Plant pathologist | Assistant Professor at @okstate | Alumnus @ufvplantpath | Research interests: epidemiology, crop loss assessment and disease risk
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ALT Illustration showing the primary components of the corn stunt disease cycle on corn. The corn leafhopper acquires the corn stunt pathogens (corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS), maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP), and maize rayado fino virus (MRFV)) from infected corn plant tissues. The pathogens (represented as the blue dots) undergo an incubation period during which they replicate within the insect, after which they are transmitted to healthy plants by the corn leafhopper's feeding. The ranges of days required for each stage (acquisition, incubation in the vector, transmission, and incubation in the plant) are indicated. The color, size, and shape of the organisms are stylized. Image generated by AI-assisted image and adapted from Pozebon et al., 2022.
ALT Graphic titled βDrought Continues to Surgeβ showing the Aug. 18, 2026 U.S. Drought Monitor for Oklahoma and the change over the previous month. Drought now covers 94.64% of the state, with 62.21% in severe drought or worse (D2βD4), 34.94% in extreme drought or worse (D3βD4), and 8.68% in exceptional drought (D4). No part of Oklahoma is drought-free; the remaining 5.36% is abnormally dry. The worst conditions are concentrated across western Oklahoma, where a large area is in extreme drought and exceptional drought is centered in the west-central part of the state. Moderate to severe drought covers much of central and eastern Oklahoma. The one-month change map shows widespread deterioration across nearly the entire state, generally by one or two drought categories, with isolated areas worsening by three categories.
ALT Split corn stalk showing black fungal growth on the inside and the outside of the stalk.
ALT Pink fungal growth inside a corn stalk.
ALT Corn stalk being pinched between somebody's fingers.
ALT Three split corn stalks showing shredding of the interior pith.
ALT Sclerotinia crown and stem rot disease cycle illustration showing the disease process from planting alfalfa to infection to plant death.
ALT Alfalfa plant with a wilted stem.
ALT Opening title screens of multiple crop scout school videos.
ALT A dead plant affected by crown rot and surrounded by healthy plants. Image by Tamra Jackson-Ziems
ALT Phytophthora root and stem rot lesion on soybean stem.
ALT Soybean field with wilting and dying plants caused by Phytophthora root and stem rot.
ALT Spores of the Trichoderma fungus growing in between the kernels on a corn ear. Travis Faske, University of Arkansas
ALT Corn with signs of Penicillium ear rot at the top of the ear, which include green mold. Tom Allen, Mississippi State University
ALT Green mold at the base of a corn ear with kernels sprouting.
ALT Whitish corn kernels on an ear caused by fungi.
ALT Screenshot from the Crop Lookout map showing where crop issues have been reported.
ALT Gray leaf spot lesions on corn leaf.
ALT Bacterial leaf streak lesions on corn leaf.
ALT Gray leaf spot lesions on corn leaf.
ALT Bacterial leaf streak lesions on corn leaf.
ALT Two rows of corn plants. One row has dying leaves from northern corn leaf blight. The other row has leaves with relatively few lesions.
ALT Corn leaf with northern corn leaf blight lesions.
ALT Corn leaf with northern corn leaf blight lesions.
