Source: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR VEGETABLE DISEASES IN NORTH CAROLINA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0233323
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Mar 1, 2013
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2017
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695
Performing Department
Plant Pathology
Non Technical Summary
Vegetables are important crops in North Carolina, with a farm gate value of over $2 billion. Diseases caused by plant pathogens limit vegetable production and quality, and in some cases, threaten the survival of the vegetable industry. Translational research is needed to avoid crop losses due to disease and ensure continued productivity of the vegetable industry in North Carolina. This project focuses on studying diseases of vegetable crops with the ultimate goal of delivering science-based disease management recommendations to vegetable growers in North Carolina and advance our knowledge in the field of vegetable pathology. We will conduct lab, greenhouse, and field experiments to test the efficacy of disease control measures. We will work in collaboration with The North Carolina Plant Disease and Insect Clinic to assist with diagnostics of vegetable diseases. We will use diverse tools to answer our scientific questions and translate our findings into solutions for vegetable growers and stakeholders. Our findings will be disseminated through oral presentations, written publications, and web-based media.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2121499108015%
2121499116035%
2124099108015%
2124099116035%
Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 4099 - Microorganisms, general/other;

Field Of Science
1160 - Pathology; 1080 - Genetics;
Goals / Objectives
This project focuses on studying diseases of vegetable crops with the ultimate goal of delivering disease management strategies. We will blend applied and basic research to provide science-based disease management recommendations to vegetable growers in North Carolina and advance our knowledge in the field of vegetable pathology. We will conduct lab, greenhouse, and field experiments to test the efficacy of disease control measures. We will work in collaboration with The North Carolina Plant Disease and Insect Clinic to assist with diagnostics of vegetable diseases. We will provide a broad skillset in plant pathology to undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers working in this project. We will use diverse tools including genomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and population genetics to answer our scientific questions and translate our findings into solutions for vegetable growers and stakeholders. Our findings will be disseminated through oral presentations, written publications, and web-based media.
Project Methods
We will blend applied and basic research to provide science-based disease management recommendations to vegetable growers in North Carolina and advance our knowledge in the field of vegetable pathology. Research topics will include but will not be limited to studying pathogen population structure and its effect on disease management, developing molecular diagnostic tools for timely detection of pathogens, understanding the development of fungicide resistance in pathogen populations, and identifying sources of host resistance for disease control. We will conduct lab, greenhouse, and field experiments to test the efficacy of disease control measures. We will work in collaboration with The North Carolina Plant Disease and Insect Clinic to assist with diagnostics of vegetable diseases. We will use diverse tools including genomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and population genetics to answer our scientific questions and translate our findings into solutions for vegetable growers and stakeholders.

Progress 03/01/13 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience: Scientists, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, extension specialists, extension agents, agricultural consultants, growers, packers, processors, crop protection companies, seed companies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Personnel participating in this project included technicians Saunia Withers, Michael Adams, Elsa Gongora, Hunter Collins, Nicholas Noel, Nathan Miller; postdocs Liliana Cano, Alamgir Rahman, Edwin Palencia; graduate students Emma Wallace, Andrew Scruggs, Nathan Miller, Camilo Parada, Nicholas Noel, Kim D'Arcangelo, Madison Stahr, Allie Druffel, Jesse Yamagata, Sammi Wong; and undergraduate students Abel Walker, Lynde Ring, Emily Keller, Zachary Shea, Jesse Yamagata, Aidan Shands, Kelsey Wynne, Laura Williams, Sam Cude, Kayla Elswick. Personnel have been trained in plant pathology research including but not limited to: lab maintenance (dish washing, stocking plastic ware and glassware), field work (driving to field plots, seeding, harvesting, preparing fungicide solutions, collecting samples from field, scouting plants), microbiology work (media preparation, solution preparation, culture maintenance, microscopic measurements), plant work (plant evaluation, seeding, potting, inoculations, watering, fertilizing, photography), molecular work (DNA extractions, DNA quantification, PCR, electrophoresis), computer work (data entry, data management), safety and research ethics training. All graduate students and postdocs involved in this project have had the opportunity to present their research at state and national conferences. Undergraduate students have presented their work at state conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of this project have been disseminated via scientific publications, oral and poster presentations, agent trainings, and field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have provided multiple training opportunities to growers, extension agents, agricultural consultants, and homeowners, in diagnosis and control of vegetable diseases by development of web-based resources, fact sheets, pest alerts, vegetable production guides, field days, grower meeting presentations, workshops, and diagnostics of samples. These resources provide updated management recommendations for vegetable diseases to avoid losses due to disease. Our web-based tools have implemented feedback systems to establish the impact of individual posts. The impact of posts is determined by counting the number of people that read the post using the Google analytics tool implemented in the NCSU websites. Collectively our posts from the extension portal and our lab website have had over 13,000 readers. We also have over 3,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn combined. In collaboration with the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic we identified three vegetable pathogens that have not been previously reported in NC: Plectosporium blight of pumpkin and squash, Cladosporium leaf spot of spinach, and Fusarium bulb rot of garlic. Our research also made the first report in the United States of a new species of downy mildew, Plasmopara australis, capable of infecting Luffa, a cucurbit crop. We also reported three new hosts for the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen and reported hop powdery mildew for the first time in NC. We provided host resistance information for management of Phytophthora capsici infecting pepper, tomato, watermelon, and eggplant; Fusarium infecting maize, watermelon, and sweetpotato; Colletotrichum infecting watermelon; and downy mildew infecting cucumber. We have monitored fungicide resistance for Phytopthhora capsici (blight of peppers and cucurbits), Ceratocystis fimbriata (sweetpotato black rot), Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (wilt of watermelon), Colletotrichum orbiculare (cucurbit anthracnose), Pseudoperonospora cubensis (cucurbit downy mildew), and Pseudoperonospora humuli (hop downy mildew). We are the state collaborators for the Cucurbit Downy Mildew IPM PIPE and the USA blight national alert systems. By deploying sentinel plots, providing diagnostics, disease alerts, and reporting outbreaks in the state, we saved growers approximately 4-6 fungicide sprays during the growing season (Fungicide sprays can be about $30 -$50 per acre, per application, per product depending on the product). According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, North Carolina has approximately 8,499 acres of cucumbers, 1,509 acres of melons, 2,514 acres of pumpkins, 2,531 acres of squash, and 5,498 acres of watermelon. Thus, these disease-monitoring efforts would translate into a $2.5 to $6 million in savings for NC cucurbit growers. We have received very positive feedback about our extension efforts from extension agents, consultants, and growers via personal communications, emails directly sent to our department head and evaluations provided at the end of workshops and field days. Our research was instrumental in the release of new control tools for cucurbit downy mildew: the new fungicide Orondis and the tolerant pickling cucumber varieties Citadel and Peacemaker, which have been tested by our lab in collaboration with the companies that developed them. We assisted several watermelon, squash, and pepper growers in the state in reducing losses to Phytophthora capsici due to infested irrigation water. Through our research, we determined if irrigation sources were infested with P. capsici and provided a management plan depending on the findings. Our recommendations reduced fruit losses from 80% to 20% for two of the largest watermelon and squash growers in the state. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, North Carolina has approximately 8,499 acres of cucumbers ($22 million value), 1,509 acres of melons ($8.4 million value), 2,514 acres of pumpkins ($6.8 million value), 2,531 acres of squash ($7 million value), 5,498 acres of watermelon ($30.6 million value), and 2,635 acres of peppers ($26 million value). All of these hosts are susceptible to P. capsici, but in the specific cases of the watermelon (300 acres) and squash growers (120 acres), this translated into estimated NC grower savings of almost $1 million and $200,000 in watermelon and squash, respectively. We assisted the sweetpotato industry during the black rot epidemic that started in 2015 and continues to date by providing emergency training and obtaining an emergency Section 18 label for an effective fungicide. Our efforts reduced losses from 40% to 5% due to the disease according to the NC Sweetpotato Commission. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, North Carolina has approximately 86,000 acres of sweetpotato ($331.7 million value), thus, resulted in an estimated $116 million in NC sweetpotato grower savings that continue to improve.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rahman A., Miles T. D., Martin F. N., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2017) Molecular approaches for development of biosurveillance tools for the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 39: 282-296. *Invited review paper Thomas A., Carbone I., Choe K., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Ojiambo P. (2017) Resurgence of cucurbit downy mildew in the United States: Insights from comparative genomic analysis of Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Ecology and Evolution 7: 6231-6246. Scruggs A. C., Basaiah T., Adams M. L., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2017) Genetic diversity, fungicide sensitivity, and host resistance to Ceratocystis fimbriata infecting sweetpotato in North Carolina. Plant Disease 101: 994-1001. Wallace E. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2017) Analysis of microsatellites from the transcriptome of downy mildew pathogens and their application for characterization of Pseudoperonospora populations. PeerJ 5: e3266. Kousik C. S., Ji P., Egel D., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2017) Fungicide rotation schemes for managing Phytophthora fruit rot of watermelon across Southeastern United States. Plant Health Progress 18: 28-34.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Withers S., Gongora-Castillo E., Gent D., Thomas A., Ojiambo P., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Using next-generation sequencing to develop molecular diagnostics for Pseudoperonospora cubensis, the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen. Phytopathology 106: 1105-1116. Scruggs, A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Cultural, chemical, and alternative control strategies for Rhizopus soft rot of sweetpotato. Plant Disease 100: 1532-1540. Scruggs, A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Etiology and epidemiological conditions promoting Fusarium root rot in sweetpotato. Phytopathology 106: 909-919. Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Al-Haddad J., Scruggs A.S, Trail F., and Buell R. (2016) Susceptibility of corn to stalk rot caused by Fusarium graminearum and mycotoxin mutants. Phytopathology 106: 920-927. Wolfenbarger S. N., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Gent D. H. (2016) Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera macularis on hop (Humulus lupulus L.) in North Carolina. Plant Disease 100: 1245. Naegele R. P., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Kurjan J. D, Saude C., and Hausbeck M. K. (2016) Regional and temporal population structure of Pseudoperonospora cubensis in Michigan and Ontario. Phytopathology 106: 372-379. Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Vargas A., Naegele R. P., Francis D. M., and Hausbeck M. K. (2016) Resistance to crown and root rot caused by Phytophthora capsici in a tomato advanced backcross of Solanum habrochaites and Solanum lycopersicum. Plant Disease 100: 829-835. Wallace E., Choi Y. J., Thines M., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) First report of Plasmopara aff. australis on Luffa cylindrica in the United States. Plant Disease 100: 537.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wallace E., Adams M., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) First report of downy mildew on buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis in North Carolina. Plant Disease 99: 1861. Rodriguez-Salamanca L. M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Naegele R. P., and Hausbeck M. (2015) Characterization, epidemiology, and management of anthracnose in celery. Plant Disease 99: 1832-1840. Ojiambo P. S., Gent D. H., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Hausbeck M. K., and Holmes G. J. (2015) Epidemiology and population biology of Pseudoperonospora cubensis: A model system for management of downy mildews. Annual Review of Phytopathology 53: 223-246. Cohen Y., Van den Langenberg K. M., Wehner T., Ojiambo P., Hausbeck M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Lebeda A., Sierotzki H., and Gisi U. (2015) Resurgence of Pseudoperonospora cubensis - the agent of cucurbit downy mildew. Phytopathology 105: 998-1012. Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Withers S., Butler S., Birdsell T., and Schultheis J. (2015) First report of Plectosporium blight on pumpkin and squash caused by Plectosporium tabacinum in North Carolina. Plant Disease 99: 724. Kousik C. S., Parada C., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) First report of Phytophthora fruit rot on bitter gourd (Mormordica charantia) and sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) caused by Phytophthora capsici. Plant Health Progress 16: 93-94. Holmes G., Ojiambo P., Hausbeck M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Keinath A. P. (2015) Resurgence of cucurbit downy mildew in the United States: A watershed event for research and extension. Plant Disease 99: 428-441.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Scruggs, A. C., Butler S., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) First report of Cladosporium leaf spot of spinach caused by Cladosporium variabile in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1741. Wallace E., Adams M., Ivors K., Ojiambo P., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) First report of Pseudoperonospora cubensis causing cucurbit downy mildew on Momordica blasamina and M. charantia in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1279. Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Butler S., Withers S., and Ivors K. (2014) First report of Fusarium rot of garlic bulbs caused by Fusarium proliferatum in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1009. Naegele R. P., Boyle S., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Hausbeck M. K. (2014) Genetic diversity, population structure, and resistance to Phytophthora capsici of a worldwide collection of eggplant germplasm. PLoS ONE 9(5): e95930. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0095930.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientists, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, extension specialists, extension agents, agricultural consultants, growers, packers, processors, crop protection companies, seed companies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Personnel participating in this project included technicians Michael Adams, Elsa Gongora, Hunter Collins; postdocs Liliana Cano, Alamgir Rahman, Edwin Palencia; graduate students Emma Wallace, Andrew Scruggs, Nathan Miller, Camilo Parada, Nicholas Noel, Kim D'Arcangelo, Madison Stahr; and undergraduate students Abel Walker, Lynde Ring, Emily Keller, Zachary Shea, Jesse Yamagata, Aidan Shands, Kelsey Wynne, and Laura Williams. Personnel have been trained in plant pathology research including but not limited to: lab maintenance (dish washing, stocking plastic ware and glassware), field work (driving to field plots, seeding, harvesting, preparing fungicide solutions, collecting samples from field, scouting plants), microbiology work (media preparation, solution preparation, culture maintenance, microscopic measurements), plant work (plant evaluation, seeding, potting, inoculations, watering, fertilizing, photography), molecular work (DNA extractions, DNA quantification, PCR, electrophoresis), computer work (data entry, data management), safety and research ethics training. All graduate students and postdocs involved in this project have had the opportunity to present their research at state and national conferences. Undergraduate students have presented their work at state conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of this project have been disseminated via scientific publications, oral and poster presentations, agent trainings, and field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue our research and extension activities to improve disease management in vegetable crops in North Carolina with an emphasis on sweetpotato and cucurbit crops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We provided training to growers, homeowners, extension agents, and agricultural consultants in diagnosis and control of vegetable diseases by development of web-based resources, fact sheets, pest alerts, vegetable production guides, field days, grower meeting presentations, county workshops, and diagnostics of samples. Our web-based resources in the extension portal and our lab website had over 13,000 readers. We also have over 2,900 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn combined. In collaboration with the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic we provided diagnostics and management recommendations for over 100 samples submitted to the clinic in 2016. We identified a new downy mildew pathogen affecting cucurbits and reported powdery mildew of hop as a new disease for North Carolina. We provided information regarding resistant varieties for Phytophthora capsici infecting tomato and Fusarium graminearum infecting maize. We developed novel diagnostic and early detection tools for the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis. We provided cultural management recommendations for Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizopus stolonifer infecting sweetpotatoes postharvest. We identified new Fusarium species, such as Fusarium graminearum, as pathogens of sweetpotato postharvest. We determined that Fusarium proliferatum is capable of producing mycotoxins when infecting sweetpotatoes postharvest. As the state collaborators for the Cucurbit Downy Mildew IPM PIPE and the USA blight national alert systems and by deploying sentinel plots, providing diagnostics, disease alerts, and reporting outbreaks in the state, we saved growers approximately 4-6 fungicide sprays during the growing season (Fungicide sprays can be about $30 -$50 per acre, per application, per product depending on the product). We provided chemical control recommendations and established field trials for diseases such as cucurbit downy mildew, tomato early blight, tomato late blight, cucurbit powdery mildew, Sclerotinia drop of lettuce, and Phytophthora blight of pepper. Our research was critical in the release of new control tools for cucurbit downy mildew such as the new fungicide Orondis and the tolerant pickling cucumber varieties Citadel and Peacemaker, which have been tested by our lab in collaboration with the companies that developed them. We continue to assist the United States and North Carolina sweetpotato industry with the ongoing black rot epidemic by providing training, obtaining an emergency Section 18 label for an effective fungicide, and identifying new and effective control methods. Our efforts reduced losses from 80% to 5% due to the disease.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Withers S., Gongora-Castillo E., Gent D., Thomas A., Ojiambo P., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Using next-generation sequencing to develop molecular diagnostics for Pseudoperonospora cubensis, the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen. Phytopathology 106: 1105-1116.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Cano L. M., Withers S, Gent D., Bowman M., Childs K. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Genome sequence and effector repertoire of the hop downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora humuli. Phytopathology 106: S4.7.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wallace E., Choi Y. J., Thines M., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) First report of Plasmopara aff. australis on Luffa cylindrica in the United States. Plant Disease 100: 537.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Vargas A., Naegele R. P., Francis D. M., and Hausbeck M. K. (2016) Resistance to crown and root rot caused by Phytophthora capsici in a tomato advanced backcross of Solanum habrochaites and Solanum lycopersicum. Plant Disease 100: 829-835.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Naegele R. P., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Kurjan J. D, Saude C., and Hausbeck M. K. (2016) Regional and temporal population structure of Pseudoperonospora cubensis in Michigan and Ontario. Phytopathology 106: 372-379.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wolfenbarger S. N., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Gent D. H. (2016) Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera macularis on hop (Humulus lupulus L.) in North Carolina. Plant Disease 100: 1245.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Al-Haddad J., Scruggs A., Trail F., and Buell R. (2016) Susceptibility of corn to stalk rot caused by Fusarium graminearum and mycotoxin mutants. Phytopathology 106: 920-927.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Scruggs, A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Etiology and epidemiological conditions promoting Fusarium root rot in sweetpotato. Phytopathology 106: 909-919.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Scruggs, A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Cultural, chemical, and alternative control strategies for Rhizopus soft rot of sweetpotato. Plant Disease 100: 1532-1540.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Kousik C.S., Egel D., Ji P., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Fungicide rotation schemes and Melcast for managing Phytophthora fruit rot of watermelon in Southeastern United States. Phytopathology 106: S4.68.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller N. F. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for management of Fusarium wilt of watermelon. Phytopathology 106: S4.2.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Noel N. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Fungicide resistance and host susceptibility of Colletotrichum orbiculare infecting cucurbit crops in North Carolina. Phytopathology 106: S4.36.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Parada-Rojas C. H. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of commercial hot and bell pepper cultivars for resistance to Phytophthora capsici. Phytopathology 106: S4.96.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Palencia E. R. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Susceptibility of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars to fungal and bacterial diseases. Phytopathology 106: S4.49.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Rahman A. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Early detection and quantification of Pseudoperonospora cubensis airborne sporangia using real-time PCR. Phytopathology 106: S4.116.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wallace E. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Pseudoperonospora cubensis on commercial and non-commercial cucurbits in North Carolina: population structure determine by simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Phytopathology 106: S4.12.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of late blight on tomato, Cleveland 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V075.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Cleveland 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V085.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Kinston 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V086.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Ed, (2016) Disease control for commercial vegetables. North Carolina Agricultural and Chemicals Manual.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Section 18 label approved for Mertect to control black rot postharvest on sweetpotato in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. August 16, 2016.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L., Noel N. A., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Clayton 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V084.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of early blight on tomato, Cleveland 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V074.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of Phytophthora blight of pepper, Jackson Springs 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V088.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L., Noel N. A., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of Sclerotinia drop of lettuce, Kinston 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V087.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2016) Evaluation of fungicides for control of powdery mildew of winter squash, Cleveland 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports 10: V076.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Watermelon downy mildew reported in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. June 17, 2016.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Cucumber downy mildew reported in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. June 1, 2016.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Keep an eye out for gummy stem blight in watermelons. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. May 5, 2016.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Emergency section 18 label approved for Mertect to control black rot postharvest on sweetpotato in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. January 11, 2016.


Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientists, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, extension specialists, extension agents, agricultural consultants, growers, packers, processors, crop protection companies, seed companies Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have provided training to growers, homeowners, extension agents and agricultural consultants in diagnosis and control of vegetable diseases by development of web-based resources, fact sheets, pest alerts, vegetable production guides, field days, grower meeting presentations, county workshops, and diagnostics of samples. These resources provide updated management recommendations for vegetable diseases to avoid losses due to disease. Our web-based tools have implemented feedback systems to establish the impact of individual posts. The impact of posts is determined by counting the number of people that read the post using the google analytics tool implemented in the NCSU websites. Collectively our posts from the extension portal and our lab website have had over 13,000 readers. We also have over 2,500 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn combined. In collaboration with the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic we identified a vegetable pathogen that had not been previously reported and provided diagnostics and management recommendations for over 300 samples submitted to the clinic in 2015. We also reported new hosts for the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen and provided information about epidemiology of celery anthracnose via publications. We are the state collaborators for the Cucurbit Downy Mildew IPM PIPE and the USA blight national alert systems. By deploying sentinel plots, providing diagnostics, disease alerts, and reporting outbreaks in the state, we saved growers approximately 4-6 fungicide sprays during the growing season (Fungicide sprays can be about $30 -$50 per acre, per application, per product depending on the product). Our research was helpful in the release of new control tools for cucurbit downy mildew such as the new fungicide Orondis and the tolerant pickling cucumber varieties Citadel and Peacemaker, which have been tested by our lab in collaboration with the companies that developed them. We assisted two of the largest watermelon and squash growers in the state reduce losses to Phytophthora capsici due to infested irrigation water. Our recommendations reduced fruit losses from 80% to 10%. We continue to work with these industries to further reduce P. capsici infection. We assisted the sweetpotato industry during the black rot epidemic of 2015 by providing training and obtaining an emergency Section 18 label for an effective fungicide. Our efforts reduced losses from 40% to 5% due to the disease.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Holmes G., Ojiambo P., Hausbeck M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Keinath A. P. (2015) Resurgence of cucurbit downy mildew in the United States: A watershed event for research and extension. Plant Disease 99: 428-441.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Kousik C. S., Parada C., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) First report of Phytophthora fruit rot on bitter gourd (Mormordica charantia) and sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) caused by Phytophthora capsici. Plant Health Progress 16: 93-94.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Withers S., Butler S., Birdsell T., and Schultheis J. (2015) First report of Plectosporium blight on pumpkin and squash caused by Plectosporium tabacinum in North Carolina. Plant Disease 99: 724.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Cohen Y., Van den Langenberg K. M., Wehner T., Ojiambo P., Hausbeck M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Lebeda A., Sierotzki H., and Gisi U. (2015) Resurgence of Pseudoperonospora cubensis  the agent of cucurbit downy mildew. Phytopathology 105: 998-1012.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ojiambo P. S., Gent D. H., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Hausbeck M. K., and Holmes G. J. (2015) Epidemiology and population biology of Pseudoperonospora cubensis: A model system for management of downy mildews. Annual Review of Phytopathology 53: 223-246.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rodriguez-Salamanca L. M., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Naegele R. P., and Hausbeck M. (2015) Characterization, epidemiology, and management of anthracnose in celery. Plant Disease 99: 1832-1840.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wallace E., Adams M., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) First report of downy mildew on buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis in North Carolina. Plant Disease 99: 1861.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Cano L. M., Scruggs A., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Effector discovery in the necrotrophic fungal plant pathogen Rhizopus stolonifer. Phytopathology 105: S4.23.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Cano L. M., Withers S, Gent D., Noel N., Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Discovery of effectors in the hop downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora humuli. Phytopathology 105: S4.24.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Naegele R. P., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Kurjan J., Saude C., and Hausbeck M. K. (2015) Spatiotemporal population structure of Pseudoperonospora cubensis isolates in Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Phytopathology 105: S4.99.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Scruggs, A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Epidemiological conditions promoting Rhizopus soft rot and Fusarium root rot of sweetpotato. Phytopathology 105: S4.125.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller N. F., Cano L. M., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Development of microsatellite markers in the watermelon pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum using comparative genomics. Phytopathology 105: S4.96.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wallace E. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Validation of transcript SSR markers in Pseudoperonospora cubensis from commercial and non-commercial cucurbits. Phytopathology 105: S4.143.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Withers S., Gongora-Castillo E., Gent D. H., and Ojiambo P. S. (2015) Using next-generation sequencing to develop species-specific molecular diagnostics for cucurbit downy mildew. Phytopathology 105: S4.114.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Del Castillo Munera J., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Rojas A., Chilvers M., and Hausbeck M. K. (2015) Population structure of Phythium ultimum from greenhouse floral crops in Michigan. Phytopathology 105: S4.34.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Clayton 2014. PDMR 9: V087.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Cleveland 2014. PDMR 9: V086.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L., Parada C. H., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Kinston I 2014. PDMR 9: V081.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L., Parada C. H., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Kinston II 2014. PDMR 9: V085.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of Phytophthora blight of pepper, Jackson Springs 2014. PDMR 9: V084.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of late blight on tomato, Cleveland 2014. PDMR 9: V083.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams M. L., Thornton A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2015) Evaluation of fungicides for control of anthracnose and gummy stem blight of watermelon, Sampson County 2014. PDMR 9: V082.
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Southeastern Vegetable Extension Workers. Kemble J., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Lewis Ivey M., Jennings K. M., and Walgenbach J. F., Eds. (2015) Southeastern US 2015 Vegetable Crop Handbook.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Ed, (2015) Disease control for commercial vegetables. North Carolina Agricultural and Chemicals Manual.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Basil downy mildew reported in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. July 7, 2015.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wallace E. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Cucurbit downy mildew reported in North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. June 15, 2015.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Cucurbit downy mildew in FL, GA, and SC. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. May 29, 2015.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Controlling gummy stem blight on watermelon. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. May 27, 2015.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Preventing sweetpotato black rot and scurf. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. May 6, 2015.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. Potato late blight found in Eastern North Carolina. Extension Plant Pathology Portal. June 12, 2015.


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Commercial and home growers of vegetables, hop, impatiens, and basil; packers; extension personnel; plant pathology graduate and undergraduate students; plant pathologists; plant breeders; genomicists; plant biologists; agricultural consultants; seed companies; and crop protection companies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Project Director: Lina Quesada, North Carolina State University, performed field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments, provided recommendations about disease management to growers through the clinic, presentations during field days, grower meetings, county workshops, and extension and scientific publications, and provided oversight and management to the project. She attended several extension and scientific meetings to present the lab’s research. Research Specialist: Mike Adams, North Carolina State University, performed field experiments to test management strategies for vegetable diseases and provided recommendations to growers through presentations during field days, grower meetings, county workshops, and extension publications. He was trained in the biology of Phytophthora capsici on pepper and watermelon and attended several meetings to present his research. Research Assistant: Saunia Withers, North Carolina State University, performed greenhouse and laboratory experiments to identify novel disease management strategies for vegetable pathogens. She was trained in the biology of downy mildew pathogens, genomics, and bioinformatics. She attended several meetings to present her research. Research Assistant: Nicholas Noel, North Carolina State University, performed greenhouse and laboratory experiments to identify novel disease management strategies for vegetable pathogens. He was trained in general biology of vegetable pathogens. Postdoctoral Researcher: Liliana Cano, North Carolina State University, performed laboratory experiments to identify novel disease management strategies for downy mildew pathogens. She was trained in the biology of downy mildew pathogens, genomics, and bioinformatics. Graduate Student: Emma Wallace, North Carolina State University, was trained in the biology of cucurbit downy mildew and she attended several meetings to present her research. Graduate Student: Andrew Scruggs, North Carolina State University, was trained in the biology of sweetpotato postharvest diseases and he attended several meetings to present his research. Graduate Student: Nathan Miller, North Carolina State University, was trained in the biology of Fusarium infecting cucurbit crops. Undergraduate Student: Camilo Parada, North Carolina State University, was trained in the biology of Phytophthora capsici and he attended a national meetings to present his research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results have been disseminated through websites, social media, oral and poster presentations of research results during extension (grower meetings, county workshops, production meetings, and field days among others) and scientific meetings, and publication of book chapters, peer reviewed research articles, and abstracts in conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Research in the lab is focused on vegetable diseases of economic importance in North Carolina and the US. Our main goal is to improve pathogen diagnostics and disease control strategies to ensure the long-term success of the North Carolina vegetable growers. Specific projects we will be focusing on include: improving diagnostic capabilities for downy mildews; identifying sources of resistance in corn to infection by the mycotoxigenic fungus Fusarium graminearum; increasing our understanding of the cucurbit downy mildew epidemic in the US by characterizing isolate genetic diversity and investigating the role of natural reservoirs; and establishing epidemiological factors of importance during progression of sweetpotato postharvest diseases and develop control strategies. Extension activities in the lab will be focused on delivering information to vegetable stakeholders about diagnostics and control of vegetable pathogens. We will use web-based resources, extension publications, workshops, grower group presentations, and field days to deliver educational programs. We will continue to provide diagnostic support and recommendations for vegetable samples submitted to the clinic. We will continue to conduct vegetable disease control demonstration trials in collaboration with growers and industry to improve pathogen management recommendations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Through our extension role we have provided training to growers, homeowners, extension agents, and agricultural consultants in diagnosis and control of vegetable diseases by development of web-based resources, fact sheets, pest alerts, vegetable guides, field days, grower meeting presentations, county workshops, and diagnostics of samples. Our web-based tools have implemented feedback systems to establish the impact of individual posts. The impact of posts is determined by counting the number of people that read the post using the google analytics tool implemented in the NCSU websites. Collectively our posts from the extension portal and our lab website have had over 13,000 readers. We also have over 1,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN combined. We trained approximately 20 extension agents and 600 growers in vegetable disease diagnostics and control at county workshops, field days, grower group meetings, and a regional vegetable research meeting. We also generated free and online vegetable production guides, which are used by growers, homeowners, extension agents, and consultants to obtain updated fungicide and cultural management recommendations for vegetable diseases, and avoid losses due to disease. We have assisted the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in the diagnosis over 500 vegetable samples submitted by growers, homeowners, extension agents and consultants. Through our role assisting the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in the diagnosis of vegetable disease samples, we identified two vegetable pathogens that have not been previously reported in North Carolina: Fusarium bulb rot of garlic and Cladosporium leaf spot of spinach. We also reported new hosts for the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen and provided information on host resistance of eggplant to Phytophthora capsici. We are the state collaborators for the Cucurbit Downy Mildew IPM PIPE national alert system and provided technical support for three sentinel plots in NC. Thanks to our efforts to engage growers, extension agents and consultants in reporting cucurbit downy mildew outbreaks, we confirmed over 60 reports for the cucurbit downy mildew IPM pipe during 2014. We have received positive feedback about our extension efforts from extension agents, consultants, and growers via personal communications, emails directly sent to our department head and evaluations provided at the end of workshops and field days. Through our involvement deploying sentinel plots, providing diagnostics, disease alerts, and reporting outbreaks in the state, we saved growers approximately 4-6 fungicide sprays during the growing season (Fungicide sprays can be about $30 -$50 per acre, per application, per product depending on the product).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Naegele R. P., Boyle S., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., and Hausbeck M. K. (2014) Genetic diversity, population structure, and resistance to Phytophthora capsici of a worldwide collection of eggplant germplasm. PLoS ONE 9(5): e95930. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095930.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Butler S., Withers S., and Ivors K. (2014) First report of Fusarium rot of garlic bulbs caused by Fusarium proliferatum in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1009.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wallace E., Adams M., Ivors K., Ojiambo P., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) First report of Pseudoperonospora cubensis causing cucurbit downy mildew on Momordica balsamina and M. charantia in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1279.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Scruggs A. C., Butler S., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) First report of Cladosporium leaf spot of spinach caused by Cladosporium variabile in North Carolina. Plant Disease 98: 1741.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Disease control for commercial vegetables. North Carolina Agricultural and Chemicals Manual.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L., Thornton A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Sampson County 2013. PDMR 8: V238.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L., Thornton A. C. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of anthracnose and gummy stem blight of watermelon, Sampson County 2013. PDMR 8: V242.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of Sclerotinia drop of lettuce, Waynesville County 2013. PDMR 8: V244.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of powdery mildew of winter squash, Waynesville County 2013. PDMR 8: V243.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Kinston 2013. PDMR 8: V240.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Clinton 2013. PDMR 8: V241.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Adams M. L. and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. (2014) Evaluation of fungicides for control of downy mildew on cucumber, Clayton 2013. PDMR 8: V239.


Progress 03/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Growers, packers, extension personnel, plant pathologists, plant breeders, genomicists, plant biologists and graduate students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Project Director: Lina Quesada, North Carolina State University, performed field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments, as well as oversight and management to the project; Research Specialist: Mike Adams, North Carolina State University, performed field experiments to test management strategies for vegetable diseases and provide recommendations to growers through presentations during field days, grower meetings, county workshops and publication of Plant Disease Management Reports; Graduate Student: Emma Wallace, North Carolina State University, was trained in laboratory safety, sterile technique, setup and maintenance of field experiments, handling and storage of downy mildew pathogens, infection assays with downy mildew pathogens, diagnostics of downy mildew and Phytophthora capsici on cucurbits, and molecular techniques for identification and population studies of plant pathogens. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results have been disseminated through websites, oral presentations of research results, and publication of book chapters, research articles, and abstracts in conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Research in the lab is focused on vegetable diseases of economic importance in North Carolina and the US. Our main goal is to improve pathogen diagnostics and disease control strategies to ensure the long-term success of the North Carolina vegetable growers. Specific projects we will be focusing on include: improving diagnostic capabilities for downy mildews; identifying sources of resistance in corn to infection by the mycotoxigenic fungus Fusarium graminearum; increasing our understanding of the cucurbit downy mildew epidemic in the US by characterizing isolate genetic diversity and investigating the role of natural reservoirs; and establishing epidemiological factors of importance during progression of sweetpotato postharvest diseases and develop control strategies. Extension activities in the lab will be focused on delivering information to vegetable stakeholders about diagnostics and control of vegetable pathogens. We will use web-based resources, extension publications, workshops, grower group presentations, and field days to deliver educational programs. We will continue to provide diagnostic support and recommendations for vegetable samples submitted to the clinic. We will continue to conduct vegetable disease control demonstration trials in collaboration with growers and industry to improve pathogen management recommendations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Through our extension role we have provided training to growers, homeowners, extension agents and agricultural consultants in diagnosis and control of vegetable diseases by development of web-based resources, fact sheets, pest alerts, vegetable guides, field days, grower meeting presentations, county workshops, and diagnostics of samples. Our web-based tools have implemented feedback systems to establish the impact of individual posts. The impact of posts is determined by counting the number of people that read the post using the google analytics tool implemented in the NCSU websites. Collectively our posts from the extension portal and our lab website have had over 3,000 readers. We also have over 700 followers on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN combined. We trained thirty extension agents and approximately 90 growers in vegetable disease diagnostics and control at a statewide Extension Conference and three county workshops. We also trained approximately 300 growers during the Mountain Research Station field day (Waynesville, NC), the Tomato and Vegetable field day (Mills River, NC), and the Cucurbit field day (Laurel Springs, NC). These resources are used by growers, homeowners, extension agents, and consultants to obtain updated fungicide and cultural management recommendations for vegetable diseases, and avoid losses due to disease. We have assisted the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in the diagnosis over 180 vegetable samples, and have provided cucurbit downy mildew diagnostics at no charge for 29 samples submitted to the lab by growers, extension agents and consultants. Through our role assisting the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in the diagnosis of vegetable disease samples, we identified two vegetable pathogens that have not been previously reported in North Carolina: Plectosporium blight of pumpkin and squash and Fusarium bulb rot of garlic. Plectosporium blight is an emergent pathogen that severely reduces the quality of squash and pumpkins by inducing numerous white spots on the fruit surface. A pumpkin grower in NC had a load of pumpkins rejected due to what was thought to be physical damage of the pumpkins, when in fact it was the characteristic symptoms of Plectosporium blight. Now that we can accurately diagnose the pathogen, we will be able to develop control strategies to avoid any grower losses. Fusarium bulb rot of garlic has been reported in other states in the US and has gained importance due to the potential for food safety hazards. The causing pathogen, Fusarium proliferatum, is an active producer of mycotoxins, thus, establishing if a garlic bulb is infected with this fungus is of outmost importance. A garlic and onion grower in NC had a low incidence of the pathogen, but was concerned about an increase in incidence and the effect it could have on the operation. The pathogen is a soilborne so we provided appropriate recommendations to the affected grower to reduce the inoculum load in their fields and hopefully avoid any future disease. We are the state collaborators for the Cucurbit Downy Mildew IPM PIPE national alert system and provided technical support for 9 sentinel plots in NC. Thanks to our efforts to engage growers, extension agents and consultants in reporting cucurbit downy mildew outbreaks, we confirmed over 50 reports for the cucurbit downy mildew IPM pipe during 2013, which corresponds to 40% more reports than those confirmed in 2012. We have received positive feedback about our extension efforts from extension agents, consultants and growers via personal communications, emails directly sent to our department head and evaluations provided at the end of workshops and field days. Through our involvement deploying sentinel plots, providing diagnostics, disease alerts, and reporting outbreaks in the state, we saved growers approximately 4-6 fungicide sprays during the growing season (Fungicide sprays can be about $30 -$50 per acre, per application, per product depending on the product).

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: L. M. Quesada-Ocampo, J. Al-Haddad, F. Trail and C. R. Buell (2013) Susceptibility of corn to stalk rot caused by Fusarium graminearum and mycotoxin mutants. Phytopathology 103:S2.117.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: L. L. Granke, L.M. Quesada-Ocampo, and M. K. Hausbeck (2013) Phytophthora capsici in the Eastern United States. Chapter 11. In: Phytophthora: a global perspective. K. Lamour, ed. CABI International. Boston, MA.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: J. Kemble, L.M. Quesada-Ocampo, K. Ivors, K. M. Jennings, and J. F. Walgenbach, Eds. (2014) Southeastern US 2014 Vegetable Crop Handbook.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Vegetable Pathology lab website. URL: http://go.ncsu.edu/veggiepathology/
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Extension Plant Pathology Portal. URL: http://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/