Dear Colleagues,
Following the last IOBC-WPRS meeting of the Working Group “Biological and integrated control of plant pathogens” held in Wageningen in June 2023, the University of Torino will organize our next conference:“From single microbes to microbiome targeting One Health”.
Discussions will centre on how biocontrol of plant diseases could favour not only plant, but also soil, animal, and human health, through the holistic framework of One Health. Plant diseases are increasingly seen as dysbiosis processes, where the holobiont, represented by the plant and its symbiome, move to a healthy status to a diseased one, called pathobiome. Understanding this concept and plant-microbiome interactions will help foster new biocontrol solutions. Biocontrol of plant diseases will be fundamental to address current and future challenges, like climate change, which can be mitigated by developing resilient agricultural systems, or by the Farm to Fork strategy, which provides a concrete instrument to target sustainable crop protection. Besides biocontrol products, more microbial-base products are used in agriculture, like biostimulants, biofertilizers, and plant strengtheners. Biocontrol agents can be not only useful as microbial products, but also as a potential source of natural products, useful in crop protection.
All contributions related to biocontrol of plant diseases are welcome. Dedicated sessions will be organised to discuss research focusing on the use of microbiome-based solutions in disease prevention and control, with emphasis on the One Health approach. Students, experts, researchers, and other stakeholders interested in exploring potential enhancements in biological control and its integrated application are warmly invited to take part. The conference will provide an important opportunity to showcase the latest biocontrol results, and to share and discuss cutting-edge ideas and common challenges. We also encourage attendees to create new networks with a vision to develop future collaborations. We expect around 200 participants from across the globe, and we would like to particularly encourage young scientists to participate.
Oral and poster presentations will be conducted in English, allowing enough time for discussion and exchange of ideas. Proceedings containing full papers or extended abstracts of contributions will be published in the IOBC-WPRS Bulletin prior to the event. The second circular, expected in July 2024, will provide details on the program, location, excursions, social activities, fees, publication format, and deadlines.
The conference will also offer industries and other organizations the opportunity to showcase their work. Interested parties are invited to contact the conference chairs at davide.spadaro@unito.it and monica.mezzalama@unito.it for further details on participation requirements.
The conference will take place at Complesso Aldo Moro, University of Torino, located in the city centre. Sitting at the crossroads of culture, science, and innovation, Torino is a vibrant city located in Northwestern Italy. It boasts excellent connectivity with Turin and Milan Malpensa airports, as well as high-speed trains on the line Paris-Lyon-Turin-Milan-Rome. Surrounded by a magnificent landscape, it is located near the Alps and the Italian Riviera. It is renowned as the epicentre of the agri-food cultural region of Piedmont, considered an agrifood hub hosting a diversity of crops and cropping systems, food companies, and culinary specialties.
Please post this circular and share it with colleagues who might be interested in attending the conference.
You can download the PDF of the conference announcement here.
We look forward to meeting you in Torino.
Davide Spadaro, Monica Mezzalama, Conference chairs, DISAFA and AGROINNOVA, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
Tomislav Cernava, Convenor, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Marc Bardin, Liaison Officer, Plant Pathology, INRAE, Montfavet, France
