Broadcast Date: May 15, 2025 | 2:30 - 3:30pm Central
Price: FREE for members, $49 for nonmembers
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Webinar Summary
This new session of the "Virology Then & Now" webinar series will focus on the applied and translational aspects of plant virology, with a major emphasis on the critical role of ‘clean plants’ for viral disease management in specialty crops and the contributions of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). The webinar will feature two distinguished speakers: Marc Fuchs (Cornell University), an established expert with extensive experience in plant virology and the chair of NCPN-Grapes, and Imana Power (LSU), an emerging leader in the field and participant of the NCPN-Sweet Potato. They will discuss the evolving role of the NCPN in providing pathogen-tested plant material, improving crop health, safeguarding US specialty crops, and supporting sustainable agricultural practices. The goal of this session is to highlight how virology is influencing industry practices, crop protection, and biosecurity, as well as where NCPN efforts are headed.
This session fills a crucial educational gap in the APS community by providing insights into the practical and applied aspects of plant virology, especially regarding virus-tested plant material, diagnostics, and the certification process. It also addresses the needs for solutions to viral diseases of specialty crops. While the session draws on the broader themes of virology, it uniquely focuses on the intersection of applied and translational research and its real-world application in the industry, distinguishing it from previous APS webinars and meetings. This specific focus on the NCPN's work and its practical impact makes this session a valuable addition to APS's educational offerings.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will be able to describe how applied and translational plant virology research supports sustainable agriculture and biosecurity.
- Attendees will learn about the mission and structure of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) and its role in producing and distributing virus-tested plant material.
- Attendees will analyze real-world examples of virus management and clean plant certification processes used in specialty crops.
- Attendees will compare applied and translational research approaches in plant virology and understand how these approaches intersect to address industry challenges.
Webinar Presenters
Moderators
Alejandro Olmedo Velarde | Iowa State University
Maddie Flasco | Louisiana State University
Speakers
Marc Fuchs
Cornell University
Marc Fuchs received his Master’s and PhD degrees from University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. He joined the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University with research and extension responsibilities on viruses of vegetable and fruit crops. Marc’s program is translational, based on discovery-oriented research and the transfer of discoveries into practical applications. Marc is currently leading multidisciplinary team efforts on disease ecology, virus-host-vector interactions, and disease management. He is the chair the National Clean Plant Network for grapes and a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society.
Imana Power
Louisiana State University
Imana Power obtained her MSc. in Ecological Phytopathology, from Wageningen University and Research center (WUR) in The Netherlands, where she worked with Dr. Jos Raaijmakers and Dr. Aad Termorshuizen on biocontrol of the soilborne wilt-causing Verticillium dahlia. She received her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia, under the guidance of Dr. Albert Culbreath where she characterized peanut rust resistance. As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the lab of Dr. Renee Arias at the National Peanut Research Laboratory, she worked on RNAi against aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus. After her Postdoc, she moved back to her home country, Suriname, and worked at the Center for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS), as head of the CELOS Plant Pathology Laboratory, and also lead the institute her final two years. At CELOS, her research focused on developing in-field molecular detection tools to better manage diseases of root and tuber crops such as cassava, ginger, and banana. Imana started as an Assistant Professor of Sweetpotato Pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology at the Louisiana State University in September 2022. Her research program is focused on the etiology and management of sweetpotato diseases, including postharvest diseases, abiotic stress, and cultivar decline due viruses. She also leads the Louisiana National Clean Plant Network for sweetpotato.
About the Virology Then & Now Webinar Series
The “Virology – Then & Now” webinar series consists on the format of a senior scientist presenting on classic techniques or how things were done traditionally, followed by an early/mid-career scientist presenting on new techniques or new ways to answer the same questions, followed by a discussion with the audience. Each session will focus on one or two major topics (time permitting); topics can be either technical (e.g. diagnostics) or non-technical (e.g. academic publishing) in nature. Rather than simply presenting technical details, speakers will be encouraged to tell a story and the talks will be somewhat informal in nature. This idea is partially inspired by the “Pathologists of Distinction (POD” talks at APS meetings but include an opportunity to bring early career scientists into the conversation.
