University of Minnesota Department of Plant Pathology

09/21/2026

A message from our friend Rex Bernardo in the University of Minnesota Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics:

Check out Plant Breeding Matters, a new podcast for anyone interested in plant breeding, especially non-experts!

06/22/2026

Minnesota's summer this year has been great for sugar-beet growing... and great weather for sugar beet disease Cercospora leaf spot!

Minnesota farmers have battled a devastating sugar beet disease for the past two years. Now, they're bracing for its possible return.

06/10/2026

Thank you Minneapolis-St Paul Magazine for featuring Emerald Ash Borer research from Colin Peters and the Blanchette Lab!

A new way to eradicate the emerald ash borer beetle has emerged thanks to researchers at the U of M, and the solution could be found in the ash trees themselves.

05/12/2026

When microbes cooperate, crops win, and Professor Linda Kinkel is fascinated by finding the microbes making the difference 🌱Story in bio! 🔗

03/30/2026

Thank you to the Des Moines Register for honoring Norman Borlaug, perhaps our most famous alumnus, for Iowa History Month!

Norman Borlaug’s life reflects the kind of innovation that can grow from Iowa soil and reach far beyond it.

03/20/2026

Staff and students made it a wonderful Symposium! Thank you to everyone who came!

12/11/2025

Scientists testing fungi to protect Minnesota's one billion ash trees: new from MPR

A Minnesota scientist is experimenting with using parasitic fungi to kill emerald ash borer, a beetle that has transformed forests and city streets in parts of the state.

12/08/2025

Career Opportunity: Postdoctoral Researcher
The Ranjan Lab at the University of Minnesota seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to lead cutting-edge research on studying the molecular interactions of fungal diseases affecting potatoes, with a focus on identifying key molecular mechanisms and the metabolites of Verticillium wilt and potato interaction, as well as characterizing microbial biocontrol agents.

Apply through UMN:

https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/int/371211 (internal)

https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/371211 (external)