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2023 Beyond Myrtle Rust news

  1. Four students share their most interesting myrtle rust insights

    Students make up a large part of the workforce in the myrtle rust research space in Aotearoa. We asked our students “What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned over the course of your research?” Here’s what four of them had to say.

  2. Luitgard Schwendenmann, training the next generation

    Luitgard Schwendenmann, Associate Professor in the School of Environment at the University of Auckland, has been a longtime supervisor, supporter and champion of students in the myrtle rust and kauri dieback research spaces. We spoke to Luitgard about the shifts in her research interests, the import...

  3. Q&A with Jenny Leonard

    Jenny Leonard is a science communicator who has been working with the Beyond Myrtle Rust Programme for over four years. This year, we were able to send her to her first Science Communicators Association of New Zealand (SCANZ) conference, where she presented some of the lessons she learned behind the...

  4. Beyond Myrtle Rust represents at the NZ Microbiological Society Conference

    The New Zealand Microbiology Society conference was held from 20-23 November at the University of Auckland. Beyond Myrtle Rust programme leader Mahajabeen Padamsee and PhD student Vladislav Kholostiakov each presented talks on their research. Additionally, Beyond Myrtle Rust invited Robert Park, an ...

  5. Final meeting for a collaborative programme

    The Beyond Myrtle Rust Programme held their fifth and final Advisory Group and Annual General Meeting on 12 October. The meeting was a celebration of all the hard work done over the last five years.

  6. New paper: Ramarama trees support diverse fungal communities

    A cornerstone of Beyond Myrtle Rust research has been establishing the baseline of a healthy, functioning ecosystem. Ecosystem functions, other microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi), and the abundance of non-host plants are likely to be impacted as Austropuccinia psidii (the causal agent of myrt...

  7. Summer 2022/23 iNaturalist report: fewer myrtle rust observations than expected

    Due to the wet summer of 2022/23, myrtle rust was particularly visible to those on the lookout. However, observations reported on iNaturalist NZ were not as numerous as the weather and the apparent prevalence suggested they would be. Here’s a review of the observations from last season as researcher...

  8. Myrtle rust placed second as most reported fungus on iNaturalist NZ

    Did you know that myrtle rust is the second-most reported fungus on iNaturalist in New Zealand? Beyond Myrtle Rust chatted to Unitec Professor Peter de Lange about this interesting fact and about the overall value of iNaturalist.

  9. Inaugural Australasian Myrtle Rust Conference – building connections

    The inaugural Australasian Myrtle Rust Conference held in Sydney last month brought together researchers and biosecurity practitioners to share insights and findings from local and international research projects. Mahajabeen Padamsee and Beccy Ganley share their thoughts about the tremendous value o...

  10. Renee Johansen, a supporter of science and forests

    For four years, Renee Johansen worked tirelessly as project manager for Beyond Myrtle Rust. In April, she made a move to the Department of Conservation. We caught up with Renee this month to ask her for her insights into the myrtle rust space and to learn more about her exciting new role at DOC.

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