Dear Colleagues:
The first International BARD sponsored workshop on postharvest biocontrol was convened 20 years ago in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This workshop helped to launch a new field of research that has since expanded into a global effort to identify new methods for managing postharvest diseases based on the use of microbial antagonists that inhabit the fruit surfaces.
Another BARD sponsored workshop was held in October 2010 in Leesburg, Virginia explored the biology of postharvest biocontrol agents and also address the use of natural compounds as additives or stand alone products and the potential of this technology to serve as a major postharvest disease management strategy on a global basis. Since that time, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of studies documenting the composition of the microbiome and its potential impact on plant health, growth, development, and stress tolerance. While the potential of the microbiome has been recognized, we are just beginning to understand its function and how it can be potentially manipulated through the development of commercial products
The current workshop is aimed at understanding of the role of the microbiome and its impact on postharvest disease and fruit physiology. The main focus will be not only on microbiome research in relation to the suppression of postharvest decay organisms, but also explore the potential use of epiphytic and endophytic microorganisms to minimize and suppress the colonization of harvested produce by foodborne human pathogens, as well in the potential impact of the microbiome on fruit physiology and tolerance to abiotic stresses. A portion of the workshop will be dedicated to the use of microbiome data to develop products that are based on the use of microbial consortia supplemented with plant-derived products to manipulate both fruit physiology and postharvest diseases. Sections of the workshop will be also focus on advances in the methodology used to study microbial communities and the challenges associated with analyzing microbial communities. The workshop is designed to bring together internationally recognized scientists conducting research on topics relevant to microbiome and biological control research, graduate students and representatives of companies involved in development and commercialization of products based on microbiome.
The venue of the workshop is the National Conservation Center (NCTC), Shepherdstown, WV, located about 1.5 h from Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington D.C., and offers a beautiful country setting along the Potomac River, just outside of historic Shepherdstown, WV. Meals and lodging are all provided at the NCTC, offering the opportunity for lots of interactive discussion.