Australasian Plant Pathology Society

The Australasian Plant Pathology Society, commonly abbreviated as APPS, is a scientific association focused on plant pathology: the study of diseases affecting plants and the organisms and environmental factors that cause them. The society brings together members in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, while also maintaining participation from the Indian, Pacific and wider Asian regions. Founded in 1969, APPS provides a professional and scholarly network for people working in plant disease research, diagnosis, extension, communication and related areas of agricultural and biological science. Its activities support the exchange of research findings and practical knowledge concerning plant health. The society’s regional reach reflects the importance of plant diseases to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, biosecurity and natural ecosystems throughout the Australasian and neighboring Pacific and Asian regions. A central feature of APPS is its biennial conference. These meetings rotate among the society’s eleven regions, giving members opportunities to present research, discuss emerging disease threats, share diagnostic and management methods, and build collaborations across institutions and countries. The 2025 APPS conference was held in Sydney, Australia. APPS also supports the plant pathology discipline through its official journals, Australasian Plant Pathology and Australasian Plant Disease Notes. Both journals are published by Springer Nature. The publications provide outlets for research and shorter disease notes concerning plant diseases, their diagnosis, epidemiology, biology, management and regional significance. The society recognizes professional and academic achievement through several awards. These include the Peter Williamson Award for Distinguished Service, the designation of Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society, the Lester Burgess Award for Diagnostics and Extension or Research Communication, and the Allen Kerr Postgraduate Prize. Together, these distinctions acknowledge long-term service, professional contribution, communication and postgraduate research. Through membership in APPS, members are also associate members of the International Society for Plant Pathology. This affiliation links the society’s regional activities to the broader international plant pathology community. APPS is therefore best understood not as a commercial product brand, but as a professional scientific organization whose principal offerings are membership, conferences, scholarly publishing, disciplinary recognition and knowledge exchange.

The Australasian Plant Pathology Society was established in 1969 as a regional scientific association for people studying plant diseases. Its geographic foundation is Australasia, particularly Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, but its membership and professional connections also extend into the Indian, Pacific and Asian regions. The society developed around the need for communication and collaboration among plant pathologists working in research, diagnosis, extension, education and applied plant-health programs. Plant disease problems cross institutional and national boundaries, and the society provides a forum in which members can exchange findings about disease-causing organisms, symptoms, diagnostic approaches, disease biology, epidemiology and management. Its regional scope also reflects the movement of crops, pathogens and biosecurity risks across the wider Indo-Pacific area. A major continuing activity is the APPS biennial conference. Meetings rotate throughout the society's eleven regions rather than being permanently based in one city. This arrangement gives different parts of the membership an opportunity to host the discipline's principal regional gathering and supports participation from researchers, students, diagnosticians, extension specialists and other professionals. The 2025 conference took place in Sydney, Australia. APPS has also built a publishing role through its official journals, Australasian Plant Pathology and Australasian Plant Disease Notes. Springer Nature publishes both journals. The publications extend the society's function beyond periodic meetings by providing continuing channels for research communication and reporting on plant disease observations and studies. Professional development and service recognition form another part of the society's history and identity. APPS awards include the Peter Williamson Award for Distinguished Service, Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society, the Lester Burgess Award for Diagnostics and Extension or Research Communication, and the Allen Kerr Postgraduate Prize. These awards cover sustained service, fellowship-level contribution, practical and public-facing communication, and postgraduate achievement. The society's membership also carries an international connection: APPS members are associate members of the International Society for Plant Pathology. This relationship places the society's Australasian activities within the international plant pathology profession while preserving its focus on regional plant-health issues. APPS remains an active scientific association rather than a commercial enterprise, with its identity centered on membership, conferences, journals, awards and professional exchange.

• 2025

  Biennial conference held in Sydney

  [1]Australasian Plant Pathology Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society's 2025 biennial conference was held in Sydney, Australia, as part of its rotation among eleven regions.

• 1969

  Society founded

  [1]Australasian Plant Pathology Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Australasian Plant Pathology Society was founded as a regional scientific association devoted to plant pathology.

A regional professional society and scholarly network for plant pathology, linking researchers and practitioners across Australasia and neighboring Indian, Pacific and Asian regions.

• Scientific journal

  Australasian Plant Pathology

  Australasian Plant Pathology is an official journal of the society and serves as a scholarly publication outlet for work in plant pathology. Its role supports communication among researchers and professionals working on plant diseases and related plant-health questions in Australasia and the wider region. The journal is published by Springer Nature.

• Scientific journal

  Australasian Plant Disease Notes

  Australasian Plant Disease Notes is an official APPS journal focused on communicating information about plant diseases and associated observations or studies. It complements the society's broader publishing activity by providing a dedicated channel for plant disease notes and professional knowledge exchange. The journal is published by Springer Nature.

• Scientific conference

  APPS biennial conference

  The APPS biennial conference is the society's recurring regional meeting for presenting research, discussing plant disease issues and strengthening professional collaboration. The venue rotates among the society's eleven regions, and the 2025 meeting was held in Sydney, Australia.

• 2025

  APPS holds its 2025 biennial conference in Sydney[1]Australasian Plant Pathology Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Australasian Plant Pathology Society held its 2025 conference in Sydney, Australia, continuing its biennial meeting cycle and rotating conference model across the society's regional network.

1. 1Australasian Plant Pathology Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Australasian Plant Pathology Society official websiteaustralasianplantpathologysociety.org.au