David Cooke

Ian Toth speaking at the www.planthealthcentre.scot annual conference on summary of the years activities. Thanking Gerry Sadler and welcoming David Kenyon as Chief Plant Health Officer for Scotland.

Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries monitors a world out of balance - Nature A revised ‘Doughnut’ providing a visual assessment of trends in social deprivation and planetary degradation over the past two decades shows more than doubling of global GDP accompanied by accelerating ecological overshoot but only a modest reduction in human deprivation.

Perfectly timed for her Nature paper too: released a few hours earlier. Its worth a read.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This needs more attention and traction. Endless unsustainable growth is not the answer for either people nor the planet. A focus on being 'better not bigger' should not hit profits if marketing is right.

Excellent talk and perfect timing with release of Nature paper 2 hours ahead of the event. Meant we got first view of the new Doughut. @hutton.ac.uk
bsky.app/profile/kate...

A valuable review of #Phytophthora infestans populations and potato ##lateblight in the east and north of Europe. Great job.

No doughnuts tonight but there was haggis baked potato and the talk was fantastic. Depressing economic growth reality vs doughnut economics ambitions. Lots to think about and hopefully convert to action.

It fell overnight but we were very keen to top Alasdair having been defeated by cold and fog the day before. Rime ice on summit added spice! Next day was T-shirt and shorts!

Like this May on Skye. Know what you mean. It pays to be prepared.

Potato harvesting in Scotland. Tractor and trailer alongside self-propelled Grimme harvester

It's that #potato harvest time of year again. Wishing the UK industry good yields and, more importantly, decent prices. At least the #lateblight pressure has been generally low in 2025.

Yes not a great headline but remember who set the ball rolling. Telegraph and Mrs Pearson. BBC is still the best we have got and reform not destruction is needed. Agree 'jailbird' us ridiculous.

Head of Service Unit Proteomics

Attention plant proteomics specialists: We are looking for a Head of our new Proteomics Unit at our international and dynamic Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. @mpi-mp-potsdam.bsky.social Applications are welcome until 30. Sept 2025: jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/jobposting/8...

Some sizeable hailstones and lightning strikes near Dundee later in the afternoon as it rolled south.

SAR supergroup - Wikipedia

A truly impressive beast. Undiscovered insect quote from article "there are as many species of just ladybirds as there are of all mammals combined." Wow. Now think about how many microbes we are missing! e.g. SAR supergroup - Wikipedia share.google/ocob5EM8aQ8Q...

Excellent presentations today from Ingo Hein (Molecular breeding) and Rob Hancock (Gene editing) at #PotatoesInPractice2025 @hutton.ac.uk the future of potato breeding...

Nice job. August generally the right month for this. However, after two severe years, 2025 is a low pressure blight year. Dry warm conditions in April, May and June checked a lot of primary inoculum and is delaying build up now it is damper.

As I loaded my breakfast with Scottish grown blueberries heard @hutton.ac.uk Susan McCallum on BBCR4 Today singing their praises and encouraging future cropping with our new varieties.

Nice paper - highlights the multiple thorny issues. So many cans of worms opened.

A very welcome Scottish berry campaign supported by @hutton.ac.uk alongside releases of our blackberry, raspberry and blueberry varieties. Berry berry good.
foodanddrink.scot/our-industry...

Over 7000 asymptomatic potato seed tubers planted in the field and >1.5% resulted in stem infections. All genotype EU13 of #Phytophthorainfestans

Author's image of peeled potato tuber showing early infection of Phytophthora infestans, the cause of potato late blight. Tracking of mycelial progress through tuber visible by potato resistance reaction.

Pleased to publish a @phytopathology.bsky.social paper with West Bengal State University demonstrating seed tubers as source of #lateblight #phytophthora epidemics in the Indian plains.
apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/epdf/10....

Formatted pdf now available. Over 100 authors from across the world agree to protecting the genus Phytophthora against burdensome and unnecessary taxonomic change apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...

Lyon, Hôtel Villemanzy Découvrez notre Appart"hôtel "Villemanzy", niché au cœur de la Croix-Rousse à Lyon. Profitez d'un séjour exceptionnel et authentique dans un cadre hi1

Have stayed here twice. Quirky in old Covent and military hospital. 3 stars good location near Opera house. Some rooms have steep steps to mezzanine so watch for these if no head for heights. www.belambra.fr/destinations...

Interesting to see one of the other insect sampling suction towers. This one at @rothamsted.bsky.social Research

Looking forward to this tomorrow - join to hear more about all sorts of potato science. 🥔

Potato Production, Potato’s place in the World, Molecular Tools in Potato Breeding, Gene editing, Aphid control and Late Blight IPM - last one by yours truly 🙂

Part of #InternationalDayOfPotato & #NPIC

UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025: Working for a more sustainable future

Link to action plan. Defra do not appear to be on BlueSky yet.
www.gov.uk/government/p...

A potato leaf with multiple lesions caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans

A @hutton.ac.uk blog shows our contribution to the meeting of the UK Defra 2025 Pesticides National Action Plan to keep Integrated Pest Management at the heart of UK crop production

sefari.scot/blog/2025/05...

Great photo but if that is R. ponticum then in another few years there will be no other understorey. It is the scourge of Scottish "Atlantic rainforests" and needs aggressive removal.

Prof Bridget Emmett speaking at UKDNA working group meeting

Great and challenging talk from Prof Bridget Emmett @ukceh.bsky.social on the urgent need to standardise soil sampling metrics. Lack of harmonisation impedes progress.
Day 2 #UKDNAWG25

#UKDNAWG25 panel discussion thought provoking end to the day. @ukdnawg.bsky.social

Presentation view at Royal Society London

Applications of eDNA in forensics and separation of mixed samples presented by Lorna Dawson of @hutton.ac.uk at #UKDNAWG25