Kristina Petrović from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) and WP Soybean leader had a plenary speech at the 2nd Annual Congress on Plant Science & Biosecurity, which took place in London (the UK) between 11th and 13th of July 2019. The speech was about the current status of Diaporthe species on Soybean in Europe and the USA and their place within the Ecobreed project.

Diaporthe species cause a complex of diseases on soybean including stem canker, pod, and stem blight, black zone lines and seed decay. Since high-quality seeds are crucial for organic farming, it is necessary to use the disease-free certified seeds. ECOBREED project will resolve the structure of Diaporthe population that exists in soybean seed in Europe and try to find a possible source of resistance to them.