Date: 19 - 30 Sep 2022

The emerging and re-emerging diseases caused by viruses are perhaps the most devastating ones and require immediate attention and remedies due to the manner of disease transmission, spread and distribution across wide geographical locations. Begomoviruses are remarkably the most successful group of emerging viruses (Briddon et al. 2010; Rojas & Gilbertson 2008).

This two-week training workshop which was implemented on September 19 – 30, 2022 in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia trained 23 plant pathologists and entomologists from 10 Southeast Asian countries including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Majority of the representatives are affiliated to the Plant Quarantine Centre and Plant Protection Division under their respective Departments of Agriculture, and some are from the academe.

The training workshop’s main objective is to gain in-depth knowledge and awareness about the devastating effect of Begomoviruses on economically important crops, and to draw immediate and long-term solutions to manage such risks through capacity building development among plant quarantine and plant protection experts in the ASEAN region.

Capacity building in terms of knowledge and skills on disease diagnostics using conventional serological and molecular tools and the new detection technology, the Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Aside from the serology i.e., Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and molecular tool, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, the development of LAMP provides quick and sensitive tool with direct field application for plant virus detection including the emerging Begomoviruses. This workshop aims to:

• provide basic and practical understanding on Begomoviruses;
• importance of the virus;
• identity and major characteristics of the virus group;
• diagnosis of diseases of economically important crops caused by Begomoviruses;
• mode(s) or manner of virus transmission;
• identification of insect – vector, whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gen.;
• detection and identification of the virus both from infected samples and insect – vector(s) using molecular and sero-molecular assays;
• application of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) – PCR detection kit;
• selected strategies in managing diseases due to Begomoviruses

Resource persons:

• Prof. Igaki, Tokyo University, Japan
• Dr. Marita Pinili, UPLB, Philippines
• Prof. H. Hidayat, IPB University, Indonesia

Documents