Steven N. Jeffers Professor, Diseases of Ornamental Crops and Trees OFFICE: 203 Long Hall ADDRESS: Dept. of Entomology, Soils, & Plant Sciences, 120 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-0315 TELEPHONE: 864-656-7157 FAX: 864-656-0274 E-MAIL: sjffrs@clemson.edu

Qualifications

Senior Research Scientist, EcoScience Corporation, Worcester, MA.

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI;

M.S. & Ph.D., 1985, (Plant Pathology), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY;

B.S. (Plant Science/Pomology), University of California, Davis, CA

Research Interests

I have research responsibilities for diseases of ornamental crops grown commercially in nurseries and greenhouses. My research focuses on developing integrated management strategies for diseases caused by fungi. These strategies should be effective, economical, and environmentally sound and include optimizing fungicide applications, manipulating cultural practices, evaluating host plant resistance, and investigating the feasibility of biological control options. I am particularly interested in the biology and ecology of Phytophthora species. Currently, I have research projects on: Phytophthora diseases (caused by Phytophthora species); Botrytis blight (caused by Botrytis cinerea) on greenhouse-grown crops; fungus diseases of container-grown hostas--particularly Fusarium root and crown rot; and rust on geraniums in the landscape.

Outreach Interests

I also have Extension responsibilities for diseases of commercial ornamental crops. The overall objective of my extension program is to assist growers and plant maintenance professionals in South Carolina in making disease management decisions that are effective, economical, and safe. This is accomplished by (1) teaching early recognition and accurate diagnosis of ornamental crop diseases; (2) investigating the etiology, epidemiology, and management of these diseases; and (3) introducing and implementing integrated disease management programs.

Selected Publications

Sanderson, P. G., and Jeffers, S. N. 2001. Vegetative growth and conidium production by Monilinia oxycocci in vitro. Mycologia 93:9-16.

Wang, B., and Jeffers, S. N. 2001. Effects of some cultural practices and temperature on Fusarium root and crown rot of container-grown hostas and implications for disease management. Plant Disease 85: [accepted].

Geiser, D. M., Juba, J. H., Wang, B., and Jeffers, S. N. 2001. Fusarium hostae sp. nov., a relative of F. redolens with a Gibberella teleomorph. Mycologia 93: [in press].

Wang, B., and Jeffers, S. N. 2000. Fusarium root and crown rot: A disease of container-grown hosta. Plant Disease 84:980-988.

Williamson, M. R., Blake, J. H., Jeffers, S. N., and Lewis, S. A. 2000. First report of Aphelenchoides fragariae on royal fern and reports for South Carolina on hosta and other hosts. Plant Disease 84:593.

Yourman, L. F., Jeffers, S. N., and Dean, R. A. 2001. Phenotype instability in Botrytis cinerea in the absence of benzimidazole and dicarboximide fungicides. Phytopathology 91:307-315.

Yourman, L. F., Jeffers, S. N., and Dean, R. A. 2000. Genetic analysis of isolates of Botrytis cinerea sensitive and resistant to benzimidazole and dicarboximide fungicides. Phytopathology 90:851-859.

Yourman, L. F., and Jeffers, S. N. 1999. Resistance to benzimidazole and dicarboximide fungicides in greenhouse isolates of Botrytis cinerea. Plant Disease 83:569-575.

Ferguson, A. J., and Jeffers, S. N. 1999. Detecting multiple species of Phytophthora in container mixes from ornamental crop nurseries. Plant Disease 83:1129-1136