Kew powdery mildew workshop

The Kew Workshop has come and gone and I now have some idea of the broad research taking place on powdery mildews.

The Eger-based summer school I attended earlier this year opened my eyes to work on powdery mildew control, phylogenetic and life-cycle studies, and morphology; however this most recent workshop concentrated predominantly on gene-expression and ‘transcriptomics‘, two subjects in which I lack knowledge.

My citizen science presentation was quite well received, with peers offering plenty of useful feedback on how to improve, develop, and give the project further reach. It will be impossible to follow through on all the suggestions as the principal aim of my project, developing molecular markers, remains in its infancy.

Of particular concern to the other participants was how to convey what we study in an understandable way to non-scientists and government policy-makers. What is the best way to describe a plant protein responsible for resistance to powdery mildew, or a spore-encasing chasmothecia?

I look forward to the 5th International Powdery Mildew Workshop, when I expect I will be presenting something close to a finished thesis, scheduled for 2017 in Hungary.

Leading pathologist, Richard Bélanger’s presenation on the powdery mildew parasite Pseudozyma flocculosa.

The old boiler room at Kew is now home to an array of tropical plants.

Roses running through planteed plots of the different plant families.

Tree fungus.

Kim Hammond-Kosack introducing us to the host-pathogen database developed by Rothamsted Research.

Particiapnts of the workshop enjoying Kew’s botanical illustrations collection after two days of presentations.

Botanical iullustartion of Ginkgo biloba.

Botanical illustrations…

Ralph Panstruga continuing the theme on effectors.

…and more.

Informal conversation are often the most enlightening…