Report of Assigned Activities :
The plant pathology position in Amarillo is listed as 100% research, with no time officially budgeted for administration, teaching, extension, or service activities. However, in order to meet professional obligations and regional needs, and to take advantage of opportunities that would advance the pathology program, considerable time has been spent on issues only peripheral to research.
Administrative Duties - emphasis on last five years
Dr. Rush currently supervises two Assistant Research Scientists, one Associate Research Scientist, three technicians, four graduate students, and three student workers, and manages a research budget that has averaged approximately $380,000/year for the last five years. In 2005, he served as Chairman of NC1015, treasurer and publication editor for the IWGPVFV, served on several Research Center , Departmental, and University committees, and spent considerable time maintaining good relationships with local, regional and national commodity groups.
In October 1999, Dr. Rush accepted the position of coordinator of the Ergot project within the TxGrain initiative and in June 2000 he was appointed Statewide Coordinator of the Precision Agricultural Initiative. The Precision Ag Program was challenging and time consuming. There were approximately 25 scientists involved and a $1.6 million budget. The 2001 fiscal year was a budget year so there were numerous meetings with faculty and administrators in College Station . Despite a 20% budget cut, the process went smoothly and the program was expanded to include additional faculty around the state. Dr Rush coordinated both programs until 2003 when they were integrated into a new Cropping Systems initiative.
Teaching:
In the last five years, Dr. Rush has trained six Assistant Research Scientists, nine MS graduate students, and exposed numerous undergraduate student workers to science and production agriculture. He makes frequent presentations to ag related industries, commodity groups and serves as a guest lecturer at WTAMU.
Service Activities:
Each year, Dr. Rush’s project provides numerous services beyond assigned research responsibilities. These include presentations at field days, crop tours, commodity research meetings, and growers meetings. Lab personnel routinely give tours to various groups such as scouts, elementary and high school classes, visiting scientists, etc. We provide disease diagnostic services to local producers, ag industry personnel, and crop consultants. We also provide technical assistance and diagnostic materials and supplies for detection of BNYVV and BSBMV to scientists around the world. We help kids with science fair projects and frequently serve as judges at local school science fairs. Following hurricane Katrina, lab personnel picked and delivered over 1000 pounds of cantaloupes, corn and tomatoes to local charity groups caring for evacuees.
Research:
The plant pathology position in Amarillo was established for research on ecology, epidemiology, and management of economically important plant diseases, with emphasis on wheat, sorghum, and sugar beet. Dr. Rush has focused on diseases caused by plant viruses and soilborne fungal pathogens. Program objectives address not only applied problems but also fundamental aspects of Phytopathology, which will lead to new and significant information.
Acquisition of Research Funds:
Dr. Rush wrote a total of 229 proposals from 1987 to the present. A complete list of these, with title, amount requested, and sponsor, is presented by year in the appendix. A table showing grant awards by sponsor, amount, and year follows.
Invited Presentations
Anhydrous Ammonia and Dicloropropene Fumigants to Control Root Rot, Phymatotrichum Root Rot: A Comprehensive Review. Texas A&M University , 1982.
Mycorrhizal Studies in Houston Black Clay, Phymatotrichum Root Rot: A Comprehensive Review. Texas A&M University , 1982.
Cultural Practices Impacting on Root Rot, Texas Integrated Pest Management Conference, Texas A&M University , 1983.
Factors Affecting Root Disease of Peas, Columbia Basin Agric. Research Unit, Pendleton , OR , 1984.
The Effect of Environment of Phymatotrichum Root Rot of Cotton, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1984.
New Techniques of Studying Soil Borne Plant Pathogens, Soil Fungus Conference, Tucson , AZ , 1985.
Rush, C. M. and S. R. Winter. Crop rotations and root disease of sugar beet. International Conference on Dryland Farming, August 15-18, 1988.
Mathieson, J. T. and C. M. Rush. Tillage affects on wheat pathogen populations. International Conference on Dryland Farming, August 15-18, 1988.
Rush, C. M, Carling, D. E. and Harveson, R. M. 1992. Ag characterization of Rhizoctonia solani isolates from wheat and sugar beet in the Texas Panhandle. Proc. 19th Hard Red Winter Wheat Workers Conference. Lincoln , Nebraska . February 1992.
Rush, C. M. 1992. Disease control in sugar beets with irrigation management. Oklahoma State University , Stillwater , Oklahoma . April 1992.
Mahmood, T. and C.M. Rush. 1998. Cross-Protection between Beet Soil Borne Mosaic Virus and Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus in Sugar Beet. Annual Noble Foundation Virology Retreat.
Telford , B., C.M. Rush, and K-B.G. Scholthof. 1998. Analysis of beet soilborne mosaic virus RNA 2 nucleotide sequence. Annual Noble Foundation Virology Retreat
Brewton, R. and C.M. Rush. 1999. Variability in BSBMV. Eighth Annual Noble Foundation Virology Retreat, Ardmore , Oklahoma , January 1999.
Mahmood, T. and C.M. Rush. 1999. Cross Protection with BNYVV and BSBMV. Eighth Annual Noble Foundation Virology Retreat, Ardmore , Oklahoma , January 1999.
Piccinni, G. and C. M. Rush. 1999. Use of remote sensing and variable rate irrigation for management of take-all in hard red winter wheat. 17 th Eastern Regional Conference on the Ecology of Root-Infecting Microorganisms, West Lafayette , Indiana , March 1999.
Rush, C. M. 1999. Irrigation & Soil-Pathogen Infested Fields. The Western Sugar Company – Grower Joint Research Committee Annual Meeting, Casper , Wyoming , January 1999.
Rush, C.M. 1999. Presentation on research program to A&M’s new Chancellor, Dr. Howard Graves. July 27, 1999 .
Rush, C. M. 1999. Rhizomainia/TX-7 Survey – 2 nd year. The Western Sugar Company – Grower Joint Research Committee Annual Meeting, Casper , Wyoming , January 1999.
Rush, C. M. 1999. Serological and molecular tests for detection of beet necrotic yellow vein virus and beet soilborne mosaic virus. 29 th Annual Sugarbeet Research Reporting Session, Fargo , North Dakota , January 1999.
Rush, C. M. and G. Piccinni. 1999. Rhizomania of Sugar Beet: Interactions between BNYVV, BSBMV, and Irrigation management. 17 th Eastern Regional Conference on the Ecology of Root-Infecting Microorganisms, West Lafayette , Indiana , March 1999.
Rush, C.M. 2000. Interactions between Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus and Beet Soilborne Mosaic Virus. Western Sugar Company, Casper , WY , January 12, 2000 .
Rush, C.M. 2000. Interactions between Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus and Beet Soilborne Mosaic Virus. The Sugarbeet Res. & Edu. Board of MN/ND, Fargo , ND , January 19, 2000 .
Rush, C.M. 2000. Final Report for the 1999 Sugar Beet Cultivar Disease Screening Nursery and Irrigation Study. Amarillo , TX , February 17, 2000 .
Rush, C. M. Precision Ag Research, West Texas A&M University . November 7, 2001 .
Rush, C. M. Precision Ag Research, Texas Tech University . November 14, 2001 .
Rush, C. M. Precision Agriculture in the Texas Panhandle. Dept. Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University . December 3, 2001
Rush, C. M. Sorghum Ergot, Texas Seed Trade Assoc. Ann. Meeting. February 2002
Rush, C. M., and J. Stein. 2004. Update on Karnal Bunt activities in the United States . National Wheat Workers Workshop. Feb 22-25, Kansas City , MO.
Overview of KB research on ecology and epidemiology. USDA-APHIS KB Workshop. October 13-14, 2004 , Dallas , TX .
Rush, C. M. Breakdown of Rz1 resistance in rhizomania tolerant germplasm. 35 Annual Minnesota/North Dakota Sugar Beet Research Reporting Session. January 11, 2005 , Fargo , ND .
Rush, C. M. Update on rhizomania research. Southern Minnesota sugar beet growers research symposium. February 16, 2005 , Willmar , MN .
Rush, C. M. Rhizomania Overview. Beet necrotic yellow vein virus symposium, ASSBT Meeting. March 3, 2005 , Palm Springs, CA.
Steddom, K., and Rush, C. M. Diseases of Small Grains, New Mexico State University. April, 2005, Clovis , NM .
S Steddom , K., and Rush, C. M. Seed borne diseases of wheat. Texas Silo Operators. May, 2005, Perryton , TX .
Rush, C. M. Karnal Bunt Research in Amarillo . NC-1015 Regional Committee Meeting. August 3, 2005 , Austin , TX .
Steddom, K., and Rush, C. M. Wheat research in Amarillo . Texas Wheat Researcher’s Meeting. August 18, 2005 , Dallas , TX .
Rush, C. M. Research review on breakdown of rhizomania resistance genes. Sugar Beet Seed Breeders Symposium on Improving Rhizomania Resistance in Sugar Beet. November 3, 2005 , Fargo , ND .
Allen, T., and Rush, C. M. Karnal Bunt Research in Amarillo . Plant Protection and Quarantine Workshop. November 14, 2005 , College Station , TX .
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