About the Conference
What to Expect
August in Eugene is typically sunny and warm (in the 70s and 80s Farenheit), with long days lasting until 9pm. See more about Eugene here.
Except for the field trip, conference activities will take place inside meeting rooms that are air conditioned. Dress is business casual, but you may want additional layers for cooler rooms or evenings out.
Morning and afternoon breaks will provide coffee, tea, and other beverages. Lunches will be provided every day except Friday. Breakfast and dinner are not provided but there are many options to choose from near the hotel.
Objective
The purpose of this workshop is to advance progress in genetic resistance programs by fostering collaboration between scientific and management communities from throughout the world. Updates on current status, issues and future plans for applied resistance programs, as well as research information and tools to fast-track the development and use of resistance in trees will be presented and discussed.
It has been three decades since the last international workshop on ‘Resistance Breeding in Forest Trees to Pathogens and Insects’. During this time, ongoing resistance programs have made significant progress, and several new serious insect and pathogen problems have arisen. Scientists, land managers and policy-makers with experience in genetics, tree breeding, pathology, entomology, physiology, evolutionary biology, forestry and other related areas are encouraged to attend to foster exchange of ideas.
Workshop Format
The scientific program for the workshop will consist of contributed and invited talks and posters on all aspects of resistance breeding relating to forests and natural ecosystems. Speakers outside of forestry with backgrounds in plant genetics, horticulture and evolutionary biology will add insights from related fields.
Oral and poster presentations are solicited in areas of resistance, including (partial list):
- Progress & status of established applied programs
- Deployment of resistance
- New invaders and genetic resistance (e.g. sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum))
- Resistance in natural systems
- Managing genetic resistance for restoration
- Geographic variation in resistance
- Durability of resistance
- Inheritance of resistance
- Cross resistance to multiple pathogens and/or insects
- Climate change – potential impacts on resistance
- Climate change and range expansion of pests and diseases
- Maintaining genetic variation in resistant populations
- Host/pathogen interactions: the molecular basis for infection, host recognition, resistance mechanisms
- Tolerance vs. resistance
- Exapted disease resistance
- Benefits from genome sequencing
- Marker assisted resistance & genomics based breeding
- High throughput genotyping and phenotyping
- Pathogen and insect genetic variability –
- Adaptation potential in pathogen & insect populations
- Statistical tools: test designs, analysis to aid resistance programs
- Future needs for maximum progress in genetic improvement of resistance in forest trees