BSPP Plant Pathology Audit
The 'Audit of Plant Pathology Training and Education in the UK' reports on teaching in plant pathology in Higher Education Institutes (HEI; universities and colleges) in the UK. Some key findings are:
- Plant pathology is no longer taught at 5 HEI and staffing levels have been reduced significantly at a further six HEI
- Fewer than half of the 103 HEI offering biology, agriculture, horticulture or forestry at BSc level provide teaching in plant pathology and this can be as little as one or two lectures
- Only 1 in 4 of these 103 HEI (only about 1 in 7 of all HEI in the UK) teach plant pathology practical classes, so critical hands-on training and expertise is at risk
- The age profile of plant pathologists in higher education is of major concern and it is not known how many HEI will retain the capacity to teach plant pathology in 5-10 years time.