Pathogen Incursions - Integrating Technical Expertise in a Socio-Political Context.

The incursion of a plant pathogen into a new geographic area initiates a series of decisions about appropriate control or eradication efforts. Incomplete, erroneous, and/or selective information may be used by diverse stakeholders to support individual goals and positions on how an incursion should be managed. We discuss the complex social, political, and technical factors that shape a biosecurity response prior to reviewing information needs and common stakeholder misunderstandings.

A randomized controlled trial of the effects of mindfulness practice on doctoral candidate psychological status.

To examine the impact of guided mindfulness practice on psychological distress and psychological capital (hope, optimism, resilience, and efficacy) in doctoral candidates. Recruitment of a convenience sample of doctoral candidates occurred in July 2015 and participants were randomly allocated to the control or intervention group (38 and 34 participants completed the trial, respectively). A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial with intention-to-treat analysis was conducted.

Genetic stability of physiological responses to defoliation in a eucalypt and altered chemical defence in regrowth foliage.

Defoliation may initiate physiological recovery and chemical defence mechanisms that allow a plant to improve fitness after damage. Such responses may result in changes in plant resource allocation that influence growth and foliar chemistry. In this study, we investigated the nature and stability of the defoliation response of juvenile plants from three divergent populations of Eucalyptus globulus Labill.

The role of strigolactones and ethylene in disease caused by Pythium irregulare.

Plant hormones play key roles in defence against pathogen attack. Recent work has begun to extend this role to encompass not just the traditional disease/stress hormones, such as ethylene, but also growth-promoting hormones. Strigolactones (SLs) are the most recently defined group of plant hormones with important roles in plant-microbe interactions, as well as aspects of plant growth and development, although the knowledge of their role in plant-pathogen interactions is extremely limited.

Eucalyptus obliqua seedling growth in organic vs. mineral soil horizons.

Eucalyptus obliqua, the most widespread timber tree in Tasmania, is a pioneer after fire which can eliminate the organic layer of forest soil, exposing the underlying mineral soil. We compared seedling growth, mycorrhiza formation, and mineral nutrient limitation in organic layer vs. mineral soil.

Consequences of resource limitation for recovery from repeated defoliation in Eucalyptus globulus Labilladière.

Recovery following defoliation can be modified by co-occurring site resource limitations. The growth response of young Eucalyptus globulus saplings to two defoliation events was examined in an experimental plantation with combinations of low (-) or high (+) water (W) and nitrogen (N) resources. Artificial defoliation was applied at 3 and 9 months of age to remove ~40 and 55% of leaf area in the upper crown, respectively.

Comparison of antifungal and antioxidant activities of Acacia mangium and A. auriculiformis heartwood extracts.

The effect of heartwood extracts from Acacia mangium (heartrot-susceptible) and A. auriculiformis (heartrot-resistant) was examined on the growth of wood rotting fungi with in vitro assays. A.