Dean Malvick

Biology and Management of Field Crop Diseases

Plant diseases caused by fungi, Oomycetes, and bacteria can dramatically reduce yield and quality of crops. They are serious economic problems as well as fascinating biological puzzles that can clarify the complex interactions between microbes and plants. My work at the University of Minnesota is divided between conducting research and developing extension education programs on the biology and management of crop diseases.

I focus my research program on the biology and management of fungal and Oomycete plant pathogens and their interactions with plants. One goal is to improve disease management and diagnosis via problem-solving research. Another general goal is to discover new knowledge on the biology and ecology of important plant pathogens that will lead to development and implementation of new and improved disease management strategies. Three broad objectives underlie these goals: (i) determine characteristics of pathogen populations, (ii) understand associations and interactions between fungal pathogens and soybean at the organismal level, and (iii) develop and validate specific molecular diagnostic techniques for detection of plant pathogens. The work is done in laboratory, growth chamber, greenhouse, and field environments. Recent work has focused on sudden death syndrome, brown stem rot, and root rots of soybean; and on Goss’s wilt of corn.

My primary extension responsibility is to develop and deliver educational programs for producers, extension educators, and other agricultural professionals regarding the occurrence and characteristics of crop diseases as well as strategies for their management using effective, economic, and environmentally sound strategies.