Dr Karen A Garrett, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA visited Australia during 30 November and 6 December as a guest of our climate change project CRC10071 [1]: Understanding and responding to the risks associated with climate change and plant biosecurity led by Dr Jo Luck.

Karen is a plant disease epidemiologist with a strong research interest in the ecology of plant pathogens affecting grasslands and other native vegetation. She has co‐authored many publications including two recent reviews on climate change and plant diseases. Karen visited the Free Air Co2 Enrichment (FACE) facility in Horsham to view pest and disease trials . While there, she discussed research of mutual interest with many staff from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Victoria.

Karen’s seminar at Horsham touched on complexity in climate change and plant pathology research including the issue of spatial and temporal scale. She also presented some novel approaches to address complexity. The seminar was very well attended by DPI staff with research interest in climate change, pest, diseases and modelling, among others. After the seminar Karen was interviewed by the ABC. She also visited DPI, Parkville to give a seminar and discuss modelling research with staff. Before her return to the USA, Karen gave a seminar and spent a day with researchers at CSIRO Plant Industry in Brisbane.

Karen’s visit follows a similar visit by late Dr David Karnosky, Professor of Forestry, Michigan Technological University, USA, in October 2007 and is part of an ongoing international linkage program to strengthen collaboration and communication between plant protection specialists involved in climate change research.

Photo Caption: Dr Sukumar Chakraborty of CSIRO, Dr Karen Garrett and Mr. Piotr Trebicki of DPI, Victoria discuss pathology research at the Horsham FACE site

Article written by: Dr Sukumar Chakraborty, CSIRO Plant Industry