APSResearchPriorityAreas-NortheasternIPMCenter.pdfVIP

APS Research Priority Areas The American Phytopathological Society (APS), founded in 1908, is the premier educational, professional, and scientific society dedicated to the promotion of plant health and plant disease management for the global good. The Society represents the interests of nearly 5,000 scientists whose research advances the understanding of the science of plant diseases and its application to plant health. We appreciate the opportunity to propose research and related areas of national interest that should be given priority. The APS will provide science-based information to stimulate an increase in funding to support research and education objectives. Threatening/emerging plant diseases and crop biosecurity. The U.S. food and agriculture system, while highly efficient, is a ‘soft target’ and vulnerable to both the deliberate and unintentional introductions of plant pathogens capable of causing significant economic damage. Numerous plant pathogens and pests have been introduced into the U.S. over time by natural means, and in recent years, the threat of an intentional attack on our food, feed and fiber crops has increased significantly. In response, various governmental initiatives have enhanced our capabilities in detecting, monitoring, responding to and recovering from significant plant disease events. Federal funding has been instrumental in the development of these programs but continued funding well into the future is critical to the overall success in securing our food, feed and fiber production. APS supports the recent increases in research funding for the NRI program; however, increased funding in areas of plant disease diagnostics, forensics, epidemiology, identification and utilization of new disease resistance genes and discovery of novel pesticide chemistries and target sites is critical. This sector of federally funded research lags far behind its animal and human counterparts. APS applauds r