In this episode, Dr. Boris Vinatzer, 2026 APS Fellow and Professor of Microbial Genetics and Genomics in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his career working on plant biotechnology and plant pathogenic bacteria with an emphasis on Pseudomonas syringae and Rolstonia solanacearum. He also talks about his work on ice nucleation activity in bacteria and fungi and genome-based approaches for plant disease diagnostics including multi-locus sequence analysis for species level identification of plant pathogenic bacteria.

show notes

The full transcript for this episode can be found here:

Dr. Boris Vinatzer’s Virginia Tech faculty webpage: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/vinatzer-boris.html

Dr. Boris Vinatzer’s Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=STcUUYcAAAAJ&hl=en

Dr. Boris Vinatzer’s 2026 APS Fellow Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/Pages/awardees.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Boris Vinatzer.

In this episode, Dr. Rodrigo Almeida, 2026 APS Fellow, Professor of Emerging Infectious Disease Ecology, and Hildebrand-Laumeister Chair in Plant Pathology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California Berkeley joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his career working on insect-transmitted plant pathogens inside and outside California with an emphasis on the bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce’s Disease of grape. He helps untangle the tricky taxonomy of Xylella and talks about some of the modern tools and techniques his lab has developed to study this fastidious organism.

Show Notes

Dr. Rodrigo Almeida’s UC Berkeley faculty webpage: https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/almeida-lab/home

Dr. Rodrigo Almeida’s Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LMsjc2cAAAAJ&hl=en

2026 APS Fellow Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/Pages/awardees.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Rodrigo Almeida.

In this episode, Dr. Christina Cowger, 2026 APS Fellow and Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her career working on cereal diseases across the U.S., the contemporary threats wheat producers face, and the management tools and cultivars that the USDA and others are helping to develop and deploy to maximize production. She also gives an impromptu lesson on wheat production across the U.S. and talks about the joys of mentoring and serving as an editor for APS journals.

show notes

Dr. Christina Cowger USDA profile: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/raleigh-nc/plant-science-research/docs/research-spotlight/christina-cowger-small-grains-pathologist/

Dr. Christina Cowger Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=APwxkDEAAAAJ&hl=en

2026 APS Fellow Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/Pages/awardees.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Christina Cowger.

In this episode, Dr. Melanie Medina López, postdoctoral researcher in the Roman-Reyna Lab in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at Penn State University, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss phytobiomes, soybean cyst nematode, and biocontrol. She also discusses growing up in Puerto Rico, her time working on vaccine development, and her love of science.

*Show Notes *

Dr. Melanie Medina López PSU profile: https://plantpath.psu.edu/directory/mkm6528

Dr. Melanie Medina López google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tegwxa8AAAAJ&hl=en

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Melanie Medina López.

In this episode, former Plantopia host, Jim Bradeen, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss the origins and current state of APS's Plant Health podcast. In addition to providing a behind the scenes look of putting together a single episode, they also discuss some of their favorite memories and where they see the podcast headed as the search for a new host / co-host gets underway.

*show notes *

Featured episodes

Going Viral: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/64
Plant Pathology 101: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/47
Of Peeps and People…and Plant Pathology: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/25

Arms Race Part 1: Ug99: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/1

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Jim Bradeen.

In this episode, D.C. lobbyist Madeline Wade, M.P.P., partner and founder of Brumidi Group, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss all things lobbying including her firm’s role in working on behalf of APS to advance their policy priorities and implement meaningful policy actions. She also discusses her time on The Hill working under U.S. Representative Greg Walden, navigating the crowded D.C. political ecosystem, and the role of social media and its influence on political discourse.

*Show Notes *

Madeline Wade’s Brumidi Group profile: https://www.brumidigroup.com/madeline-wade

Madeline Wade’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-wade-a2419639

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Madeline Wade.

In this episode, Dr. Carrie Harmon (University of Florida), Dr. Matt Bertone (North Carolina State University), Dr. Alicyn Smart (University of Maine), and Dr. Peng Tian (University of Missouri) join host Matt Kasson to discuss the history and importance of National Plant Diagnostic Network, their various roles in the NPDN and the regional diagnostic networks, and their responsibilities as Directors of their University’s Plant Disease and Pest Diagnostic Clinics. They also discuss some of the misconceptions of diagnostics and share some of the craziest samples they’ve encountered.

*Show Notes *

NPDN Website: https://www.npdn.org/

Dr. Carrie Harmon’s University profile: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/people/faculty-pages/carrie-harmon/

UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/plant-diagnostic-center/

Dr. Matt Bertone’s University profile: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/profile/matt-bertone/

NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic: https://pdic.ces.ncsu.edu/

Dr. Alicyn Smart’s University profile: https://extension.umaine.edu/about/staff-directory/alicyn-smart/

The University of Maine Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab: https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/plant-disease/

Dr. Peng Tian’s University profile: https://cafnr.missouri.edu/directory/peng-tian-phd/

University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic: https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/plant-diagnostic-clinic

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guests: Peng Tian, Alicyn Smart, Carrie Harmon, and Matt Bertone.

In this episode, Dr. Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde, Assistant Professor of Host-Microbe Interactions in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his lab’s research program on multi-trophic interactions in vector-borne diseases in corn, soybean, and other crops. He also discusses growing up in Ecuador, his time working on numerous tropical plant viruses in Hawaii and transitioning to working with fastidious prokaryotes and diverse disease vectors.

*show notes *

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde’s Iowa State University profile: https://www.ppem.iastate.edu/people/alejandro-olmedo-velarde

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde's lab website: https://faculty.sites.iastate.edu/aolmedov/

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rBzKiKQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde.

In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Power, Associate Professor Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on Ralstonia, her NSF CAREER Award, and her cohort based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focused on integrating the next generation of novel investigations of toxin ecology and evolution (IGNITE) in Ralstonia. She also discusses the importance of good mentorship and navigating academia with a unique phenotype.

Show Notes

Dr. Lowe-Power’s UC Davis profile: https://plantpathology.ucdavis.edu/people/tiffany-lowe-power

Dr. Lowe-Power’s lab website: http://lowepowerlab.ucdavis.edu/

Dr. Lowe-Power’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aMxz2moAAAAJ&hl=en

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Tiffany Lowe-Power.

In this episode, Dr. Lina Quesada, William Neil Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Vegetable Pathology at North Carolina State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on downy mildews and sweet potato diseases. She also discusses her love of extension and how she connects her basic science research with growers’ needs.

*Show Notes
*

Dr. Quesada’s NC State University profile: https://cals.ncsu.edu/entomology-and-plant-pathology/people/lmquesad/

Dr. Quesada’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=im2J9VIAAAAJ

2023 APS Syngenta Award write-up: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Syngenta/Pages/2023-Syngenta_Quesada.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Lina Quesada.

In this episode, Dr. Jim Westwood, Professor of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss parasitic plants and his lab’s work on their novel structures and mechanisms for information exchange with their hosts. He also discusses his time in the Peace Corps in Mauritania and as a Fulbright Scholar in France along with management strategies used against parasitic plants both in the U.S. and abroad.

Show Notes

Dr. Westwood’s Virginia Tech profile: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/westwood-james.html

Dr. Westwood’s lab website: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/westwood-james/westwood-lab.html

Dr. Westwood’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_Q1dozYAAAAJ&hl=en

Virginia Tech write-up on Dr. Westwood’s NSF Plant Genome Grant using parasitic plants to edit host plant genomes: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/12/parasitic-weeds-tool-for-altering-plant-genomics-collaboration-nsf.html

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Jim Westwood.