Welcome from the Convenor

Thank you for choosing to celebrate the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference with us in Sydney! 

The 2025 theme “From Field to Future, Scientific Collections and Plant Pathology” is close to my heart. I first worked with collections in my 2nd year of undergraduate studies as an intern at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. I remember sitting there, packeting up lichen specimens thinking “ok, this is it, I want to work with collections”.

Humans have been collecting biological specimens for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. These specimens form the foundation of all biological studies, and these collections are more valuable than ever before as we strive to better understand and protect the world around us.  

Plant pathology collections are vital to agriculture, conservation, and biosecurity and ultimately human health and welfare. Preserving specimens and living cultures, from both managed and natural landscapes, provides insights into the past, material for future discoveries and opportunities to predict the impact of future changes.  

At the 25th APPS conference we are putting the spotlight on collections, highlighting their role in research and biosecurity and how they can be used, and improved, to ensure they continue to be a vital resource for researchers and decision makers into the future.  

I’d like to thank our sponsors for supporting our efforts and plant pathology in Australasia. Their contributions have provided an additional XX delegate bursaries and helps APPS in our goal to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and growth for students and early career researchers.  

Jordan Bailey
Convener