects from undergraduates funded by the BSPP Undergraduate Vacation Bursary — from lab pathogens to AI & modelling.

Read more: www.bspp.org.uk/summer-stude...

#PlantPathology #BSPP
September 29, 2025 at 2:08 PM
🎉 Congrats to our #PPATH2025 winners!

🏆 Athira Menon – Poster: RNA-binding proteins in plant immunity
🏆 Vanja Milenkovic – Talk: Drought & disease in Acute Oak Decline

Inspiring plant pathology research! 🌱
September 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
We close with the RKS Wood Prize lecture from Prof Paul Birch on RXLR effectors, twenty years of discovery distilled into one talk.
September 11, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Helen Cockerton explores host and tissue specific interactions in powdery mildew of hops, apples & strawberries. Genomics, QTL mapping & RNA-seq reveal resistance mechanisms, guiding disease management & breeding for resilient crops. #PPATH2025 #PlantPathology #PowderyMildew
@kent.ac.uk
September 11, 2025 at 1:15 PM
To control or not to control Botrytis, that is the question. Jan van Kan talks Botrytis, current controls, novel approach using mycoviruses and breeding to disable susceptibility genes.
@w-u-r.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 12:36 PM
AI in Agriculture: John Doonan showcases how high-throughput phenotyping and AI help decode crop stress responses, from drought to heat, linking traits to genetics and metabolism for resilient, climate-ready crops. #PPATH2025
September 11, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Lamya Majeed explores how BABA-induced resistance creates long-lasting immunity in tomato via epigenetic and developmental mechanisms. Understanding these molecular pathways could transform sustainable crop protection. #PPATH2025 #PlantPathology
September 11, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Diana Vinchira-Villarraga is discussing the battle between Oak and AOD-associated pathogens. Looking at the Metabolic Responses to Host-Derived Compounds. #PPATH2025
September 11, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Srikanth Rupavatharam shows how AI is reaching farmers at the frontlines of crop protection at #PPATH2025. Tools like AgriLLM, Plantix & Plant Health Detector deliver real-time diagnoses and crop advice, helping smallholders tackle pests & diseases. #PlantPathology #AIinAg
September 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Can Pseudomonas spp. Biocontrols help us to tackle Kiwi Canker? Isabella Frost is finding out! #PPATH2025
September 11, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Our President Elect, Saskia Hogenhout, discusses her lab's work on aphid effectors, which are secreted during feeding and suppress plant immunity by recruiting defence proteins to processing bodies. #PPATH2025
September 11, 2025 at 9:06 AM
The Induced Resistance and IPM parallel session kicks off with Hans Hoenicka from Germany, who talks about Alternative Approaches for Resistance Induction in Forest Tree Species, focusing on Ash Dieback and Dutch Elm Disease.
September 11, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Kicking off the AI session at #PPATH2025! Adam Kleczkowski highlight how AI, ML & LLMs are transforming plant health research, turning decades of progress into years, but also raising new challenges. #PlantPathology #AI
September 11, 2025 at 8:39 AM
End of Day2 #PPATH2025 dinner! Connecting with colleagues ahead of tomorrow's jam-packed programme: AI in Plant Health; farmer-level applications, 3D disease detection, leaf scale disease modelling, Induced Resistance & IPM and more!
September 10, 2025 at 9:20 PM
It’s time for the P. H. Gregory session at #PPATH2025! Postgraduate students present cutting-edge research on plant pathology, from cereal rust surveillance to Fusarium and Botrytis interactions. The winner will be awarded the P. H. Gregory Prize, recognising excellence in presentations since 1991
September 10, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Ziyue Zeng (Tracy) is using bacterial canker on Cherry to look at cross-habitat threats to agricultural crops and wild plants, and the importance of covering trees to prevent pathogen spread!
September 10, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Apple canker is threatening our apple orchards!
Matevz Papp-Rupar investigates how the apple microbiome influences susceptibility to Neonectria ditissima, offering new perspectives for managing apple canker
#PPATH2025 @niab-uk.bsky.social
September 10, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Ronnie de Jonge explores how root microbiomes assemble in Arabidopsis, Barley, and Lotus, identifying a functional backbone of plant-associated bacteria that could guide sustainable microbiome engineering. #PPATH2025
September 10, 2025 at 1:31 PM
We are delighted to announce that Professor Nick Talbot, Executive Director of The Sainsbury Laboratory, has been awarded the BSPP RKS Wood Prize.
He will deliver his prize lecture at #PPATH2026.
Read more: www.bspp.org.uk/bspp-2026-rk...
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social @TheSainsburyLab
September 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Jens Tilsner shows how viral RNAs can be visualised in vivo, even inside plasmodesmata, revealing new insights into viral replication and transport. Work funded by the BSPP Small Project Fund. #PPATH2025
September 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Ruth Bryant explores biological fungicides for wheat and barley, focusing on defence activation, priming, and balancing efficacy with crop yields. Insights for sustainable crop protection. #PPATH2025
September 10, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Leena Tripathi presents how genome editing is creating disease-resistant bananas and plantains, targeting BXW and Banana Streak Virus without introducing foreign DNA. A major step for food security and smallholder farmers. #PPATH2025
September 10, 2025 at 10:42 AM