IAPPS NEWSLETTER

Number X      October, 2005

5TH ASIA-PACIFIC CONGRESS OF ENTOMOLOGY (APCE 2005), "INSECTS, NATURE, AND HUMAN"

The 5th Asia-Pacific Congress of Entomology will be held in Juju, South Korea, October 18-21, 2005. The Congress is held once in every four years and entomologists from all over the world particularly from Asia-Pacific regions gather to share their research experiences and diverse achievements. We realize that entomological challenges facing borderless food production and rapid threat to the health of the people are increasing more than ever before. Hence, we should play an important role in promoting and strengthening scientific and technological developments in Entomology for our society. We are positive that this Congress will provide the opportunity for entomologists to reinforce their own research, exchange ideas and experiences, and learn new information from leading experts in the field of entomology. The Congress will cover broad topics in basic and applied entomology reflecting the key issues to be discussed. The theme of the fifth Asia-Pacific Congress of Entomology is "Insects, Nature, and Human".

Please come and join us. Spend a few days with us who, like you, are committed to the entomology world within our world. And also enjoy visiting Jeju Island, called Hawaii of the Orient. It's the place of beautiful nature and has many unique folk arts. And you will have a chance to see and collect different insects around the Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea. You may easily reach Jeju Island directly from one of your nearby airports. Looking foreword to seeing you in Jeju Island in October 2005.

For more information, please visit http://www.apce2005.org

Professor Kyung Saeng Boo,
President of the Organizing Committee

A LATE BLIGHT DISEASE-SIMULATION MODEL MODIFIED FOR GLOBAL APPLICATION

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) continues to be the most important biological constraint on growing potatoes in most parts of the world, including many developing countries. The International Potato Center (CIP) based in Peru, is leading an initiative to use disease simulation for training and research. The model that is being used is called LATEBLIGHT and was originally developed in the early 1980s at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA. Then the model was applicable only to conditions in the temperate zone, and was only validated in the state of New York. As part of an effort to make a globally applicable simulation model, CIP researchers have modified LATEBLIGHT for the tropical highlands (initially the Andes) and for the more aggressive "new" populations of P. infestans. The highland tropics are an area where late blight is particularly difficult to manage because of year-round potato production. The modified model has been successfully validated with data from Ecuador, Mexico, Israel, Peru, and the USA, demonstrating that it can predict late blight epidemics under many different agro-ecosystems.

To use LATEBLIGHT as a training tool, a stand-alone version was written in Delphi® to avoid licensing problems associated with the research version that is written in SAS®. The training version is known as POLUX and was successfully tested in several workshops in CIP's headquarters in Lima and one in the CIP station in Quito, Ecuador, with scientists from Peru and Ecuador. POLUX was also used to evaluate experimental data and explore management options in a workshop in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, in March, 2005. While POLUX is expected to be used as a training tool to teach epidemiological principles of disease management to researchers, extension workers, and students, LATEBLIGHT will be used as a tool to improve research on late blight epidemiology by generating and testing hypotheses and, thereby, orienting and refining field experimentation. Other partners in this initiative include Cornell University (USA), ARO-The Volcani Center (Israel), University of Wageningen, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
To download LATEBLIGHT, visit http://gilb.cip.cgiar.org/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=15

For more information:
Dr. Greg Forbes (g.forbes@cgiar.org)
Dr Jorge Andrade-Piedra (j.andrade@cgiar.org).

NEW BCPC PUBLICATION: INTRODUCTION AND SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES

The latest publication from BCPC considers the serious impact that some introduced species have on the economy and ecology of a region. Entitled Plant Protection and Plant Health in Europe: Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species, this 296-page book is a full record of the papers and posters presented at the three-day Symposium jointly organised by BCPC and the Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft that was held at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany on 9 - 11 June 2005.
"Many examples exist of species which have transferred from their natural range and are now successfully established in a new region," explained Dr Stephen Hunter in his introductory address at the Symposium. "Inherently there are risks associated with material becoming invasive or being a vector for invasive pests and pathogens and commercial trade must be implicated as one of the main pathways for introduction."
"The risks of invasive species are such that Governments cannot afford to stand idly by. The pressure for global development and trade means that banning the movement of plant material would not be acceptable but the introduction of international processes for analysing the risks and determining management actions is a step in the right direction. The debate is just getting underway and we are only now formulating some of the issues which must be resolved before there is a consensus on a way forward," said Dr Hunter.

With invasive species now regarded as the second largest reason for biodiversity loss world-wide, this Symposium considered a range of species regarded as invasive from the Asiatic longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), which has recently gained foothold in Europe to the well-known aggressive neophytes such as giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica). The ecological risks that invasive species pose, how they can be detected at an early stage and what monitoring and information exchange systems can be put in place, were also highlighted.

The Symposium included papers presented by speakers from countries around the world. It began with an examination of trade as a pathway for introducing and spreading alien species. Discussion followed on risk assessment and the regulatory framework for control and then looked at monitoring techniques. Alongside the sessions a series of workshops considered the effect of climate change on invasive species and detailed a case study of the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera)and the current and future impact of trade with European countries. The oral presentations were supported by a number of Poster Papers.
In the future, official phytosanitary regulations, inspection and alert systems should help to protect against the negative impacts of alien species. The Imports Directive 2002/89/EC, which came into effect in January 2005, unifies the approach that EC Member States must take to exclude alien pests and diseases. The aim is to increase the effort to prevent introduction rather than eradicate and contain them once they have entered the EU New Member States.

Copies of Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species cost £35, and can be ordered from
BCPC Publications Sales,
7 Omni Business Centre, Omega Park,
Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2QD, UK.
Tel: +44(0)1420 593 200, Fax: +44(0)1420 593 209
Email: publications@bcpc.org
or place orders online at www.bcpc.org/bookshop

The IAPPS Newsletter is published by the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences and distributed in Crop Protection to members and other subscribers. Crop Protection, published by Elsevier, is the Official Journal of IAPPS. IAPPS Mission: to provide a global forum for the purpose of identifying, evaluating, integrating, and promoting plant protection concepts, technologies, and policies that are economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable. It seeks to provide a global umbrella for the plant protection sciences to facilitate and promote the application of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to a the world's crop and forest ecosystems. Membership Information: IAPPS has four classes of membership (individual, affiliate, associate, and corporate) which are described here. The IAPPS Newsletter welcomes news, letters, and other items of interest from individuals and organizations. Address correspondence and information to: Dr. Manuele Tamo, Editor IAPPS Newsletter Biological Control Center for Africa, IITA-Benin 08 B.P. 0932 Tri Postal, Cotonou, Republic of Benin E-mail: m.tamo@cgiar.org