Christopher Steel Travel Bursary 2020

Abstract

This travel bursary was intended to fund Dr Chris Steele's attendance at the Joint 18th International Botrytis symposium and 17th Sclerotinia symposium, which was originally scheduled to be held in Avignon, France in 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was rescheduled to 2022 in a hybrid format. The results of Dr Steele's Wine Australia-funded research was presented live on-line from Australia. Incorporation of the latest knowledge on Botrytis, gained as a result of the symposium attendance, will be incorporated into current and planned research and teaching activities.

Summary

The hybrid Joint 18th International Botrytis symposium and 17th Sclerotinia symposium bought together researchers working on Botrytis and a related fungus, Sclerotina. The Symposium was held in June 2022 over five days in France, with many of the attendees located around the world and participating on-line. The symposium consisted of six sessions that focused on various aspects of Botrytis and Sclerotinia, including pathogen biology, host-pathogen interactions and disease management.

An oral presentation entitled ‘Methods for the estimation of Botrytis grey mould from infected wine grapes’ was presented by the recipient of this travel bursary, based on research funded by Wine Australia. A copy of this presentation is available on request from the author, Christopher Steel.

The latest findings on Botrytis research, gained as a result of this travel bursary, was incorporated into CSU education packages for delivery from 2024 onwards and incorporated into the second edition of a prominent viticulture teaching textbook. In addition, value was derived from establishing contacts with overseas collaborators.