Graduate students getting hands on experience in the field.
The overall mission of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology department is to perform research to advance our collective understanding of interactions between plants and microbes as well as the causes and management of plant disease. Because of the unique historical role of fungi as plant pathogens, we also maintain a center of excellence for the study of fungal biology and systematics.We educate undergraduate and graduate students in our classrooms and laboratories. With our sister department in Geneva, we also extend our discoveries to stakeholders through participation in grower meetings, field days and open houses, through publication of pamphlets, newsletters and books and through web pages.