Dear Forpathers,
Below is an ad for a PhD position at INRA, Nancy, France.
Best regards,
Pascal Frey
-------------------------------------------------------------------
**
*PhD position in Population Genomics of Fungi*
I am looking for a highly motivated candidate to work on a *population
genetics/genomics project* in the plant pathogenic species /Melampsora
larici-populina/ (responsible for the poplar rust). The aim of the PhD
is to highlight the virulence factors of this fungal plant pathogen from
a population genomic approach. Candidates should have a good background
in evolutionary ecology and above all population genetics. Knowledge on
host parasite interactions would be appreciated. Interest (but not
necessarily good skills) in molecular biology (next generation
sequencing) is required.
The proposed project stands at the core of the joint unit
Tree-Microorganism interactions (located near Nancy, East part of
France) and lies at the interface of its two major teams “ecology and
population biology of tree fungal pathogens (directed by B. Marçais) and
“eco-genomics” (directed by F. Martin). The junior scientist will thus
benefit from the complementary skills and resources of these two teams,
including advanced population genetics knowledge, large and historical
population sampling on one hand and, on the other hand, great genomics
tool and molecular resources, including genome sequence and
transcriptomic analyses performed on this model pathogen species.
The subject has been selected for application as *“Young scientist
contracts”* which result from a partnership between INRA and graduate
schools. These contracts have initial duration of 3 years (PhD) and can
be renewed for 2 more years for a post doc project (including
necessarily a period of time abroad). Young scientist contracts have
*very attractive *remuneration*** **conditions*. Before obtaining
his/her PhD, the doctoral student receives *2055€* (gross) per month.
After obtaining his/her PhD, the remuneration is *2373€* (gross) per
month. An annual bonus of *796€* is paid half-yearly. More details on
young scientist contracts can be found at
http://www.international.inra.fr/join_us/positions/research_training_positi…
Successful candidate will be selected by an examination committee of the
graduate school RP2E (Nancy). All details on how to apply can be found
at (French and English version underneath).
http://www.rp2e.inpl-nancy.fr/index.php?id=5
The competitive examination is open to any nationality. Dead line for
application is May 15^th . Position will start in fall 2010.
*Don’t hesitate to contact me for any query (halkett(a)nancy.inra.fr) *
Below is the abstract of the subject I propose.
The field of population genomics has recently emerged at the cross
between traditional population genetics and the development of
high-throughput techniques, with the aim to decipher the strength of
selection events on genome evolutions. Although not yet widely applied
to plant pathology studies, these approaches seem particularly well
suited to reveal the genetic bases of the adaptive potential of fungal
plant pathogens. While the rapid pace of pathogen evolution (which
result from intensive selection pressure through the massive deployment
of resistant genes) presents a major impediment to sustainable
agriculture, it also provides interesting opportunities to better
understand the evolutionary biology of host–parasite interactions. Here
we want to apply the population genomic toolboxes to decipher the
evolution of virulence loci in the fungus responsible for the poplar
rust (/Melampsora larici-populina/). Deepening into the genome’s
organisation, the project will successively try to (i) highlight genomic
regions subjected to a selective sweep caused by a drastic selection
event which was the overcoming of a major resistant gene, (ii) point out
the genes (among these region) under positive selection, and putatively
responsible for the gene for gene interaction and (iii) study the
evolution, including recombination rate, of these genomic regions
implied in fungal pathogenicity. This project would thus bring us
fundamental knowledge on the genome evolution of pathogens, which would
help designing sustainable strategies of crop protection.
Fabien HALKETT
INRA, Nancy-University
UMR1136 "Tree - Microorganisms Interactions"
F-54280 Champenoux
FRANCE
Tel: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 55
Fax: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 69
E-mail: halkett(a)nancy.inra.fr
Dear FORPATH followers:
As you may know, registration for the IUFRO World Congress in South Korea,
23-28, August is now open at http://www.iufro2010.com
What you may not know is that presenting authors of all accepted Oral and
Poster presentations must register for the Congress on-line before April
30th. Failure to meet this deadline will automatically mean that your
presentation will be deleted from the program (and the book of abstracts).
We have what I think is a really incredible assortment of symposia
related to forest pathology organized for the IUFRO Congress - perhaps the
best scientific program of any IUFRO Congress to date. However, it is
critically important that all speakers need to complete their registration
by April 30 - otherwise your slot will become empty and this will hurt the
program greatly.
Secondly, at the same web site, you can register for the post-congress
forest health tour. I would urge all of you that are planning to attend
the IUFRO Congress to participate in this post-Congress event. My
experience from similar venues has been that these types of tours are a
great opportunity to meet new colleagues from other countries, as well as
to enjoy incredible memories with old friends. For visitors to Korea, such
as myself, this tour will be a great chance to become familiar with some
of the serious forest insect and disease problems in east Asia. The
number of slots available for the tour are limited so I'd urge you to sign
up soon while there is still space...
-Sandy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Liebhold 304-285-1512
Northern Research Station 304-285-1505 FAX
USDA Forest Service 724-317-8668 mobile
180 Canfield St. aliebhold(a)fs.fed.us
Morgantown, WV26505 USA http://sandyliebhold.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear forest Pathers,
We are presently working on Verticillium albo-atrum phylogenetics here at Penn
State and are hoping to include as many isolates as possible from as many hosts
as possbile. We have purchased many isolates from type culture collections but
as I'm sure you are well aware, these collections are not only prohibitively
expensive but also limited in host diversity and geographic location. We are
hoping that some of you may have Verticillium albo-atrum
within your own collections. We would appreciate it if you could send us
subcultures as well as any pertinent information regarding host, location, year
of isolation, etc.We presently have all necessary APHIS permits to receive
isolates from within the U.S. as well as from all other continents. Please
contact me directly for a pdf copy of the permit if you are interested in
contributing to this project. I look forward to your responses.
Regards,
Matt Kasson
p.s. If you know of anyone else that might possibly be interested in
contributing isolates for this project please forward this email on.
Matthew T.
Kasson
PhD Candidate
The Pennsylvania State University
Department of Plant Pathology
401 Buckhout Lab
University Park, PA 16802
phone:
814.308.2887
email: mtk178(a)psu.edu
Please take this opportunity to help focus research for Phytophthora
ramorum/sudden oak death.
The California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) is partnering with the
USDA-Forest Service to solicit Research Needs for Phytophthora ramorum/
sudden oak death.
To date, much has been accomplished, but what are the current research
needs?
We need your input through an online survey tool ? these very short
surveys will take just a few minutes of your time.
Nursery Research Needs Survey
Forestry Research Needs Survey
Online at www.suddenoakdeath.org (the COMTF website), you can find more
information regarding this Research Needs Assessment process. Please
contact Janice Alexander if you have any questions. Thank you for your
assistance in this important effort!
We need your reply by March 31, 2010!
Please forward this request to other natural resource professionals.
Sincerely,
Janice Alexander & Chris Lee
Outreach Coordinator
California Oak Mortality Task Force
www.suddenoakdeath.org
UC Cooperative Extension, Marin County
415.499.3041
jalexander(a)ucdavis.edu
Please take this opportunity to help focus research for Phytophthora
ramorum/Sudden Oak Death.
The California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) is partnering with the
USDA-Forest Service to solicit Research Needs for Phytophthora
ramorum/Sudden Oak Death. To date, much has been accomplished, but what
are the current research needs?
We need your input through an online survey tool - these very short
surveys will take just a few minutes of your time.
Nursery Research Needs Survey
<https://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=4599>
Forestry Research Needs Survey
<https://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=4622>
Online at www.suddenoakdeath.org <http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/> (the
COMTF website), you can find more information regarding this Research
Needs Assessment <http://nature.berkeley.edu/comtf/html/2010_rna.html>
process. Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your
assistance in this important effort!
We need your reply by March 31, 2010!
Please forward this request to other natural resource professionals.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Janice Alexander & Chris Lee
Outreach Coordinator
California Oak Mortality Task Force
www.suddenoakdeath.org <http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/>
UC Cooperative Extension, Marin County
415.499.3041
jalexander(a)ucdavis.edu <mailto:jalexander@ucdavis.edu>
Email Disclaimer: http://www.co.marin.ca.us/nav/misc/EmailDisclaimer.cfm
Dear colleagues,
Many thanks to those who responded to my request regarding
Mycosphaerella dearnessii (Lecanosticta acicola) that I sent at the end
of February. Marion Kessler and Josef Janusek will contact you soon and
provide you with detailled sampling instructions.
I thought I send out our request again (see below). Maybe other
colleagues are willing to assist in collecting samples?
Thanks you very much for your efforts!
With best regards,
Thomas Kirisits
___________________________
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of two Ph.D. students I would like to ask you for assistance
of their Ph.D. projects!
For molecular / population studies on Mycosphaerella dearnessii
(anamorph Lecanosticta acicola), the causal agent of brown spot needle
blight of pine species (Pinus spp.), we would be interested to obtain
isolates / populations of isolates of this fungus and/or pine needles
infected by M. dearnessii (preferably with conidiomata and/or ascomata
pesent). In the latter case the isolations would be done by the Ph.D.
candidates themselves.
The work will be done as part of the Ph.D. theses of Marion Kessler
(marion.kessler(a)bfw.gv.at ) at the Institute of Forest Entomology,
Forest Pathology and Forest Protection (IFFF), University of Natural
Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria (advisors:
Erhard Halmschlager, Thomas Cech & Christian Stauffer) and Josef
Janousek (janousek.jose(a)gmail.com) at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood
Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic (advisors: Libor
Jankovsky & Christian Stauffer).
Isolates and samples from all parts of the world would be very welcome!
Of particular high interest are isolates from North, Central and South
America. This is because the fungus is suspected to be native there and
for comparisons of putative native versus introduced fungal populations
American isolates would be essential. Brown spot is a common and
important disease of Pinus palustris and other Pinus spp. in the
south-east and central USA, so we hope that US colleagues will be
willing to help in providing isolates/samples.
But isolates/samples from other parts of the world, especially also
from Asia, would be also very valuable. So far Marion and Josef have a
good collection of isolates from several parts of Europe, but additional
European material would also be good and can only strengthen the planned
work.
The EPPO diagnostic protocol for Mycosphaerella dearnessii contains a
lot of useful information on diagnosing the disease and it also includes
a number of excellent photographs of the symptoms:
http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/fungi/Mycosphaerella_dearnessii/pm7-46%281%2…
In addition, Josef Janusek prepared a page with a few photos of
symptoms of brown spot needle blight:
http://picasaweb.google.cz/pepino96/BrownSpotNeedleBlightOfPines#
If you are able and willing to help, please contact me. Marion Kessler
and Josef Janusek will then provide you with further information
(details for sampling, sending, import permit, etc.). Please do not
hesitate to contact me in the case you have any further questions.
Thank you very much in advance for your help! Your assistance will be
invaluable and very much appreciated!
With best regards,
Thomas Kirisits
____________________________________________________________
Dr. Thomas Kirisits
Institut für Forstentomologie, Forstpathologie und Forstschutz
Department für Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU)
Hasenauerstraße 38
A-1190 Wien
Österreich
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 oder (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection
Department for Forest and Soil Sciences
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Hasenauerstrasse 38
A-1190 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 or (++43) (1) 368-63-52-
6th Western Hazard Tree Workshop: June 15-17, 2010
Second Announcement
To: All parties interested in hazard tree management
From: Pete Angwin, Plant Pathologist, USDA Forest Service, Redding, CA (
pangwin(a)fs.fed.us, or by phone at 530-226-2436)
Registration for the 6th Western Hazard Tree Workshop is now available in
the "Register" section of our web site at
www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/htwc/index.htm
The Workshop will take place June 15-17 at the USDA Forest Service's J.
Herbert Stone Nursery, 2606 Old Stage Road, Central Point, OR. The program
includes both indoor and field discussions and presentations.
Registration may be done online by credit card, or you can send in a check
or money order. Guest field trip tickets are also available. Instructions
are at the web site. Please be sure to note that registrations by
government credit cards are NOT refundable (details are in the
instructions).
All registrations processed (for Credit Card payment) or postmarked (for
checks or money orders) by April 30 are eligible for the registration rate
of $225. Registrations processed or postmarked after that date are $255.
Also, due to meeting room and field trip capacity limitations, the
workshop will be limited to the first 88 paid registrants.
Workshop registration includes:
A copy of the pre-ceedings.
All conference sessions with refreshments during breaks.
Box lunch with drink and transportation for both field trips.
Desserts at the poster session/social/decay fungus identification
workshop on Tuesday evening.
Catered lunch on Wednesday
Dinner and refreshments at the Goheen residence on Wednesday
evening.
Lodging information and directions to the Stone Nursery from Interstate 5
Exits 30 and 33 are in the Lodging/Travel section of our web site. A list
of hotels within a 10-20-minute drive from the nursery is included.
Participants are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements.
Additional items of note:
1. Please bring appropriate field clothing, headwear, footwear, sunscreen
and bug repellant for the field trips, including an OSHA-approved hard hat
. A limited number of hard hats will be available for those who can't
bring their own. Be ready for any weather condition!
2. There will be a poster session during the Tuesday evening decay fungus
identification clinic/social at the Stone Nursery. If you'd like to
present a poster, please indicate this when you register and give the
title of your poster (if known). If you have any questions, contact
Kristen Chadwick at klchadwick(a)fs.fed.us or 503-668-1474.
3. There will also be a hazard tree photo contest during the Tuesday
evening session, with a prize given for the best photo in each of five
categories. Information on the contest is in the "Hazard Tree Photo
Contest" link in the "Conference Information" section of the web site.
Note that all submissions must be printed and be no larger than 8-1/2 x
11" in size. If you have any questions, contact Kristen Chadwick at
klchadwick(a)fs.fed.us or 503-668-1474.Bring your best photos to share!
I look forward to seeing all of you at the workshop. An informative and
great time will be had by all!
********************************************
Pete Angwin
Plant Pathologist
N. CA Shared Service Area
(530) 226-2436, FAX (530) 226-2485
e-mail: pangwin(a)fs.fed.us
********************************************
Pete Angwin/R5/USDAFS
02/23/2010 02:19 PM
To
cc
Subject
ANNOUNCEMENT- 6TH WESTERN HAZARD TREE WORKSHOP
6th Western Hazard Tree Workshop: June 15-17, 2010
First Announcement
To: All parties interested in hazard tree management
From: Pete Angwin, Plant Pathologist, USDA Forest Service, Redding, CA (
pangwin(a)fs.fed.us, or by phone at 530-226-2436)
Plan now for the next Western Hazard Tree Workshop, to be held in Medford,
Oregon, during the week of June 14, 2010! The meeting site will be at the
USDA Forest Service's J. Herbert Stone Nursery in Central Point. Lodging
is available in a variety of hotels in Medford. As with the previous five
workshops, the intended audience includes pest specialists,
arboriculturists and other professionals who have responsibilities for
providing training and guidance in hazard tree management, particularly in
forested settings.
There will be one and a half days of indoor discussions and presentations
and one and a half days in the field. Indoor topics include: Roadside
Danger Tree Policies and Assessment; Biology and Taxonomy of Wood Decay
Fungi; Oak Defects, Decays and Failures; Options For Not Removing Hazard
Trees; Effects of Pruning on Douglas-fir; Illusions and Consequences in
Tree-Risk Assessment- When Law and Arboriculture Collide; Powerlines,
Wildfires and Tree Failures: School Fire Case Study; and Decay From
Phellinus pini: Case Studies and Lessons Learned. An evening poster
session/social/decay fungus identification workshop/hazard tree photo
contest will also be featured.
The field portion of the workshop will include visits to sites in the
southern Oregon Cascades on the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Winema National
Forests, with one stop in the Rogue Valley at the J. Herbert Stone
Nursery. We'll see and discuss a number of hazard tree situations and
topics including: decline and failure in native oaks, indicators used in
the USDA Forest Service Region 6 roadside danger tree program, the danger
of laminated root rot in a recreation site, concerns with decline in
specimen legacy trees, and hazard potential in heavily-used developed
sites in older true fir stands.
Please check the workshop website for details:
www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/htwc/index.htm Right now, the web
site contains the workshop agenda, lodging and other general information.
Registration information will be posted on the site by March 15, and at
that time you will be able to register either by VISA or check.
Registration will be $225 through April 30th, and will be $255 after that
date. Guest field trip tickets will be available at a nominal price.
********************************************
Pete Angwin
Plant Pathologist
N. CA Shared Service Area
(530) 226-2436, FAX (530) 226-2485
e-mail: pangwin(a)fs.fed.us
********************************************
Greetings! Recently I was contacted by Dr. Chuck Hodges, retired US
Forest Service Pathologist, regarding his revision of the Forest Diseases
Nursery Diseases in the United States chapter on Cercospora Blight of
Junipers. Dr. Hodges is looking for updates on distribution and hosts of
Passalora sequoiae (formerly Cercospora sequoiae). The original chapter
lists distribution as "most of the southern United States and as far north
as Pennsylvania". If you have any reports of this pathogen outside this
general area, please forward to Dr. Hodges at: charles_hodges(a)ncsu.edu
Thanks!
/s/ Borys Tkacz
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Borys M. Tkacz, National Program Manager,
Forest Health Monitoring,
USDA Forest Service, FHP
Delivery Address: Postal Address:
RPC, 7th Floor (FHP) 1400 Independence Ave. SW
1601 North Kent Street, Mailstop: 1110
Arlington, VA 22209 Washington, DC 20250-1110
Phone: (703) 605-5343 FAX (703) 605-5353
cell: (703) 850-1021 email: btkacz(a)fs.fed.us
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I received this from a colleague and wondered if anyone had an answer to
his question:
Dear Professor Schmitz,
I am writing at the suggestion of Mary Warner, associate dean of the
medical school. Mary and I have been working jointly on a diagnostic
medical case project.
For many years I have owned a farm on the east bank of the Hudson River
just south of the Rip Winkle Bridge. On the steep bank that descends
from the farm house to the New York Central railroad tracks, there is a
small forest of sumac trees, interspersed with other growth. The sumac
trees generally grow straight up, at a rate of 6 to 10 feet per year,
with one exception. The exception comes out of the ground and grows in
circles. See photo 001, attached. If you will look to the left of the
chain saw, you will see a twisted length of copper about three-quarter
inches wide. The copper is embedded in the root system of the crooked
tree, and cannot be removed by vigorous tugging.
When Mary and I looked at these photos last week in her office, we
speculated that the DNA of the crooked tree may have mutated and is
sending atypical signals to the trees cells. We talked briefly about
Wilson's disease in humans, which is due to an excess of copper in the
bloodstream. Needless to say, neither of us knows anything about
crooked sumac trees.
Our current schedule calls for me to return to New Haven at 11 a.m. on
Wednesday March 10th. If you expect to be on campus that day, I could
bring you a length of the crooked tree. I plan to stay over at the
Graduate Club that night, and will therefore be available on March 11th
as well. Alternatively, you might like to visit the farm, which is
about 2 1/2 hours from Harkness Tower. I would love to have your views
on what is causing the crooked tree to grow in circles. Please feel
free to discuss this subject with your students.
If you search Google Earth for 194 Greendale Road, Hudson, NY, 12534,
you will access an aerial view of the farm. The crooked tree is on the
bank to the east of the farmhouse/barn at the north end of the farm. To
the west of the farm house there is a pinot noir vineyard, while the
grapes to the South are largely Chardonnay.
I look forward to hearing from you. With best regards,
Peter Brengel, Class of 1953
--- On *Fri, 2/26/10, Peter Brengel /<peterbrengel(a)yahoo.com
<mailto:peterbrengel@yahoo.com>>/* wrote:
From: Peter Brengel <peterbrengel(a)yahoo.com
<mailto:peterbrengel@yahoo.com>>
Subject:
To: "Peter Brengel" <peterbrengel(a)yahoo.com
<mailto:peterbrengel@yahoo.com>>
Date: Friday, February 26, 2010, 6:16 PM
Here is the crooked tree.
Oswald Schmitz
Oastler Professor of Population and
Community Ecology,
Yale University School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies,
370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511
Ph (203) 432-5110; FAX (203) 432-3929
NSF/CAFS PhD Assistantship: Endophytes for improved growth and disease
resistance of forest trees.
There have now been many demonstrations of the effects of endophytes on
plants that range from positive (i.e., mutualism) to negative (i.e.,
parasitism). This project addresses research areas of site resource
utilization with select endophytes and growth, yield and quality of
forest plantations.
Of fundamental interest is the opportunity to research endophyte
community assembly rules under ecologically realistic conditions in a
range of host plants including species of Populus and Pinus.
Qualifications:
* MS degree in mycology, ecology, plant pathology, or related
field
Prior to formal application to the University of Idaho [Moscow, Idaho,
USA] please initially email a letter of interest with your curriculum
vitae to George Newcombe at georgen(a)uidaho.edu
<mailto:georgen@uidaho.edu> .
George Newcombe, Professor
University of Idaho Forest Pathology and Plant Symbiosis
Center for Research on Invasive Species and Small Populations
Moscow, ID 83844-1133.
georgen(a)uidaho.edu <mailto:georgen@uidaho.edu>
http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/crissp/newcombe_g.htm
<http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/crissp/newcombe_g.htm>
http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/forres/people/faculty/newcombe.asp
<http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/forres/people/faculty/newcombe.asp>
