Scientists and experts team up at new virtual Plant Health Centre

A new virtual Plant Health Centre has been launched to tackle problems that would previously have been worked on in many different sectors.

At the launch in Edinburgh, the centre director, Professor Ian Toth from the James Hutton Institute, told experts and stakeholders from the worlds of forestry, horticulture, the environment and agriculture that plant diseases don’t respect borders.

“They cause problems across all plant species, from iconic forest trees to the smallest of wild flowers and taking in ornamentals, garden plants and all our crop species as they go,” he said.

“With thousands of plant species in Scotland and 1,000 novel pests and diseases listed on the UK plant health risk register, there has never been a more crucial time to pool resources and bring scientists and stakeholders together to act.”

The Plant Health Centre is funded by the Scottish Government and is an interdisciplinary consortium based around the strengths and expertise of 10 leading research organisations including Forest Research, the James Hutton Institute, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland’s Rural College and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA).

Chief plant health officer for Scotland, Professor Gerry Saddler of SASA, marked the occasion at the Royal Botanic Garden by planting a Sorbus arranensis tree which was locally sourced to ensure its health and provenance.