“Microbial Friends and Foes: a primer on plant pathology and symbiosis”
Presented by Brooke Sykes
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Often when we think of microbes, we think of human illnesses like food poisoning or a sore throat caused by bacteria. The pathogens that cause these illnesses represent just a small portion of the microbial diversity that exists around us. There are billions of microbes on our planet (and in our backyards!) that range from harmful to beneficial. Plants are constantly exposed to microbes in the wild and in cultivation, but the small fraction of these that are pathogenic can also have devastating disease consequences. I’ll be talking about some basics of plant pathology: signs and symptoms of disease, traditional methods for identifying pathogens, and some common plant diseases here in Arizona including those of cacti and succulents. I’ll also talk a bit about non-harmful microbes, including those that help promote plant growth and play roles in plant defense.
Brooke Sykes is a PhD candidate in Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona minoring in Plant Pathology. She does research on fungi from the Arctic to the tropics with the goal of understanding how fungi interact with their plant hosts, and ultimately how these interactions may inform plant health and success in hosts that are rare or threatened. She has personal interests in arid-adapted plants and biodiversity as a whole.
We are always thinking of your safety and if you are not feeling well we ask that you join us on the internet Zoom presentation. If you're doing well and would like to attend, you are welcome to come and join us for this special in person presentation (masks will be encouraged but not required). This meeting will also be a Zoom program and will be an important educational and informational event you must see. Also, if using Zoom, be sure to log in to win a $25.00 gift certificate from TCSS or choose a copy of the new 3rd edition of the Field Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents of Arizona. Excellent plant give aways will take place at the in person meeting but that portion of the program, because of the recording, will not appear on Zoom. When leaving the live in person meeting, please enjoy great refreshments provided by our member volunteers and also, everyone can get a special free plant offered to you by the TCSS.