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Tika Adhikari

Principal Research Scholar & Adjunct Faculty

Varsity Research Building, Module 6, Suite 1501

919.454.9082

Area(s) of Expertise

My research interests cover applied and molecular plant pathology, and genomics with a major emphasis on bacterial and fungal population biology of tomato and strawberry pathogens; integrated disease management; plant microbiome; plant-pathogen interactions; disease resistance genes/QTLs discovery through linkage mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS), and next-generation sequencing (e. g., RNA-sequencing, and genotyping-by-sequencing).

Recent Publications:

Meshram, S. and T. B. Adhikari. 2024. Microbiome-mediated strategies to manage major soil-borne diseases of tomato. Plants 13:364. 

Adhikari, T. B., M. R. Siddique, F. J. Louws, S. C. Sim, and D. R. Panthee. 2023. Molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to early blight in tomato. Front. Plant Sci. 14:1135884.

Oh, Y., T. Ingram., R. Shekasteband, T. Adhikari, F. J. Louws, and R. A. Dean. 2023. Tissues and mechanisms associated with Verticillium wilt resistance in tomato using bi-grafted near-isogenic lines. J. Exp. Bot. 74:4685-4706.

Adhikari, T. B., R. Aryal, L. Redpath, L. Van den Broeck, H. Ashrafi, A. N. Philbrick, R. L. Jacobs, R. Sozzani., and F. J., Louws. 2022. RNA-Seq and gene regulatory network analyses uncover candidate genes in the early defense to two hemibiotrophic Colletorichum spp. in strawberry. Front. Genet. 12:805771.

Adhikari, T. B., N. Muzhinji, D. Halterman, and F. J. Louws. 2021. Genetic diversity and population structure of Alternaria species infecting tomato and potato in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Sci. Rep. 11:17024

Adhikari, T. B., A. Gao, T. Ingram, and F. J. Louws. 2020. Pathogenomics characterization of an emerging fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici in greenhouse tomato production systems. Front. Microbiol. 11:1995.

Philbrick, A. N., T. B. Adhikari, , F. J. Louws, and A. M. Gorny. 2020. Meloidogyne enterolobii, a major threat to tomato production: Current status and future prospects for its management. Front. Plant Sci. 11:606395.

Ingram, T. W, Y., Oh, T. B. Adhikari, F. J., Louws, and R. A. Dean. 2020. Comparative genome analyses of 18 Verticillium dahliae tomato isolates reveal phylogenetic and race-specific signatures. Front. Microbiol. 11:573755.

Acharya, B., T. W. Ingram, Y. Oh, T. B, Adhikari, R. A., Dean, and F. J., Louws.  2020. Opportunities and challenges in studies of host-pathogen interactions and management of Verticillium dahliae in tomatoes. Plants 9:1622.

Adhikari, T. B., T. W. Ingram, D. Halterman, and. F. J. Louws. 2020. Gene genealogies reveal high nucleotide diversity and admixture haplotypes within three Alternaria species associated with tomato and potato. Phytopathology 110:1449-1464.

Adhikari, P., T. B. Adhikari, F.J. Louws, D. R. Panthee. 2020. Advances and challenges in bacterial spot resistance breeding in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 21:1734.

Jacobs, R., T. B. Adhikari, J. Pattison, G. Fernandez, and F. J. Louws. 2020. Improved methods for measuring anthracnose resistance in strawberry. Plant Dis. 104:398-407.

Adhikari, P., T. B. Adhikari, S. Timilsina, I. Meadows, J. Jones, D. Panthee, and F. J. Louws. 2019. Phenotypic and genetic diversity of Xanthomonas perforans populations in North Carolina. Phytopathology 109:1533-1543.

Jacobs, R., T. B. Adhikari, J. Pattison, G. C. Yencho, G. E. Fernandez, and F. J. Louws. 2019. Inheritance of resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. acutatum in strawberry. Phytopathology 109:428-435.

 

Scholarships and Fellowships:

  • NSERC Industrial Research Fellowship, Canada
  • Rockefeller Foundation Rice Biotechnology Career Fellowship, USA
  • Rockefeller Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship, USA
  • Asian Development Bank Fellowship, Philippines
  • USAID/MUCIA Fellowship, Philippines
  • Colombo Plan Scholarship, India

 

Professional Memberships:

  • American Phytopathological Society (Regular member)
  • Nepal Plant Pathological Society (Life member)
  • Philippines Phytopathological Society (Life member)

Publications

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Education

Ph.D., Plant Pathology, IRRI/UPLB, Philippines
MS, Plant Pathology, IRRI/UPLB, Philippines
B.Sc., Plant Protection, Rajendra Agricultural University, India