The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) will hold its second annual meeting in Miami December 6-10 at the Intercontinental Hotel.

National Plant Diagnostic Network to meet in Miami next month

The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) will hold its second annual meeting in Miami, December 6-10 at the Intercontinental Hotel. The theme of the meeting is “Diagnostics in the 21st Century.”


The program includes an array of distinguished speakers who are experts in the plant pest detection and diagnostics disciplines. Meeting topics include: implications of global trade, food security, invasive species, forensic plant pathology, pests of concern, pollinator issues, new threats and pests that influence United States agriculture, and diagnostic techniques for plant pests and pathogens.


Representatives from North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries will be present to answer questions about current and future threats to North American agriculture and food supply. Hands-on insect identification workshops on plant diagnostics and international diagnostic networks will be conducted Tuesday evening.
In conjunction with the meeting, there will be tours of tropical gardens, vegetable packing facilities, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) plant inspection station and a commercial greenhouse operation.
The full schedule as well as a list of speakers and their biographies can be found at: http://www.apsnet.org/meetings/NPDN/schedule.htm.


The event and tours are open to the public. Early discount registration is available until October 15. Registration information is available here: http://www.apsnet.org/meetings/NPDN/registration.htm.


 Hotel reservation information is available at: http://www.apsnet.org/meetings/NPDN/hotel.htm
 The NPDN is a consortium of United States land-grant universities, including Michigan State University, the USDA, state departments of agriculture and other private cooperators working together to help protect the U.S. food supply and agricultural economy.