Enhancing innovative pest and disease management strategies in the sugarcane agrosystem – a report on the combined ISSCT XI Pathology and IX Entomology workshops

Abstract

Diseases and pests affecting sugarcane are considered as production constraints and their management is critical to increase profitability and competitiveness of this industry. A joint workshop bringing together the Entomology and Pathology Sections of the ISSCT was held from 14-18 September 2015 in Guayaquil, Ecuador and was an opportunity to discuss topics common to both disciplines and to share the latest research results. The theme of the Workshop was ‘Enhancing innovative pest and disease management strategies in the sugar cane agrosystem’. Main topics of discussions included resistance and screening, host/pathogen/insect interaction, biosecurity, integrated pest/disease management, diagnosis, pest/disease assessment and yield losses, as well as biological control. The Keynote Address on sugarcane biosecurity fitted well with the objective of the Workshop as it was a common ground of concern for both entomologists and pathologists. Biosecurity issues also echoed well in terms of their relevance to international scientific collaboration on plant protection and there was a consensus that diseases and pest incursions could be taken up as a subject of discussion at the level of ISSCT for a synergistic approach.