Plantopia

In this episode, Dr. Kranthi Mandadi, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco, Texas, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his basic and translational research of fastidious (unculturable) plant pathogens including the causal agents of citrus greening disease (HLB) and zebra chip disease. He talks about his lab's innovative approaches to combatting plant diseases throughout the southern U.S. and his Texas-sized ambitions to develop solutions through public-private partnerships with industry. He also discusses the challenges of working with obligate unculturable plant pathogens and the need to balance basic science pursuits with high-risk / high-reward research.

Show Notes

Texas A & M University Plant Pathology and Microbiology Faculty Profile: https://plantpathology.tamu.edu/people/mandadi-kranthi/

Mandadi Lab webpage: https://agrilife.org/mandadilab/group/

2024 APS Syngenta Award Profile​: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Syngenta/Pages/2024-Syngenta_Mandadi.aspx

Farm Progress article on Dr. Mandadi: https://www.farmprogress.com/fruit/scientists-shift-from-defense-to-offense-to-fight-citrus-greening

Dr. Kranthi Mandadi's Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rWVhJ94AAAAJ&hl=en ‪

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Kranthi Mandadi.

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Castlebury, Research Mycologist and Leader of the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory with the USDA ARS and Director of the U.S. National Fungus Collections, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her long career with the U.S.D.A. A.R.S. and her lab’s role in identifying foreign and domestic plant pathogenic fungi and managing over a million accessions housed in the U.S. National Fungus Collections. She also reflects on her early experiences growing up in Illinois and being part of some of the earliest fungal DNA-based studies in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Show notes

USDA ARS Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory official website: https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agricultural-research-center/mycology-and-nematology-genetic-diversity-and-biology-laboratory/

USDA ARS Employee Profile: Lisa Castlebury : USDA ARS

Dr. Lisa Castlebury’s Google Scholar profile: ‪Lisa A. Castlebury - ‪Google Scholar

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Lisa Castlebury.

In this episode, Dr. Ilse Alejandra Huerta Arredondo, Assistant Professor of Agriculture at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss growing up in Mexico and her family ties to agriculture including her great grandfather's and grandfather's friendship with Norman Borlaug. Dr. Huerta Arredondo shares her academic journey in Mexico and in central Pennsylvania where she discovered her love for agricultural extension. She discusses her vision for extension and agricultural education in Mexico.

Show notes

Dr. Huerta Arredondo's North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) Profile here: https://naaan.csusystem.edu/directory/ilse-alejandra-huerta-arredondo/

Historic photo of Dr. Huerta Arredondo's great grandfather Jose Huerta and grandfather Jose Huerta Jr. with Norman Borlaug, John Gibler, John Pitner at Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noreste (CIANO), Sonora in 1950: http://hdl.handle.net/10883/4315

Universidad de Guanajuato Press release on Dr. Huerta Arredondo's participation in the Global Guides Program, a development program for educators organized by the World Food Prize Foundation and Global Teach Ag: https://www.ugto.mx/noticias/noticias/17674-profesora-ug-participara-en-programa-internacional-de-educacion-para-la-seguridad-alimentaria

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Ilse Huerta-Arredondo.

In this episode, Dr. Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Research Plant Pathologist with The USDA Forest Service in Hamden, Connecticut, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss present day threats to U.S. forests and landscapes. Dr. Karlsen-Ayala shares her journey including her return to New England, mycorrhizal fungi, and how to build more resilient landscapes.

Show notes

Dr. Karlsen-Ayala Profile here: https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/elena.karlsen-ayala

USDA Forest Service Region 9 page on Zombie trees: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r9/home/?cid=FSEPRD965797

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Elena Karlsen-Ayala.

In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, Associate Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at The Ohio State University, joins host Matt Kasson from Uruguay where he is currently investigating emerging and ongoing threats to U.S. and Uruguay cereal production. Dr. Jacobs discusses he globe-trotting academic journey studying plant bacterial diseases in France, Belgium, Uruguay, and the U.S.A. along with his philosophy on mentoring,

Show notes

Dr. Jacobs Ohio State University Faculty Profile here: https://plantpath.osu.edu/our-people/jonathan-m-jacobs

Dr. Jacobs OSU Lab page: Emerging infectious disease ecology laboratory | Biology and evolution of plant pathogenic bacteria and food crops (osu.edu)

News Release of Dr. Jacobs Fulbright Award: Jacobs awarded Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Uruguay | Office of International Affairs (osu.edu)

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Jonathan Jacobs.

In this episode, Dr. Terence Mhora, Senior Global R&D Scientist at FMC Agricultural Solutions, joins host Matt Kasson for an insightful discussion on building an interdisciplinary career in plant pathology. Dr. Mhora shares how his upbringing in Zimbabwe sparked his passion for agriculture and led him down this path. The conversation delves into the critical balance between molecular research and fieldwork in plant pathology, the importance of collaboration with specialized labs for federal approvals, and the challenges and opportunities within the industry. They also explore how publications, patents, and networking play pivotal roles in advancing a career in this field.

Show notes

Plantopia is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Terence Mhora.

In this episode, Dr. Edel Pérez-López, Associate Professor of Phytopathology at Université Laval, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about growing up in Cuba, taking risks and navigating language and cultural barriers in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, and the challenges of working with understudied obligate parasitic protists and Mollicutes.

*Show notes *

Université Laval Faculty Profile here: https://www.ibis.ulaval.ca/en/research/research-teams/edel-perez-lopez-en/#1533234462662-d003f18e-51c6

Seed World Feature on Dr. Perez Lopez: https://www.seedworld.com/canada/2024/02/14/redefining-success-edel-perez-lopezs-approach-to-science-and-well-being/

2024 MPMI article on Protist Effectors: https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/full/10.1094/MPMI-11-23-0196-CR

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Edel Perez Lopez.

In this episode, Dr. Niklaus Grunwald, Research Plant Pathologist with the Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about emerging phytophthora diseases, the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration in addressing global agricultural challenges, and exciting developments in plant health research, including gene editing, high-throughput data analysis, and robotic phenotyping.

Special Guest: Niklaus Grunwald.

In this episode, Dr. Romina Gazis, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology and Director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic at the University of Florida, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about growing up in Peru, her love of mycology and fungal diseases, and her tireless work to diagnose and manage tropical fruit diseases in Florida.

Show notes

University of Florida Tropical Research & Education Center Faculty Profile: https://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/romina-gazis/

Find Romina Gazis on X (formerly Twitter): @ClinicPlant

Recent APS Press Publication: Belizaire, C.M., Gañán-Betancur, L. and Gazis, R., 2024. Avocado scab caused by Elsinoe perseae: A diagnostic guide. Plant Health Progress, pp.PHP-10. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHP-10-23-0084-DG

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Romina Gazis.

In this episode, Dr. Mannon Gallegly, centenarian and Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at West Virginia University, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about Mannon’s storied 80+ year career as a plant pathologist. Dr. Gallegly shares stories of working alongside Wood Food Prize recipient John S. Niederhauser and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug in Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s.

Show notes

West Virginia University Faculty Profile here: https://www.davis.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/directory/mannon-gallegly

News Release of Mannon’s Majesty, a Late Blight and Septoria Leaf Blight resistant Tomato Variety: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2024/01/24/wvu-professor-emeritus-and-creator-of-the-people-s-tomato-unveils-final-variety-makes-limited-seeds-available-for-growers

Donate to the Mannon E. Gallegly Student Travel Fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx

Phytopathology News article on Mannon’s fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/community/phytopathology-news/2024/march/Pages/Mannon-Gallegly.aspx

APS link to the 1948 APS North Central Meeting at the University of Minnesota and the 1965 Potato Association of America Meeting in Mexico City: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Mannon Gallegly.