About the Ausaid CD-ROM Project

The funding for this project was provided through a grant from AusAID's Vietnam - Australia Development Cooperation Program Capacity-Building for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) Program. The authors gratefully acknowledge this support which also enabled:

• A Master Class for Vietnamese plant pathologists on Soilborne Diseases at the University of Sydney, co-funded by the Crawford Fund for International Agricultural Research and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
• A pilot workshop for provincial plant pathologists on soilborne diseases at Hanoi Agricultural University
• Disease brochures for use by provincial plant pathologists, farmers and students

This CD-ROM has been produced as a means of communicating with Vietnamese farmers through provincial consultants and those in agricultural research. It includes information on the key soilborne plant diseases in Vietnam, and also introduces those pathogens with the potential to cause major disease problems but are not yet documented in Vietnam.

Each disease is described in terms of the key symptoms, the causal pathogen, the geographic distribution in Vietnam, the host range, the epidemiology of the disease and suitable control methods.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Professor Bui Cach Tuyen, Rector of HCMH University of Agriculture and Forestry, who initially suggested the idea of using a CD-ROM as a means of disseminating information on plant disease in Vietnam.

The people involved were:

Stacey Azzopardi

A technical officer currently employed by NSW Agriculture, Stacey completed her Bachelor's degree in Science in Agriculture, majoring in Plant Pathology at the University of Sydney in 2001. Stacey was employed on this project through the funding from the CARD Program.

Dr Brett Summerell

Dr Summerell is Manager, Conservation and Horticultural Research at the Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney. His research interests include the biology and ecology of soilborne fungal plant pathogens and diseases of natural ecosystems. Brett has been involved with collaborative teaching and research with AusAID and ACIAR projects over the past 6 years.

Dr Ngo Vinh Vien

Dr Vien is head of the plant pathology division of Vietnam's Institute for Plant Protection, where he has worked since 1976. He recieved his Bachelor of Science degree from Hanoi Agricultural University in 1975 and his PhD from the Vietnam Institute of Science in 1994. He has recently undertaken studies on the etiology, ecology and management of various soilborne diseases of fruit and vegetables crops. He has been a key collaborator on AusAID and ACIAR projects.

Tran Nguyen Ha

Ha is currently completing his PhD on Gibberella fujikuroi of maize at the University of Sydney. He is a member of the academic staff at Hanoi Agricultural University and has been involved in collaborative research of soilborne fungal plant diseases in Vietnam for four years.

Professor Lester Burgess

Professor Burgess is the Professor of Applied Mycology within the Faculty of Agriculture, Land and Water at the University of Sydney. His research interests include the biology, ecology and taxonomy of Fusarium and extensive studies on a range of soilborne fungal plant pathogens. He has been collaborating in teaching and research in plant pathology in Vietnam since 1992. He has been project leader of a large ACIAR project on the diagnosis and control of fungal plant diseases in north Vietnam and an AusAID CARD project which supported the development of this CD-ROM.

Dr FR Pim Sanderson

Dr Sanderson was the principal investigator of Angsana Wilt Disease in Singapore in the early 1990s. His work on this disease has allowed an understanding of this complex problem which caused the loss of many Angsana trees in Singapore and surrounding countries.

Len Tesoriero

Len Tesoriero works for NSW Agriculture, and specialises in diagnostic plant pathology as well as research in integrated disease management for intensive horticultural crops. He has a keen interest in the fungal genus Pythium.

The authors are particularly indebted to the long-standing support in collaborative research and teaching provided by Professor Vu Trieu Man, Hanoi Agricultural University and Professor Ha Minh Trung, formerly Deputy Director, National Institute of Plant Protection. These two plant pathologists inspired and guided many of our research projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

A number of people and organisations have contributed to the research and surveys behind this CD and in the production of the CD. In particular we are grateful to the following: Suzanne Bullock from the Botanic Gardens Trust who produced many of the microscope images; Mrs Nguyen Thi Ly from the National Institute for Plant Protection, Hanoi; Mrs Tran Kim Loang from Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technical Institute, Buon Ma Thuot; Dr Nguyen Kim Van and Ms Dang Luu Hoa from Hanoi Agricultural University, Ms Phan Thuy Hien, Research Centre for Medicinal Plants, Institute of Materia Medica; and Dr Fiona Benyon, formerly of the University of Sydney.