A special edition of Historical Records of Australian Science, edited by Andrew Geering (University of Queensland) reveals how the profession has flourished and, despite being isolated from the scientific community in the northern hemisphere, was able to make world-first discoveries. The issue pays special attention to some of the major plant diseases that affected agriculture in the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Fusarium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus. Another area of focus is Australia’s strong biosecurity. Less positive aspects of this history were gender and racial bias in the profession, as well as inter-state rivalries that hindered a fully collaborative approach to solving plant disease problems.
For more see The road to food security through better plant disease management (phys.org)