Global challenges in plant pathology

Abstract

It is an honor to be invited to present this Commemorative Lecture to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Phytopathological Society of Japan (PSJ). As President of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), it is my privilege to extend congratulations to PSJ for 100 years of outstanding contributions to the field of plant pathology. The Phytopathological Society of Japan is regarded as a worldwide leader of scientific societies dedicated to high quality innovative plant pathology research, teaching and outreach. As the PSJ enters a new century as a premier society of plant pathology, APS welcomes the opportunity to develop strategic partnerships with PSJ with mutually agreeable goals. It is my wish that our partnership will promote the highest quality research and professional standards in plant pathology, that we will together disseminate useful plant health information and knowledge, and foster professional growth and development among our society members. The global challenges in plant pathology are many. World population is expected to surpass 9 billion people by 2050 with global agricultural demand projected to grow by 70–100 % due to population shifts, energy demands, and higher incomes in first tier and developing countries. Meeting this demand from existing agricultural resources will require hi-impact research with innovative approaches and broad applications to raise global agricultural productivity by a similar rise. Enhanced efficiency in crop production can be achieved only through public and private sector research focused on interdisciplinary approaches that expand our knowledge through collaborations with all disciplines in plant science. Our finite natural resources and shifts in population require better delivery and distribution systems to cities and high density areas. Global trade liberalization has created opportunities but has also placed regulatory strains to prevent the entry of unwanted pests and diseases. Higher energy demands and changing weather patterns have changed consumption patterns for populations in all countries of the world. Demands on food safety and for higher quality foods are constant reminders that we must be diligent in our approaches for the highest standards. Plant pathology is at the interface among this worldwide community of plant scientists. Among the challenges faced by researchers is our ability to better understand the complexity of interrelationships among and between organisms in the plant biome. The plant biome is defined as all of the living organisms in, on and around plants, and encompasses the many organisms that influence or are influenced by the plant including the soil. We will expand our knowledge of how microbial communities affect plant productivity through this integrated systems approach from foundational to translational, that will transform our understanding of community compositions and plant–microbe–environmental interactions. This whole plant systems approach to understanding plant diseases, otherwise known as the phytobiome, will connect us to technologies that we have never used before. It will enable plant pathologists to utilize metagenomic This article is an abstract of the 100th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture given at the 100th Anniversary Ceremony of the Phytopathological Society of Japan, which was held on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Academy Hall, Academy Common Building of Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan.