Plant Protection Departments at Unand and HUAF Strengthen Collaboration through GLPP

Padang, September 25, 2026 — Session 1 of the 2026 Guest Lecture on Plant Protection Series (GLPP) was held successfully on Friday, September 25. The event was organized jointly by the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Andalas (Unand), and the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agronomy, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF), Vietnam.

Held in a hybrid format, the event was attended by 244 lecturers and students from the two departments: 134 from Unand and 110 from HUAF. Around 25 percent of HUAF participants attended in person at the HUAF meeting room, while the rest joined online. All Unand participants joined online, while the organizing committee attended in person at CH Pertanian.

This year’s GLPP carries the theme “Knowledge Sharing for Sustainable Crop Protection.” It provides a platform for lecturers and students from Unand and HUAF to exchange knowledge in plant protection. The first session also marked the beginning of a four-part guest lecture series aimed at strengthening academic collaboration between the two institutions.

The event opened with remarks from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Dong of HUAF, who introduced the Vietnamese team. This was followed by remarks from HUAF Vice Rector Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Huu Ty, who expressed his support for the event. Representing Unand, Prof. Dr. Ir. Novri Nelly, MP, delivered remarks and introduced the Unand team. The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Unand, Prof. Dr. Ir. Indra Dwipa, MS, then expressed his hope that the collaboration would proceed smoothly and successfully.

During the scientific session, Dr. Zurai Resti, SP, MP, of Unand presented “Beneficial Bacteria in Sustainable Plant Disease Management: From Laboratory Discovery to Field Application.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Thu Ha of HUAF discussed Ralstonia solanacearum, a soilborne bacterium that attacks the vascular system of chili pepper plants, as well as its management strategies. The session was moderated by Ahmad Muhidin, a master’s student in Plant Protection at Unand.

To close the event, Dr. My Syahrawati, SP, M.Si, the Unand GLPP coordinator, thanked everyone who had supported the event. She also presented certificates of appreciation to the speakers and moderator. We look forward to welcoming you to GLPP Session 2 in October.

Let’s protect plants together!