Blast off: Insights could combat rice-infecting fungus
by Scott Schrage | University Communication
New research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has revealed how the fungus behind a destructive rice disease evades the plant’s first immune response and silences the molecular sirens that mobilize reinforcements.
Obituary | Michael Boosalis
Michael G. Boosalis, 99, of Lincoln, died July 4. Boosalis was a faculty member in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Department of Plant Pathology from 1951 to 1988.
Dr. James R. Alfano named APS Fellow Award
James R. Alfano was born June 2, 1963, in Burbank, CA. He received his B.S. degree in 1986 in microbiology from San Diego State University and his Ph.D. degree in 1993 in microbiology from Washington State University, where he pursued his thesis research at the Institute of Biological Chemistry. From 1993 to 1997, he was a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Plant Pathology of Cornell University (CU) in Ithaca, NY. From 1997 to 2000, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Dr. Anne Vidaver named APS Award of Distinction
Anne K. Vidaver received her B.A. degree in biology at Russell Sage College, Troy, NY, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in bacteriology at Indiana University, Bloomington. She joined the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska in 1966 and progressed from a position as a research associate to that of professor and head of the department within 18 years, a position she has held for the past 14 years. Dr. Vidaver’s initial contributions to plant pathology came through the excellence of her research program.
Dr. James Van Etten named APS Award of Distinction
Jim Van Etten was born in Cherrydale Virginia and spent most of his youth in Peoria Illinois. He received his BA degree from Carlton College in Minnesota and attended graduate school at the University of Illinois where he received both his M.S. and PhD degrees in Plant Pathology. Following graduate school he received a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for studies in Molecular Biology at the University of Pavia, Italy.
James R. Steadman APS Excellence in International Service Award
James R. Steadman was born in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and worked in a family landscape business while attending Westlake High School and Hiram College. After graduating from Hiram with a B.A. degree in biology in 1964, he obtained an M.S. and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sponsored by an NIH Pre-doctoral Fellowship.
Microbial Inoculants for Optimized Plant Nutrient Use in Integrated Pest and Input Management Systems
Anthony Oyegoke Adesemoye, Gary Yuen, Dexter Brown Watts
Abstract
Science: Promoting human rights through science
"Plant pathology is an amalgamation of scientists—including diagnosticians, biochemists, and geneticists—working together to eliminate or treat destructive diseases caused by pathogens that destroy food sources. Plant pathologists ensure food security by uncovering novel pathways, understanding infection strategies, and quickly identifying and treating pathogens found in the field."
Lauren Segal
Plant Pathology Professor Awarded Grant to Study the Involvement of Blue Light in Plant Immunity
Jim Alfano, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology has been awarded a two-year, $264,889 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled EAGER: The Involvement of Blue Light in Plant Immunity.
University grad student authors published paper indicating how effector dampens plant immunity
Lincoln, Neb. — In a paper published Oct. 12 in the scientific journal, Cell Host & Microbe, University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate student and co-first author, Panya Kim, concludes that destruction of a plant immune co-receptor by an effector injected into plant cells by the pathogen Pseudomonas syringaedampens plant immunity.
The study reveals a virulence strategy by which a plant pathogen effector suppresses the plant immune system by attacking the receptors that are needed to turn on the plant immune response.