Bio

My research interests involve the biology, epidemiology, and management of diseases affecting corn, cotton, and tobacco in North Carolina. My goal is to support the needs of field crop industries in the southeastern United States by utilizing laboratory, field, and greenhouse studies to evaluate and provide science-based solutions and integrate pest management strategies for stakeholders. My primary focus is on highly destructive, soil-borne diseases of tobacco, including black shank (Phytophthora nicotianae), bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum), and target spot (Rhizoctonia solani), as well as emerging diseases in corn and cotton. In addition to my work on traditional field crops, I am exploring strawberries as an alternative crop for tobacco growers, focusing on disease management strategies for Neopestalotiopsis in strawberries to enhance sustainable production.

Publications

• Pathogenicity of Ganoderma Species in California Agricultural and Native Hosts , Plant Disease (2026)
• 2025–2026 Burley and Dark Tobacco Production Guide , (2025)
• Bacterial Wilt Official Variety Test, Pee Dee Research and Education Center, Florence County, South Carolina, 2023 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Bacterial Wilt Official Variety Test, Pee Dee Research and Education Center, Florence County, South Carolina, 2024 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Black Shank Official Variety Test, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 2023 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Black Shank Official Variety Test, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 2024 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Corn Yield Loss Estimates Due to Diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada, from 2020 to 2023 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Disentangling Co-Occurring Pathogens: Lack of Significant Interaction Between Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Ganoderma adspersum in Almond Orchards , Plant Disease (2025)
• Evaluation of Corn Foliar Fungicides Against Gray Leaf Spot in North Carolina, 2024 , Plant Health Progress (2025)
• Evaluation of Cotton Foliar Fungicides Against Target Spot and Areolate Mildew in North Carolina, 2024 , Plant Health Progress (2025)

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