Marking its 65th year, the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) Plant Pathology and Host Plant Resistance group, led by Dr. Van Schepler-Luu, hosted an open house to showcase their facilities and share the impact of their research in protecting rice from devastating diseases.
“The Plant Pathology department has been a core part of IRRI since its founding in 1960 and I am very proud of its history and contributions to rice disease research. Over the years, we have achieved remarkable milestones—all made possible by the dedication and teamwork of our incredible Plant Pathology members.” Dr. Schepler-Luu said.
She highlighted the laboratory’s role in safeguarding rice, improving its resistance, and understanding the mechanisms of its diseases, including those that could be crucial in the future. The team is currently working on 12 major rice diseases affecting Asia and Africa, partnering with 16 countries to monitor pathogens. With more than 5,000 isolates in their collection, their efforts aim to strengthen rice plant resilience globally.
Dr. Schepler-Luu also shared the spotlight with her team members and students, who discussed their key research studies on viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases, microbiomes and beneficial microbes, genome editing for disease resistance, and comprehensive disease monitoring.
Attendees had the opportunity to observe these research works firsthand in the plant pathology laboratories and greenhouses. They also toured the inoculation and evaluation areas, where they learned about diseases such as rice tungro, bacterial blight, false smut, neck blast, brown spot, sheath blight, bacterial leaf streak, and panicle grain rot and gained insights on how IRRI researchers analyze disease symptoms in rice plants.
During the event, Dr. Sankalp Bhosale, Interim Director for IRRI’s Rice Breeding Innovations, expressed his strong support for the group and acknowledged their long-standing efforts in protecting rice against various diseases.
The group’s former leaders, Dr. Twng-Wah Mew, who led the group from 1982 to 2004, and Dr. Casiana M. Vera Cruz, from 2016 to 2017, were also present at the event.
Over 80 people attended the event, including plant pathology alumni, IRRI staff, students, and researchers, as well as visitors from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Benguet State University, and Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), and Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice).
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