New Mexico State University (NMSU) has announced that Professor Soum Sanogo, an expert in fungal plant pathology, has secured a significant $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This grant will fund a collaborative research effort involving over a dozen researchers from various institutions across the country. The objective of this research is to address the issue of Phytophthora blight, a devastating disease that affects crops such as peppers and cucurbits.
According to a press release from NMSU, Professor Sanogo outlined the three main objectives of the project. These include examining the genetic diversity of the pathogen, developing disease-resistant varieties, and identifying a novel method to detect the pathogen in soil and irrigation water.
Phytophthora blight is a widespread problem, not only in the United States but also globally. Professor Sanogo stated, "This is a major disease problem in every state producing vegetables in the United States. Outside the U.S., you will find this disease on every continent."
This research project builds upon the previous work of Professor Sanogo, who has been leading NMSU's Soilborne Disease Research Program. He specializes in studying soilborne diseases that impact both annual and perennial crops. One of the key collaborators in this endeavor is Dennis Nicuh Lozada, NMSU's chile pepper breeder and director of the Chile Pepper Breeding and Genetics Program. Sanogo and Lozada jointly published a scientific paper last year on the history of Phytophthora capsici, the soilborne microorganism responsible for causing Phytophthora blight in chile and other vegetable crops.
The research team includes experts from various fields. Ram Acharya from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business, Willis M. Fedio from the Center of Animal Health and Food Safety, and Koffi Djaman from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences will also collaborate in this effort. Additionally, the project involves collaborative efforts with several institutions outside of NMSU, including the University of Illinois, Alcorn State University, University of Florida, University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, and Rutgers University.
Professor Sanogo also highlighted the importance of understanding the regional differences in the severity of Phytophthora blight. He said, "We will also come up with a management risk index, where we can look at different regions and understand the severity of the disease based on location. Our goal is to give indicators of why this pathogen affects crops differently in New Jersey than in New Mexico or Florida, for example."
With the support of this grant, Professor Sanogo and his team aim to make significant progress in combating Phytophthora blight and protecting valuable crops from its devastating effects.
