Robigalia Roundup #21

Hello Robigalia Reader and welcome to another week of Robigalia! If you’re new here, Robigalia is your weekly roundup of the latest research, researchers, scholarships, and opportunities in plant pathology globally.

This week, we learn about the characteristics of a new pathogen of Eucalyptus, and we introduce a recent MSc graduate who worked on Phytophthora nicotianae impacting mandarin. As always, Robigalia subscribers can access my online database with summaries of Robigalia featured articles.

 🚨 If you haven’t already signed up, don’t miss the quarterly Plant Health Student Network meeting tonight at 6 pm AEDT! 🚨

Keep reading for the latest updates!

Weekly Plant Pathology Highlights

• Morphological and Phylogenetic Insights Into Calonectria acuminata sp. nov., a New Pathogen Causing Leaf Blight of Eucalyptus in India
  

• Diversity and Characteristics of Fusarium solani Species Complex (FSSC) Isolates Causing Collar Rot and Fruit Rot of Passion Fruit in Taiwan
  

• Genome-wide characterization of effector proteins in Fusarium zanthoxyli and their effects on plant’s innate immunity responses
  

• Identification of maize genes conditioning the early systemic infection of sugarcane mosaic virus by single-cell transcriptomics

Research Student of the Week

⭐ Meet Harsimran Singh ⭐

This week's student of the week is Harsimran Singh, a promising researcher in horticultural plant pathology. Harsimran holds a B.Sc. Hons. degree (1st class) in Agriculture with a specialisation in Horticulture from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. His passion for fruit trees is evident in his personal garden, where he has cultivated various fruit plants, gaining hands-on experience in agronomic practices.

Inspired by his love for horticulture, Harsimran pursued an M.Sc. in Horticulture (Fruit Science) at PAU, which he completed in 2022. His research focused on Kinnow mandarin, a popular and economically important fruit crop in Punjab, India. However, Kinnow cultivation in the region faces a significant threat from the oomycete Phytophthora nicotianae, a primary cause of orchard decline.

During his M.Sc. studies, Harsimran worked under the guidance of Dr. Krishan Kumar exploring the molecular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms of resistance or sensitivity in citrus trees against Phytophthora nicotianae. Additionally, he screened novel rootstock hybrids for resistance to this pathogen, gaining valuable practical experience in plant pathology, molecular biology, and biochemistry.

Harsimran's dedication to his research has resulted in the publication of four manuscripts, including studies of the gene expression and metabolites in Phytophthora nicotianae, and the identification of tolerant citrus hybrids.  He is actively seeking a Ph.D. position in plant physiology, pathology, horticultural production, and crop modeling to further his career as a plant scientist.

Harsimran advises fellow students to believe in themselves and recognise their unique skillsets. He encourages others to pursue what makes them happy and to persevere towards their goals, even in the face of setbacks.

If you want to find out more about Marzieh’s research, you can reach him via LinkedIn.

🌟 Want to feature your research? Fill out the EOI to feature in Robigalia 🌟 

PhD Scholarships and Jobs

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

PhD/Masters Scholarships

• Apply for a scholarship at The Sainsbury Laboratory for a one-year taught MSc in Global Plant Health

• PhD in plant virology with the Mehta lab

• Bidirectional mobile sRNA signalling in pea-downy mildew interactions, University of Worcester (Open year-round)

• Chemical warfare in the rhizosphere: unpicking the defensive role of plant root exudates against the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, University of York (Closing 14th March)

• Primed for Protection: Cell Wall Modifications in Plant Defense and Long-Term Immunity, University of Sheffield (Closes 14th March)

Jobs

• The CCDM at Curtin University are seeking a Research Associate/Fellow to help tackle powdery mildew in wheat (closes 27th March)

• 2-year postdoc position in fruit pathology, with a mixture of field trials and basic molecular mycology in Windsor, CT (no close date listed)

• Short term postdoctoral position in epidemiological modelling of plant disease at INRAE (Open until filled)

• Predoctoral Internship Nobori Lab, UK focussing on plant immunity research at single-cell & spatial resolution (Closing from 25th April)

• The Eskalen lab is seeking a qualified (junior) candidate to assist with field fungicide spray trials across California

• Postdoctoral Researcher Position at UC Davis in the Melotto Lab

• Assistant or Associate Professor and Extension Specialist - Ornamental Plant Pathology (No closing date listed)

• Coming soon: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular diagnostics at University of Canberra

• Research Assistant in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Research Assistant Professor in mycotoxin fungal biology in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana (Open until position is filled)

• The Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida is advertising for a Assistant or Associate Professor in Plant Pathology (Open until position filled)

Other News and Opportunities

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

• Register for Plant Pathology 2025 and Early Careers Plant Pathology 2025, the main annual meetings of the British Society for Plant Pathology.

• Register for the 20th Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions at the Confex Conference and Exhibition Centre at Koelnmesse, in Cologne, Germany​

• Save the date for the Australasian myrtle rust conference happening 16th - 17th June 2025 in Auckland, NZ

• Submit your abstract and be part of the EMBO | EMBL Symposium "Infection: pathogens, hosts, and microbiomes. You have until 3 March!

• 40 travel awards will be awarded to eligible APS Student Members to support their attendance to present their research at Plant Health 2025 in Hawaii (Closing 28th March)

•  The Art in Phytopathology competition is BACK! This is your chance to showcase your passion for plant diseases through your artistic talents (Closes 1st April)

• Apply to attend the 17th International Cereal Rusts and Powdery Mildews Conference in Vancouver which offers opportunities for early-career researchers to share their research with the agricultural community

• Register for the 8th International Workshop on Resistance Mechanisms and Breeding in forest trees in Canada, June 1-6, 2025

• Abstracts are open for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025. They are also offering bursaries for ECRs!

• Submit your abstracts by 31st March for the Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union happening July 6 - 10th in Italy

• Register your interest for the 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference in Sydney in June 2025

Meme of the week

Before you go…

• Like or didn’t like this newsletter format? Let me know if the comments!

• Think a friend (or two) could benefit from reading? I’d love it if you could share this link with them.

Until next week,

Alyssa