James H. Westwood

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Associate Professor

401 Latham Hall (0390)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Phone: (540) 231-7519
Fax: (540) 231-3347
E-Mail: westwood at vt.edu

Education| Research Interests| Research Support| Experience| Selected Publications

Education

  • Ph.D. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
  • M.S. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
  • B.A. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN.

Research Interests

I am interested in the biology and control of weeds, with a specific interest in the area of parasitic weeds. My research focuses on broomrapes (Orobanche spp.) and dodders (Cuscuta spp.), both of which are obligate parasites of crops and pose serious threats to agriculture in the US and around the world. The life cycles of these weeds incorporate several intriguing adaptations for parasitism, including a complex system of communication between parasite and host. Research projects include molecular-level characterization of host response to parasitization, development of model systems for parasitic weed biology, transfer of macromolecules among hosts and parasites, and strategies to enhance host resistance to parasitic weeds. I have additional interests in international agriculture, invasive weeds and herbicide resistance.

Selected Research Support

  • USDA
  • BARD (US-Israel Binational Fund)
  • BSF (US-Israel Binational Science Foundation)
  • USAID Integrated Pest Management CRSP
  • Jeffress Memorial Trust

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Experience

  • Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 2005 to present.
  • Assistant Professor (same), 1999 to 2005.
  • Research Scientist (same), 1997 to 1998.
  • Research Associate (same), 1994 to 1996.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 1989 to 1994.
  • Agricultural Extension Agent, (US Peace Corps) Mauritanian National Rural Development Society, Dar Es Salaam, Mauritania, 1986 to 1988.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 1982 to 1985.
  • Laboratory Technician, A.R.S./U.S.D.A. Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory, Fargo, ND, 1981 to 1982.

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Selected Publications

  1. Roney, J. K., P. A. Khatibi, and J. H. Westwood. 2007. Cross-species translocation of mRNA from host plants into the parasitic plant dodder. Plant Physiology. 143:1037-1043. http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/143/2/1037.
  2. Whaley, C. M., H. P. Wilson, and J. H. Westwood. 2007. A new mutation in plant ALS confers resistance to five classes of ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Weed Science 55:83-90.
  3. Joel, D.M., Bar, H., Mayer, A.M., Verdoucq, V., Welbaum, G. and Westwood, J. 2006. Chapter 31. Characterization of a dioxygenase gene with a potential role in steps leading to germination of the root parasite Orobanche aegyptiaca. In: Navie, S., Adkins, S. and Ashmore, S. (eds.) Seeds: Biology, Development and Ecology. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, pp. 296-305.
  4. Whaley, C. M., H. P. Wilson, and J. H. Westwood. 2006. ALS Resistance in several smooth pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus) biotypes. Weed Science. 54:828-832.
  5. Westwood, J. H. 2006. Natural products for control of the parasitic weed Orobanche. In: Natural Products for Pest Management, A. M. Rimando and S.O. Duke, eds. Amer. Chem. Soc. Symp. Ser. Vol. 927, pp 220-232, Amer. Chem. Soc., Washington, DC.
  6. Dembélé B., D. Dembélé and J. Westwood. 2005. Herbicide seed treatments for control of purple witchweed (Striga hermonthica) in sorghum and millet. Weed Technol. 19:629-635.
  7. Hamamouch, N., J. H. Westwood, I. Banner, C. L. Cramer, S. Gepstein, and R. Aly. 2005. A peptide from insects protects transgenic tobacco from a parasitic weed. Transgenic Research 14:227-236.
  8. Westwood, J. H. 2004. Parasitic weeds. Pages 864-867 In: R.M. Goodman, ed., Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science. Marcel Dekker, New York . 1300 pages. http://www.dekker.com/servlet/product/productid/E-EPCS.
  9. Griffitts, A. A., C. L. Cramer, and J. H. Westwood. 2004. Host gene expression in response to Egyptian broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca). Weed Science, 52:697-703.
  10. Westwood, J. H. 2004. Molecular aspects of host-parasite interactions: Opportunities for engineering resistance to parasitic weeds. Pages 177-198 In: Inderjit, ed., Principles and Practices in Weed Management: Weed Biology & Weed Management. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 566 pp.
  11. Goldwasser, Y., J. H. Westwood, and J. I. Yoder. April 4, 2002. The use of Arabidopsis to study interactions between parasitic angiosperms and their plant hosts. In: C.R. Somerville and E.M. Meyerowitz, eds., The Arabidopsis Book. American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, MD , doi/10.1199/tab.0035, http://www.aspb.org/publications/arabidopsis/.
  12. Westwood, J. H. 2000. Characterization of the Orobanche-Arabidopsis system for studying parasite-host interactions. Weed Science 48:742-748.
  13. Westwood, J. H., X. Yu, C. L. Foy and C. L. Cramer. 1998. Expression of defense-related 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase in response to parasitization by Orobanche. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 11:530-536.

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