An international expert on powdery scab will visit the Republic of South Africa at the southern tip of the African continent from 12 – 22 February this year to consult with the handful of commercial potato farmers in that country.
Professor Falloon is a principal scientist at the Plant and Food Research Institute in New Zealand and he is also Adjunct Professor of Plant Pathology at the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University in New Zealand.
Dr Falloon will be accompanied during his trip by potato specialist Prof Jacquie van der Waals from the University of Pretoria in the South African country. The pair will visit regions where the control of powdery scab became a serious problem in that country over the past number of years. They will visit the so-called Sandveld (Cape province region), Limpopo (northern region) and KwaZulu Natal (coastal region) of this country at the southern tip of Africa.
Farmers from all these regions in that country are no doubt welcome to attend the workshops where they will have the opportunity to interact with Professors Walloon and Van der Waals and discuss potential solutions or unique experiences with this nasty problem faced by most potato growers in that part of the world.
For further enquiries or to make contact, please get in touch with Prof van der Waals: jacquie.vanderwaals@up.ac.za
Anyone else from around the world is also welcome to get in touch with Professors Walloon and/or Van der Waals to either share ideas or offer advice on this potato related problem that is no doubt a serious problem in this African country.
Photo credit: Dr Eugenia Banks, Ontario, Canada
