The 17th International Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union (MPU) was headlined as addressing “New Phytopathology Frontiers of Research and Education for Plant Health and Food Safety”. The Congress was organised by the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union (MPU), and the Mediterranean intergovernmental organisation CIHEAM Bari, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies.
The Congress Plenary Session was opened with welcoming remarks by Dr Biagio Di Terlizzi, Director of CIHEAM Bari; Prof. Dimitri Tsitsigiannis, President of MPU; and Dr Ugo Della Marta, Director General of the Directorate for Food Hygiene, Safety and Nutrition (DGISAN) of the Italian Ministry of Health.
The Congress was attended by more than 350 participants from 38 countries: 19 countries in the Mediterranean region (Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey), eight elsewhere in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lettonia, North Macedonia, Serbia, The Netherlands), and 11 other countries (Australia, Chile, Congo, Georgia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Reunion Island, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America).
The congress was aimed to promote knowledge exchange and dialogue between science, institutions, industry and civil society, reinforcing a vibrant, connected, and forward-looking scientific community. Among these, beside researchers of the 15 National Plant Pathology or Plant Protection societies that are MPU members, people also attending included representatives from: IPPC-FAO, FAO-RNE, EUPHRESCO, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF), Directorate General for Food Hygiene, Food Safety and Nutrition (DGISAN), EPPO, EFSA, the National Research Council (CNR), the Apulia Region, the European Commission, and numerous universities and research centers.
Papers presented at the Congress included: 14 Keynote lectures, 36 Session Keynote papers, and research papers as 88 oral and 180 poster presentations, in a total of in 18 Congress sessions. Beyond its scientific scope, the Congress was a platform to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new collaborations across borders and research disciplines. This included links with the International Society for Plant Pathology, the International Society for Mycotoxicology, EUPHRESCO, and CIHEAM Bari, supporting advancements in plant health sciences as a pillar of the One Health approach recognizing the links between human, animal, plant, and environmental health.
CIHEAM Bari took active steps to make the Congress accessible to young researchers, especially from nonEuropean regions. This included reduced registration and accommodation fees for students (including PhD candidates) and early career scientists.
An all-day field trip on 10 July included observations of ancient olive trees infected by Xylella fastidiosa and the characteristic sites of Alberobello, providing a unique opportunity to connect field and territory observations with the latest research and disease mitigation strategies.
To recognise scientific excellence of the early career researchers, MPU presented awards for the oral presentations by Marah Abukhmaish (Palestine), Serafina Amoia (Italy) and Marco Crudele (Italy), and the poster papers of Martini Florian (Belgium), Luiza Sánchez-Pereira (Spain), and Aleksandra Susnjar (Republic of Serbia). The Congress also hosted the award ceremony for the 4th edition of the video competition Plant Health TV: Promoting the Importance of Plant Health Research. Organized by EUPHRESCO III, CIHEAM Bari, the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI), IPPC, and CABI, this competition highlights global efforts in plant health research. The award recipient was Spyridoula Dimitropoulou, for the video “Saving Greece’s plane trees: digital technologies for early detection of Ceratocystis platani”. The award included a 2-week internship in Australia, sponsored by the PBRI.
In its concluding session, the congress identified key frontiers and pressing challenges in plant pathology that must be addressed, including:
- The integration of Plant Health within the One Health framework
- The role of climate change in driving the emergence and spread of new pests and diseases
- The urgent need for predictive tools and early warning systems
- The integration of digital technologies, genomics, and field ecology into plant health research and practice
- The necessity of addressing biosecurity vulnerabilities and regulatory gaps
- The imperative of safeguarding global food security and biosecurity in increasingly complex and interconnected supply chains
To respond effectively to these developments and challenges, interdisciplinary and collaborative educational models across all professional levels are essential. Such models are crucial for training a new generation of plant pathologists equipped with the necessary skills, technological expertise, and cross-sectoral understanding.
Furthermore, strong support for early career researchers is vital to ensure continuity, innovation, and the advancement of knowledge in the field.
In this context, the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union (MPU), in collaboration with national, regional, and international networks, aims to significantly strengthen interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation in the field of plant health, while fostering meaningful dialogue among the scientific community, regulatory bodies, and society at large.
The abstracts of the Congress have been published in Phytopathologia Mediterranea and are available in open access at https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/pm/article/view/16678/15178. Photographs from the Congress are available at: https://ciheambaricongressmpu2025.org/photo-gallery/
The Congress also hosted the award ceremony for the 4th edition of the video competition Plant Health TV: Promoting the Importance of Plant Health Research.
Organized by EUPHRESCO III, CIHEAM Bari, the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI), IPPC, and CABI, this competition highlights global efforts in plant health research.
The award recipient was Spyridoula Dimitropoulou, for the video “Saving Greece’s plane trees: digital technologies for early detection of Ceratocystis platani”. The award included a 2-week internship in Australia, sponsored by the PBRI.
See all videos at: https://www.phrescoglobal.net/watch_videos
