The upcoming February EUFORGEN webinar series “Biotic outbreak management of the Genetic Conservation Units Network: case study on ash dieback” will discuss the possibility of genetic resistance becoming a new hope in the fight against this disease that is devastating ash trees.
For three consecutive Fridays (3, 7 and 10 February), a series of open webinars will bring together scientists and experts to discuss ash dieback. In particular, this topic will be used as a case study to address various open questions: how biotic outbreaks can be addressed from a genetic perspective; how diseases spread and what are the alternatives for tree conservation in case of outbreaks; what is the possibility for trees to develop tolerance to attack environment.
3 February 2023
(11:00-12:00 CET)
Topic 1: Phytopathology of Ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus)
Including monitoring the spread of the disease
Speaker:
Michelle Cleary, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Topic 2: Potential invasion of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
Speaker:
Rimvydas Vasaitis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
10 February 2023
(11:00-12:00 CET)
Topic 1: The genetic basis (genetic architecture) of sensitivity and tolerance to ash dieback
Speaker:
Richard Buggs, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew &
Queen Mary, University of London
Topic 2: Ash genetic resistance research and tree breeding
Speakers:
Ben Bubner, Thünen-Institut
Heino Konrad, Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW)
17 February 2023
(11:00-12:00 CET)
Topic 1: Natural selection in ash populations
related to the spreading of ash dieback
Implications for wise genetic management of
mature ash forests and gene conservation areas infected by ash dieback
Speaker:
Erik Dahl Kjær, Department of Geosciences and
Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen
