The next BCPC DISEASES REVIEW will be held on 8 October 2026 in the Sophi Taylor Building, Cambridge

Event fee: £15.00+VAT by invitation only. REGISTER HERE

Resilient Systems: The Future of Crop Disease Management.

Registration 0930

10.15: Chair’s Introduction: From lab to field – early experiences of precision breeding – Dr Phil Howell, Research Lead, Crop Genetic Resources, NIAB

10.30: Driving Innovation in UK Agriculture: Precision Breeding, Pest Management and Resilient Cropping Systems. Paul Laniran, Innovation Lead Agriculture, Innovate UK

11.00: PotatoPlus: Precision Breeding for durable disease resistance. Dr Agnieszka Witek, The Sainsbury Laboratory

1130-11.45 Coffee break

12.00 – 12.30: Improving resilience in oilseed rape – from the lab to the field. Dr Rachel Wells, Senior Scientist, John Innes Centre

12.30- 1.00pm Panel Discussion & PhD Presentations

• Daisy Garrett (Niab): Evaluating Fungicide Efficacy against Claviceps purpurea -Implications for Ergot Control
• Patrick McClean (Rothamsted): Crop-associated structuring of airborne fungal communities above wheat and oilseed rape in Spring 2024
• Fareed Bhatti (Rothamsted): Understanding true eyespot disease of cereals: past, present and future

1.00 – 2.00: Lunch

2.00 – 2.30: The Power of Innovation in Food and Farming: What is the future for disease control technologies? Dr David Hughes, Head of New Technology Evaluation for Crop Protection, Syngenta

2.30-3.00: Regulatory Reimagined: Navigating the Dynamic Plant Protection Products Landscape Post-EU Exit – Sheridawn Schoeman, Regulatory Leader, Corteva Agriscience Ltd

3.00 – 3.30: Panel/Audience Discussion

Previous Disease Review presentations can be viewed from the links below

• The 11th Annual BCPC Diseases Review took place on 27 November as part of BCPC’s Joint Expert Review held at Rothamsted Research Centre. To view presentations click here.
• The 10th Annual BCPC Diseases Review will take place 15 October 2024 at the Sophi Taylor Building, Cambridge.
• The 9th Annual BCPC Diseases Review –  Disease Control: Balancing Food Security & Environmental Responsibility – took place 17 October 2023, at the Sophi Taylor Building, NIAB, Cambridge. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here
• The 8th Annual BCPC Diseases Review – Changing Challenges and Changing tools for Integrated Crop Management – was held 19 October 2022, at the Sophi Taylor Building, NIAB, Cambridge. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here
• The 7th Annual BCPC Diseases Review was held as a virtual event. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here 
• The 6th Annual BCPC Diseases Review was held as a virtual event. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here

The 2025 Diseases Review was combined into the BCPC JOINT EXPERT REVIEW 2025 – Changing Practices – a single event, on 27 November.

Presentations available on YouTube
Click here for BCPC Joint Review Playlist.

Or to view powerpoint slides only click on the session headline below.

Chairman’s introduction:  Sir Peter Kendall
Setting the Scene: Prof Paul Wilson, Nottingham University

Session 1: Changing Practices

• Defra Update on IPM and Pesticide Resistance – Holly Alpren, Defra
• Is regenerative agriculture compatible with sustainable crop protection? – Jonathan Storkey, Rothamsted
• Regenerative Agriculture research at the Allerton Project – Jenny Bussell, Allerton Project
• ‘Green Grassland Corridor’ and beneficial insects – Patrick Barker – EJ Barker & Sons

Session 2: Solutions & New Technologies

• Precision Breeding – Opportunities & Challenges for UK farmers – Tom Allen-Stevens, BOFIN
• Dyson Farming: Past, Present and Future – Ben Abell, Dyson
• Agriculture, AI and Robotics  – Simon Pearson, Lincolnshire Institute for AgriFood Technology

Panel Discussion & Q&A

PhD/early career Posters

• Understanding true eyespot disease of cereals: past, present & future – Fareed Bhatti
• Understanding the genetic source of resistance against the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) in a resistant wheat variety – Iza Sandoval-Carvajal
• Fungal spore dispersal in UK arable crop systems under current and future environmental conditions – Patrick McClean
• Modelling regional scale fungicide resistance in Septoria tritici blotch with heterogeneous grower behaviour to inform resistance management – Iona McCabe
• Effects of environmental factors and pathogen populations on severity of light leaf spot on oilseed rape’  – Javeria Wajid
• ENIGMA I – Wireworm IPM project – Larissa Collins
• Can Tomato Ketch-up to S. dulcamara’s R.solanacearum resistance? – Kelis Fisher
• Stem diseases of wheat – Bela Fistric

Previous Disease Review presentations can be viewed from the links below

• The 10th Annual BCPC Diseases Review tooke place 15 October 2024 at the Sophi Taylor Building, Cambridge.
• The 9th Annual BCPC Diseases Review –  Disease Control: Balancing Food Security & Environmental Responsibility – took place 17 October 2023, at the Sophi Taylor Building, NIAB, Cambridge. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here
• The 8th Annual BCPC Diseases Review – Changing Challenges and Changing tools for Integrated Crop Management – was held 19 October 2022, at the Sophi Taylor Building, NIAB, Cambridge. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here
• The 7th Annual BCPC Diseases Review was held as a virtual event. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here 
• The 6th Annual BCPC Diseases Review was held as a virtual event. Details of the programme and speaker presentations from the event can be found here