Photo by Jacob Price – 2013

Diseases caused by mite-vectored viruses are the major biotic constraint to sustainable wheat production in the western Great Plains. Using a variety of remote sensing techniques for disease detection, and integrating disease loss estimates with an economic analysis, we found that losses to mite-vectored virus diseases exceeded $10 million in Deaf Smith County in 2008. We also have shown that WSMV negatively impacts root function and crop water use efficiency in wheat and that populations of TriMV are genetically homogeneous and stable.

Priority research areas include:
• Wheat curl mite population dynamics – In collaboration with Dr. Jerry Michels, Texas A&M AgriLife
• Population diversity of Triticum mosaic virus – In collaboration with Dr. John Fellers, KSU
• Genetics of resistance to WSMV – In collaboration with Dr. Jackie Rudd and Dr. Lu Huangjun, Texas A&M AgriLife