K-State Department of Plant Pathology

Have you seen a corn leafhopper?

This small insect can transmit the pathogens that cause corn stunt, an emerging threat to corn production in Kansas and beyond. Dr. Onofre and collaborators are working to help growers identify the corn leafhopper, better understand corn stunt, and make informed management decisions to protect yield.

Learn more about their research and recommendations in this K-State Today story:

https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/2026/06/corn-leafhopper-kansas-corn-prevention-and-identification.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=K-State%20steps%20up%20corn%20leafhopper%20monitoring%20after%20detections%20in%20Oklahoma&utm_campaign=KST%20Faculty/Staff%206-24-26

Thank you to Kansas Corn for supporting research and extension efforts that help address emerging challenges facing corn producers.

K-State corn leafhopper testing resources K-State and Kansas Corn have expanded a statewide monitoring network and free testing program to help farmers track corn leafhoppers and corn stunt disease risk during the 2026 growing season.

As Kansas wheat fields begin to green up, K-State plant pathologist Kelsey Andersen Onofre is encouraging growers to start watching for wheat rusts this spring.

While early activity suggests stripe rust risk may be lower in Kansas this year, leaf rust could become a bigger concern if wetter weather develops. Regular scouting, knowing your wheat variety, and staying alert to changing conditions can make all the difference.

Read more and hear from Dr. Andersen Onofre on what Kansas producers should be watching this season.

https://hpj.com/2026/04/22/kansas-wheat-growers-urged-to-scout-for-rust-as-spring-conditions-shift-risk/

Congratulations to Dr. Andres Reyes Gaige on being named the College of Ag Outstanding Young Alum! Andres completed his PhD with Dr. Jim Stack. He is currently a regional technical manager for Acadian Plant Health.

We had fun sharing our science and our enthusiasm at KSU Open House today 💜

Please join us in congratulating K State Plant Pathology PhD candidate Aidan McVey on being recognized for his poster at the Fungal Genetics Conference!

Aidan was one of eight poster presenters recognized out of 319 posters at the conference, an exciting honor that reflects both the quality of his research and the strength of his presentation. This recognition is especially meaningful given the scale of the meeting and the outstanding science being shared.

In addition to his award winning poster, Aidan also gave an oral presentation related to a recent preprint from the Cook lab on Starship mediated variation in Pyricularia fungal plant pathogens.

We are proud to see Aidan representing K State Plant Pathology so well. Congratulations, Aidan, on this well deserved recognition!

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.28.702382v1

Work by Dr. Eduard Akhunov's team was recently featured on TV news on a Topeka station. The story is about celiac disease and work in the lab to use CRISPR-Cas9 to develop solutions. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/genetically-modified-wheat-varieties-at-kansas-state-university-offer-hope-for-people-with-celiac-disease

Hot of the press! Dr. Chris Little is a co-author on this new article about charcoal rot in soybeans.

https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PDIS-10-24-2230-RE

Congratulations to Dr. Rodrigo Onofre for contributing to this important multi-state study "Determining the Optimal Timing and Economic Return of Corn Fungicide Applications Using a Network Meta-Analysis" demonstrating that fungicide applications at VT/R1 and under higher disease pressure are most likely to deliver positive economic r
https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/abs/10.1094/PHYTOFR-08-25-0079-R

Our own Dr. Akhunov's team and collaborators are working on reducing gluten allergenicity in wheat. Read more here: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2025/10/wheat-grant-low-gluten-gene-editing.html