Healthy plants are the foundation for life on our planet. They produce the oxygen we breathe and over 80% of the food we eat. The Plantopia podcast series explains how protecting plant health can ensure a sustainable future. Inspired by the United Nations declaration of 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health, the American Phytopathological Society created Plantopia so you can explore the world of plant health in company with plant pathologists—people on a mission to protect plants and our food supply.
Healthy plants are the foundation for life on our planet. They produce the oxygen we breathe and over 80% of the food we eat. The Plantopia podcast series explains how protecting plant health can ensure a sustainable future. Inspired by the United Nations declaration of 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health, the American Phytopathological Society created Plantopia so you can explore the world of plant health in company with plant pathologists—people on a mission to protect plants and our food supply.
In this episode, Dr. Michael Boehm, Professor of Plant Pathology, Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his 2025 APS Fellow Award, his decades long career as an academic leader at both The Ohio State University and The University of Nebraska, and his diverse and meaningful experiences serving in the U.S. military. He discusses the challenges that academia faces along with the opportunities for change. Dr. Boehm also discusses the importance of extension and outreach and service to our profession.
Show Notes
Dr. Michael Boehm's University of Nebraska academic profile: https://nebraska.edu/meet-our-people/chancellors-and-vice-presidents/mike-boehm
Dr. Michael Boehm's Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=m5NYCM8AAAAJ&hl=en
Dr. Boehm's Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet for 'Plants get sick too!': https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-gen-1
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Michael Boehm.
In this episode, Dr. Tim Widmer, Plant Pathologist and former USDA ARS scientist and National Program Leader joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his 2025 APS Fellow Award, his career as a federal researcher focused on biological control and emerging pathogens, and his more recent role as USDA ARS program leader. He discusses the challenges that service-minded scientists face in today's changing political and funding landscape, while encouraging those that are able to pursue federal positions to do so help shape the future of agriculture and plant health.
Show Notes
Dr. Tim Widmer's USDA Under The Microscope Interview: https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/utm/so-much-depends-upon-a-strong-green-bough-the-vital-importance-of-plant-health/
Dr. Tim Widmer’s ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Timothy-L-Widmer-37720758
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Tim Widmer.
In this episode, Dr. Karen Garrett, Preeminent Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida and current APS President joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her research journey and diverse research program on tropical and international agriculture, microbiomes, epidemiology and disease ecology among others. She discusses the various ways APS is supporting and advocating for its members during a time of uncertainty and rapid policy change. She also highlights some of the exciting workshops and speakers for Plant Health 2025.
Show Notes
Dr. Karen Garrett’s University of Florida Faculty Profile: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/people/faculty-pages/karen-garrett/
Dr. Karen Garrett’s Lab Webpage: https://www.garrettlab.com/
Dr. Karen Garrett’s Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8dMWriAAAAAJ&hl=en
APS Member Support and Resources: https://www.apsnet.org/members/engagement/Pages/Support-resources.aspx
Aps Plant Health 2025 Webpage: https://www.apsnet.org/meetings/annual/PH2025/Pages/default.aspx
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Karen Garrett.
In this episode, Dr. Marisol Quintanilla, Assistant Professor of Nematology in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her research on plant parasitic nematodes in Michigan’s vegetable, fruit, and field crops. She discusses the various life strategies and management approaches for diverse nematodes threatening U.S. soybean, hops, and sugar beet production among other crops. She also talks about the challenges of engaging with the general public outside of growers and farmers given the cryptic lifestyles of these microscopic roundworms that thrive beneath our feet.
Show Notes
Dr. Marisol Quintanilla’s Michigan State University Faculty Profile: https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/marisol_quintanilla
MSU Extension Fruit and Nuts article featuring entomopathogenic nematodes: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/advances-on-the-management-of-the-spotted-wing-drosophila-with-entomopathogenic-nematodes
Summary of Dr. Quintanilla’s grant to study Potato Early Dying Disease: https://www.thepacker.com/news/produce-crops/researchers-seek-new-strategies-combat-yield-reducing-potato-disease
Dr. Marisol Quintanilla 's Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a1XCPT8AAAAJ&hl=en
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Marisol Quintanilla.
In this episode, Dr. Kranthi Mandadi, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco, Texas, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his basic and translational research of fastidious (unculturable) plant pathogens including the causal agents of citrus greening disease (HLB) and zebra chip disease. He talks about his lab's innovative approaches to combatting plant diseases throughout the southern U.S. and his Texas-sized ambitions to develop solutions through public-private partnerships with industry. He also discusses the challenges of working with obligate unculturable plant pathogens and the need to balance basic science pursuits with high-risk / high-reward research.
Show Notes
Texas A & M University Plant Pathology and Microbiology Faculty Profile: https://plantpathology.tamu.edu/people/mandadi-kranthi/
Mandadi Lab webpage: https://agrilife.org/mandadilab/group/
2024 APS Syngenta Award Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Syngenta/Pages/2024-Syngenta_Mandadi.aspx
Farm Progress article on Dr. Mandadi: https://www.farmprogress.com/fruit/scientists-shift-from-defense-to-offense-to-fight-citrus-greening
Dr. Kranthi Mandadi's Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rWVhJ94AAAAJ&hl=en
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Kranthi Mandadi.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa Castlebury, Research Mycologist and Leader of the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory with the USDA ARS and Director of the U.S. National Fungus Collections, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her long career with the U.S.D.A. A.R.S. and her lab’s role in identifying foreign and domestic plant pathogenic fungi and managing over a million accessions housed in the U.S. National Fungus Collections. She also reflects on her early experiences growing up in Illinois and being part of some of the earliest fungal DNA-based studies in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Show notes
USDA ARS Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory official website: https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-barc/beltsville-agricultural-research-center/mycology-and-nematology-genetic-diversity-and-biology-laboratory/
USDA ARS Employee Profile: Lisa Castlebury : USDA ARS
Dr. Lisa Castlebury’s Google Scholar profile: Lisa A. Castlebury - Google Scholar
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Lisa Castlebury.
In this episode, Dr. Ilse Alejandra Huerta Arredondo, Assistant Professor of Agriculture at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss growing up in Mexico and her family ties to agriculture including her great grandfather's and grandfather's friendship with Norman Borlaug. Dr. Huerta Arredondo shares her academic journey in Mexico and in central Pennsylvania where she discovered her love for agricultural extension. She discusses her vision for extension and agricultural education in Mexico.
Show notes
Dr. Huerta Arredondo's North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) Profile here: https://naaan.csusystem.edu/directory/ilse-alejandra-huerta-arredondo/
Historic photo of Dr. Huerta Arredondo's great grandfather Jose Huerta and grandfather Jose Huerta Jr. with Norman Borlaug, John Gibler, John Pitner at Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noreste (CIANO), Sonora in 1950: http://hdl.handle.net/10883/4315
Universidad de Guanajuato Press release on Dr. Huerta Arredondo's participation in the Global Guides Program, a development program for educators organized by the World Food Prize Foundation and Global Teach Ag: https://www.ugto.mx/noticias/noticias/17674-profesora-ug-participara-en-programa-internacional-de-educacion-para-la-seguridad-alimentaria
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Ilse Huerta-Arredondo.
In this episode, Dr. Elena Karlsen-Ayala, Research Plant Pathologist with The USDA Forest Service in Hamden, Connecticut, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss present day threats to U.S. forests and landscapes. Dr. Karlsen-Ayala shares her journey including her return to New England, mycorrhizal fungi, and how to build more resilient landscapes.
Show notes
Dr. Karlsen-Ayala Profile here: https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/elena.karlsen-ayala
USDA Forest Service Region 9 page on Zombie trees: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r9/home/?cid=FSEPRD965797
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Elena Karlsen-Ayala.
In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, Associate Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at The Ohio State University, joins host Matt Kasson from Uruguay where he is currently investigating emerging and ongoing threats to U.S. and Uruguay cereal production. Dr. Jacobs discusses he globe-trotting academic journey studying plant bacterial diseases in France, Belgium, Uruguay, and the U.S.A. along with his philosophy on mentoring,
Show notes
Dr. Jacobs Ohio State University Faculty Profile here: https://plantpath.osu.edu/our-people/jonathan-m-jacobs
Dr. Jacobs OSU Lab page: Emerging infectious disease ecology laboratory | Biology and evolution of plant pathogenic bacteria and food crops (osu.edu)
News Release of Dr. Jacobs Fulbright Award: Jacobs awarded Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Uruguay | Office of International Affairs (osu.edu)
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Jonathan Jacobs.
In this episode, Dr. Terence Mhora, Senior Global R&D Scientist at FMC Agricultural Solutions, joins host Matt Kasson for an insightful discussion on building an interdisciplinary career in plant pathology. Dr. Mhora shares how his upbringing in Zimbabwe sparked his passion for agriculture and led him down this path. The conversation delves into the critical balance between molecular research and fieldwork in plant pathology, the importance of collaboration with specialized labs for federal approvals, and the challenges and opportunities within the industry. They also explore how publications, patents, and networking play pivotal roles in advancing a career in this field.
Show notes
Plantopia is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Terence Mhora.
In this episode, Dr. Edel Pérez-López, Associate Professor of Phytopathology at Université Laval, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about growing up in Cuba, taking risks and navigating language and cultural barriers in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, and the challenges of working with understudied obligate parasitic protists and Mollicutes.
*Show notes *
Université Laval Faculty Profile here: https://www.ibis.ulaval.ca/en/research/research-teams/edel-perez-lopez-en/#1533234462662-d003f18e-51c6
Seed World Feature on Dr. Perez Lopez: https://www.seedworld.com/canada/2024/02/14/redefining-success-edel-perez-lopezs-approach-to-science-and-well-being/
2024 MPMI article on Protist Effectors: https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/full/10.1094/MPMI-11-23-0196-CR
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Edel Perez Lopez.
In this episode, Dr. Niklaus Grunwald, Research Plant Pathologist with the Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about emerging phytophthora diseases, the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration in addressing global agricultural challenges, and exciting developments in plant health research, including gene editing, high-throughput data analysis, and robotic phenotyping.
Special Guest: Niklaus Grunwald.
In this episode, Dr. Romina Gazis, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology and Director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic at the University of Florida, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about growing up in Peru, her love of mycology and fungal diseases, and her tireless work to diagnose and manage tropical fruit diseases in Florida.
Show notes
University of Florida Tropical Research & Education Center Faculty Profile: https://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/romina-gazis/
Find Romina Gazis on X (formerly Twitter): @ClinicPlant
Recent APS Press Publication: Belizaire, C.M., Gañán-Betancur, L. and Gazis, R., 2024. Avocado scab caused by Elsinoe perseae: A diagnostic guide. Plant Health Progress, pp.PHP-10. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHP-10-23-0084-DG
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Romina Gazis.
In this episode, Dr. Mannon Gallegly, centenarian and Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at West Virginia University, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about Mannon’s storied 80+ year career as a plant pathologist. Dr. Gallegly shares stories of working alongside Wood Food Prize recipient John S. Niederhauser and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug in Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s.
Show notes
West Virginia University Faculty Profile here: https://www.davis.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/directory/mannon-gallegly
News Release of Mannon’s Majesty, a Late Blight and Septoria Leaf Blight resistant Tomato Variety: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2024/01/24/wvu-professor-emeritus-and-creator-of-the-people-s-tomato-unveils-final-variety-makes-limited-seeds-available-for-growers
Donate to the Mannon E. Gallegly Student Travel Fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx
Phytopathology News article on Mannon’s fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/community/phytopathology-news/2024/march/Pages/Mannon-Gallegly.aspx
APS link to the 1948 APS North Central Meeting at the University of Minnesota and the 1965 Potato Association of America Meeting in Mexico City: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Mannon Gallegly.
In this episode, join host Matt Kasson as he engages in a conversation with Dr. Megan McCaghey, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. McCaghey shares insights into her career journey shaped by agriculture, the deliberate choice to pursue a master's degree before a PhD, and her ongoing research on Southern blight and Phytophthora sojae. The discussion also explores her current and future teaching commitments, the transformative impact of the pandemic on her teaching methods, mentoring and networking approaches, and valuable advice for early-career scientists.
Show notes
UMN Department of Plant Pathology Faculty Profile here: https://plpa.cfans.umn.edu/people/megan-mccaghey
McCaghey Lab Website: https://mccagheylab.cfans.umn.edu/
Find Megan McCaghey on X (formerly Twitter): @MN_Soil_Fungi
2023 Research Highlight on Dr. McCaghey’s work on Soybeans by the Soybean Research and Information Network: Improving Tools for Soybean Breeders to Fight White Mold
Recent APS Press Publication: Webster, R.W., McCaghey, M., Mueller, B.D., Groves, C.L., Mathew, F.M., Singh, A.K., Kabbage, M. and Smith, D.L., 2023. Development of Glycine max Germplasm Highly Resistant to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PhytoFrontiers™, 3(3), pp.629-638. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/full/10.1094/PHYTOFR-01-23-0009-R
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Megan McCaghey.
In the season 4 premier of Plantopia, new host Matt Kasson, associate professor of forest pathology and mycology at West Virginia University, talks to Dr. Jim Bradeen, season 2 and 3 host of Plantopia, professor of plant pathology, and associate vice president at Colorado State University Spur Campus. The two discussed what interested Jim in plant sciences, what he's passionate about, the importance of pursuing a master's degree, his impact on the establishment of CSU's Spur Campus, advice for students and people in academia, leadership, and the future of Plantopia.
Show notes
The full transcript for this episode can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/5n8zrkfs
Colorado State University Faculty Profile here: https://president.colostate.edu/presidents-office-team/
CSU SPUR Profile: https://csuspur.org/profiles/jim-bradeen/
Find Jim Bradeen on X (formerly Twitter): @JimBradeen
Find Jim Bradeen on BlueSky: @jimbradeen.bsky.social
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Jim Bradeen.
In this episode, Dr. Rubella Goswami, director for the Plant Protection Division at USDA’s-National Institute of Food and Agriculture, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about her vast career in plant pathology, how a global perspective influenced her career, transitioning from academia to industry, the challenges for women in science, and advice for young professionals in the field.
Show notes
The full transcript for this episode can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3buv4jse
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Rubella Goswami.
In this episode, recorded live at the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France, Dr. Yong-Hwan Lee, president of the International Society for Plant Pathology, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about global plant health, his career in plant pathology, opportunities and challenges facing the industry, academic leadership, international collaborations, and a preview of the next International Congress of Plant Pathology, held in Australia in 2028.
Show notes
The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7a5vfk
For more information on that International Society for Plant Pathology: https://www.isppweb.org
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Yong-Hwan Lee.
In this episode, recorded live at the 12th International Congress Of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France, Dr. Justin Pita, Executive Director
for the West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) for Food Security, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about plant health opportunities and challenges throughout the 10 countries represented by the WAVE, his career in plant pathology, the need to build or equip facilities for viral diagnoses, the importance of cassava in Western and Central Africa, and moving beyond your comfort zone.
Special Guest: Justin Pita.
In this episode, Evelyn Planter Heidt, a masters student in both plant pathology and entomology at Iowa State University, joins host Jim Bradeen for a conversation about her passions, goals and impact in plant pathology. The two chat about her career journey in the field; her involvement in the World Food Prize; her ongoing research on mung beans, its importance to the U.S., and its genetic diversity; and the use of AI in agriculture.
Show notes
The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2tdvyu5c
You can find her on LinkedIn @Evelyn Planter Heidt
Publication: Batzer, J.C., Sing, A., Platner, E., Kandel, Y. and Mueller, D.S. 2022. Screening Mungbean Accession for Susceptibility to Soybean Fungal Diseases in Iowa. Plant Health Progress Volume 23:456-465.
This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Evelyn Planter Heidt.
