Plant Health Day: An interview with Dr Andrew Armitage

12 May is International Day of Plant Health. We encounter plants every single day. And yet, we tend to forget just how important they are. They provide oxygen that we need to breathe, the food we eat, life-saving medicines, clean water, and much more. Microbiology research is intimately linked with plant health. Microbes interact with plants and are crucial to ecosystem functioning – but they can also cause plant diseases, many of which are increasing in prevalence due to climate change. International Day of Plant Health calls on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy.

The Microbiology Society is a membership charity for scientists interested in microbes, their effects, and their practical uses. It is one of the largest microbiology societies in Europe with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes, and schools.

Our principal goal is to develop, expand and strengthen the networks available to our members so that they can generate new knowledge about microbes and ensure that it is shared with other communities. The impacts from this will drive us towards a world in which the science of microbiology provides maximum benefit to society. Visit our website to find out more: http://www.microbiologysociety.org