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. 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.