LSU Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology

Ph.D. student Emmanuel Lacueva, working in Dr. Jong Hyun Ham's lab, presented his research this week at the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Annual Summit (EPSCoR) in New Orleans, LA. His poster was entitled, "Optimizing Soybean Drought Stress Threshold Reveals Trait-Specific Benefits of Beneficial Bacterial Inoculants."

Ph.D. student Iris Aguilar, working in Dr. Tristan Watson's lab, was awarded second place in the poster competition at the III International Symposium of Agricultural Sciences 2026 in Griffin, GA. Her poster was entitled, "Evaluation of Soybean Varieties for Resistance to Southern Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) in Louisiana." Congratulations Iris!
Iris!

PPCP's Dr. Raj Singh is here to help with identifying disease on any plant or tree in gardens throughout Louisiana. If you have any questions or would like to submit a sample for testing, visit the Plant Diagnostic Clinic website: https://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/our_offices/departments/plant-pathology-crop-physiology/plant_disease_clinic

Many people deal with brown or black spots on their Peggy Martin roses and other rose varieties. This is a common fungal problem in roses called "black spot disease" which can be caused by too much moisture on the foliage and intense heat.

LSU AgCenter horticulturalist Ed Bush recommends fungicides to treat this problem and proper maintenance to ensure it has well-draining soil and that it is watered at the base of the plant rather than on the leaves. Many garden centers carry these fungicides.

You can read more about common rose diseases here: https://tinyurl.com/rosedis

Congratulations to Indira Poudel, for successfully defending her M.S. dissertation entitled "Using plant-derived natural molecules to manage fungal pathogens." Indira is advised by Dr. Chien-Yu Huang and intends to continue at LSU and pursue her Ph.D. In the photo, from left: committee members Dr. Raj Singh and Dr. Chien-Yu Huang; Indira Poudel; and committee members Dr. Sara Thomas-Sharma and Dr. Zhi-Yuan Chen.

PPCP’s Asst. Professor Dr. Andre Gama at the second biennial Plant Pathology Research and Professional Development Symposium at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.

Congratulations to PPCP Assistant Professor Dr. Tristan Watson on being recognized by the UNAG Alumni Association at the III International Symposium of Agricultural Sciences in Griffin, Georgia. Dr. Watson was honored for his support of the professional development and academic advancement of students from Honduras. The award was presented by LSU alumnus Dr. David Galo, who earned his doctorate under Dr. Watson’s mentorship in 2024.

At the recent AgExcellence Awards Ceremony, PPCP graduate student Dablieny Souza was presented the 2026 LSU Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Ph.D. category). This prestigious honor recognizes excellence in research, leadership, and academic achievement. Dablieny’s research focuses on ontogenic resistance to frogeye leaf spot in soybean under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Richards. Congratulations to Dablieny on this outstanding accomplishment!

Dr. Jonathan Richards was awarded the 2026 Emerging Faculty Leader Award, presented to him at the recent AgExcellence Awards Ceremony held at the South Stadium Club in Tiger Stadium. The honor recognizes early-career faculty members demonstrating exceptional leadership, innovation, and contributions to the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture missions. Dr. Richards is only the third recipient of this recognition and we are incredibly excited for him. Congratulations!

Dr. Jong Hyun Ham has been awarded the 2026 LSU AgExcellence Legacy Educator Award, which was presented at the recent AgExcellence Awards Ceremony held at the South Stadium Club in Tiger Stadium. The honor recognizes tenured faculty members who demonstrate sustained excellence in teaching, research, and service over an extended period. This marks the second consecutive year that Dr. Ham has earned an AgExcellence Award. In 2025, he was honored as an Outstanding Grant Recipient for his work on the Interdisciplinary Program of Advancing Climate Extreme Resilience in Soybean (iPACERS). We are incredibly proud of Dr. Ham. Congratulations!

Masters student Lara Carnier Matuck, working in Dr. Imana Power's lab, recently presented her research at the American Phytopathological Society's 103rd Southern Division Meeting in Athens, GA. Her oral presentation was entitled, "Rethinking Post-Harvest Diseases in Sweetpotatoes: Practical Control Approaches."
When asked about her experience, Lara says, "It was a great experience to attend the APS Southern Division for the first time! The highlights for me were learning more about diverse and impactful research conducted in our region, connecting with fellow graduate students, and attending a career workshop!"