Jonathan D. Eisenback

Professor 103 Price Hall (0331) Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 Phone: (540) 231-4650 Fax: (540) 231-7477 E-Mail: jon at vt.edu

Education| Interests| Awards| Experience| Professional Societies| Selected Publications

Education

• Ph.D., Plant Pathology, North Carolina State Univ. (NCSU), Raleigh, N.C. 1979
• B.A., Biology, Bryan College, Dayton, Tenn., 1974

Research, Teaching, and Extension Interests

• Taxonomy of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.): My research focuses on the practical identification of the economically most important group of plant-parasitic nematodes. I am interested in light and scanning electron microscopy and molecular techniques for distinguishing the known species of root-knot nematode. Currently, six new species have been described in my lab and several more are currently being described.
• Taxonomy of the Virginia tobacco cyst nematodes (Globodera tabacum solanacearum and G. t. virginiae: Tobacco cyst nematode is the most important pathogen on tobacco in the state of Virginia. I am interested in useful characters that enable a correct identification of these subspecies. Currently my lab is utilizing light and scanning electron microscopy and molecular techniques. We are comparing several isolates including intergeneric hybrids of Globodera and Heterodera.
• Resistance to the Northern Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne hapla: Northern root-knot nematodes are the most common nematodes found parasitizing soybean in Virginia. More than 50% of the soybean fields in Virginia are infested with the northern root-knot nematode. Unfortunately there are few reports of resistance of soybean cultivars for the northern root-knot nematode. Generally, the cultivars that are resistant to root-knot nematodes, are resistant only to M. incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica. Most of these lines are susceptible to M. hapla or have not been tested for resistance to this pest.
• Interactive multimedia: I am actively pursuing the incorporation of this new computer technology into courses taught within the department, much of the material for my class has been developed into interactive multimedia.
• Resource development: Resources for teaching nematology are extremely scarce. I have created several items for my own classes and have made them available to others. These resources include posters, slide sets, videos, models, and lab manuals.

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Awards

• Ciba-Geigy Award for outstanding contributions to agriculture from the Society of Nematologists, 1996.
• Secretary, Society of Nematologists, 1994-1997.

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Experience

• Professor, Dept. Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., 1994-present.
• Associate Professor, Dept. Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., 1990-94
• Assistant Professor, Dept. Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., 1985-90
• Research Associate, International _Meloidogyne_ Project, Dept. Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, N.C., 1979-85
• Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. Plant Pathology, NCSU, Raleigh, N.C. 1975-79
• General Science Teacher, Ninth Grade, Rhea County Consolidated High School, Evensville, Tenn., 1974-75

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Professional Societies

• Society of Nematologists, 1975
• Organization of Tropical American Nematologists, 1979
• Southeastern Electron Microscopy Society, 1977
• Virginia Academy of Science, 1985
• American Phytopathological Society (APS), 1985
• Biological Photographic Association, 1986
• Gamma Sigma Delta, 1979
• Sigma Xi, 1979

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Selected Publications

• Eisenback, J. D., and H. Hirschmann. 2000. Additional notes on the morphology of Meloidogyne spartinae. Nematology 3:xxx-xxx (in press).
• Rideout, S., C. S. Johnson, J. D. Eisenback, and T. D. Reed. 2000. The Effect of Soil Edaphic and Biological Factors on Reproduction of the Tobacco Cyst Nematode (G. t. s.). Annals of Applied Nematology 32: xxx-xxx (in press)
• Zunke, U., and J. D. Eisenback. 2000. Mycopix, A journal of mycological images, Vol. 1. Plant-parasitic fungi. Mactode Publication: Blacksburg, VA. ISBN: 1-893961-09-5
• Rideout, S. , C. S. Johnson, J. D. Eisenback, and C. A. Wilkinson. 2000. Development of selected tobacco cyst nematode (Globodera tabacum solanacearum) populations on resistant and susceptible cultivars of flue-cured tobacco. Journal of Nematology 32:62-69.
• Eisenback, J. D. 2000. Techniques for measuring nematode development and egg production. Pp. 1-4, in, Laboratory Techniques in Nematode Ecology. Wheeler et al., eds. Society of Nematologists: Hyatsville, Md.
• Eisenback, J. D. 2000. Pin nematodes. Pp. xxx-xxx in The Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology, O. C. Maloy and T. D. Murray, eds., John Wiley Publishers, N.Y. (in press)
• Eisenback, J. D. 1999. Glossary of plant nematology and related terms. CAB International Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon, U.K. ISBN: 0-85199-226-9
• Eisenback, J. D., and U. Zunke. 1999. Image Library for Nematology. Expert-center for Taxonomic Identification. Springer-Verlag:Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• Eisenback, J. D., and U. Zunke. 1999. Nemapix Vol. 2, a journal of nematological images. Mactode Publications: Blacksburg, VA. ISBN: 1-893961-07-9
• Jie, Wang, C. S. Johnson, J. D. Eisenback, and T. D. Reed. 1999. Effects of tobacco cyst nematode on growth of flue-cured tobacco. Journal of Nematology 31: 336-333.
• Charchar, J. M., J. D. Eisenback and H. Hirschmann. 1999. Description of Meloidogyne petuniae n. sp., a Root-Knot Nematode Parasitic on Petunia (Petunia hybrida) in Brazil. Journal of Nematology 31:81-91.
• Eisenback, J. D. 1999. Videos for Teaching Nematology. Nematology Newsletter 44 (3): 28-33.
• Eisenback, J. D. 1999. Films for Teaching Nematology. Nematology Newsletter 44: (4): 26-30.

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