Epidemic diseases are not a new phenomenon, but easy access to transport in the modern world has accelerated their spread. Perhaps some botanical understanding can help slow them down.

Plant diseases have brought misery and suffering to human populations across the world and across millennia. Declaring 2020 the International Year of Plant Health will hopefully raise awareness of this ancient yet very modern threat.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Now we are volume six — a perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the highlights, personal and professional, of the past five years.