Into the Galleries: How Emerald Ash Borer beetles are changing the microbial communities in Minnesota’s ash trees
Andrew Mann and Blanchette Lab colleagues invested how the microbial communities of Minnesota’s trees are altered by the arrival and presence of invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetles, and how that impacts the trees' health.
UMN researchers find ties between international wheat stem rust epidemics and variation in rust fungi’s avirulence genes
Postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Spanner led the charge on recent University of Minnesota research that characterized the pathogen genetics of Pgt in major recent Italian and Ethiopian wheat stem rust epidemics, unlocking genetic secrets to these outbreaks.
Four new fungal species discovered during examination of an Eastern larch beetle outbreak
An analysis of the diverse fungal communities associated with eastern larch beetles (Dendroctonus simplex LeConte) in Minnesota led to the discovery of four new fungal species in the order Ophiostomatales by UMN Blanchette Lab and collaborators.
Expanding EAB control: Minnesota fungi found lethal to Emerald Ash Borer beetles
Emerald ash borer beetles (EABs) have wreaked havoc on North American ash trees, killing hundreds of millions of trees in the US and Canada since they were accidentally introduced in the 1990s. A new publication by Colin Peters, Nick Rajtar and Bob Blanchette demonstrates a selection of fungi that are able to kill EABs when transmitted through an autodissemination device, or ADD.
Foxtail barley found to be host for fungal pathogens of barley
Steffenson Lab research has found that foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) serves as an alternate host for fungal pathogens of cultivated barley.
Malvick talks red crown rot on Minnesota Public Radio
Professor Dean Malvick talked with MPR correspondents about this disease appearing in Minnesota soybean this year.
Fungal secrets of a sunken ship
Ninety-eight years underwater did a lot of structural damage to Civil War sunken ship the Cairo. In collaboration with Terra Mare Conservation and the Vicksburg National Military Park, Blanchette and Ben Held are using wood microbiology and pathology skills to diagnose this ailing ship.
Now on WCCO News: More "plant destroyer" water mold species discovered in Minnesota"
This story and video, put out by WCCO News (CBS), highlights the outcomes of Phytophtora in Minnesota's outdoor spaces.
Beating buckthorn: researchers identify fungal pathogens with biocontrol potential
Harnessing fungi’s ability to selectively kill buckthorn plants could provide the solution to control this invasive shrub, without relying on chemicals.
Harnessing Plant Defensins to Combat Alfalfa Crown Rot
While all plants have ways of protecting themselves against disease, former Plant Pathology Ph.D. student Andrew Sathoff is researching ways to enhance alfalfa’s natural defense system to combat a complex disease. Read more about Sathoff's research >>
Ensuring Soybean Yields by Screening for Resistance to Fusarium Graminearum
Marissa Scherven, a former Plant Pathology undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Jim Kurle’s lab, is looking for resistance to Fusarium graminearum in soybean, in order to prevent disease problems in farmer’s fields before they affect soybean yield. Read more about Scherven's research>>
Informing What Is Grown in High Tunnels
Helping growers protect high tunnel tomatoes in Minnesota and the Midwest is the research topic of former Plant Pathology graduate student Lillian Garber. Learn more about how Garber's research protects the highest value crop grown in high tunnels in Minnesota. Read more about Garber's research >>
Using Microbes to Create Healthier Plants
By trying to disentangle the reasons plants in native prairies have been able to evade significant disease in the prairie, are there important lessons that can be applied to agriculture to create healthier, more productive plants? Linda Kinkel and her research team are trying to find ways to harness microbes indigenous to Minnesota's native prairies by using them to create disease suppressive soils. Read more about the Kinkel lab's reaserch >>
Helping Minnesota Hops Grow
As the microbrewery industry in the state of Minnesota continues to expand each year, brewers are looking to hop producers near home to provide sustainable and high-quality hops. In order to meet this growing demand, Angela Orshinsky, assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, and her research team are working with hop producers throughout the state to provide answers to the many hops management questions that past research has not yet answered for local producers. Read more about Orshinsky's research>>
Evaluating a Reemerging Threat to Corn
First confirmed in Minnesota in 2009, this Goss's wilt is a concern for researchers like former graduate student Blake Webster because of its potential to reduce corn yields by as much as 50 percent. While there are current recommendations for disease control measures, Webster is taking a holistic, three-pronged approach to learn more about this disease and discover additional methods of disease management. Read more about Webster's research>>
Classifying Fungal Diversity
Trying to find a needle in a haystack can seem like an insurmountable task, but imagine attempting to find 100 needles in 100 haystacks. This is a more apt description of the task that faces Josh Kielsmeier-Cook. Josh, a former Ph.D. student in the Department of Plant Pathology advised by Bob Blanchette, is currently studying fungi in Yasuní National Park in Ecuador, where there are not only 100 needles, but 100 unique needles that need to be classified and cataloged. Read more about Kielsmeier-Cook's research >>