Robigalia Roundup #26

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 of an inhibitor of Xylella fastidiosa motility. And I introduce Srushtideep Angidi, a PhD student at North Dakota State University researching basal stalk rot (BSR) in sunflowers.

ICYMI, the Robigalia newsletter now also has it’s own home on Instagram, with content coming soon!

Now, read on the for latest…

Weekly Plant Pathology Highlights

• Disruptive effect of rainfalls on the diurnal periodicity of airborne wheat rust spore under field conditions
  

• Mitigation of Almond Leaf Scorch by a Peptide that Inhibits the Motility of Xylella fastidiosa
  

• Water immunity overrides stomatal immunity in plant resistance to Pseudomonas syringae
  

• First Report of Postharvest Fruit Rot on Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in the U.S.A.

Research Student of the Week

⭐ Meet Srushtideep Angidi ⭐

This week’s research student of the week is Srushtideep Angidi, a PhD student at North Dakota State University. With a research focus on sunflowers, Srushtideep has been researching Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the fungal pathogen responsible for basal stalk rot (BSR) in sunflowers.

Srushtideep’s journey in plant pathology began during his undergraduate studies at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where he witnessed the impact of plant diseases on crop yields and farmer livelihoods. This inspired him to pursue studies into host-pathogen interactions and sustainable agriculture.

During his Master’s studies at the Sunflower Research Unit at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Fargo, Srushtideep conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) linked to BSR resistance. He has also used a greenhouse-based phenotyping method to evaluate broad-spectrum resistance in sunflower accessions against multiple S. sclerotiorum isolates.

Now, as part of his PhD, Srushtideep has expanded his research to include a meta-QTL analysis aimed at identifying stable resistance loci across diverse sunflower populations. His work also involves mapping genetic loci associated with oxalic acid tolerance and BSR resistance in a recombinant inbred line population. Additionally, he is exploring advanced sensor technologies to develop disease detection methods—an innovation that could transform disease management in agriculture.

Beyond the lab, Srushtideep enjoys cooking traditional Indian dishes, which he finds relaxing after long hours of research. His advice to fellow students is to embrace interdisciplinary approaches and maintain curiosity, as advancements in molecular biology and precision agriculture hold immense potential for impactful discoveries.

If you want to find out more about Srushtideep Angidi research, you can reach him via LinkedIn.

PhD Scholarships and Jobs

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

🌟 If you have a scholarship or job available in your group, fill in this form to have it listed in Robigalia 🌟

PhD/Masters Scholarships

• ** PhD Opportunity - Unlocking Tomato Resistance to Viral Diseases at Wageningen University & Research

• ** PhD Opportunity - Grapevine Resistance to Fungal Diseases – UMR CNRS 7267 EBI, France

• PhD fellowship in Plant-Microbe-Insect Interactions at the The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

• PhD position in Lipopeptide-Based Biocontrol Strategies Against Septoria Tritici Blotch in Wheat

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

Jobs

• ** Graduate Research Assistantship - Xylella fastidiosa infection in a hybrid microfluidic model of plant-microbe interactions (No close date listed)

• ** Post-Doctoral Associate - epidemiology, molecular characterization, and management of Verticillium dahliae and Colelcotricum coccodes (Open until filled)

• Postdoctoral Research Associate – Systemic Immunity and Growth-Defense Trade-offs, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Open until filled)

• Postdoctoral fellow to investigate a link between plant disease resistance and primary metabolism, ANU (Closes 4th May)

• Research Associate - Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State University (Open until filled)

• Tree Fruit Extension Educator – Tree Fruit Post Harvest Pathology and Physiology, Washington State University (Closes 22nd April)

• Head of Pest & Pathogen Surveillance – AFBI Newforge, Belfast, UK (Closes 18th April)

• Professor - Microbial Interactions in Plant and Environmental Systems, University of Copenhagen (Closes 27th April)

• Assistant Professor, Tenure-Track in Plant Pathology at Washington State University (Closes 21st April)

• 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 **

• ** Attend the Florida Phytopathological Society (FPS) biennial meeting, May 6-8, 2025, at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, Florida

• Register for the 19th FPS Biennial Meeting at the University of Florida - Indian River Research and Education Center May 6-8, 2025

• Enter the AIPP-IAAS Italia video award “Plant protection in a minute” V Edition

• Register now for the Annual conference of the Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network 

• 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, in Cologne, Germany​

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

• 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

• Register for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025.

• 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!

Until next week,

Alyssa