News published: 3 July 2026

On Thursday 25th June, the Royal Society of Biology hosted its Plant Health Series Summer Conference, a free online event running from 10:00 to 15:45. The conference is part of a wider programme of plant health workshops and networking events that the RSB runs in partnership with Defra, aimed at building capacity, capability, and resilience across the UK’s plant health community.

The day brought together researchers, industry professionals, and early career scientists for a mix of keynote lectures and flash talks. Keynote speakers Dr David Guillaume Schoepfer (Tropic) and Dr Rumiana Ray (University of Nottingham) offered perspectives from both industry and academia, giving attendees a rounded view of the plant health landscape.

Dr Schoepfer’s talk drew on Tropic’s work applying gene-editing technology to tropical crops. The company’s GEiGS® platform combines gene editing with gene silencing to build disease resistance into staple crops such as bananas and rice, including ongoing efforts to tackle Panama Disease (TR4) and Black Sigatoka in banana varieties. His talk gave attendees an industry view of how precision breeding is moving from the lab into commercial rollout.

Dr Ray, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Nottingham, brought an academic perspective grounded in decades of research into cereal disease resistance. Her work spans Septoria tritici blotch, Fusarium head blight, Rhizoctonia and eyespot in wheat and barley, as well as aphid-mediated spread of barley yellow dwarf virus, and her talk offered insight into how fundamental plant pathology research feeds into practical disease management strategies for UK farmers.

Flash talks from professionals across the sector showcased a range of ongoing projects, including contributions from early career scientists supported through the RSB’s Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships. A Q&A panel discussion opened up conversation around current challenges and opportunities in plant health. A careers session rounded out the day, offering practical guidance for those building careers in the field, complementing the RSB’s Plant Health Professional Register and its Plant Health Professionals networking community.

Overall, the conference did what the Plant Health Series does best: connecting people across disciplines and giving the community space to learn from each other. The series has previously taken attendees behind the scenes at institutions including Kew Gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the BIFoR FACE facility in Birmingham, alongside webinars on topics from biosecurity to crop protection.

Details of future events are available on the Plant Health Series page.