The faculty possess a diverse range of expertise that allows the Department to address the concerns of both the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia and basic scientific research needs. The faculty research and extension activities range from work on practical problems associated with commodities to cutting-edge research techniques focused on basic scientific questions. Collaboration between the commodity-extension specialists and research faculty assures the transfer of new discoveries from the laboratory to practical solutions for the citizens of the Commonwealth. This Department addresses the teaching, research, and extension needs of three disciplines: plant pathology, plant physiology and weed science. Commodity areas that are addressed include major agronomic crops and horticultural plants.
Research | Extension | Teaching
The Department's research mission is to develop new scientific discoveries and technologies and apply these within the three disciplines. This mission addresses specific problems at the state, national, and international levels, as well as developing new knowledge and understanding of biological systems. The research in the Department stimulates and gives direction to its teaching and extension programs.
The Department's goals in research are to:
- Develop new concepts and principles in the disciplines of plant pathology, plant physiology, and weed science.
- Adapt these and other established principles to new situations for solutions of specific problems.
Our extension mission provides extension agents, growers, commodity groups, urban and suburban residents, business and industry with environmentally and economically sustainable information for use in plant disease and weed management. The Department also provides vital pest identification and diagnostic services. Much of the information employed in our extension mission is generated by research conducted within the Department. Emphasis is being placed on regional activities. For example, the Department's Pest Management Guides are being published in cooperation with extension faculty in Delaware and Maryland.
Extension by departmental specialists involves providing extension personnel, growers, commodity groups, urban and suburban residents, business, and industry with:
- A continuing source of knowledge relevant to plant disease and weed control.
- Identification, survey, and diagnostic services for these stakeholders.
Field test demonstrations are conducted and the results used to formulate recommendations for the control of diseases, nematodes, and weeds associated with agronomic crops, fruits, vegetables, turf, ornamentals, landscapes, aquatic and recreational areas, along highways, rights-of-way and other non-crop situations. Up-to-date information on plant protection is disseminated in the form of timely publications, news releases, radio and farm visits. A Plant Disease Clinic, Nematode Assay Lab, and Weed Identification Lab are operated by the Department to aid agricultural producers and other clients in the Commonwealth in solving problems related to plant diseases, abiotic problems, pesticide damage, nematodes, and weed identification and control.
The Department's teaching component offers courses in fundamental and applied plant pathology, physiology, and weed science for undergraduate and graduate students. The Department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology, plant physiology, or weed science. Our faculty participate and hold leadership roles in several interdepartmental undergraduate and graduate programs (Genetics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Cellular Biology and Biotechnology, and Molecular Plant Science programs).