Highlights from the Plant Pathology Congress.Plant Pathology Congress Unites Scientists for a Sustainable Future
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Staff members from the School of Agriculture and Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) contributed to the organisation of the 54th Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP) in Durban. The Congress attracted a record number of delegates and centred its presentations around the theme ‘Ukuqinisekisa Ikusasa Elisimeme Ngempilo Yezitshalo’ (‘Ensuring a Sustainable Future through Plant Health’).
A total of 273 plant pathology experts, university and research institute representatives and industry partners were officially welcomed by eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor Cyril Xaba, at the four-day event. Xaba thanked SASPP for selecting Durban as the host city, noting that the Congress aligns with the city’s vision of positioning Durban as a hub for research and innovation.
Welcoming delegates to the congress, UKZN’s Acting Dean of Research, Professor Neil Koorbanally, said, “Plant pathology is an essential science in a world grappling with the effects of climate change, new and emerging pathogens, both plant and human, and securing food to sustain the world's population.”
He outlined the value of conferences for developing new ideas and fostering collaborations to advance a science with implications for food security, agriculture, environmental health and the economy.
The programme included seven keynote lectures. These featured UKZN Emeritus Professor Mark Laing on the opportunities and constraints of biological control, Honorary Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi on linking plant health to water, food and nutrition under climate change, and Professor Gueguim Kana on the use of generative and agentic Artificial Intelligence for climate–pathogen interaction modelling to forecast emerging plant-disease threats.
Additionally, Dr Jesús Navas-Castillo from the Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea La Mayora in Spain, with whom UKZN collaborates on developing diagnostic tools and control measures for emerging viruses infecting vegetable and subtropical fruit crops, delivered a keynote address on lessons from Begomoviruses and Criniviruses in plant pathology. Dr Eugene Rogozhin of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, a UKZN MoU partner on antimicrobial peptide bioproducts for crop disease control, delivered a keynote on advances and prospects of peptide technologies.
Scientists attending the event included plant pathologists, mycologists, and plant health specialists from a wide range of related disciplines. The congress showcased nationally and globally relevant cutting-edge plant health research, with sub-themes focusing on pathogen identification, disease management, epidemiology, mycotoxins, plant–pathogen–insect interactions, and biosecurity. The event also provided opportunities for delegates to exchange ideas, develop collaborations and renew professional connections.
Two memorial lectures, the VanderPlank and Ethel Doidge lectures, were delivered by experts from institutions in the United States of America, Spain, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and South Africa. In partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority, the event included a welcome function, gala dinner and student-focused activities for the 109 postgraduate student attendees and presenters, including quiz sessions and mentorship exercises.
The organising committee was chaired by Professor Augustine Gubba and included Professor Kwasi Yobo, Dr Benice Sivparsad and Dr Nokwazi Mbili.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photographs: Southern African Society for Plant Pathology