Thomas Isakeit
Assistant professor and Extension plant pathologist Department of Plant Pathology Texas A&M University, Texas A & M Research and Extension Center, 2401 East Highway 83, Weslaco, TX 78596
Phone: 956-968-5581 Fax: -956-969-5639
e-mail: t-isakeit@tamu.edu
Tom Isakeit received his B.S. in Agriculture/Plant Pathology and Horticulture from the University of Alberta, Edmonton in 1980. He received his M.S. in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University, East Lansing in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University, East Lansing in 1988.
New and serious plant diseases occurring in south Texas attract my attention. I am currently testing management strategies for the squash leaf curl virus, a whitefly-transmitted gemini virus which was recently identified as a major pathogen on fall-planted watermelons.
I am also monitoring the occurrence of new Gemini viruses on other crops. Of course, diagnosing the "routine" diseases affecting the wide variety of horticultural crops produced in south Texas remains an important aspect of my work.
While it is essential to respond to disease problems as they arise, I strive to anticipate how agricultural changes in the future will impact on plant disease and approaches to disease control. The decreased availability of chemicals for disease control is a trend, so I emphasize biological control materials in control trials and the responsible use of chemicals in educational programs. Information resulting from experiments is useless unless it is communicated to the clientele that need it, which is the key component of my work. The ultimate purpose of my activity is to help maintain the viability of agriculture in south Texas.
Selected Publications:
- First report of bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon in Texas. Black, M.C., T. Isakeit, L.W. Barnes, T.A. Kucharek, R.J. Hoover, and N.C. Hodge. Plant Dis. 78:831. (1994).
- First report of squash leaf curl virus on watermelon in Texas. Isakeit, T., N.L. Robertson, J.K. Brown, and R.L. Gilbertson. Plant Dis. 78:1010. (1994).
- Evaluation of microbial antagonists for control of pink root of onion, 1994-1995. Isakeit, T., and M.E. Miller. Biological and Cultural Tests 11:108. (1996).
- First report of infection of honeydew with Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Isakeit, T., Black, M.C., Barnes, L.W. and Jones, J.B. Plant Dis. 81:694. (1997).