Working Groups

Working Group 1. Invasive Potential and Ecology: including nursery-nursery and nursery-forest pathways for distribution of Phytophthora spp., and economic and sociological impacts.

Leaders: Sabine Werres and Joan Webber

This WG will:

  1. Obtain consensus on the current status of Phytophthora spp. in European forest ecosystems;
  2. Examine Phytophthora spread at intercontinental, continental, regional and local scales; explore possibilities for studying potentially invasive Phytophthora spp. in centres of origin.
  3. Input data from objectives 1 and 2 into GIS and modelling software developed by several partners, to develop dedicated maps of dissemination, impact and risk of different Phytophthora spp. in European forests.

 COST-FP0801-WG1-expertise-Oct2009.pdf

Working Group 2. Host-Pathogen Interactions:

Leaders: Wolfgang Osswald and Daniel Rigling

  1. Increase knowledge of host responses Phytophthora.
  2. Examine why symptom expression occurs rapidly after initial infection. Elucidate defence strategies in resistant plants.
  3. Explore the influence of abiotic factors on survival of pathogen vegetative and reproductive structures, and on disease establishment.

Expertise files WG2 (021109).pdf

Working Group 3. Diagnostics:

Leader: Peter Bonants and Jozsef Bakonyi

  1. Establish state-of-the-art, rapid diagnostic techniques for Phytophthora, including both identification and quantitation. Indigenous and alien species will be included.
  2. Determine genetic variability in selected Phytophthora spp., relating variations in virulence to host range and within-host variations in susceptibility (in combination with WG2).
  3. Prepare an accurate phylogeny of the genus Phytophthora, enabling prediction of the virulence of newly discovered species.

Working Group 4. Management and Control:

Leaders: Thomas Jung and Anna-Maria Vettraino

  1. Collate current control methods available for use on trees: how effective and practicable are these methods in nurseries, on individual trees and in forests?
  2. Examine further novel methods for controlling Phytophthora infections at the nursery, individual tree and landscape scales.

Explore the utilization of environmentally friendly methods of control, including biological, low impact chemical methods and host resistance.

http://www.baumkrankheiten.com/docs-en/index.html