LSU Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology

06/06/2026

Ph.D. student Sandeep Gouli, working in Dr. Jong Hyun Ham's lab, recently presented his research in poster form and through oral presentation at the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Annual Summit (EPSCoR) in New Orleans, LA. Both were entitled, "High-resolution root imaging shows bacterial seed consortium improves soybean roots under drought."

06/05/2026

PPCP's Dr. Raj Singh has been working on the issue of ball moss for a decade and has developed long-term management strategies to help combat it.

The Ball Moss Abatement Commission is comprised of environmental entities, local stakeholders and LSU. The goal is to manage the plant and prevent it from further indirect harm on local plants and trees across Louisiana.

06/04/2026

Masters student Francella Arce, working in Dr. Jong Hyun Ham's lab, presented her research at the recent Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Annual Summit (EPSCoR) in New Orleans, LA. Her poster was entitled, "Plant Developmental Stage Drives Microbial Succession."

05/22/2026

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."

05/16/2026

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!

05/15/2026

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

05/14/2026

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.

05/14/2026

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.

05/13/2026

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.

05/11/2026

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!