Vegetable Seed Pathology Program

Program Director

Dr. Lindsey du Toit

Lindsey du Toit grew up in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa, where she completed her undergraduate education at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg (UNP), in 1991 with a major in plant pathology. While at the UNP, Drs. Mike Wallis, Fritz Rijkenberg, and Mark Laing had a wonderful influence on Lindsey's decision to pursue her education further in plant pathology. Lindsey went on to complete her MS (1995) and PhD (1998) degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), majoring in plant pathology. Her PhD dissertation was on field & epidemiological aspects of common smut of sweet corn caused by Ustilago maydis, under the direction of Dr. Jerald Pataky. During her stay in Illinois, Lindsey interned at the Plant Clinic of the UIUC for five growing seasons, supervised by Nancy Pataky. Lindsey's first position out of graduate school was as the diagnostician for the Plant & Insect Diagnostic Lab at the Puyallup Research & Extension Center of Washington State University (WSU) from 1998 to 2000. Lindsey was then hired on as an assistant professor and vegetable seed pathologist for WSU in August 2000, based at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC. The focus of the vegetable seed pathology research and extension program on the etiology, biology and management of diseases affecting vegetable seed crops in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA. Small-seeded vegetable seed crops, in particular, as the focus of this program. In 2006, Lindsey was promoted to Associate Professor & Extension Specialist E3.

Mike Derie, a native of Idaho, received his M.S. degree in plant science from the University of Idaho in 1989. He worked for 11 years at the WSU-Puyallup Research and Extension Center as a research technician in the vegetable seed pathology program under Dr. Gabrielson, where he focused on detection and control of black rot in crucifer seed. Mike joined the vegetable pathology program at Mount Vernon in 1997, with responsibility for carrying out laboratory-based research, making disease diagnoses, and helping prepare manuscripts. In March 2001, Mike joined the vegetable seed pathology program at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC. Mike is responsible for carrying out lab, field, and greenhouse trials on diseases of vegetable seed crops in Washington. Mike also isolates, and helps identify and maintain many vegetable pathogens. In 2006, Mike celebrated his 20th year with WSU! In 2007, Mike was promoted to Scientific Assistant in the vegetable seed pathology program.

Louise Brissey was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University on the San Luis Obispo campus in 1972 with a B.S. degree in agriculture, majoring in ornamental horticulture. Louise has worked in an ornamental tissue culture lab in Skagit Co., and as assistant plant breeder for a flower seed company in CA. Louise worked in a time-slip position for the WSU Vegetable Seed Pathology (VSP) program for several years before she was hired on by the VSP program as an Ag. Research Tech. II in April 2005. Louise’s focus is on seed health assays and germination assays, but she assists with an array of lab, field, and greenhouse projects on diseases affecting vegetable seed crops. Louise is an avid gardener and is very involved in the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.

Martin Chilvers
2002-2003 Postdoctorate project: Development of a real-time PCR seed assay for Botrytis spp. associated with neck rot of onion.

Martin Chilvers grew up in Tasmania, Australia, where he received a B.S. degree in agriculture, with honors in plant pathology (1998), from the University of Tasmania. In 2003, Martin received a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology from the University of Tasmania under Drs. Frank Hay and Calum Wilson. His PhD dissertation was entitled “Epidemiology of Botrytis spp. associated with neck rot of onion in northern Tasmania, Australia.” In December 2003, Martin took a research associate position at Washington State University co-supervised by Drs. Lindsey du Toit and Tobin Peever in Pullman, WA. The project was focused on development of a real-time quantitative PCR assay for detection of neck rot Botrytis spp. associated with onion seed. In early 2005, Martin began a position as research associate for Dr. Tobin Peever, working on various aspects of Ascochyta (Didymella) host specificity, epidemiology and genetics on chickpea.

Publications from postdoctorate:

Chilvers, M.I., du Toit L.J., Akamatsu, H., and Peever, T.L. 2007. A real-time, quantitative PCR seed assay for Botrytis spp. that cause neck rot of onion. Plant Disease 91:599-608.

Chilvers, M.I., and du Toit L.J. 2006. Detection and identification of Botrytis species associated with neck rot, scape blight, and umbel blight of onion. Plant Health Progress: doi:10.1094/PHP-2006-1127-01-DG.

Chilvers, M.I., du Toit, L.J., and Peever, T.L. 2005. RFLP differentiation of neck rot Botrytis spp. present in onion seed crops in Washington State, and development of a real-time PCR assay for detection of these fungi in onion seed. 23rd Fungal Genetics Conference, 15-20 March 2005, Pacific Grove, CA.

Emily Gatch grew up on a farm in eastern Iowa, and had an early introduction to the world of seed through summer jobs detassling corn and working for a prairie seed company.  Emily obtained a B.S. in biology from Harvard University, followed by an M.S. in plant pathology at Iowa State University in the lab of Dr. Gary Munkvold.  Emily’s thesis project examined the interaction of Bt corn hybrids and stalk rot, caused by a complex of fungal pathogens that includes several species of Fusarium.  After finishing her degree in 2001, Emily worked for three years as a research associate at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center, reporting to both the horticulturalist and plant pathologist in the vegetable crops division.  This exposure to crops such as tomatoes, snap beans, summer squash and pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and southern peas was a revelation for Emily, who became a specialty-crops devotee and pursued this interest to the far reaches of New Mexico, where she accepted a position as greenhouse and pathology coordinator at the research farm of Seeds of Change, an organic vegetable, herb, and flower seed company.  In her efforts to assess and manage seedborne disease challenges for the company, Emily became aware of the research program of Dr. Lindsey du Toit, and joined Lindsey’s her lab at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC as a Ph.D student in August 2008, investigating management strategies for control of Fusarium wilt in spinach seed crops.

Leigh Ann Harrison
2007 PhD dissertation: Management of Fusarium wilt in spinach seed production.

Leigh Ann was born in Odessa, TX, and lived in TX for 10 years, in France for 2 years, and in South Carolina for 12 years. In May 2004, Leigh Ann received a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences at Clemson University in Clemson, SC, where she earned four varsity letters as a member of the Lady Tiger soccer team. As an undergraduate in 2002, Leigh Ann was a member of the Cornell University Food Science Scholar Program under the supervision of Dr. Dennis Miller, in which she worked on a project assessing bioavailability of iron powders intended for bread fortification. Leigh Ann’s undergraduate senior research project at Clemson, with Drs. Steve Jeffers and Melissa Riley, dealt with analyzing and developing fatty acid methyl ester profiles for Phytophthora cactorum. From July 2004 to October 2006, Leigh Ann did an MS degree in the WSU Department of Plant Pathology under the supervision of Dr. Tim Murray. Leigh Ann’s MS project was on the epidemiology of Wheat streak mosaic virus in perennial wheat, and screening for potential resistance to the virus in perennial wheat lines. Leigh Ann started a PhD degree in the same department in spring 2007 with Dr. Lindsey du Toit's program. Leigh Ann’s PhD dissertation research was on management of Fusarium wilt in spinach seed production. In September 2007, Leigh Ann transferred to a PhD program at Virginia Tech.

Jaime Cummings
2005 - 2007 MS thesis: Evaluation of organic seed treatments for control of seedling blight/damping-off pathogens of spinach.

Jaime was born in Binghamton, NY, and lived in NY for 20 years. Jaime attended Broome Community College to earn an A.S. degree in December 2002, with a focus on biology/chemistry. Jaime then attended the State University of West Georgia, where she completed courses towards her A.S., and focused on Spanish language studies. Jaime attended school in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico for the summer of 2000-2001 - Jaime has completed 6 years of Spanish in high school, and 12 credits of Spanish at university level! She then earned a BS degree in wildlife biology/environmental forest biology in May 2004 from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. In 2004, Jaime ventured to the Amazon rainforest of Brasil to work on a tropical wildlife research project, followed by a position as research assistant on a small mammal research project at Virginia Tech, WV. Jaime worked as an outdoor environmental educator/naturalist, teaching biology and ecology courses to adults and children in 2004-2005. This was followed by a position in VA as a research assistant on a ground-nesting waterfowl research project for the College of William and Mary in 2005. Jaime completed her MS degree in the WSU Department of Plant Pathology from July 2005 to December 2007, working in Lindsey du Toit’s vegetable seed pathology program for her thesis project. Jaime is currently working for Dr. Carol Miles in the vegetable horticulture program at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC, while exploring opportunities for employment in agriculture.

Publications from MS program:
Cummings, J.A., and du Toit, L.J.  200_. Greenhouse evaluation of seed and drench treatments for organic management of damping-off and seedling blight pathogens of spinach.  Plant Disease:manuscript in progress.

Cummings, J.A., du Toit, L.J., and Miles, C.A. 2008. Evaluation of seed and drench treatments for organic management of soilborne diseases of spinach in western WA. Plant Disease Management Reports 2:V134.

Cummings, J.A., du Toit, L.J., and Miles, C.A. 2008. Evaluation of seed and drench treatments for organic management of soilborne diseases of spinach in Sequim, WA. Plant Disease Management Reports 2:V133.

Cummings, J.A. 2007. Evaluation of seed and drench treatments for management of damping-off and seedling blight pathogens of spinach for organic production. MS thesis, Washington State University, Department of Plant Pathology.

du Toit, L.J., Derie, M.L., Brissey, L.M., & Cummings, J.A. 2007. Evaluation of limestone amendments for control of Fusarium wilt in a spinach seed crop, 2006. Plant Disease Management Reports 1:V091.

Cynthia Hansen, Western Washington University (summer 2007 intern)

Cynthia Hansen grew up in Bozeman, Montana and Fort Collins, Colorado. Having left the hot, dry summers of the Rocky Mountain west for the more temperate climate of Bellingham, Cynthia completed her senior year at Western Washington University in fall 2007, with a BS in Cellular & Molecular Biology/Biochemistry. Cynthia completed an internship with the WSU Vegetable Seed Pathology program in the summer of 2007, and expressed interest in continuing her studies with a graduate degree in plant sciences.

Alyse Douglas, Western Washington University (summer 2007 intern)

Alyse was born in 1986 and raised in North Bend, Washington, where she attended Mount Si High School. Alyse also lived in California and Hawaii. Alyse graduated in 2007 at Western Washington University (WWU) where she earned a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Chemistry. Alyse spent two years doing organic chemistry research with Dr. Kriz at WWU, and completed a year as a Fellow Scientist for the GK-12 Catalysts for Reform project, where she helped create and implement an enquiry-based 6th grade science curriculum at Nooksack Valley Middle School. Alyse completed an internship at WWU in conjunction with the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC, under the co-supervision of Dr. Marion Brodhagon (WWU molecular biologist), Dr. Lindsey du Toit (WSU vegetable seed pathologist), and Mike Derie (WSU agricultural research technologist). The internship project was on developing a quantitative molecular detection assay for Xanthomonas campestris pv. carotae, causal agent of bacterial blight of carrot, that differentiates DNA from viable (live) vs. nonviable (dead) cells of the pathogen. The internship was funded by the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board. Alyse plans to continue with a graduate education in infectious disease and eventually practice medicine.

Jules Riske, Evergreen State College (spring 2007 intern)

Jules Riske grew up in rural Northern California, and now lives in Rockport, Washington in Eastern Skagit Co. At home with rough mountains and river canyons, she never thought about farming until she discovered the luscious, fertile Skagit River Valley. Having grown up in her father’s multi-acre garden and orchard, farming was as comfortable as an old pair of Carhartts. Jules studied at the Evergreen State College, and graduated with a degree in Ecological Agriculture in 2007. She interned and now works for Anne Schwartz, owner of Blue Heron Farm and Nursery in Rockport, WA. Jules serves on the board of the Tilth Producers of Washington, and when in the Skagit, she serves as secretary for the Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market board. Jules completed an 8-week internship in the Vegetable Seed Pathology program at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC during April and May 2007, assisting with field, greenhouse, and lab research on vegetable seed crop diseases.