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Pathogen Population Genetics
and
Breeding for Disease Resistance
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Contributor
Biographies:
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Tobin
Peever obtained a B.Sc. in Botany from the University of
Guelph in 1985, an M.Sc. in Botany from the University of
Toronto in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Cornell
University in 1994. His thesis research, supervised by Michael
Milgroom, focused on the evolutionary genetics of resistance to
sterol biosynthesis-inhibiting fungicides in Pyrenophora
teres.
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was a post-doctoral research associate at Cornell from 1994-1996
working on the population biology of double-stranded RNAs in the
chestnut blight fungus. He was a postdoctoral associate at the
University of Florida from 1996-1998 working on the epidemiology
and population genetics of Alternaria brown spot and greasy spot
of citrus. Tobin has been an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University in
Pullman since 1998. His responsibilities are split between 70%
research and 30% teaching. Current research interests include
the population genetics, host specificity and molecular
systematics of Alternaria spp. on citrus and the
population genetics of Ascochyta rabiei on chickpeas. |
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Robert
Zeigler earned his B.Sc. from the University of Illinois
in 1972, after which he joined the Peace Corps and taught high
school science in a small school in rural Zaire. Upon return
from Zaire he married Crissan, and subsequently earned an M.Sc.
from Oregon State University in Botany and Plant Pathology
(Forest Ecology), then a Ph.D in Plant Pathology from Cornell
University. Their first child, Nicholas, was born in
Ithaca. |
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His doctoral
thesis was on the Superelongation disease of cassava, with the
field work conducted at the Centro Internacional de Agricultura
Tropical (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia. Following completion of his
Ph.D., he moved with his family to Burundi, where he headed a
small maize improvement program for about three years. Their
second child, Claire, was born under the light of a full moon in
a small rural mission clinic in Burundi (but, that is another
story). In 1985 the family moved back to Cali to take a position
at CIAT where Bob served as rice pathologist for seven years and
as Rice Program Leader from 1986 to 1992. His research focussed
on rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV), bacterial sheath brown rot of
rice, and especially rice blast disease. Their third child,
Alison Rose, was born in Cali in the midst of some difficult
times between the government and the narcotics industry. In 1992
the family moved to the Philippines after Bob took a position as
pathologist and Program Leader at the international Rice
Research Institute. There his research focused on rice blast
disease and he was able to test a number of hypotheses related
to the nature of durable resistance and population structure and
dynamics of the blast pathogen in traditional rice growing
environments. The term "myco-tourism" was coined by
jealous colleagues to describe his research in the Indian
Himalayas. In 1999, the Zeigler family moved to Manhattan
Kansas, after Bob took up the position of Head of the Department
of Plant Pathology and Director of the Plant Biotechnology
Center at Kansas State University. |
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Anne
Dorrance has a B.S. in
Forest Biology from the College of Environmental Science and
Forestry, a M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of
Massachusetts and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University. Her, Ph.D. thesis, under the direction of
Dr. Herman Warren, was on Diplodia ear rot resistance in maize
and an assessment of the genetic variability of Stenocarpella
maydis. |
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She worked as a post-doctoral
research associate with Dr. Debra A. Inglis, at Washington State
University, Mount Vernon on late blight of potato caused by Phytophthora
infestans. Anne’s current position is Assistant Professor
in the Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State
University in Wooster. Her responsibilities are divided at 30%
field crops extension and 75% soybean disease research. Her
current interests include the study of fungal pathogens of
soybeans with a major emphasis on Phytophthora sojae and Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum. Her main focus is on disease control
through the use of disease resistant varieties. Her objective is
to implement integrated disease management systems for no-till
and reduced tillage production systems. She is a member of the
OSU Extension Agronomic Crops Team. Currently, she is chair of
the APS Cultural Diversity committee and a member of the Host
Resistance committee. |
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Fernando
Correa-Victoria received his B.S. in Agronomy from the
National University of Colombia and his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees
in Botany and Plant Pathology from Michigan State University in
1987 working on the pathogenic variation, production of toxic
metabolites, and isoenzyme analysis of the angular leaf spot
disease (Phaeoisariopsis griseola) of dry beans. He
joined CIAT, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
in Cali, Colombia in 1987 as Rice Pathologist and has been Rice
Project Leader since 1998. |
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His research interests include
pathogenic variation, evolution, and population dynamics of the
major biotic pests of rice with major emphasis on rice blast (Pyricularia
grisea). His research is focused on breeding strategies
based on host-pathogen interaction studies, mechanisms leading
to the breakdown of genetic resistance and the development of
durable blast resistance in commercial rice varieties for Latin
America. He is currently working on the dissection of blast
resistance genes in highly resistant cultivars in collaboration
with breeders and molecular biologists and is involved in the
training of research scientists from National Programs in the
region. |
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Steven
K. St. Martin has a B.A. and M.S. from the University of
Minnesota, a M.S. from the University of Nebraska, and a Ph.D.
from Iowa State University. He was promoted to Professor in the
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science in 1995. His
responsibilities are divided at 50% research and 50% teaching.
He teaches courses in data analysis, experimental design and
grain crops. |
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Current research interests involve
quantitative genetics and breeding methodology in soybeans as
related to improving a number of traits: disease resistance,
flooding tolerance, grain yield, and food qualities. |
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© Copyright 2000 by The American
Phytopathological Society
American Phytopathological Society
3340 Pilot Knob Road
St. Paul, MN 55121-2097
e-mail: aps@scisoc.org
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