WPC Webinar with Dr. Alison Lees, Potato Pathologist, The James Hutton Institute, Feb 28, 2023 9:00am EST (Canada/USA)

The World Potato Congress presents a webinar with Dr. Alison Lees, Potato Pathologist with The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK on February 28, 2023 at 9.00am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Webinar Title: Potato Tuber Blemish Diseases: Status and Management.

Potato blemish diseases are often considered collectively but are caused by unrelated pathogens with specific epidemiological characteristics and are each individually influenced by environmental conditions and management practices.

Similarly, losses due to reduced yield and quality, and the relative importance placed on the diseases, are variable with management practices varying according to local practices and regulations.

With these points in mind, the presentation will review the status of some of the prevalent potato skin blemish diseases such as black dot, silver scurf and black scurf and the research findings in relation to options for effective disease control.

Alison Lees is a senior potato pathologist and leads the Epidemiology & Disease Control research group at The James Hutton Institute in Dundee, Scotland.

She has a Ph.D in wheat diseases obtained from Harper Adams University College & The John Innes Centre and 27 years research experience focusing primarily on the epidemiology, detection and integrated management of a wide range of potato diseases including late blight and the soil-borne diseases powdery scab, black dot and rhizoctonia.

Alison has a particular interest in Integrated Pest Management, provides pathology support to the potato breeders, is a coordinator of Euroblight ‘A Late-Blight Network for Europe’, co-lead of the IPM@Hutton initiative and manages the Scottish Government-funded Strategic Research Programme for Plant Health, the aim of which is to develop strategies for the sustainable control of damaging pests and diseases of major Scottish crops.