Fusarium head blight and Fusarium crown rot are important threats to sustainable wheat and barley production worldwide. Efforts to combat these diseases have been increasing around the world throughout numerous countries and research communities. On 14-17 March 2006, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), with support from the Government of Japan, organised a strategic planning workshop in El Batán, Mexico, to highlight the importance of diseases caused by the Fusarium fungus; the status of collaborative efforts to address these diseases; and future prospects for international collaboration. Proceedings of the meeting, edited by T. Ban, J.M. Lewis and E.E. Phipps, include several research papers on the use of molecular markers in breeding for disease resistance and are now available on the web. See http://www.cimmyt.org/english/docs/proceedings/fusarium06.pdf (2.1 MB) or contact [email protected] for more information.

02/05/2007