The William Boright Hewitt and Maybelle Ellen Ball Hewitt Award recognizes APS members who are within seven years of receiving a Ph.D. and have made an outstanding and innovative contribution directed towards the control of plant disease.
Dr. Leslie Holland was raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She earned her B.S. in biology with a minor in horticulture from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2013. As a MARC (Minority Access to Research Careers) Scholar at NMSU, she conducted research in Dr. Jill Schroeder’s lab, studying the interactions between root-knot nematodes and nutsedge weeds, culminating in co-authorship of a publication in the Journal of Nematology. A transformative summer internship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison introduced her to the diverse field of plant pathology, solidifying her career path. She pursued her M.S. in plant pathology at Washington State University under Drs. Dean Glawe and Gary Grove, where her thesis focused on grapevine trunk diseases in Washington vineyards, graduating in 2015. Her passion for fungal canker pathogens led her to a Ph.D. program in Plant Pathology at the University of California-Davis under Dr. Florent Trouillas, where she advanced both the applied and fundamental understanding of fungal pathogens affecting almond production. Her work encompassed disease etiology and epidemiology, fungicide management trials, and major contributions to the taxonomic classification of the Ceratocystis and Cytospora genera. Her impactful research provided new insights and practical solutions for diagnosing and managing fungal trunk and scaffold diseases of almond, highlighting her expertise and commitment to advancing plant pathology.
Shortly after earning her Ph.D. in 2020, Holland joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the department of Plant Pathology as an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in fruit crop pathology. Her research program focuses on the biology, epidemiology, and management of pathogens affecting fruit crops, with an emphasis on cranberries, apples, grapes, and strawberries. Her extension program provides practical, research-based solutions to growers and stakeholders, addressing critical disease challenges.
Since establishing her lab, Holland has been highly productive and innovative, particularly in her work on cranberry fruit rot. Traditionally, management of cranberry fruit rot has focused on preventative fungicide applications during bloom. However, her research built on previous findings that many of the pathogens responsible for fruit rot, a complex of over 12 fungal species, are present endophytically in cranberry vines and developing fruits. This finding prompted her group to explore factors that trigger symptom development to provide more targeted approaches to managing fruit rot. To support this work, her team developed a multiplex qPCR assay to quantify fruit rot fungi in cranberry tissues, advancing the understanding of pathogen dynamics in developing cranberry fruits. Holland has also played a key role in researching False Blossom, an emerging cranberry disease caused by a phytoplasma. Her lab demonstrated that phytoplasma detection is possible throughout the growing season, even in asymptomatic plants, enabling earlier and more reliable diagnosis. The discovery of the pathogen in multiple plant organs highlights the importance of strict management practices, such as destroying infected material, to reduce disease spread.
In cranberry pathology, Holland is emerging as a leading authority on fruit rot and false blossom diseases. In 2022, she received a $4.1 million USDA NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative grant as Project Director, focusing on a systems approach to managing cranberry fruit rot—the leading fruit quality concern in cranberry production. Holland has delivered 25 university seminar and scientific conference presentations and 63 extension presentations to growers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Her research has resulted in 20 peer-reviewed journal publications and 125 extension articles. She has secured competitive funding from USDA NIFA, commodity groups, and local and regional agencies, totaling over $5.5 million, to advance her research and extension programs.
Holland has also made notable contributions to cold-climate grape pathology by promoting sustainable and organic disease management practices. As Wisconsin’s vineyard acreage has increased significantly in the last decade, her research addresses critical challenges in this growing industry. Her lab demonstrated that reduced fungicide applications can effectively control diseases like downy mildew and black rot without compromising yield, providing a more sustainable alternative to conventional practices that overlook the natural disease resistance of cold-climate grape cultivars.
Holland is deeply committed to educating and mentoring the next generation of plant pathologists. She currently mentors five graduate students and one research staff member, and has trained 4 graduate students, 3 staff members, and 13 undergraduate students, including several Honors students who have completed capstone projects in her laboratory. Dr. Holland also serves on eight graduate student committees, and has served on three departmental committees, and four college-level committees. She teaches a graduate-level field plant pathology course that takes students beyond the traditional classroom to observe real-world agricultural diseases in fields, interact with growers, and engage with extension specialists, providing invaluable applied learning experiences. Holland is also a dedicated mentor in the MOSAIC (Mentorship Opportunities in Science and Agriculture for Individuals of Color) program at UW-Madison, where she supports students from marginalized backgrounds in overcoming the unique challenges of underrepresentation in academia. This work is particularly meaningful to her, as she has personally faced and overcome similar challenges in her own academic journey.
Holland has been an active member of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) since her undergraduate and currently serves on several committees, including the Extension Committee. In 2021, she co-organized and hosted the APS workshop “Developing a Toolkit for Effective Extension and Outreach,” which explored both traditional and innovative strategies for plant pathology extension and outreach. Her commitment to APS extends to serving on the working group tasked with developing the Lafayette Frederick Diversity in Mentoring Award application and review rubric. Additionally, she has participated as a mentor in the Speed Networking events at APS annual meetings and regularly provides ad-hoc peer reviews for multiple APS journals.
Over the past five years, Holland has made significant impacts in the broader field of plant pathology through her scholarship and service. Her innovative research in cranberry pathology has positively influenced fruit crop production in Wisconsin and beyond. As a long-standing member of APS, Holland remains enthusiastic about continuing her service to the society and contributing to its mission and members.
