D'Ann Rochon (1955–2022), a life of passion for plant virology

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2023-10, Vol.587, p.109874-109874, Article 109874
• Main Authors: Sanfaçon, Hélène, Alam, Syed Benazir, Ghoshal, Basudev, Ghoshal, Kankana, Hui, Elizabeth, Jackson, Andrew O., Kakani, Kishore, Morris, T. Jack, Nagy, Peter D., Simon, Anne E., Sit, Tim L., Smith, Thomas J., White, K. Andrew, Xiang, Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: D'Ann Rochon; Fungus transmission; Little cherry virus; Plant virology; Plum pox virus; Tombusviruses; Tribute; Virus structure
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.109874

D'Ann Rochon passed away on November 29th 2022. She is remembered for her outstanding contributions to the field of plant virology, her strong commitment to high quality science and her dedication to the training and mentorship of the next generation of scientists. She was a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and an Adjunct Professor for the University of British Columbia. Her research program provided new insights on the infection cycle of tombusviruses and related viruses, including ground-breaking research on the structure of virus particles, the mechanisms of virus transmission by fungal zoospores, and the complexity of plant-virus interactions. She also developed diagnostic antibodies for plum pox virus and little cherry virus 2 that have had a significant impact on the management of these viruses. •D'Ann Rochon is remembered for her contributions to the field of plant virology.•Her research program provided new insights on the infection cycle of tombusviruses.•She developed diagnostic antibodies for plum pox virus and little cherry virus 2 that have helped manage these viruses.