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Associate Professor 403 Latham Hall (0390) Phone: (540) 231-6943
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Education | Research and Teaching Interests |
Selected Publications
Crops in the U.S. are constantly threatened by plant pathogens, many of which can be transported over hundreds of kilometers in the atmosphere. One of the goals of the Schmale lab is to understand how plant pathogens are transported over long distances in the atmosphere. To do this, members of the Schmale lab have developed technologies with autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to sample plant pathogens in the air. The ability to track the movement of plant pathogens in the atmosphere is essential for establishing effective quarantine measures and forecasting disease spread. Another goal of the Schmale lab is to develop strategies to detect, monitor, and control mycotoxins (fungal chemicals that are harmful to domestic animals and humans) in feed and food products. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that over one quarter of the world's crops are affected by mycotoxins every year, with annual losses of around 1 billion metric tons of food. Members of the Schmale lab use gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to detect and quantify the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in small grains and barley ethanol co-products. This work has facilitated the development of wheat and barley cultivars with DON resistance and improved chemical and cultural practices that reduce DON contamination. Current work in the Schmale Lab is supported through grants from NSF, the USDA, the Virginia Small Grains Board, the United States Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, and the Virginia Agricultural Council. Dr. Schmale teaches an undergraduate course titled 'Mysterious Mushrooms, Malicious Molds (PPWS 2004)' and a portion of the graduate course 'Plant Pathogenic Agents (PPWS 5054)'. Dr. Schmale is a member of the Academy of Teaching Excellence at Virginia Tech. Click here to check out Dr. Schmale's Selected Refereed Publications.