Assistant Professor

Lab web site: Paul Lab

Who am I?

I was born in a small country called Guyana, formally British Guiana, located on the northern coast of South America. My training in agriculture began at secondary school where I took the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination in Agriculture Science, among other subjects. After high school, I went on to complete a diploma in agriculture at the Guyana School of Agriculture where I had my first plant pathology experience. In 1992, I left Guyana to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy at the Universidade Federal de Vicosa in southeastern Brazil. During the third year of my B.S. degree program, I earned an undergraduate research assistantship to work on early blight of tomatoes under the guidance of Dr. Francisco Xavier Ribeiro do Vale. After completing my B.S. degree in 1997, I continued in Dr. Vale's laboratory working on disease warning system for early blight of tomatoes, obtaining a Master of Science degree in plant pathology in 1999. My interest in plant disease epidemiology and disease forecasting led me to Iowa State University in the fall of 1999, where I was fortunate to receive a graduate research assistantship to work on developing disease prediction and risk assessment models for gray leaf spot of maize under the guidance of Dr. Gary Munkvold. After earning my Ph.D. in the summer of 2003, I accepted a postdoctoral researcher position at The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Lipps and Dr. Larry Madden. Here at OSU/OARDC, I am working on the epidemiology of Fusarium head blight of wheat as part of a multi-state cooperative project funded by the U. S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative. I am specifically responsible for studying rain splash dispersal on inoculum of Fusarium graminearum, causal agent of Fusarium head blight, and the effects of the environment and inoculum of the development of the disease.

Research Interest

My general interest is epidemiology and integrated management of plant diseases, with emphasis on understanding the basic biology and ecology of plant pathogens and the use of this information to develop disease management tools for practical application. I am particularly interested in the use of statistical and computer models to describe plant disease dynamics in the field and the use of these models to make disease management decisions based on risk assessment and disease prediction. An understanding of the basic biology and ecology of plant pathogens is indispensable for effective disease management through disease prediction and risk assessment. Basic research has to be an ongoing process if we are to understand the effects of changing weather patterns, shifts in pathogen populations, genetic manipulation of crops, and changes in cropping practices on the appearance of new and resurgence of existing plant diseases. I hope to use statistical and computer models to describe the effects and anticipate possible consequences of these changes on disease development and crop yield. I would like to take advantage of modern statistical techniques, sophisticated computer technology, large weather database, and fast and efficient information delivery systems to development and use prediction and risk assessment models as decision-making tools in integrated disease management programs.

Selected Publications

Paul, P. A., and Munkvold, G. P. 2004. A model-based approach to preplanting risk assessment for gray leaf spot of maize. Phytopathology:1350-1357.

Paul, P. A., El-Allaf, S. M., Lipps, P. E., and Madden, L. V. 2004. Rain splash dispersal of Gibberella zeae within wheat canopies in Ohio. Phytopathology:1342-1349.

Paul, P. A., Vale, F. X. R., Zambolim, L., Fontes, P. C. R., Coelho, R. R. and Macabeu, A. J. 2004. Epidemiologia comparativa da pinta-preta do tomateiro sob quatro regimes de pulverização. Fitopatologia Brasileira 29:475-479.

Paul, P. A., Vale, F. X. R., Zambolim, L., Jesus Jr., W. C., Fontes, P. C. R. 2000. Efeito de sistemas de condução e regimes de pulverização no controle da pinta preta e sobre a produção de tomate. Summa Phytopathologica 26:440-444.

Paul, P. A., Madden, L. V., and Lipps, P. E. 2003. Splash dispersal of spores of Fusarium graminearum using a single-drop generator. Pages 160 in: Proc. 2003 Natl. Fusarium Head Blight Forum, Bloomington, MN.

Paul, P. A., Madden, L. V., and Lipps, P. E. 2003. Development of Fusarium head blight of winter wheat in Ohio as influenced by planting date, cultivar maturity, and inoculum level. Pages 156-159 in: Proc. 2003 Natl. Fusarium Head Blight Forum, Bloomington, MN.

Jesus Junior, W. C., Vale, F. X. R., Coelho, R. R., Paul, P. A., Hau, B., Bergamin Filho, A., Zambolim, L., Berger, R.D. 2003. Relationships between angular leaf spot, healthy leaf area, effective leaf area and yield of Phaseolus vulgaris. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 109:625-632.

Coelho, R. R., Vale, F. X. R., Jesus Junior, W. C., Paul, P. A., Zambolim, L. and Barreto, R. W. 2003. Determinação das condições climáticas que favorecem o desenvolvimento da ferrugem e da mancha angular do feijoeiro. Fitopatologia Brasileira 28: 508-514.

Vale, F. X. R., Zambolim, L., Paul, P. A. and Costa, H. 2000. Doencas causadas por fungos em tomate. Pages 699-756 in: Controle de doencas de plantas: Hortalicas. L. Zambolim, F. X. R. Vale, and H. Costa eds. Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG.

Vale, F. X. R., Zambolim, L., Paul, P. A. and Salustiano, M. E. 1999. Management of early blight of tomato. Pages 47-52: in: 1^o Encontro de manejo integrado de doencas e pragas. L. Zambolim, ed. Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG.

VALE, F. X. R., Paul, P. A., Jesus Jr., W. C., Zambolim, L. 1999. Manejo da Pinta Preta e Requeima do tomateiro: diagnose, epidemiologia e controle. Apostila. Viçosa: UFV, 1999.

Contact Information

Pierce Paul

Department of Plant Pathology
The Ohio State University
Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center
1680 Madison Avenue
Wooster, Ohio 44691-4096

Phone: 330-202-3555/263-3838
Fax: 330-263-3841
Email: paul.661@osu.edu