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Cooperative Extension
Responsibilities
My program consists of 80% extension and 20% research
responsibilities, and focuses on plant pathogens
of the diverse agricultural economy of western North
Carolina, including:
- Vegetables (primarily tomatoes and peppers)
- Ornamentals
- Burley tobacco
- Christmas trees
Current Projects
An
integral part of producing a profitable crop involves
proper disease monitoring and identification, followed
by the implementation of management programs that
focus on long-term prevention or suppression of pathogens.
Projects in my lab involve applied and molecular
disease diagnostics and epidemiology, evaluation
of fungicides and cultural control methodologies,
and integration of fungicides and host resistance
into management practices. Many of the pathosystems
I investigate involve Phytophthora species,
as Phytophthora affects all major crops
that I work on. Some specific research projects that
I am involved with include:
 |
- Effects of nitrogen rate on new burley
tobacco varieties, blue mold incidence, and
leaf yield and quality.
- Monitoring for dimethomorph resistance
and evaluation of fungicides for blue mold
control on burley tobacco
- Evaluation of alternative fungicides and
combined crop inputs for management of Phytophthora
blight on pepper
- Characterization of bacteria isolated from
atypically blighted tomato leaves in western
North Carolina
- Evaluating strategies for management of
Phytophthora root rot of Fraser fir
- Development of a Phytophthora database:
An integrated resource for detecting, monitoring,
and managing Phytophthora diseases. http://fppd.cbio.psu.edu/
|
For more information and selected publications,
go to Plant Pathology Department
faculty
page.
Experience
- Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department
of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
at the University of California, Berkeley -
conducted research on the genetics and detection
of Phytophthora ramorum, the causal agent of sudden
oak death.
- Faculty Research Assistant, USDA ARS Horticultural
Crops Research Laboratory located at Oregon State
University in Corvallis - conducted research on
soilborne pathogens of horticultural crops.
Education
- Ph.D. in Plant Pathology,
the Pennsylvania State University, 2001.
Dissertation research: "Characterization of Microbial
Diversity in Commercial Mushroom Substrate," directed
by Dr. David Beyer.
- M.S. in Plant Pathology, Texas A&M University,
1995. Thesis research: "Epidemiology and
Population Genetics of Ceratocystis fagacearum,"
directed by Dr. David Appel.
Awards
Mountain
Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
455 Research Drive
Mills River, NC 28759
Phone: 828-684-3562 ~ Fax: 828-684-8715
Email: kelly_ivors@ncsu.edu
Maintained by: Bryan A. Konsler
Updated February 28, 2012
