In the News 2006
December in the News
Congratulations Graduates!:
Six students completed their degrees this semester: Raul Allende-Molar, PhD, major professor Dr. Dave Weller; Eric Eulenberg, MS, major professors Drs. Lori Carris and Gary Grove; John Goetz, MS, major professor Dr. Jack Rogers; Leigh Ann Harrison, MS, major professor Dr. Tim Murray; Hui Hou, MS, major professor Dr. Ken Eastwell; Guiping Yan, PhD, major professor Dr. Xianming Chen.
Holiday Potluck:
The annual holiday potluck was hosted by the Fun Committe, members Hanu Pappu, Brenda Schroeder, Martin Chilvers, Femi Alibi, Youn-Sig Kwak, Leigh Ann Harrison, and Hongyan Sheng. Entertainment was provided by our own guitar/vocal duo, Adams and Hadwiger. As part of this year's festivities, a food drive to support the local food bank was held. One hundred and five pounds of food was donated. CAHNRS Dean, Dan Bernardo, generously matched our donation with cash, so in addition to food, $105 dollars went to support members of our community. see photos
Faculty Travel:
Hanu Pappu attended the 2006 National Allium Research Conference, College Station, Texas. He gave two invited talks at the Thrips IYSV Mini-Symposium held during the conference: One on ‘Biological and Molecular Aspects of Iris yellow spot virus’ and another one on ‘Tomato spotted wilt virus epidemics in the southeast: Lessons learned’. He also presented two posters, one on the screening of garlic germplasm for viruses and another one IYSV outbreaks in southern California. see photo
Snow Mold Research:
Dr. Tim Murray's research on snow mold is featured in the December 13 issue of CAHNRS' On Solid Ground. The article highlights an innovative technique for replicating field plot conditions in the greenhouse. Murray's snow mold research is also featured in the December issue of Wheat Life magazine, which offers a more indepth look at this research.
Recruiting Activity:
Dr. Lori Carris represented the Department of Plant Pathology at the "College Fair" at WSU Day at Wapato High School on Saturday, December 9. Representatives from eight different colleges participated in this recruiting event which included interactive displays, Native American and Latino traditional cultural dancers, alumni speakers, and Butch. The Plant Pathology display included hands-on demonstrations of stinking smut of wheat, corn smut and cuitlacoche, and soft rot of potato (rotten potatoes courtesy of Dr. Brenda Schroeder).
November in the News
Faculty Travel:
Dr. Lindsey du Toit was an invited participant in the 2006 annual meeting of the British Leafy Salad Association, held on November 22 in Peterborough, England. Dr. du Toit presented "Spinach spoilers: Some foliar diseases of economic significance." During the week she had several meetings with seed company personnel, consultants, plant breeders, plant pathologists, and vegetable growers to discuss their research projects on seedborne diseases of spinach.
Why WSU?:
Dr. Lori Carris is featured on the WSU home page, profiled on a link in one of the revolving photos with Dr. Carris and graduate students. The link is from "Future Students, Why WSU," and it highlights WSU's world-class faculty. The article discusses her teaching and research programs, which focus on fungi. The article also points out the department’s approach to undergraduate studies: Students are taught by professors, not teaching assistants.
Washington State Provides National Christmas Tree:
Washington State is providing the National Christmas tree to Washington D.C. this year. The 65.5 foot tall Pacific Silver fir tree was November 1and starts a 21-day tour of Washington State communities on the 6th before it is shipped to D.C. later this month. The following web site provides information about our state providing this tree to the capital. http://www.capitolchristmastree2006.org/tour.html Dr. Gary Chastagner, who conducts postharvest Christmas tree research, was contacted last spring by personnel from the US Forest Service and WA DNR, who are responsible for selecting the tree and shipping it to D.C., and was asked to advise them on the postharvest moisture and needle retention characteristics of the various types of trees on the Olympic National Forest. He has also been providing advice relating to the care of the tree while it is on its extended journey. This involvement has also provided an opportunity to obtain information about the changes in moisture content of this tree during its trip to D.C. Dr. Chastagner, along with technician Kathy Riley, traveled to the Green Diamond Resource Company facility near Shelton where the flatbed trailer with the tree was being prepared for the start of its tour of our state. They attached a device on the tree to monitor the environmental conditions the tree is exposed to during its trip and collected foliage samples to measure the initial moisture content of the tree. With the help of Sara Savage from the US Forest Service Office in Quilcene, who will be accompanying the tree back to D.C., additional foliage samples will be collected throughout the trip and sent back to Dr. Chastagner to measure changes in the moisture content of the tree. Dr. Chastagner has done a number of these types of studies with smaller Christmas trees, and it will be interesting to see how those results compare to this very large Christmas tree. See WSU Today for the feature article.
October in the News
Visitor:
Graduate students enrolled in Viruses and Virus Diseases of Plants, Pl P 511, met with Dr. Bill Dawson, Professor of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida. The students attended Dr. Dawson's seminar at University of Idaho on October 26, 2006. Dr. Dawson later visited Dr. Hanu Pappu's laboratory and held discussions. see photo
On Solid Ground:
Research efforts toward preventing late blight by Drs. Dennis Johnson and Debra Inglis were recently highlighted in an article in CAHNRS weekly, electronic newsletter, On Solid Ground.
Research Highlight:
Meet Dr. Dean Glawe , Scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology, located at the UW College of Forest Resources in Seattle, a plant pathologist whose research focuses on the Systematics and Biology of Economically Important Fungi in the Pacific Northwest, and read about his current research program (click here).
Me and My Shadow:
Lacey Hulbert spent a day doing a 'job shadow' with Lindsey du Toit's vegetable seed pathology program at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC on October 18th. Lacey is a senior at La Conner High School in La Conner, Washington, and plans to become an agricultural major at Washington State University in 2007. Lacey's parents, Jack and Renee Hulbert, are co-owners of Skagit Seed Services in La Conner, Washington. Lacey helped run soil dilution assays for the fungus that causes Fusarium wilt of spinach, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae, a very important pathogen of spinach seed crops in the Pacific Northwest.
AgWeatherNet Update:
The Washington AgWeatherNet program was recently highlighted in WSU Today. Dr. Gary Grove, Program Director, is quoted, "The primary goal of AgWeatherNet is to make farming more profitable and, in doing so, strengthen Washington's economy. Everyone in the state can benefit from that." Follow the link to read more about this program.
Mushroom Weekend:
Seventeen mushroom enthusiasts from the department and their friends participated in the annual Priest Lake Fall Mushroom Weekend October 6-8. The group, including ten hardy graduate students, tent-camped at the Indian Creek Campground, on the east side of Priest Lake in northern Idaho. The campers braved below-freezing temperatures at night (photo) and BEARS (photo) roaming the campground. Despite the dry conditions, a number of interesting (and tasty!) fungi were found, including white chanterelles (Cantharellus subalbidus [no photo due to having been eaten]) and yellow-footed chanterelles (Cantharellus infundibuliformis), which were cooked up and enjoyed by the group around the campfire on Saturday evening. Dusty bear foot prints (photo) on the cars Sunday morning, and bizarre piles of stones and stick figures that appeared in front of one of the tents during the night (photo) led this weekend adventure to become known as the "Bear Witch Project"! (see all photos and with captions)
Spring 2007 Course Announcement:
Drs. Lori Carris and Jack Rogers will again be offering "Molds, Mildews, Mushrooms: The Fifth Kingdom," Pl P 150, during spring semester. This popular three-credit course fulfills GenEd Science Q course requirement. Students have the opportunity to learn how molds and mushrooms have helped shape the natural world and changed the course of human history. To quote one former senior student, "this was about the most exciting course I've taken at WSU!"
Faculty Update:
Dr. Mark Mazzola, Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS in Wenatchee and adjunct faculty in Plant Pathology, was recently appointed as Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology in Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch South Africa. Dr. Mazzola is currently on sabbatical at Cornell with Rosemary Loria in the Department of Plant Pathology. See page 4 of the attached newsletter from Stellenbosch University announcing his appointment.
Guest Speaker:
Special guest Dr. Walt Kaiser was the speaker for our Fall Seminar Series on October 9. Dr. Kaiser is a retired plant pathologist who worked with the USDA Plant Introduction Unit in Pullman and was also an adjuct faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology. His seminar title was "Experiences and travels of a retired plant pathologist." The graduate students hosted Dr. Kaiser for lunch (see photos) and a reception was held that evening at the Holiday Inn Express (see photos).
Welcome:
The Fun Committee hosted a welcome reception for Dr. Scot Hulbert, who joined the department on July 1 as the R. James Cook Endowed Chair in Cropping Systems Pathology. see photos
September in the News
Alum Visits:
Dr. Pat Lipps and his wife Amanda recently visited the Department of Plant Pathology on a trip to visit their son in Seattle. Pat received his Ph.D. in 1979 under the direction of Dr. G.W. Bruehl and had not been back to WSU since leaving for a position with the Ohio State University at Wooster (from which he recently retired). Pictured in the photograph are Jack Rogers (Ph.D. committee member), Pat Lipps, Amanda Lipps, George W. Bruehl (major professor), and Tim Murray (also a Bruehl lab member).
Guest Seminar Speaker:
Robert Smawley is a life-long resident of Pullman. He is an alumnus of WSU, formerly WSC. He rose through the ranks to become head of General Services, which in years passed encompassed Buildings and Grounds, Motor Pool, Purchasing et al. He also served in other capacities over the years, especially in alumni relations. He is one of the fathers of the Alumni Center. Bob, as he is universally known, has great affection for WSU and probably knows more about its history than any contemporary person. Mr. Smawley will present "Aspects of the History of WSC and WSU" during our regularly scheduled seminar series on September 18. see photo
Fall Foray Scheduled:
The fall foray for the Palouse Mycological Association will be held on Sunday, October 15. We will meet at 8:30 am in the parking lot of the Rosauer's supermarket in Moscow, and head up to the vicinity of Mountain Gulch/Eldorado Gulch (approx. 10 miles past Laird Park) for the foray. Please bring a basket or bucket, pocket knife, mushroom field guide, and sack lunch; dress for a day in the woods, eg., sturdy boots, warm clothes and rain gear (if necessary). Plan on a 60-70 mile round trip drive. The road is dirt/gravel for at least 10 miles, but has been passable for most types of vehicles in the past. We will try to arrange for carpooling when we meet to minimize the number of vehicles. Dogs and children are welcome, but please keep in mind that some of the terrain at Mountain Gulch and Eldorado Gulch is rugged and will limit where small children can go. See photos of mushrooms you can expect to find!
Undergraduate Internship:
Nicolaas “Coen” de Jong is participating in a 9-week internship in the Vegetable Seed Pathology program at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC in the fall of 2006, assisting with field, greenhouse, and lab research on vegetable seed crop diseases, under the direction of Dr. Lindsey du Toit. Coen was born in Zuidbroek, the Netherlands, where his parents raise spinach stock seed in a greenhouse. Coen graduated from high school in 2005, and started college that year at the Van Hall Larenstein Institute, an agricultural college in the city of Leeuwaarden, the Netherlands. At the end of his first year of college, Coen completed a 10 week internship at Pop Vriend Seeds B.V. in Andijk, the Netherlands, where he worked primarily on parental lines in spinach seed production. Coen likes to work in his spare time, and has spent 5 years working part-time at Aardse Orchids B.V., a company that produces orchids in greenhouses.
Virologist to Participate in Agricultural Initiative:
Dr. Naidu Rayapati, virologist in the Department of Plant Pathology, located at the WSU Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, has received funding to particpate in the U.S.-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative to help train Indian scientists. See the full story featured in WSU Today Online.
Mission to DC Highlights:
The Office of Research Faculty Development Series coordinated by The Office of Grant and Research Development will present, Highlight: Mission to D.C., on September 12, 2006, from 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. in the ETC, Neil Hall 416. Several Mission to DC attendees: Drs. Eric Anctil, Stephen Bollens, Gary Chastagner, Kenn Daratha, Sinisa Mesarovic, Sirisha Medidi, Tobin Peever, Barbara Rasco, and Angela Starkweather will present a brief summary of their visit to different federal agencies and the benefits received as result of their trip. Please come to learn about the specific findings of each individual, to encourage and support their work and to find out more about future opportunities. This session will also be available through Polycom for the regional campuses. Space is limited, so please sign up for your appropriate location at OGRD's workshop Web site: http://www.ogrd.wsu.edu/workshops.asp.
Visitor:
Dr. Colin R. Wellings, principal research scientist, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and adjunct associate professor, the University of Sydney, Plant Breeding Institute, Camden, Australia, is visiting Xianming Chen’s lab in the USDA-ARS and WSU Department of Plant Pathology in September. Dr. Wellings is a world expert on rust diseases of cereal crops. During his visit of three-weeks, Dr. Wellings is conducting research on variations of cereal rust pathogens and resistance of Australian barley germplasm to barley stripe rust. see photo
August in the News
Back to School Picnic:
Our annual fall picnic was held at Sunnyside Park, hosted by Fun Committee members Hanu Pappu, Brenda Schroeder, Leigh Ann Harrison, Femi Alabi, and Martin Chilvers. see photos
Travel Log:
Dr. Hanu Pappu was in Chile and Peru during the week of April 25, 2006. He was invited to visit the Virology and the Biotechnology Units of the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), La Platina, Santiago. He toured the commercial vegetable fields (tomato, pepper, onion) in Santiago area, met with several growers and discussed various viral diseases of importance in that area. He also visited several research and production fields of local seed companies. He gave an invited presentation on viral diseases of vegetables and their management at a meeting sponsored by the Chilean vegetable industry. He traveled to Valdivia (in southern Chile) to visit Dr. Luigi Ciampi, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Austral de Chile and gave a seminar on the characterization and control of thrips-transmitted tospoviruses in vegetable cropping systems. From Chile, he traveled to Lima, Peru and visited the International Potato Center (CIP) and held discussions with scientists in the Germplasm Conservation Division and the Plant Protection Division. See highlights from his trip here.
Endowed Post Filled:
Dr. Lindsey du Toit, plant pathologist located at WSU's Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon, has been selected to fill the Alfred Christianson Endowed Professorship. This four-year endowment will provide funding to support her vegetable seed pathology research program. See the story in WSU Today Online.
Faculty Assignment:
Dr. Gary Grove has been named as the first director of the state's newly expanded Agricultural Weather Network. Follow the link for details.
Who's Who:
Introducing researchers in Dr. Tobin Peever's lab:
Omer Frenkel - Omer is a Ph.D. student at Hebrew University of Jerusalem working with Shahal Abbo and Dani Shtienberg. He is visiting the lab for 3 months and is interested in the evolution of Ascochyta rabiei on wild and cultivated chickpeas and the ecological genetics of temperature adaptation in Ascochyta.
Suzie Jones - Suzie is a Ph.D. Student at the University of Tasmania working with Sarah Pethybridge and Frank Hays. She is visiting the lab for 2 weeks to initiate cloning and sequencing of the mating type locus in Didymella liguicola, an important pathogen of chrysanthemum in Tasmania. She plans to use the mating type sequence data to design a mating type-specific PCR assay for population studies of this pathogen.
Tamara Horton - Tammy is an undergraduate microbiology major at WSU who received a Center for Integrated Biotechnology Fellowship to support her research in Tobin’s lab during summer 2006. Tammy has been inoculating various legume species to determine the host range of Ascochyta spp. isolates sampled from wild legumes and has been developing an AFLP linkage map of an interspecific cross between A. fabae (faba bean pathogen) and A. pisi (pea pathogen).
Congratulations Graduate!:
Completing her degree during summer semester 2006, is Marion Andrew, M.S. with Dr. Tobin Peever. Marion will begin studies this fall toward a PhD at the University of Toronto. see photo
2006 Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society:
Dr. Chang-Lin Xiao received the Lee M. Hutchins Award at the meeting held July 29 through August 2 in Quebec City, Canada. see photo
Kurt Schroeder, PhD 2004 with Dr. Tim Paulitz, and Steve Klosterman, PhD 2002 with Dr. Lee Hadwiger, reunited for a photo op. see photo
2006 International Spinach Conference:
For the first time, the International Spinach Conference was held in La Conner, Washington, in northwestern Washington, the primary spinach seed production region in the United States. Over 150 spinach growers, researchers, breeders, consultants, seed dealers, field representatives and extension educators traveled to La Conner for the conference on 13-14 July, some from as far away as Denmark, England, Holland, Japan, and New Zealand. Presentations covered topics on general production, weed control, horticulture, and plant pathology in spinach and spinach seed production. Participants also toured local seed processing facilities and local vegetable seed fields. Lindsey du Toit, WSU vegetable seed pathologist, and Tim Miller, WSU weed scientist, coordinated the conference, which was sponsored by 13 seed companies and organizations. Lindsey gave presentations on the following three topics at the conference: "Efficacy of Mustard Cover/Biofumigant Crops for Management of Weeds and Fusarium Wilt in Spinach Seed Production" by Lindsey du Toit and Tim Miller; "Efficacy of Seed Treatments for Control of Stemphylium botryosum in Spinach" by Lindsey du Toit, Mike Derie, and Louise Brissey; and "Screening for Resistance to Stemphylium Leaf Spot of Spinach" by Beiquan Mou (USDA-ARS), Steven T. Koike (University of California), and Lindsey du Toit. see photos
Research Highlight:
Meet Dr. Ken Eastwell, Associate Scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology, located at WSU Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, a plant pathologist whose research focuses on virology in perennial crops, and read about his current research program (click here).
July in the News
Visitors:
Mr. Shun-ichi Kubota, entomologist with the Sumitomo Chemical Corporation of Japan, visited the department to see Zenta Nishio, who is researching snow mold disease of wheat with Dr. Tim Murray. Mr. Kubota was Mr. Nishio's classmate at the Department of Agriculture, University of Tokyo. Also pictured, Mayuko Nishio, who has joined her spouse for his second period of collaboration with Dr. Murray. see photo
June in the News
Statewide Faculty Meeting:
Plant Pathology faculty from across the state gathered in Leavenworth, Washington, for the biennial statewide faculty meeting and research exposition. This is an opportunity to meet in person and discuss the department's teaching, research, and extension programs. The Research Exposition is an informal social event designed around posters highlighting current research activities, which gives everyone an opportunity to see the wide range of research projects underway throughout the state. Following the meeting, there was an opportunity to visit the Stimilt Olds Station Packing Facility and see first-hand how fruit is processed and stored.
see photos: Meeting, Research Exposition, Stimilt Olds
Faculty and Students Receive Awards: see photo
At the recent meeting of the American Phytopathological Society Pacific Division, held in Boise, Idaho, Dr. Lindsey du Toit received the Early Career Award. This award honors a plant pathologist belonging to the Pacific Division with 10 or fewer years of postgraduate experience and/or service. The award can be for a single outstanding contribution or for sustained significant and notable contributions to plant pathology in extension, research, teaching, or industry.
Two students were also recognized with Graduate Student Paper Awards. These awards recognize outstanding research and oral presentations by graduate students by presenting a plaque and monetary gift. Leigh Ann Harrison (major professor Dr. Tim Murray-photo) received first place (abstract). Guiping Yan (major professor Dr. Xianming Chen-photo) received the third place award (abstract).
New Website:
The WSU Sudden Oak Death Education Program recently set up a website to post resources for industry professionals and first detector training materials. Currently there are some useful handouts and links relating to the diagnosis and management of P. ramorum posted on the site. The site will be updated as new guides are developed or modified as our understanding of P. ramorum biology and disease management increases. Click here to follow link to the new website. If you have any recommendations or comments please direct them to Norm Dart.
Faculty Travel:
Tobin Peever visited the University of Helsinki May 31 to June 4 to serve as Opponent for the Ph.D. defense of Marjo Serenius. Marjo was supervised by Outi Manninen and the title of her dissertation was “Population structure of Pyrenophora teres, the causal agent of net blotch of barley”. During his visit, Peever met with Jari Valkonen and students, post-docs and faculty in the plant pathology group at the University of Helsinki and with researchers at the MTT Agrifood Research Centre at Jokioinen. At MTT, he presented a seminar on Ascochyta systematics and genetics of host specificity. see photo
Professional Meetings:
Faculty, staff, and students were on the move in June attending meetings of professional associations:
- Society of Nematologists, Kauai, attended by Dr. Ekaterini Riga, her student Donna Henderson, and technician John Wilson. Riga presented the paper "News, Views and Issues in the Use of Entomophathogenic Nematodes," and a poster, "New Management Issues and Options in Washington State," with John Wilson. Henderson presented a poster, "Direct and Indirect Effects of Mustard Amendments on Two Entomopathogenic Nematode Genera, Steinernema and Heterorhabditis."
- International Biofumigation Congress, Moscow, Idaho, attended by Dr. Ekaterini Riga and her student Donna Henderson; both presented posters. Riga, "The Use of Arugula on its Own and in Combination with Synthetic Nematicides Against Plant Parasitic Nematodes of Potatoes," and Henderson, "Effect of Mustard Green Manure Amendment on the Infectivity and Mortality of Two Entomopathogenic Nematode Genera, Steinernema and Heterorhabditis," see abstract.
Research Highlight:
Meet Dr. Lindsey du Toit, Assistant Scientist and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology, located at WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, a plant pathologist whose research focuses on vegetable seed pathology, and read about her current research program (click here).
May in the News
May in the News
Faculty Member Supports Koppel Farm
Dr. Tim Paulitz was recently featured in an article in the Daily Evergreen on his work with the Koppel Farm. The Pullman Community Gardens is a non-profit group that offers garden plots at Koppel Farms for members of the community. There are approximately 100 plots, mostly 20 X 20 feet, that can be rented for $35.00/year. This garden is all organic, with no pesticides. The Community Garden is also a partner with the Palouse Food Project. This coalition of community groups works on problems of hunger and food insecurity in Whitman County. Students from the WSU Community Learning Center and other courses volunteer to maintain two gardens at Koppel Farm, with the produce going to the Community Action Center Food Bank in Pullman. Dr. Paulitz serves on the board of both the Community Garden and the Palouse Food Project. See related article in Daily Evergreen.
Faculty Go Back to High School:
Mount Vernon High School held its annual Sci-Tech event on May 18. Dr. Lindsey du Toit and technician Mike Derie set up a plant pathology display with various bacterial and fungal plant pathogens growing in petri dishes: powdery mildew-infected carrot plants; rotten onions infected with Burkholderia cepacia and B. gladioli, with a PCR gel and dark box for students to see DNA from these onion bacterial pathogens; tomato plants infected with crown gall; cabbage plants infected with black rot; and a dissecting microscope for students to view nematodes feeding on Fusarium in a petri dish. Tom Walters, WSU small fruit horticulturist, and Tim Miller, WSU weed scientist, also had displays set up related to their work. Other displays were set up by various colleges, universities, businesses, and science-related organizations to promote science and technology among elementary, middle, and high school students in the county. "It was a fun opportunity to introduce students of all ages to various aspects of plant pathogens and plant diseases," said Dr. du Toit. see photo 1, photo 2
Travel Update:
Dr. Naidu Rayapati was an invited speaker at a collaborative vegetable research workshop held during May 1-2, 2006, at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center-The World Vegetable Center, located in Taiwan. The title of his presentation was “Global Partnerships to Tackle Tospovirus Diseases in Vegetables: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Congratulations Graduates!:
Completing degrees during spring semester 2006, are Jessica Gigot, M.S. with Dr. Debra Inglis; Sierra Hartney, M.S. with Dr. Lee Hadwiger; and Bryce Richardson, PhD with Dr. Lori Carris. see photo
New Mycology Journal Pacific Northwest Fungi begins Publication:
The new journal Pacific Northwest Fungi began publication on May 1, 2006. Pacific Northwest Fungi (http://pnwfungi.org/) is designed specifically for the World Wide Web and benefits from the speed, broad distribution, and low costs inherent in internet publishing. The journal publishes peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of fungal natural history, ranging from ecology and biogeography to taxonomy, morphology and phylogeny. Pacific Northwest Fungi is a key component of the effort known as the Pacific Northwest Fungi Project, a multi-state collaboration intended to produce a complete inventory of the region’s fungi. Information from the journal will be used to update the Pacific Northwest Fungi Database (http://pnwfungi.wsu.edu), a significant online resource for information on the region’s fungi. The Database is maintained by the Plant Pathology Department at WSU. Alumni from our department have played important roles in developing the journal - Brenda Callan (Ph.D. 1988) and Frank Dugan (Ph.D. 1992) are members of the Editorial Board, and Dean Glawe (Ph.D. 1982) is the Editor-in-Chief. For more information, contact Dean Glawe (glawe@wsu.edu).
Travel Grants Received:
Graduate students Marion Andrew and John Goetz are recipients of travel grants from the WSU Graduate School. From the 53 grant requests received, 28 were awarded. Both John and Marion submitted proposals to present their research at the APS/CPS/MSA joint meeting to be held this summer in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
John Goetz was also selected to receive the Don E. Mathre and APS Council Student Travel Award to support his travel to the same meeting.
Research Highlight :
Meet Dr. Gary Chastagner, Scientist and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology located at the WSU Puyallup Western Washington Research and Extension Center, a plant pathologist whose research focuses on diseases of ornamental bulb crops and Christmas trees, and read about his current research program. (click here)
News from the Teaching Lab:
Advanced Fungal Biology (PlP 526) is a four-credit course offered by Drs. Jack Rogers and Lori Carris during alternate spring semesters. The course is organized into one interactive lecture/discussion period and two laboratory sessions each week. The discussion sessions are based on key papers relating to topics selected by the students, who are in charge of leading the discussions. Examples of the topics selected this semester include calorie restriction mediated life span extension in fungi; species concepts; endophytes; mimicry in plant parasitic fungi; lithotrophic fungi; the frog-killing chytrid; horizontal gene transfer; and zoospore taxis. The laboratory focuses on student projects; students selected a project during the first week of class, prepared a project proposal outline, collected data in lab during the semester and presented a written and oral report at the end of the semester. The student projects for Spring 2006 were: Coprophilous Fungal Diversity in Herbivore Dung (Jaime Cummings); Penicillia Isolated from Roots of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) (John Goetz III); Pullman Lichen Diversity: Past and Present (Marion Andrew); and Isolation of Entomopathogenic Fungi from Organic, Conventional, Till and No-till Soil using the Galleria mellonella Bait Method (Donna Henderson). [Follows links to view PDF files of the student projects.]
April in the News
New Facility at WWREC Puyallup:
A new biocontainment facility for use in conducting research on plant pathogens, specifically, Sudden Oak Death, Phytophthora ramorum, was officially opened on April 25 at the WSU Puyallup Western Washington Research and Extension Center. First identified in California in 2000 after killing thousands of trees, Sudden Oak Death is a deadly and easily spread plant pathogen. In Washington State, SOD-infected plants have been found and destroyed in nurseries since 2003. Numerous plants common in Washington landscapes are susceptible, including rhododendron, grand fir, Douglas fir and big leaf maple. An outbreak in the natural environment would have a major negative impact on the State's forest products and nursery industries. At this time, eradication efforts appear to have prevented its spread to plants in Washington's forest and urban landscapes. Read more about the facility opening and the WSU Sudden Oak Death Program.
Student Recognition:
Three Plant Pathology graduate students were recognized by the WSU Graduate and Professional Student Association during a luncheon and award ceremony on April 20. Leigh Ann Harrison and Vihanga Pahalawatta were honored as Excellence Award Winners for their role as teaching assistants (story below), and John Goetz received a Wiley Research Award for a poster presentation of his research. see photos
New Course Announcement:
Dr. Naidu Rayapati has developed a new course for Fall 2006 - PlP 300 Diseases of Fruit Crops. This is a 2-credit course designed to provide undergraduate students with a comprehensive understanding of the diseases of fruit crops grown in Washington State. The course will originate in the Tri-Cities and be broadcast via WHETS to Pullman.
Activities:
Tim Murray, Department Chair, hosted the graduate students for lunch with a Mexican Fiesta on April 21. It was an opportunity to meet informally, discuss business, and enjoy good food and conversation together. see photos
A department-wide social gathering to celebrate the end of term was sponsored by the Plant Pathology Graduate Students and the Fun Committee. The event took place at the Pullman Grill and Bar. Special recognition of faculty and graduating students was presented. see photos
Earthquake Preparedness:
The Pullman Office Staff participated in the Statewide Earthquake Drill on April 6. Safety Officer Martin Chilvers notified the department of the importance of "drop, cover, and hold" in the event of an earthquake. The drill was a platform for discussion of essential earthquake safety actions with our staff and students. For more information, go to the State of Washington Emergency Management Division web site. see photo
Alumni News:
Jennifer (Buren) Carson, M.S. 2004 with Lee Hadwiger, visited Pullman with her husband Scott. They are expecting their first child in November. see photo
Research Highlight:
Meet Dr. Lori Carris, Associate Professor and Scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology, a mycologist whose research focuses on the biology and systematics of smut fungi, specifically the genus Tilletia, and read about her current research program. (click here)
Mentor Recognition:
Five members of the department were recognized for mentoring at the 11th Annual Women and Leadership Forum. The Outstanding Mentor Awards give students, staff, and faculty an opportunity to recognize a WSU employee who has filled the special role of mentor in their academic and/or professional career. The program recognized both formal and informal mentoring accomplishments at WSU. The following mentors received honorable mention: Marion Andrew, Lori Carris, Kristene Gedye, Pat Okubara, and Ekaterini Riga. You can read the nominations here.
March in the News
Meetings and Travel:
Lindsey du Toit was invited to give a presentation titled, "IYSV of onions: What is it? Where is it?" at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Muck Vegetable Growers' Association in Bradford, Ontario, Canada, on March 22-23.
Mushroom Feast:
The Palouse Mycological Association (PMA) held its mushroom feast at the New Garden Restaurant on March 20. This dinner has become a popular annual event for students, faculty, and members of the community; we had a record turnout of 24 this year. We were joined by Dr. Judy Brown, Professor of Plant Pathology at University of Arizona and alumnus of the Department of Plant Pathology (see news item below). see photos
Celebrating Excellence Recognition Banquet:
Celebrating Excellence honors the outstanding achievements of WSU faculty and staff. The newest recipients of the Eminent Faculty Award, the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Awards, the Marian E. Smith Faculty Achievement Award, the President's Employee Excellence Awards and the presenter of the Distinguished Faculty Address were honored at this banquet. In addition, this year's Regents Professors, newly tenured and promoted faculty, and new patent awardees were spotlighted during this special evening. Four Plant Pathology faculty members were recognized: Lindsey du Toit and Chang Lin Xiao, tenure and promotion to Associate Scientist/Extension Specialist E-3; Gary Grove, promotion to Professor/Scientist/Extension Specialist E-4; and Jack Rogers, recipient of the 2006 WSU Eminent Faculty Award (transcript of Rogers' remarks).
see photos
Grant Awards:
Donna Henderson and Ekaterini Riga, Western SARE grant, $10,000. Project title: IPM and biological control of Meloidogyne chitwoodi and the Colorado potato beetle. Ms. Henderson is a Ph.D. student under the direction of Dr. Riga.
Research on Display: see photos
Zenta Nishio and Tim Murray are participating in this year’s Academic Showcase with a poster highlighting their current research on snow mold disease in winter wheat. Mr. Nishio is a Visiting Scientist from the Department of Upland Agriculture, National Agricultural Research Center for the Hokkaido Region, Shinsei, Memuro, Hokkaido, Japan. This is his second visit to Dr. Murray's lab. Click here to see the Nishio/Murray abstract entitled, "Evaluating Resistance to Speckled Snow Mold Disease in Winter Wheat by Pathogen Growth and Carbohydrate Content."
Sierra Hartney and Lee Hadwiger are also participating with a poster displaying their research on non-host resistance. Ms. Hartney is an M.S. student under the direction of Dr. Hadiwger. Click here to see their abstract entitled, "The involvement of inhibitors and effectors of vital host cell and gene functions in non-host resistance."
John Goetz, Jack Rogers, Lori Carris, Paul Hessburg, Ned Klopfenstein, and Mee-Sook Kim presented their research on fungal endophytes. Mr. Goetz is an M.S. student whose major professor is Dr. Rogers. Click here to see their abstract entitled, "Fungal endophytes isolated from roots of douglas-fir and ponderosa pine from prescribed burn sites."
Nearly 240 posters and displays will be presented at this year’s Academic Showcase. To see a complete listing of posters, go to www.showcase.wsu.edu and click on 2006 Abstracts to displays, abstract content, and authors.
Visitor:
Muhammad Ashraf, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, joined Xianming Chen's laboratory in the USDA-ARS and the Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, in August, 2005, as a Fulbright Visiting Scientist. During his stay, he conducted stripe rust resistance tests on wheat germplasm introduced into Pakistan during the past 40 years and F8 recombinant inbred lines which were developed from indigenous sources. He also worked on fingerprinting of Pakistan wheat stocks with stripe rust resistance, and mapping of resistant genes to stripe rust using RGAP and other molecular techniques. He presented a seminar, "Genetic Characterization of Wheat Resistance to Stripe Rust in Pakistan." He will be participating in the on-going Global Initiative on Wheat Stripe Rust upon his return to Pakistan in March, 2006.
Invited Lecturers:
James W. Moyer, Professor and Head, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC visited the department on March 27th. Moyer, a native of Washington State, got his B.S. degree from WSU, and MS and PhD degrees from Penn State. He met with students and faculty and held discussions. He gave a seminar on the molecular genetics of host adaptation of Tomato spotted wilt virus.
Dr. Judy Brown (M.S., Plant Pathology, 1981), who received the 2005 CAHNRS Women's History Award for Professional and Academic Leadership, was a guest speaker for the spring semester seminar series. The title of her seminar was, "Divergent C1-bacteria partially impede and/or rescue gene flow in the whitefly vector Bemisia tabaci: host preference- and geographical-isolation may be less important than expected for this cryptic species." An informal reception was held prior to seminar (see photos).
Dr. Robert Gilbertson, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, was the 2006 Graduate Student Invited Distinguished Lecturer. He presented a seminar on March 6 entitled, "Development and application of a geminiviral green fluorescent reporter system to study the pathogen-host interaction." The students hosted a reception at the home of Dr. Pat Okubara following seminar. see photos: seminar,reception
Dr. Chang-Lin Xiao to Receive Lee M. Hutchins Award
The American Phytopathological Society recently announced the award for 2006. This is an award to the author or authors of published research on basic or applied aspects of diseases of perennial fruit plants (tree fruits, tree nuts, and small fruits and grapes, including tropical fruits, but excluding vegetables). Dr. Xiao was nominated for his contributions to our understanding of postharvest diseases of apples and pears and in particular the identification of three newly discovered postharvest pathogens of pome fruits. The award consists of a certificate and the annual income of the Lee M. Hutchins Fund bequeathed to the society by Dr. Hutchins.
February in the News
Publications:
Reduction of Rhizoctonia Bare Patch in Wheat with Barley Rotations. W. F. Schillinger, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Dryland Research Station, P.O. Box B, Lind 99341; and T. C. Paulitz, Root Disease and Biological Control Unit, United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-6430. Plant Dis. 90:302-306.
Travel:
Hanu Pappu and R.A. Naidu participated in the Joint Indo-US Workshop on Plant Virology. The workshop brought together several virologists from India, and a nine-member delegation of US scientists which included Pappu and Naidu. The meeting was sponsored by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum and was held at the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India, February 11-12, 2006. Dr. Naidu Rayapati made a presentation titled: "Partnerships for Progress: Indoa-US Collaboration for Integrated Management of Thrips-borne Tospoviruses in Vegetable Cropping Systems" describing his project activities funded by IPM CRSP of USAID.
see photo
Awards:
Chang-Lin Xiao - APS Lee M. Hutchins Award (see preceding story)
Jack Rogers - WSU Eminent Faculty Award (see following story)
Activities:
The Plant Pathology Fun Committee organized a reception to welcome new members to the Department--Brenda Schroeder, Assistant Scientist, and Dori Emerson, Principal Assistant--and to celebrate with Jack Rogers, 2006 WSU Eminent Faculty Award recipient.
see photos
Visitors:
M. Sc. Pablo Elorza, M. Sc. Julio Cesar Gonzalez and M. Sc. Manuel Maruri from University of Veracruz, Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico visited Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University, Pullman WA. During their visit they were focusing on Pseudomonas fluorescens research in David Weller’s lab. They are working conjointly with PhD student Raul Allende in the isolation of 2,4-Diacethylphloroglucinol-producing P. fluorescens from the rhizosphere of corn under long-term monoculture in Veracruz, Mexico. see photo
January in the News
Rogers Receives WSU Eminent Faculty Award
Dr. Jack D. Rogers receives the award in recognition of career-long excellence within the WSU academic community. This award is the highest honor presented to a faculty member by WSU.
More information on the award and Dr. Rogers’ accomplishments is available in today’s edition of WSU Today. A celebration of Dr. Rogers and other award winners will take place March 24 at the Showcase Banquet in Pullman (http://www.showcase.wsu.edu).
Congratulations, Dr. Rogers, on this well-deserved award!
Website to Watch
The Pacific Northwest Fungi Database was recently mentioned in the Netwatch column of the December 2, 2005, issue of Science Magazine. This database is intended primarily as a tool for researchers, teachers, and students interested in fungi occurring in the Pacific Northwest. The database originally was based on information compiled by Professor C. Gardner Shaw of the Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University over many years and published in his Host Fungus Index for the Pacific Northwest (referred to as "the Index") in 1973. The growing site catalogs some 5000 types of fungi. Listings include the species' classification, who first described it, and the original reference. Project leader and editor is Dr. Dean Glawe, WSU Puyallup.
pnwfungi.wsu.edu/programs/aboutDatabase.asp
Student Awards
Guiping Yan received a Graduate Student Travel Award from WSU's Graduate School for spring semester 2006. Guiping will travel to San Diego to attend the Plant and Animal Genome XIV conference.
Rita Abi Ghanem was awarded a Thomas Foley Institute Graduate Fellowship for 2006. Awards are based on academic excellence and a research agenda that addresses a public policy isue or problem.
Students Receive Recognition
Congratulations to Leigh Ann Harrision and Vihanga Pahalawatta, recipients of Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards for Fall 2005 from the WSU Graduate and Professional Student Association.
Leigh Ann assisted with Pl P 421/521, General Mycology, taught by Dr. Lori Carris. "Leigh Ann has all the qualities we want to see in a T.A.; she is bright, motivated, reliable, and has a great personality," according to one nomination.
Vihanga assisted with Pl P 429/529, General Plant Pathology, taught by Dr. Tim Murray and Dr. Hanu Pappu. One nomination states, "Vihanga is an extremely responsible TA who enjoys interacting with students during the lab.... She was always prepared and approached her responsibilities to the class conscientiously."
R. James Cook Honored
Dr. R. James Cook was recently honored with the No-Till Innovator Award in the Research and Education category by No-Till Farmer magazine and Syngenta Crop Protection. The awards program was developed to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of no-till farming, regardless of the crop grown or brand of equipment or chemicals used. Congratulations!
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Johnson
Hall 329 (office) &
328 (lab)
Tel.: (509)335-3733
Fax: (509)335-9581
E-mail: carris@mail.wsu.edu
Teaching:
General Mycology PlP 421/521-offered every fall semester (PLP521 Online)
Advanced Fungal Biology PlP 526 -offered alternate spring semesters
Molds, Mildews and Mushrooms: The Fifth Kingdom PlP150 -offered every spring semester
Other Teaching Activities:
"Hunting Fall Mushrooms," Community Enrichment Program, University of Idaho
Mushroom forays for Palouse Mycological Association.
Professional Activities:
Liaison, WSU Association for Faculty Women (2005-present)
Heading using the h3tag
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