Rhizopus seed and seedling rot is a highly destructive peanut disease, causing rapid seed decay in 36-96 hours and rendering seeds and pre-emerged seedlings indistinguish[...]

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) can significantly impact vegetable production in Georgia. While M. incognita is the most prevalent species, recent surveys reported[...]

Georgia is one of the largest producers of blueberries in the United States, but the hot, humid climate provides ideal conditions for disease development. Among other dis[...]

Huanglongbing (HLB), is caused by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), andvectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). HLB represents a major concern for the contin[...]

Center rot of onion is a bacterial disease caused by diverse plant-pathogenic Pantoea species that leads to substantial losses in both field and in storage. Pantoea stewa[...]

Burkholderia onion pathogens are a routine threat to onion production in the United States causing diseases such as slippery skin and sour skin. Onion in response to path[...]

Emerging viral diseases are a growing concern for cotton production in the USA. Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), which causes cotton leafroll dwarf disease (CLRDD), p[...]

Magnaporthe oryzae is a fungal pathogen with a broad host range that threatens major Poaceae species, including rice, wheat, and oats, causing significant yield and quali[...]

This dissertation explores several research topics and aspects, including molecular assay design, genomic analysis, and biological experimental design in two pathosystems[...]

Grapevine powdery mildew (GPM), caused by Erysiphe necator, is one of the most economically important diseases of Vitis vinifera grapes. Sulfur is the most common contact[...]

The reemergence of cotton bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm) after a multi-decade absence raises questions regarding the factors und[...]

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a vital global crop, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. However, its production is severely impacted by early leaf spot (EL[...]

Pantoea ananatis is a significant bacterial pathogen responsible for onion center rot (OCR) in bulb onions (Allium cepa). The pathogen’s virulence in onions is attributed[...]

Dollar spot, caused by Clarireedia spp., is one of the most problematic diseases of turfgrass worldwide. It diminishes functional and aesthetic quality of several turfgra[...]

Fusarium verticillioides and Sarocladium zeae naturally co-inhabit maize kernels and cycle in an evolutionary arms race to maintain their ecological niches. As an endophy[...]

Toxigenic fungal invasion and subsequent production of aflatoxins in peanut and corn can be a serious problem before and after harvest. The objectives of this study were [...]

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a perennial, cool-season turf and forage grass species in the United States that covers over 20 million hectares of pastureland. Neot[...]

Pod rot is an important disease of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in the pacific coast region of Cosiguina in Nicaragua, but the etiology was unknown. Surveys in 2006 and 2[...]

Phytophthora species are water and soil-borne saprophytes and plant pathogens. The introduction of P. ramorum, the causal agent of sudden oak death (SOD) into Georgia ha[...]

Maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides is the causal agent of seedling blight disease, with production of the fumonisin B1 (FB1) mycotoxin being necessary for disease de[...]

The germplasm sources highly resistant to Meloidogyne incognita (Southern root-knot nematode) in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) contain the resistance QTLs qMI-C11 [...]

Systemic acquired resistance, which results in enhanced defense mechanisms in plants, can be elicited by biotic or abiotic factors such as pathogens causing a hypersensit[...]

Southern corn rust (SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora and northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) caused by Exserohilum turcicum are important foliar diseases of corn in the sout[...]

Pecan scab, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusicladium effusum, is the most severe disease of pecan in the southeastern United States. Fungicides are an essential tool to [...]

Orange cane blotch (OCB), caused by the alga Cephaleuros virescens, is prevalent in commercial blackberry plantings in the southeastern United States. The pathogen produc[...]