Jean Ristaino's Lab NC State

Jean Ristaino's Lab NC State My lab at NC State studied the epidemiology and population genetics of Phytophthora species that threaten global food security.

I retired from NC State December 31, 2025. I continue to serve on advisory boards and do agricultural consulting projects A major focus of research in my lab is to understand the epidemiology and population genetics of Oomycete plant pathogens in the genus Phytophthora. Phytophthora infestans caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840’s and is a reemerging threat to global food security. We study

the population genetics and migrations of both historic and present day strains of the pathogen. My lab was part of a multi-investigator group that sequenced the genome of the pathogen. We are now using the genome sequence to develop novel strategies for managing disease in the field. Our team has developed a web portal called USAblight.org that can be used to track recent outbreaks of disease. We also work on other pathogens of tropical crop plants including black sigatoka on banana and coffee rust two diseases that are threats to global food security

I retired from NC State December 31, 2025. I’m posting some photos from a great evening celebrating my career. My slide ...
02/14/2026

I retired from NC State December 31, 2025. I’m posting some photos from a great evening celebrating my career. My slide show of vintage Jean pictures was a hit

I was interviewed by Poppy O Toole a British chef and cookbook author dubbed ‘The Potato Queen’ on the BBC Food Programm...
09/06/2025

I was interviewed by Poppy O Toole a British chef and cookbook author dubbed ‘The Potato Queen’ on the BBC Food Programme this summer. She interviewed an Andean borne London chef, a potato grower, a plant breeder from the International Potato Center (CIP) and me. I talked about late blight research and ideas for future work. My interview starts at 24.10 minutes.

Chef and queen of potatoes Poppy O'Toole explores the world of her favourite ingredient.

I was interviewed by Poppy O Toole a British chef and cookbook author dubbed ‘The Potato Queen’ on the BBC Food Programm...
09/06/2025

I was interviewed by Poppy O Toole a British chef and cookbook author dubbed ‘The Potato Queen’ on the BBC Food Programme this summer. She interviewed an Andean borne London chef, a potato grower, a plant breeder from the International Potato Center (CIP) and me. I talked about late blight research and ideas for future work. My interview starts at 24.10 minutes.

Chef and queen of potatoes Poppy O'Toole explores the world of her favourite ingredient.

Great visit to the RBG Sydney plant clinic to meet Sarah Dunstan and Brett Summerall and see their Phytophthora leachat...
06/03/2025

Great visit to the RBG Sydney plant clinic to meet Sarah Dunstan and Brett Summerall and see their Phytophthora leachate trapping system . All the new plants planted in the gardens are screened first before planting for Phytophthora. P. cinnamoni is the most common species they find

Enjoyed a lab lunch today to celebrate the successful PhD defenses of Amanda Mainello-Land and Inga Meadows. I gave ever...
03/27/2025

Enjoyed a lab lunch today to celebrate the successful PhD defenses of Amanda Mainello-Land and Inga Meadows. I gave everyone a copy of my book ‘Pioneering Women in Plant Pathology’. They surprised me with a beautiful canvas print of potato late blight done by Australian botanical illustrator Margaret Senior. Thank you so much. It will hang in a place of honor in my home

In honor of and , I am delighted to have two incredible trailblazing women in ag on podcast this month.First up, a ...
03/08/2025

In honor of and , I am delighted to have two incredible trailblazing women in ag on podcast this month.

First up, a true pioneer in plant health —Jean Ristaino. Dr. Ristaino has revolutionized disease surveillance and genomic research, shaping how we combat crop threats worldwide. In this episode, she shares her journey as a leading scientist in a traditionally male-dominated field, the game-changing technologies she’s utilizing, and the global impact of her research.

She also reflects on the power of mentorship and collaboration in driving innovation and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM. Don’t miss



listen now

Podcast Episode · AgTech360 · 03/06/2025 · 15m

Congratulations to Dr Inga Meadows . Inga successfully defended her PhD degree Friday . Inga worked full time as an exte...
03/01/2025

Congratulations to Dr Inga Meadows . Inga successfully defended her PhD degree Friday . Inga worked full time as an extension specialist in Wayneville NC at the Mountain Crops Research and Extension Center while doing her PhD work. She surveyed 32 floriculture crop greenhouses in NC and identified 6 Phytophthora species. P nicotianae was the most frequent. She genotyped strains and tracked spread and fungicide sensitivity . We are proud of her

https://vimeo.com/1054600819?share=copy
02/08/2025

https://vimeo.com/1054600819?share=copy

USAID is more than just a federal agency. It is a vision, a community. A roadmap to a safer, more prosperous America, not through tanks and missiles, but through…

Congratulations to Dr. Amanda Mainello-Land. Amanda successfully defended her PhD thesis research this afternoon in the ...
01/22/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Amanda Mainello-Land. Amanda successfully defended her PhD thesis research this afternoon in the Department of Plant Pathology in The Plant Science building at NC State. “ Exploring genetic relationships among Phytophthora ramorum lineages through novel detection tools, phylogenetics and evolutionary analyses”. Well done Amanda. Thanks to USDA APHIS, NSF AgBioFews and the CALS for funding her work .

Merry Christmas from the Ristaino Lab.We made more cute plant pathology themed ornaments
12/10/2024

Merry Christmas from the Ristaino Lab.We made more cute plant pathology themed ornaments

Tonight I will give a public lecture at the Royal Irish Academy
08/20/2024

Tonight I will give a public lecture at the Royal Irish Academy

There are limited tickets left for 'Tracking a Plant Killer: Historical and Scientific Reflections on the Irish Famine Pathogen', a dynamic public lecture that…

Visited Teagasc at Oak Park Carlow this week to see Steven Kildea’s late blight fungicide trials . The unsprayed plots w...
08/18/2024

Visited Teagasc at Oak Park Carlow this week to see Steven Kildea’s late blight fungicide trials . The unsprayed plots were dead while many of the fungicide mixture plots looked great. The stack gene varieties also looked great. Without fungicides it would be difficult to grow potatoes in Ireland

Address

Dept Entomology And Plant Pathology
Raleigh, NC
27695

Telephone

+19195153257

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jean Ristaino's Lab NC State posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category