Dates: February 08, 12:00–1:00 PM via Zoom

Cost: Free; pre-registration is required (BCIA Registrants)

Location: Virtual - Preregistration required for BCIA Registrants

Zoom Coordinates for this series: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/69640108245?pwd=MlowYWxQYXBDbUlwY0VpZ2FObEgrdz09

Join Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AF) and the Ministry of Land Water and Resource Stewardship (LWRS), and BCIA in a series of professional talks. These sessions are held virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, 12–1 PM.

Root rot and wilting complex of raspberry: Insight into pathogen biology and management option.

This presentation will provide an overview of the root rot and complex wilting problem in B.C. and other raspberry-growing areas of the world. We present our research findings on pathogen genotypic diversity, phenotypic diversity, host resistance, and management options to protect crops from this disease complex.

Dr. Rishi Burlakoti is a Research Scientist - Plant Pathology at Agassiz Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC). His research programs focus on diseases of high-value horticultural crops, including berry crops and field and greenhouse vegetable crops of British Columbia. Dr. Burlakoti is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food System, University of British Columbia (UBC), and in Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. Dr. Burlakoti is a President of the Professional Pest Management Association of British Columbia. Dr. Burlakoti serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including ‘Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology’ and Frontiers in Plant Science. Dr. Burlakoti is a member of the Canadian Phytopathological Society, the American Phytopathological Society, and the International Society for Horticultural Sciences.

Dr. Burlakoti earned Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University, USA. Before Joining AAFC,  Dr. Burlakoti worked as a Plant Pathologist at World Vegetable Center and led the Mycology and Bacteriology units at the Center’s headquarters in Taiwan. He also worked as a Research Lead for an Agricultural Consulting Company, Weather Innovations Consulting LP, in Canada. Dr. Burlakoti led several applied research projects on diversified crops, including vegetables, field crops, and fruits, to improve disease/pest management capacity and increase crop productivity.

Sanjib Sapkota, a Ph.D. candidate at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Sanjib, has been working in Agassiz Research and Development Centre under the co-supervision of Dr. Rishi R. Burlakoti (AAFC) and Dr. Zamir K. Punja (SFU). Mr. Sapkota has been working on red raspberry's root rot and wilting complex (RRWC). His Ph.D. research focuses on identifying and characterizing root rot pathogens, developing screening techniques for RRWC resistance, and identifying management options for the disease complex.

Sanjib received Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Research Foundation Award from the American Phytopathological Society (APS) and John Yorston Graduate.