Plantopia

In this episode, Dr. Christina Cowger, 2026 APS Fellow and Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her career working on cereal diseases across the U.S., the contemporary threats wheat producers face, and the management tools and cultivars that the USDA and others are helping to develop and deploy to maxi...

In this episode, Dr. Melanie Medina López, postdoctoral researcher in the Roman-Reyna Lab in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at Penn State University, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss phytobiomes, soybean cyst nematode, and biocontrol. She also discusses growing up in Puerto Rico, her time working on vaccine development, and her love of science. * Show Notes * Dr....

In this episode, former Plantopia host, Jim Bradeen, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss the origins and current state of APS's Plant Health podcast. In addition to providing a behind the scenes look of putting together a single episode, they also discuss some of their favorite memories and where they see the podcast headed as the search for a new host / co-host gets underway. * show notes * Feature...

In this episode, D.C. lobbyist Madeline Wade, M.P.P., partner and founder of Brumidi Group, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss all things lobbying including her firm’s role in working on behalf of APS to advance their policy priorities and implement meaningful policy actions. She also discusses her time on The Hill working under U.S. Representative Greg Walden, navigating the crowded D.C. political...

In this episode, Dr. Carrie Harmon (University of Florida), Dr. Matt Bertone (North Carolina State University), Dr. Alicyn Smart (University of Maine), and Dr. Peng Tian (University of Missouri) join host Matt Kasson to discuss the history and importance of National Plant Diagnostic Network, their various roles in the NPDN and the regional diagnostic networks, and their responsibilities as Directo...

In this episode, Dr. Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde, Assistant Professor of Host-Microbe Interactions in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his lab’s research program on multi-trophic interactions in vector-borne diseases in corn, soybean, and other crops. He also discusses growing up in Ecuador, his tim...

In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Power, Associate Professor Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on Ralstonia, her NSF CAREER Award, and her cohort based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focused on integrating the next generation of novel investigations of toxin ecology and evolution (IGNITE) in Ralstonia. She...

In this episode, Dr. Lina Quesada, William Neil Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Vegetable Pathology at North Carolina State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on downy mildews and sweet potato diseases. She also discusses her love of extension and how she connects her basic science research with growers’ needs. * Show Notes * Dr. Quesada’s NC State Universi...

In this episode, Dr. Jim Westwood, Professor of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss parasitic plants and his lab’s work on their novel structures and mechanisms for information exchange with their hosts. He also discusses his time in the Peace Corps in Mauritania and as a Fulbright Scholar in France along with ma...

In this episode, Dr. Libby Cieniewicz, Associate Professor of Plant Virology in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss general plant virology and her lab’s work in plant virus ecology and epidemiology across diverse fruit production systems. She also discusses the challenges of managing plant viruses and their disease vectors and...

In this episode, PhD student Isako (Izzi) Di Tomassi from the Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Program in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her formative research experiences as an early career plant pathologist, the challenges of losing her graduate advisor due to unprecedented reorganization across the USDA, and her motivatio...

In this episode, Dr. Bob Kemerait, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia, Tipton joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his long career as an extension plant pathologist working primarily on peanut and cotton diseases both across the southeastern U.S. and internationally in the Philippines, Haiti and Guyana. He discusses the busy life of an extension plant pathologist, the importanc...

In this episode, 2025 APS Fellow Dr. Carolyn Young, Professor of Plant Pathology and Department Head of Entomology and Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her non-traditional career path as a research scientist in New Zealand and the U.S. along with her passion for fungal endophytes, effectors and secondary metabolites, and phytobiomes. She also dis...

In this episode, Dr. Michael Boehm, Professor of Plant Pathology, Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his 2025 APS Fellow Award, his decades long career as an academic leader at both The Ohio State University and The University of Nebra...

In this episode, Dr. Tim Widmer, Plant Pathologist and former USDA ARS scientist and National Program Leader joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his 2025 APS Fellow Award, his career as a federal researcher focused on biological control and emerging pathogens, and his more recent role as USDA ARS program leader. He discusses the challenges that service-minded scientists face in today's changing poli...

In this episode, Dr. Karen Garrett, Preeminent Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida and current APS President joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her research journey and diverse research program on tropical and international agriculture, microbiomes, epidemiology and disease ecology among others. She discusses the various ways APS is supporting and advocating for its members du...

In this episode, Dr. Marisol Quintanilla, Assistant Professor of Nematology in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her research on plant parasitic nematodes in Michigan’s vegetable, fruit, and field crops. She discusses the various life strategies and management approaches for diverse nematodes threatening U.S. soybean, hops, and sugar beet p...

In this episode, Dr. Kranthi Mandadi, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco, Texas, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his basic and translational research of fastidious (unculturable) plant pathogens including the causal agents of citrus greening disease (HLB) and zebra chip disease. He talks about his lab's innovative appr...

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Castlebury, Research Mycologist and Leader of the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory with the USDA ARS and Director of the U.S. National Fungus Collections, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her long career with the U.S.D.A. A.R.S. and her lab’s role in identifying foreign and domestic plant pathogenic fungi and managing over a million access...

In this episode, Dr. Ilse Alejandra Huerta Arredondo, Assistant Professor of Agriculture at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss growing up in Mexico and her family ties to agriculture including her great grandfather's and grandfather's friendship with Norman Borlaug. Dr. Huerta Arredondo shares her academic journey in Mexico and in central Pennsylvania where...

In this episode, Dr. Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Research Plant Pathologist with The USDA Forest Service in Hamden, Connecticut, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss present day threats to U.S. forests and landscapes. Dr. Karlsen-Ayala shares her journey including her return to New England, mycorrhizal fungi, and how to build more resilient landscapes. Show notes Dr. Karlsen-Ayala Profile here: https://rese...

In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, Associate Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at The Ohio State University, joins host Matt Kasson from Uruguay where he is currently investigating emerging and ongoing threats to U.S. and Uruguay cereal production. Dr. Jacobs discusses he globe-trotting academic journey studying plant bacterial diseases in France, Belgium, Uruguay, and the U.S.A. along...

In this episode, Dr. Terence Mhora, Senior Global R&D Scientist at FMC Agricultural Solutions, joins host Matt Kasson for an insightful discussion on building an interdisciplinary career in plant pathology. Dr. Mhora shares how his upbringing in Zimbabwe sparked his passion for agriculture and led him down this path. The conversation delves into the critical balance between molecular research...

In this episode, Dr. Edel Pérez-López, Associate Professor of Phytopathology at Université Laval, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about growing up in Cuba, taking risks and navigating language and cultural barriers in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, and the challenges of working with understudied obligate parasitic protists and Mollicutes. * Show notes * Université Laval Faculty P...

In this episode, Dr. Niklaus Grunwald, Research Plant Pathologist with the Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about emerging phytophthora diseases, the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration in addressing global agricultural challenges, and exciting develo...