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Volume 3 Issue 4, April 2022
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See You at the National Meeting!
Visit the meeting webpage for details about the program, workshops, field trips, and to register.
Important Dates to Remember
- Last day to register for workshops and field trips April 15, 2022
- Last day to register online April 20, 2022
Photo credit: Frank Hale
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Protocols and Validation Quick and Useful Tips
Tips for Identifying Fusarium: Part 2: Sequence-based Identification
Emma C. Wallace1, Sara R. May1, Laura A. Miles2 and David M. Geiser1
1 The Pennsylvania State University, 2 Michigan State University
This article is the second in the series of Fusarium identification tips. Tips for Identifying Fusarium: Part 1: Morphological Identification was published in the May 2021 issue of The Communicator. This article focuses on molecular identification techniques. Morphological identification techniques are especially useful in the diagnostic setting to narrow a given isolate down to a diagnostically meaningful taxon (species, or species complex). However, targeted molecular techniques are generally necessary for accurate species and formae specialis identification. Specifically, obtaining the partial TEF1 DNA sequence described in Geiser et al. (2004) and performing a BLASTn search is emphasized as the method of choice for the broadest range of identification needs. We highlight two important resources currently in pre-print that provide detailed information on sequence-based identification of Fusarium and the updated FUSARIUM-ID v.3.0 database (O’Donnell, et al. 2022; Torres-Cruz, et al. 2022).
Read More
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The Plant Puzzler
The Plant Puzzler is a quarterly contest featuring weird plant problems that are tricky or that may defy diagnosis. The goal is to share some of the crazy things we have seen over the years, to have a little fun, and perhaps to learn something new. We invite you to participate in solving the puzzler and/or to submit your own puzzlers for publication. Prizes will be awarded for the most correct answer, the most creative answer, and for new puzzler submissions that are selected for publication in future issues of The Communicator. More details can be found online at https://www.npdn.org/public/npdn_communicator
 
A diagnostician in the Deep South is walking across campus one sultry August day. Temperatures have been hovering around 99°F for weeks, and the humidity is equally high. The diagnostician passes an old Ginkgo biloba tree that appears to be melting. Puzzled — can wood melt? — am I hallucinating? They examine the tree and discover that the melting tissue appears to be healthy wood. The tree is in a stressful location (the engineering campus), and site conditions are poor, but it has a full and vigorous canopy and is healthy apart from the bulbous appendages that appear to drip from its limbs and trunk. What are the unusual growths on the tree?
Explain the logic underlying your answer or brush off your creative writing skills and spin a fun and creative explanation. Winners will be notified by email. Answers and winners will be revealed in the May edition of The Communicator.
Email your answer to newsletter_editor@npdn.org by April 30, 2022.
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Announcements
PDIS Webinar Series – Tuesdays, March 22 to May 5, 2022
PDIS is hosting a webinar series via Zoom to assist users in maximizing their PDIS experience. Featured topics include lab settings, sample check-in, reports, sample sets, and more. Recordings are available if you are unable to attend the live webinar.
Register and view the detailed schedule online.
USDA Mycology Lab Seeking Specimens
of Colletotrichum on Liriope
To determine the distribution of Colletotrichum on Liriope spp. (e.g., liriope, lilygrass, big blue turflily, creeping liriope, monkey grass, etc.), the USDA Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory is seeking specimens from throughout the United States. Details are available online.
USDA Confirms Citrus Canker
in a South Carolina Nursery and Takes Action
USDA-APHIS has confirmed the presence of citrus canker in a South Carolina nursery and is coordinating with all affected states. APHIS will collect and destroy citrus plants in prioritized states. View the full announcement and find more information online.
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Employment Opportunities
Job announcements can be posted and viewed online at https://www.npdn.org/public/job-board
Faculty Position - Manager,
Plant Molecular Diagnostics Lab
The Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia seeks to fill the faculty position of manager of the Molecular Plant Diagnostic Lab (MDL) located at the Tifton campus. Applications received by May 15, 2022, are assured full consideration. Read more online.
Plant Pathologist of Soilborne Disease
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station seeks a plant pathologist – soilborne diseases, a fully funded state government research position. Please follow this link to view the announcement. If you know someone with high-quality research productivity on soilborne diseases, please share the link and encourage them to apply for this position. Submissions are encouraged by April 29, 2022, to receive full consideration.
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Submissions and Subscriptions
The deadline for publication is the last day of the preceding month. Submission and subscription details can be found here.
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