Travel to South America to deliver a keynote presentation at the XVII International Botrytis Symposium
Abstract
The travel bursary funded attendance at the XVII International Botrytis Symposium, held in Santa Cruz, Chile.
Summary
The travel bursary funded attendance at the XVII International Botrytis Symposium, held in Santa Cruz, Chile. The bursary recipient was an invited keynote speaker at this symposium. The keynote lecture covered aspects of Wine Australia research project CSU 1301 and dealt with the use of ATR FTIR and GC MS techniques for Botrytis cinerea detection and evaluation.
In addition to the keynote presentation, a further oral presentation on laccase gene expression during the infection of grape berries by Botrytis cinerea was delivered. Several areas of research collaboration were discussed with international colleagues working on Botrytis. Selected highlights from the symposium presentations are discussed in this report. Knowledge gained as a result of the symposium attendance and associated study tour will be incorporated into current and planned research activities. Wine education packages delivered by Charles Sturt University will be updated to reflect the latest knowledge on Botrytis biology and management.
The International Botrytis Symposium, held every three years, is a gathering of research scientists working on aspects of Botrytis, a major fungal pathogen of a range of horticultural crops including grapes. The XVII Botrytis Symposium was held in Santa Cruz, Chile in October 2016. The Symposium was attended by 139 Botrytis experts from around the world. The Symposium was an excellent venue to present AGWA-funded research on the impacts of Botrytis on grape and wine quality. The author presented an invited key note lecture and an additional oral presentation. Abstracts of these presentations are in an appendix to this report. All abstracts presented can also be retrieved on-line.
The objectives of this travel grant were as follows:
- AGWA funded research on aspects of fungal diseases and their impacts on wine quality presented at an international wine conference
- Knowledge gained as a result of conference attendance, research presentation and associated study tour evaluated in line with current and potential future AGWA funded research
- Opportunities for future research collaboration explored with international institutions
- Teaching and learning materials revised to reflect latest knowledge