Participant Introductions
Welcome to our informal symposium roster..
Ed. Note: These are the introductions from the participants in the Karnal bunt symposium, in alphabetical order. You can get here and link to a specific participant by clicking on their name in other discussion forums. You will be brought to this page-- use your browser's 'Back' function to get back to your place of origin. The original instructions to participants is next, followed by the actual list of participants...
If this is your first
visit, take a minute and introduce yourself, and tell us a little
about your interest
in Karnal bunt. Just scroll down to the text entry box below.
Compose your entry and then click the Add My Message button. (You then have
30 minutes to make changes by clicking on the Edit button.)
Bader Al-Hamar - 06:43am Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Hi. My name is Bader
Al-hamar. I'm a postgraduate student at The University of
Reading,UK. My area of interest is the epidemiology of septoria
diseases of wheat. Having said that, I would like to widen my
knowledge about wheat diseases.
Cynthia L. Ash - 09:35am Jun 19, 1996 EDT
Director of Scientific Services
Hello, my name is Cindy
Ash. I am the new Director of Scientific Services at APS and one
of the moderators for this symposium. Previously, I was a
diagnostic plant pathologist at the University of Minnesota and
prior to that at North Dakota State University. My areas of
expertise include urban forest pathology, diagnostics and
teaching. I am currently doing research on Verticillium wilt of
shade trees.
O. W. Barnett - 10:28am Jul 24, 1996 EDT
O. W. Barnett, Plant
Pathology Dept Head, North Carolina State University and member
of the American Phytopathological Society National Plant
Pathology Board. The NPPB and APS are interested in making a
science based statement about Karnal bunt. What should be
included in such a statement and where should the statement be
distributed on an international basis to acheive maximum
effectiveness?
Brent Barrett - 06:52pm Jul 8, 1996 EDT
WSU Crop and Soil Sciences
Brent Barrett
Surfing the net at WSU
and was excited to see an online symposium. KB is of interest to
me in that I am conducting a genetic diversity assessment of
Pacific Northwest and Australian spring wheat germplasm, and
Aberdeen isn't letting stuff out the door, thought I'd drop in
and see what the experts say.
Gary Bergstrom - 03:00pm Jul 5, 1996 EDT
Hi! I'm Gary Bergstrom,
professor of plant pathology at Cornell University. I have
extension and research responsibilities for diseases of cereal
crops in New York. I am working with our plant disease
diagnostician, Diane Karasevicz, to conduct a KB spore survey of
New York wheat. I am impressed with the information exchanged to
date in this electronic symposium. It will be useful to me as I
disseminate information on KB to winter wheat producers in the
northeastern US. I was asked this week by my state's Dept of
Agriculture and Markets whether I thought they should allow
importation of millfeed (allowed now by APHIS under precise
regulations) into NY from quarantined areas in the southwestern
states. While I don't believe that KB bunt poses a significant
threat to our wheat production, I like the rest of you in non KB
states am not anxious to announce the detection of the first
spore within our borders. How has this issue been decided in your
state's?
Dan Biggerstaff - 06:32pm Jun 27, 1996 EDT
Western Plant Breeders
Hello, my name is Dan
Biggerstaff. I am the General Manager of Western Plant Breeders
(WPB), a private plant breeding company. WPB has offices in
Bozeman, MT, Chandler, AZ (18 mi south of Phoenix) and Fargo, ND.
WPB serves the cereal breeding needs of 23 Associate seed
companies in the Western US. Our primary southern breeding
nursery is 35 mi south of Phoenix and our primary southern seed
increase site is near Yuma, AZ. The past 15 weeks have been a
disaster for our company and many others impacted directly by the
APHIS KB quarantine. As soon as I can catch up from my last trip,
I will post some thoughts and questions on the APS Symposium.
Morris Bonde - 03:15pm Jun 27, 1996 EDT
Hi! My name is Morris ("Mo") Bonde. I am a Research Plant Plant Pathologist at the USDA-ARS, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland. I have worked on diseases foreign to the U.S. for 22 years at our plant disease containment facility. I became concerned about Karnal bunt 14 years ago and we initiated a research program on the disease. During the last 14 years, we conducted isozyme, virulence, and disease resistance studies. In collaboration with Gary Peterson and Oney Smith, we developed a method to extract teliospores from wheat samples followed by PCR identification of T. indica (Phytopathology 86:115-122, 1996).
We have had cooperative
research projects with CIMMYT (Mexico) and institutions in India.
I am looking forward to this symposium and discussing issues
related to Karnal bunt.
Robert Bowden - 05:39pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Kansas State University
My name is Bob Bowden and
I am the Extension wheat pathologist at Kansas State University.
My interest in KB is currently limited to Extension activities
such as news releases and fact sheets. All Karnal bunt detection
and regulatory activity is being handled by our state department
of agriculture. To be honest, I'm thankful for that. I appreciate
all the work that went into preparing this electronic symposium!
Paul Brennan - 03:36am Jul 2, 1996 EDT
Paul Brennan G'day, I'm
an Australian wheat breeder concerned that karnal bunt may be a
problem that I will have to cope with in the near future. I am
located at the Queensland Wheat Research Institute in Toowoomba,
Queensland. I think this is a great way to exchange information.
Thanks very much to the organisers.
William Brown - 12:48pm Jun 28, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm Bill Brown in
Colorado. I am the extension plant pathologist and Colorado IPM
Coordinator at Colorado State University, Fort Collins. As the
extension plant pathologist with responsibilities for small
grains, I am working with Dr. Linnea Skoglund in setting up a
Karnal bunt identification laboratory and program. Any extension
education or grower contact falls into my area of work. I spent
many years in international research and extension and am very
aware of the pros and cons of international quarantines. My phone
is (970) 491-6470, FAX is (970) 491-3862 and e-mail is
wbrown@ceres.agsci.colostate.edu.
Robert Burns - 12:22pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Hi my name is Robert
Burns and I am a cell biologist employed by the Scottish
Agricultural Science Agency. I make monoclonal antibody - based
diagnostic testing systems for a variety of plant pathogens. Most
of our projects are concerned with plant viruses at present but I
have made some progress with mabs for fungal plant pathogens. The
serological detection of bunt is a project that we hope to get
off the ground before too long. I don't know if I can make much
in the way of personal contribution to the forum but I am
certainly very keen to hear what others have to say.
Lee Campbell - 04:06pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Hello! My name is Lee
Campbell. I am a plant epidemiologist with an interest in the
temporal and spatial development of plant epidemics. I discussed
the early sampling issues with scientists from USDA/APHIS earlier
this year. I also have an interest in epidemics of historical
importance.
Lori Carris - 10:46am Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Washington State University
'My name is Lori Carris,
and I am a mycologist in the Department of Plant Pathology at
Washington State University. I am working on genetic variability,
taxonomy and speciation in Tilletia, focusing on the wheat bunts
and related taxa occurring on wild grass hosts.
Randy Clear - 12:05pm Jul 5, 1996 EDT
Hello,
I am a mycologist for the
Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission in
Winnipeg. The CGC is involved in quality assurance of Canadian
grain exports. As such, KB is an issue of great importance to us
due to its quarantine status. It is also an issue that won't soon
disappear, but may serve as a lesson (albeit an expensive one) of
the importance of making quarantine decisions based on science.
F. Keith Coker - 05:02pm Jul 29, 1996 EDT
3-C Farming Co.
My name is F. Keith
Coker, I am farmer in Buckeye Arizona. I farm just over 800 acres
with 150acres of that in wheat. This years wheat crop tested neg.
and was harvested after some delay. Ifeel that there has been a
lack of information on this matter at the grower level and hope
that through this forum I will be better able to plan my 97 crop
given the uncertainty concerning karnal bunt.
Daren Coppock - 03:30pm Aug 3, 1996 EDT
Oregon Wheat Growers League
I am Daren Coppock, Executive Vice President of the Oregon Wheat Growers League, based in Pendleton, Oregon. We represent over 2000 wheat grower members across the state of Oregon.
We have taken a rather keen interest in KB. As evidenced by the comments on this symposium, science argues fairly clearly that KB is not an agronomic or quality problem. However, market perception usually has little to do with science (or even reality!), as we have experienced with TCK smut for the last 25-30 years. We can convince ourselves that there is no scientific problem, but the important parties to convince are export customers. As the China/TCK case demonstrates, success in this regard is difficult.
This symposium is a fantastic idea. Thanks to Dan Biggerstaff for telling me about it.
Oregon Wheat Home Page:
http://www.owgl.org/
Chuck Curtis - 05:20pm Jul 8, 1996 EDT
Chuck Curtis here at Ohio
State :) I'm interested in the social impact information for
teaching and instructional purposes. I teach a course on social
impact of plant diseases for science and non-science students. We
cover various cultural issues, worldviews, ancient and
post-modern history, and several case studies. The interactions I
see here will be superb for social impact studies.
Jennifer Dartez - 05:00pm Jul 5, 1996 EDT
Houston, Texas
I am a college student
(biology major). I work in a lab where I have been testing grain
for Tilletia spp.(controversa, indica) teliospores. I am glad to
see another source of KB info other than the USDA/APHIS KB
homepage. I may getting a job with the USDA here in Houston,
searching for KB in the grain that comes through the port. I am
trying to find any extra information I can, for future reference
:)
Marlene Diekmann - 11:02am Jul 29, 1996 EDT
My name is Marlene
Diekmann and I am the Germplasm Health Scientist at the
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) based in
Rome, Italy. Previously, I was Head of the Seed Health Lab at the
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA) in Aleppo, Syria. During that time I tested lots of
wheat samples for KB. I also tried to assess the risk of KB under
different climatic conditions. For more info on IPGRI's
activities check http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri.
H. Jesse Dubin - 07:59am Jun 25, 1996 EDT
My name is Jesse Dubin. I
am Head, Wheat Pathology Unit at CIMMYT and also computer user
support rep in the wheat program. We are very interested to see
how the symposium develops.
Sheldon L. Epstein - 12:15pm Jul 18, 1996 EDT
Epstein Associates - K9APE
Hello from Epstein Associates in Wilmette, IL USA on Chicago's North Shore. We are an engineering firm specializing in automatic video image, digitial signal processing and statisitcal image analysis technology for automatic inspection systems. We are currently building a video image microscope slide inspection system for automatic detection of Karnal Bunt spores.
Your input, questions and suggestions will be very much appreciated. You can call me at ++1 847 853 9292 or FAX to ++1 847 853 9293.
Meanwhile, I look forward
to meeting you in Indianapolis.
Bonnie Fernandez - 05:13pm Jul 20, 1996 EDT
California Wheat Commission
Hello, I am the Executive
Director of the California Wheat Commission. The Commission
represents nearly 4,000 growers throughout the state. We are
responsible for California Wheat research and market development
activities. We operate a wheat quality laboratory for the
analysis of California Hard Red Winter, Hard White Wheat, Soft
White Wheat and Desert Durum. Since 1982, the California Wheat
Commission has worked jointly with the Arizona Grains Research
and Promotion Council in the promotion of Desert Durum.
Robert L. Forster - 07:02pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hello! I'm Bob Forster. I have responsibilities in research and extension plant pathology with the University of Idaho with emphasis on cereal and bean diseases. I took an early interest in Karnal bunt after it was reported in Arizona and am a member of the Idaho Karnal Bunt Task Force. APS is to be commended for organizing this first-of-a-kind symposium. I look forward to much fruitful discussion.
I invite you to visit the
University of Idaho Plant Disease homepage at:
http://www.uidaho.edu/~carl/plantdisease.html.
Gary D. Franc - 06:26pm Jul 16, 1996 EDT
Gary Franc here. I am the
extension plant pathologist for Wyoming. I have responsibility
for grains and just about anything else that grows in Wyoming. I
will be conducting the laboratory aspect of the Karnal Bunt
survey and am eager to find out what is evolving.
Guillermo Fuentes-Davila - 02:47pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Hi, My name is Guillermo
Fuentes-Davila. I am a plant pathologist working for CIMMYT, and
in charge of the karnal bunt research program. Although I am
going to be traveling during most part of July, I will try to
follow and participate as much as possible in this symposium.
Natalie Goldberg - 04:35pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Hi. My name is Natalie
Goldberg. I am the Extension Plant Pathologist for the state of
New Mexico. I am actively involved in the Karnal bunt situation
in New Mexico. In addition to running the Karnal bunt testing
laboratory for the state, I am the spokesperson on Karnal bunt
for the New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service. I will be happy
to answer any questions regarding Karnal bunt in New Mexico. We
also have a Karnal bunt home page - address:
http://elroy.nmsu.edu.cahe/Welcome.html
Dan Hilburn - 06:45pm Jun 28, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm Dan Hilburn at
the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture. We're following the Karnal bunt
situation closely because of Oregon's large wheat growing and
wheat export industry. Our department is participating in the
national survey. We have sampled and tested 1995 crop wheat from
grain elevators in most of the major wheat growing counties in
the state. So far, all tests have been negative.
James A. Hoffmann - 10:21pm Jun 23, 1996 EDT
ARS/USDA Retired
Hi! My name is Jim
Hoffmann. I'm a former USDA/ARS plant pathologists now retired.
My professional career was devoted almost entirely to the study
of the bunt diseases including Karnal bunt. Looking farward to
the KB Symposium via internet.
David Hole - 11:28pm Jul 3, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm David Hole, the
winter wheat breeder for Utah State University in Logan, UT. My
interest is in genetic resistance and possible controls for KB.
Gerald Holmes - 08:45pm Jul 5, 1996 EDT
Univ. Calif. Coop. Ext. Imperial Co.
Hello. I'm a Plant Pathology Farm Advisor in Imperial Co. Karnal bunt has been a big issue for me since Mar 8, 1996. As you know, Imperial Co. was quarantined due to the detection of KB teliospores on seed used to plant 960 acres (0.9% of the total acreage). Preharvest sampling of every wheat field in the valley yielded no positives.
Prior to Mar 8 I had no experience with this disease, but I have become well versed. I coauthored a 100-pg risk assessment for KB in Calif. The study was sponsored by the Univ. Calif's Institute for Desert Agric. This week I testified (along with several others) before the Calif. Senate Committee on Agric. and Water Resources regarding KB and it's importance to Calif's economy. My role was to describe the biology of the disease and review some of the findings of our study. It's been an interesting 4 months to say the least.
I think this type of
symposium is tremendous. It's a great example of the utility of
this technology. If you want to know what's going on in Imperial
Co., drop me a line.
Nancy M. Hood - 01:28pm Aug 15, 1996 EDT
The Duff Company
Nancy Hood, The Duff
Company, Kansas City, Missouri I have been working with several
industry groups to coordinate a white paper for presentation to
the Secretary of Agriculture regarding Karnal bunt. The Duff
Company organized Wheat Summit '96, which was held July 18. I am
in the process of writing this white paper and am interested in
the public perceptions posted on this forum.
Betsy Hudgins - 10:46am Jun 28, 1996 EDT
Hi. I am Betsy Hudgins,
Plant Disease Diagnostician at Oklahoma State University.
Although I am still trying to keep disease diagnosis my primary
responsibility, I am also helping out with the karnal bunt
microscopy/identification. I appreciate having this on-line
symposium to connect with other labs involved in the karnal bunt
surveys.
Robert Ikin - 02:59am Jul 1, 1996 EDT
I am Bob Ikin, I am Head
of the Pest Risk Analysis Section of the Australian Quarantine
and Inspection Service. With the outbreak of Karnal bunt in the
US we in Australia are concerned at the new risks this poses to
our trade with the US, not specifically in grains, we are
exporters of wheat, but the import of other commodities handled
by the same systems as grain. We often find US commodities
contaminated with grain because of the common handling systems. I
look forward to information from plant pathologists in the US on
this important disease.
Yue Jin - 09:34am Jun 26, 1996 EDT
My name is Yue Jin. I am
the Small Grain Pathologist with South Dakota State University.
The discovery of karnal bunt in US raised great corncerns in
South Dakota.
Janell
Johnk
- 03:23pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Hello, my name is Janell
Johnk. I am an extension Plant Pathologist with Texas
Agricultural Extension Service in Dallas, Texas. I hope to learn
much during this on-line symposium.
Robert Johnston - 10:07am Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Montana State University-Bozeman
My name is Bob Johnston.
I am a research associate in the Dept of Plant Pathology at
Montana State University. I have been involved with KB from the
time it was shipped into Montana in March 1996 on contaminated
seed from Arizona. I am now involved with the Aphis karnal bunt
survey currenly looking at possible infection in Montana's 1995
wheat crop.
Diane M. Karasevicz - 09:29am Jul 9, 1996 EDT
Hi! I am the plant
disease diagnostician at the Insect and Plant Disease Diagnostic
Lab at Cornell University (NY). I am working with Gary Bergstrom
to process samples for a KB survey of New York State wheat. I
look forward to learning more about the fine points involved in
the established protocal for processing the samples. We have run
into several minor problems- just part of working out the
materials and methods.
Marie A. C. Langham - 05:11pm Aug 2, 1996 EDT
South Dakota State University
Hello! I'm Marie Langham,
and I'm the plant virologist at South Dakota State University. I,
also, teach the introductory course in plant pathology. Thus, I'm
looking for information to interest my class. This symposium is a
great idea!
Steven Leath - 11:24am Jul 18, 1996 EDT
I am Steven Leath a plant
pathologist with USDA,ARS in the Department of Plant Pathology at
North Carolina State University. I have worked on diseases of
small grains for the last 11 years. I have been involved with
germplasm increased in recent years at Maricopa and therefore I
am familiar with many of the recent happenings.The southeastern
United States appears to have a favorable climate for this
pathogen so I thought I should keep current with the situation.
Marjorie Lewis - 11:15am Jul 2, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm Marjorie Lewis
with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. I'm sharing
responsibility for the NM Karnal bunt lab with Dr. Natalie
Goldberg of the NM Cooperative Extension Service. My normal
responsibilites include plant parasitic nematode analysis, insect
pest surveys, and apiary inspection and regulation. I also do the
identification of Africanized bees for New Mexico. All this
diversity sure makes life interesting!
Roland F. Line - 02:25pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
My name is Roland F. Line
(Rollie). I am a Cereal Pathologist with the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service at Pullman,
Washington. My major responsibilities relate to the rusts and
smuts, especially epidemiology and control of the diseases. I was
involved in the early discussions following the detection of
Karnal bunt in Arizona and have followed subsequent developments
since then.
Drew Lyon - 11:51am Jul 5, 1996 EDT
University of Nebraska
Hello, my name is Drew
Lyon. I am the Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist with the
University of Nebraska. I am located in Scottsbluff, NE. Although
Karnal Bunt has not been identified in Nebraska at this time, it
is of interest to the wheat industry in the state. I am also
interested in the educational potential of an electronic
symposium such as this. I'm looking forward to learning a lot
about Karnal Bunt over the next few weeks!
James Macdonald - 07:17pm Jun 23, 1996 EDT
Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis
My name is Jim MacDonald.
I am chair of the APS Electronic Technology Advisory Committee
(ETAC). My interest in this on-line symposium is primarily from
the technology standpoint. The ETAC is charged with exploring
technologies that will enhance communication among APS members.
Efforts like this symposium would seem to offer many benefits. We
on ETAC are most interested in seeing if this first effort by APS
will form a building block for future, similar endeavors. If you
would like to comment on the symposium, or other forms of
electronic communication, you may send me an e-mail message.
Interesting comments will be posted to the ETAC discusson group
on APSNet.
Charles Main - 03:14pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Hello!I'm Charlie Main, plant pathologist at N.C. State University interested in long distance transport of fungus spores, aerobiology and disease forecasting.
You may be interested in
our Internet Disease Forecasting program for North America found
at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/bluemold/
David Marshall - 01:37pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Texas A&M University at Dallas
Hi! I'm Dave Marshall. My
lab is handling samples of grain from Texas and several
southeastern States as part of the National Karnal Bunt Survey.
Don Mathre - 12:41pm Jul 3, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm Don Mathre,
professor of Plant Pathology at Montana State University in
Bozeman. My interest in karnal bunt was precipitated by the
finding of a contaminated seed lot in an elevator in northern
Montana this spring. We've seen become involved in surveying for
its presence in cooperation with the Montana Dept. of Agriculture
and APHIS.
Dennis Mayhew - 05:31pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Hi, I,m Dennis Mayhew,
senior plant pathologist with the California Department of Food
and Agriculture. I'm supervising the Karnal Bunt Diagnostic Labs
in Blythe, El Centro, and Sacramento, CA. We have processed close
to 5,000 wheat samples to date.
Marcia McMullen - 03:51pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hello. My name is Marcia McMullen. I am an Extension Plant Pathologist at North Dakota State University, with responsibility for cereal diseases. I, and my colleague, Dr. Bob Stack, are members of the North Dakota Karnal Bunt Task Force, with representatives from NDSU, ND Dept. of Agriculture, Wheat Commission, Grain Dealers Assoc., Grain Growers Assoc., etc.
I am looking forward to
the discussion on-line.
Ranjit Mereddy - 01:22pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
New Mexico State University
Hi my name is ranjit. I
am working as a Research Assistant at New Mexico State
University. I am helping the Karnal Bunt Detection Lab at New
Mexico State for screening wheat samples.
Akhilesh Mishra - 08:08pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hello! My name is
Akhilesh Mishra. I am a graduate student in the Dept. of Plant
Pathology at the University of Minnesota. Rust diseases of wheat
are my area of study. Although, I never worked on Karnal bunt, I
have been following up on the research efforts with regard to its
epidemiology and control.
Vincent Mulholland - 08:23am Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
Hi. I'm Vince Mulholland.
I am a molecular biologist working at the Scottish Agricultural
Science Agency in Edinburgh. I am developing methods for the
detection of fungal pathogens of cereals using PCR-based
techniques. One of the diseases I will be working on soon is
bunt.
Berlin Nelson - 09:20am Jul 2, 1996 EDT
As a former student of
the smut fungi (with Ruben Duran at WSU) I still have an interest
in this important group of fungi. This fungus is of great concern
to North Dakota! What a flury of activity in state agriculture
after the report in Arizona. I use this disease as a model about
quarantine in my field crops disease course - thus would like to
keep up on developments.
Clare Nelson - 02:58pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Cornell University
Hi, I'm a postdoc in the
Plant Breeding department at Cornell. In conjunction with the
RFLP maps we've developed here, I'm interested in identifying KB
resistance genes that might be transferred to wheat and durum
cultivars under DNA marker control.
Merritt Nelson - 03:41pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hello, my name is Merritt Nelson. I am head of the Department of Plant Pathology, at the University of Arizona. I am concerned about the quarantine imposed on the Arizona wheat industry by USDA/APHIS, both from the point of view of the timeliness and the rationale of the quaranitine (see Dr. Fuentes' paper, this symposium).
The preliminary results
of the efficient "needle in a haystack" detection
system used on samples from approximately 5,000 wheat fields
sampled this year in Arizona, have revealed only a few thousand
teliospores, and only a few dozen bunted wheat seed, total. I
only know of one bunted seed actually found in a field survey
during this season.
Steven Nelson - 10:54pm Jun 27, 1996 EDT
Hi I'm Steve Nelson, APS
Staff, I would like to encourage everyone to also consider this
electronic tool for other uses.
Mike Ottman - 06:08pm Jul 17, 1996 EDT
University of Arizona
Hello everyone! I am an
extension agronomist for forage and grain crops at the University
of Arizona. My interest is to obtain as much information as
possible on Karnal bunt to lessen any negative impact of the
disease. Specifically, I am interested in crop management
strategies to control the disease and methods of predicting when
and where the disease will occur.
Dr. R. P. Pacumbaba - 03:34pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Alabama A&M University, Normal
Hi, my name is Rudy P.
Pacumbaba, a Professor of Plant Pathology at Alabama A&M
University. I am always interested in a new disease, its
epidemiology, and how to diagnose it.
Mary E. Palm - 09:17am Jun 24, 1996 EDT
USDA, Beltsville, Maryland
Hello. My name is Mary Palm. I am a mycologist with USDA/APHIS at the National Fungus Collection in Beltsville, Maryland. I received a PhD from the Plant Pathology Department at the Univeristy of Minnesota. My expertise is in systematics of plant pathogenic fungi, my main interest is in ascomycetous anamorphs.
I look forward to this
symposium as a center for discussion on Karnal Bunt, especially
the taxonomy and identification of this pathogen and similar
smuts.
Gary L. Peterson - 03:55pm Jul 9, 1996 EDT
USDA, ARS, Foreign Disease- Weed Science Research Unit Frederick, Maryland
I began working on Karnal
bunt in 1981 along with Morris Bonde to determine the threat of
the pathogen to US agriculture. Our research, much of it
accomplished in the Plant Disease Containment Facility at Fort
Detrick, MD, has focused on identification, detection, virulence,
host range, and epidemiology. Field studies are currently
underway in cooperation with CIMMYT in Mexico. More recently,
March 13, I reported to Phoenix, Arizona as a member of the KB
science panel. Along with other members of the panel, APHIS, ADA
and CDFA I have assisted in setting up laboratories, training
personnel and confirming identifications. In addition, in
cooperation with the above as well as the US grain industry, we
are evaluating the effectiveness of seed and grain and soil
treatment methods as well as improving methods of detection.
Edward Podleckis - 01:27pm Jul 26, 1996 EDT
Hello, my name is Ed Podleckis. I am a plant virologist with the USDA, APHIS, PPQ Biological Assessment, Taxonomic Support and Permitting Staff. I am a member of the Risk Assessment Team. Our primary responsibilities are for commodity related risk assessments especially those relating to import/export issues. Prior to joining APHIS, I spent six years at the USDA, ARS working on the development and adaptation of molecular detection methods for potato and pome fruit quarantine pests. Although my Ph.D. and postdoctoral training are in plant virology, I have been involved with Karnal bunt issues for just over a year now. My involvement with Karnal bunt began with a charge to APHIS from the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO) to conduct a pest risk assessment on the likelihood of introducing Karnal bunt from Mexico into the United States via infected wheat as contaminants in Mexican railroad cars. Since the current outbreak was detected, our risk assessment team has conducted several risk assessments including 17 different scenarios covering various aspects of seed and grain movement. Members of our team have visited quarantine areas and attended numerous scientific, government and industry meetings both to explain our risk assessment process and to try to gather the best available information for our assessments so that they are accurate and based on sound science. I (we) welcome the opportunity this symposium provides and any comments and suggestions APS members may have.
Stephen Poe - 03:46pm Jul 10, 1996 EDT
I am a plant pathologist,
working for APHIS, PPQ headquarters staff since 1982. One of my
first assignments was to develop an action plan for the
eradication of Karnal bunt should it ever be found in the U.S.
Little did I know what I was getting into. I have made a number
of trips to Mexico to review KB situation there, and wrote a lot
of the guidelines and regulations designed to exclude KB from the
U.S. For the last 6 years I have had the responsibility for
coordinating the national program support for KB activities. I
have been been a bit busy since March of this year - spent almost
two months in Arizona organizing and serving as the first
chairperson of the APHIS KB science panel (still a member - not
chair). Now do my best to help us steer an honest course in
dealing with this problem - trying to keep people focused on the
need to keep the program consistent with the best scientific
information available. Hard to do with all of the conflicting
demands from all of the people who are affected in some way by
this.
Douglas Prasher - 09:48am Jul 9, 1996 EDT
USDA, APHIS
I am with APHIS, PPQ
'Methods', now known as Plant Protection Laboratories. My group
is located at the Otis AFB on Cape Cod and performs 'molecular
diagnostics' on exotic pests that lack morphological characters.
Examples are Asian gypsy moth, Medfly, cherry/apple ermine moth.
I am now attempting to convince commercial firms to develop
'turn-key' image systems for Karnal bunt. If you have any
opinions on this, please contact me.
Karen Rane - 09:06am Jul 1, 1996 EDT
Purdue University
Hi! My name is Karen
Rane, and I am a Plant Disease Diagnostician in the Department of
Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University, West Lafayette,
Indiana. Peggy Sellers, Greg Shaner and I are conducting the
Indiana state survey for Karnal bunt. I am particularly
interested in information regarding sampling procedures and
identification.
Jack Riesselman - 05:15pm Jul 8, 1996 EDT
Greetings I'm the
Extension Plant Pathologist responsible for grain as well as most
other crops in Montana. After attending the first science panel
meeting in Phoenix I returned to Montana and within two days a
3,000 bu contaminated seed lot was located in Joplin MT and
verified at MSU. Montana, as many other states initially did,
probably overreacted to the problem.
Jackie Rudd - 01:36pm Jun 29, 1996 EDT
My name is Jackie Rudd. I
am the spring wheat breeder at South Dakota State University. I
had a winter nursery near Yuma, Arizona that was lost due to the
quarantine issues. I hope that this symposium will help bring
science and public policy closer together.
Randy Scott - 06:17pm Aug 15, 1996 EDT
Gustafson, Inc.
Randy Scott, Product Research and Development Manager, Gustafson, Inc. My responsibilities include developing seed treatment products for cereals. I'm hoping this forum will help to educate me further about the biology of the Karnal Bunt fungus, and to share information about the efficacy of our products against this disease.
Peggy Sellers - 01:57pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Purdue University
Hi, my name is Peggy
Sellers. I am the Director of the Plant and Pest Diagnostic
Laboratory at Purdue University. I am also the State Coordinator
for the Karnal Bunt Survey in Indiana (Co-PIs are Karen Rane and
Greg Shaner). We are expecting to start receiving wheat samples
from Indiana elevators next week (beginning July 1). I am looking
forward to learning more about karnal bunt. Visit our Virtual
Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory at:
http://www.aes.purdue.edu/ppdl/p&pdlwww.html
Kim C. Shantz - 08:34am Jul 1, 1996 EDT
Western Plant Breeders
Hello, my name is Kim
Shantz. I am the southern wheat breeder for Western Plant
Breeders and develope varieties of durum wheat and hard red wheat
for California and Arizona. Our main breeding site is in
Maricopa, AZ. which is a KB infested area. I have been severly
impacted by the KB epidemic by the loss of 6 nursery sites as
well as by severe restrictions on the movement of breeding
material. I have never before in my career had to deal with a
wheat disease that one can neither see the pathogen or observe
its effects on plants. At this point we are still trying to
figure out how to deal with this government enhanced diaster.
Truely, the biggest problem is the solution.
Pratibha Singh - 01:43am Jul 22, 1996 EDT
Hello,I am Pratibha Singh
a first year Ph.D. student in the department of Plant
Pathology,Tottori University,Tottori,Japan.I completed my
B.Sc.Ag.&A.H. and M.Sc.(Ag) in Molecular biology &
Biotechnology from G.B.Pant Univ.of Ag.&Tech,Pantnagar,India
in1988 and1995 respectively. My research work is on
host-selective toxins.I am interested in Karnal Bunt disease.I
will know more about the disease through this on-line symposium.
Linnea Skoglund - 07:22pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Colorado State University
I am on the Karnal Bunt
Task Force in Colorado and am heading up the testing lab. We are
slow getting started, but plan to begin examining examples from
1995 wheat in a week or two. Our harvest will start soon as well.
So we will soon be experiencing glitches first hand.
Joseph Smilanick - 10:28pm Jun 26, 1996 EDT
USDA-ARS Fresno,
California, Research Plant Pathologist. I worked in Mexico and in
Logan, Utah (in a containment lab) on many aspects of Karnal bunt
and Tilletia indica from 1983 to 1986. I would have never guessed
what attention this disease would receive when it came to the US!
Recently, I began to work again part-time on Karnal bunt as a
visitor in Ft. Detrick, Maryland of Morris Bonde and Gary
Petersen. I'll follow the Symposium closely.
Richard Smiley - 10:51am Jun 26, 1996 EDT
Oregon State University
Hi. I am Dick Smiley, a
Professor of Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. I am
located at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center in the
semi-arid northeast corner of Oregon, near Pendleton. I serve on
the Oregon Karnal Bunt Task Force. My research and extension
interests are oriented mostly toward diseases caused by
soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi and nematodes.
Oney Smith - 12:51pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hi! My name is Oney Smith
and I am a Visiting Asst. Professor of Biology at Hood College,
Frederick, Maryland. My interests include the development and
application of pathogen detection assays. In collaboration with
Morris Bonde and Gary Peterson at the USDA-ARS (Ft. Detrick), we
have published a paper "Development of a PCR-based Method
for Identification of Tilletia indica, Causal Agent of Karnal
Bunt of Wheat" (Phytopathology 86:115-122, 1996). Our method
includes a control assay for DNA degradation and employs two
pairs of Tilletia indica-specific primers. Our results were first
presented at the APS National Meeting in 1994 (Phytopathology
84:1152, 1994, Abstract). I am very excited about this electronic
symposium. Best Wishes to all participants!!
Edward Sobek - 02:22pm Jul 3, 1996 EDT
USDA SRRC in New Oleans LA
Hello I am research
associate at the USDA Southern Regional Research Center in New
Orleans LA. I became interested in Karnal bunt when I recently
visited southwestern AZ to begin work on a aflatoxin project. I
hope to learn more about Karnal bunt and the economical impact
this quarantine is going to have on AZ farmers.
Edward Souza - 12:54pm Jul 1, 1996 EDT
I am Ed Souza with the
University of Idaho at the Aberdeen Experiment Station. I am a
wheat breeder with interest in breeding for resistance to bunt
diseases including karnal bunt.
Ruth Ann Taber - 07:09pm Jun 27, 1996 EDT
Hello everybody!!! My name is Ruth Taber...am retired from Texas A & M University where I taught the graduate course on Identification of Plant Pathogenic Fungi for many years. APS has approved my proposal for publication of this textbook and I'm working most of my days on it. Am asking those of you that might have a great 2x2 slide of the karnal bunt spore if you would send me one for the textbook. Also, if you have any other slides of spores (not symptoms) of any plant pathogen would sure appreciate knowing about them.
Interested to read YOUR
message Morris Bonde...your lab is close to where I live out here
in Western Maryland..near Cumberland. Address is 210 Forest
Drive, LaVale, MD 21502-1911. Email is rtaber@miworld.net
Anupam Varma - 04:03pm Jun 24, 1996 EDT
Hello, I am Anupam Varma,
working in the Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, New Delhi-110012, India. If there is any
question about Karnal Bunt in India, please let me know. FAX
011-91-11-576-6420
Elizabeth Vavricka - 07:02pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hi, my name is Elizabeth
(Liz) Vavricka. I work at the Idaho Dept of Agriculture in Boise.
I am coordinating the laboratory end of our state-wide survey for
Karnal Bunt. I am interested in new diagnostic techniques and the
epidemiology of the disease..
Goldie Waghalter - 05:25pm Jul 13, 1996 EDT
Hi, I am a marketing
consultant to Accelerator Technology Corporation, which designs
and manufactures electronic pasteurization systems using the
lasted in electron beam accelerator technology. Our interest is
in the possibility of electron beam treatment of Karnal bunt.
There is some evidence that electron beam is successful in
treating dwarf bunt. We would be happy to work with any company
or government agency that is interested in efficacy testing. We
are in the process of developing a design for a portable unit
which could be transported from one location to another, and a
second unit which could treat the soil.
Taylor Walsh - 02:03pm Jun 23, 1996 EDT
OnSite Interactive Productions
I'm a partner at OnSite Interactive Productions, and we are delighted to assist the APS in creating this new kind of collaborative space on the net.
I'll be assisting Cindy Ash, encouraging your contributions, watching for developments outside of the symposium that might be useful to everyone.
(I've many years
experience in this kind of setting...in the text-based precursors
of the Web, so I'd be glad to answer any questions or comments
you might have about any aspect of the symposium.)
Jerusha Weston - 04:00pm Jul 24, 1996 EDT
Jerusha Weston, Plant
Pathology Seasonal Survey Technician, Oregon Department
Agriculture. I attend Western Oregon State College, and work here
as a summer job. Normally I work on Virus Certification for the
fruit tree industry, but this year I am testing for karnal bunt.
We aren't following protocol, the plan is if we find something,
then we tighten procedures and follow the guidelines. What kind
of risks are we facing running the lab in this manner?
Graham Wildermuth - 06:59pm Jun 25, 1996 EDT
Hello from Australia. My
name is Graham Wildermuth and I am a plant pathologist at the
Queensland Wheat Research Institute. My principal interests are
in soilborne diseases of winter cereals and smuts of cereals. I
have read a little of the discovery of Karnal Bunt in the USA
recently and I am looking forward to the discussions on Karnal
Bunt in this symposium.
Juliet Windes - 03:10pm Jul 2, 1996 EDT
University of Idaho
I am a research support
scientist at the University of Idaho, Aberdeen, ID. My
responsibilities include running the smut disease nursery in the
winter wheat program, as well as the stripe rust nursery in the
winter and spring wheat program. As a plant pathologist, I am
interested in the practical aspects of disease resistance as well
as the social and political discussion generated from this
incident. It is my sincere hope that we use this forum to develop
interaction among scientists and non-scientists that contribute
to solutions. Cheers to the organizers.
Scott Yates - 03:05am Jul 10, 1996 EDT
Hi, I'm an agricultural
reporter based in the Northwest, (specifically, Spokane.) I've
written more stories about Karnal bunt than I ever thought I
would--given how far away from the origional outbreak I am.
Currently, elevator operators here are concerned that it's too
much of a risk to participate in the APHIS survey.
Ron Ykema - 12:45am Jul 27, 1996 EDT
Arizona Department of Agriculture
Good evening, I'm Ron Ykema, Plant Pathologist for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and on March 4, 1996, was the first to detect and initially identify Karnal bunt infection caused by Tilletia indica on wheat in the United States. The single bunted kernel was readily detected in the discard portion of a seed sample due to previous experience with Karnal bunt in 1985 and 1986. During that period, I was introduced to KB by the late Tom Matsumoto of California Department of Food and Agriculture while down at CIMMYT, Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, and again with USDA-APHIS,PPQ at Nogales, AZ. During that time, both Arizona and California conducted field surveys for KB with negative results.
From first-hand
experiences with microscope slide reading by a large staff and
its inhernet difficulties, I am extremely interested in computer
assisted and automated slide reading processes. In a somewhat
related matter, both photograhic and digitized (scanned) images
of KB teliospores and bunted kernels are available depending upon
amount of demand.
Kiana Zimmerman - 10:37am Jul 1, 1996 EDT
University of Wyoming
Hello, I am Kiana
Zimmerman. I am currently in charge of the Wyoming CAPS program
(http://plains.uwyo.edu/~caps/caps.html). One of my
responsibilites this year is to enter the results of the karnal
bunt survey for Wyoming into NAPIS
(http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/index.html). This is very
interesting Symposium.
© Copyright 1996 by the American Phytopathological Society