Peter Buchanan - A life of fungi

Fungi underpin the health of our ecosystems, yet they're one of the least understood groups of organisms. In this episode of Scigest, host Dr Hilary Ireland sits down with recently retired mycologist Dr Peter Buchanan, whose remarkable 50-year career has helped transform our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand's fungi.   In the first of this two-part conversation, Peter shares the experiences that shaped his career and lifelong interest in fungi. He discusses fungal diversity, the importance of taxonomy and plant pathology, and the role fungi play in crop production, disease management and post-harvest storage. Peter also reflects on how molecular biology has transformed fungal research, opening new opportunities to understand fungal relationships, identify pathogens and improve disease management. Part 2 of this conversation will be available from 17 August. Vegetable caterpillar fungi link: www.sciencelearn.org.nz/videos/768-vegetable-caterpillar-fungi Peter Buchanan profile: www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1445-dr-peter-buchanan To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest