News

Emeriti Perspectives: Jim Kurle

Read Kurle's recollections of his career in plant health. 


All in the Family: Son of trailblazing white pine blister rust researcher studies fungi as a retiree

Pat Fahey, a UMN Neuroscience retiree and student in Bob Blanchette’s “Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees,” saw a familiar name when the class discussed White pine blister rust. His stepfather, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) employee in the 1930s, had directed a program cataloging white pine blister rust’s prevalence across Minnesota.


Changing microbial communities: how excluding foliar fungi impacts plant growth and soil microbiome

How does removal of fungi impact plant growth and rhizosphere diversity in perennial grasslands? Professor Linda Kinkel, postdoc Brett Lane, and colleagues looked into it. 


Professor Ruth Dill-Macky awarded Alumna of the Year at University of Queensland Women's College

Congratulations to Professor Ruth Dill-Macky, who was recently awarded the Alumna of the Year (2025) award at The Women’s College within the University of Queensland in her homeland of Australia. 


Andrew Mann passes PhD defense

Andrew Mann passed his PhD defense on March 27, 2025.


Potato power: testing potential enhancements to soil microbiome of potato

The diversity of soil microbes around a growing plant can meaningfully impact that plant’s fitness in a number of ways, including nutrient uptake, yield, and disease resistance. Scott Klasek, Linda Kinkel, and colleagues from SWAC and other institutions characterized 1,824 potato soil microbiomes from 456 plots in the eight field sites across the continental USA, surfacing valuable insights on ties between management, microbiome, and yield.


Something fishy about this fungus: exotic underwater fungus reaches the US on aquarium wood

Mysterious black growths on submerged decorative wood from freshwater aquariums in the states of Minnesota and Colorado were revealed to be Xylaria apoda, a fungus not previously reported in the United States. 


Ginger in Danger: new bacterial pathogen found on the US mainland

When rotting, wilted ginger was reported to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture by specialty growers in central Minnesota in July 2024, UMN-PLPA researcher Milo Chiu and faculty member Devanshi Khokhani were ready to solve the case. 


Recent Alumni: where are they now?

Which recent alum is a crop breeder, and which is a medical writer? What further opportunities in academia and government are PLPA alumni pursuing? Find out! 


Cory Hirsch Named Interim Department Head

As of January 1, 2025, Associate Professor Cory Hirsch is serving as the Interim Department Head of Plant Pathology.