Febina Mathew is a professor and soybean pathologist in the Department of Plant Pathology, Microbiology and Biotechnology at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Originally from India, she holds an M.S. and PhD in Plant Pathology from NDSU. She lives in Fargo, North Dakota.
Where did you work before NDSU?
I was an assistant professor and field crops pathologist, and later an associate professor, at South Dakota State University.
Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at NDSU.
My research program focuses on understanding the biology of pathogens affecting soybeans and their interactions with host plants, with the goal of developing effective disease management strategies, particularly through fungicides (foliar and seed treatments) and host resistance. My soybean research focuses primarily on Diaporthe diseases, Fusarium diseases (root rot and sudden death syndrome), as well as viruses, Clonostachys and other emerging pathogens affecting soybeans in North Dakota. We also investigate Phomopsis stem canker of sunflower and the potential for pathogen movement between soybean and sunflower.
My research on Diaporthe/Phomopsis species spans 15 years and includes work on both soybean and sunflower, in collaboration with researchers in the U.S. and internationally, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Serbia and Slovenia.
In sunflower, Phomopsis stem canker, caused by Diaporthe helianthi and D. gulyae, is an important disease in the U.S. northern Great Plains. In Manitoba, D. gulyae is also known to cause disease. Phomopsis stem canker can cause substantial yield losses, reported to reach up to 40 per cent, and is favoured by prolonged periods of high humidity, wet conditions and temperatures of approximately 20–25°C, particularly from the R1 to R5 growth stages. Disease symptoms become most apparent after flowering when characteristic brown stem lesions develop. As the disease progresses, the stem becomes hollow and weakened, increasing the risk of lodging under the weight of the head. Overall, sunflower yield declines by about 11.6 kg/ha (10.4 lb/acre) for every percentage-point increase in disease severity.
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