Lina Quesada
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Vegetable Pathology
NC State Extension
4122 Plant Sciences Building
Bio
NC State Vegetable Pathology Lab website
Extension Plant Pathology Portal
Twitter
LinkedIn
Biography
2022 Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and NC Plant Sciences Initiative, North Carolina State University
2018 Associate Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
2013 Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
2012 NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
2011 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
2010 Ph.D. Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Michigan State University
2006 Visiting Scholar, Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University
2005 B.Sc. Biology, Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)
2005 B.Sc. Microbiology, Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)
Research
I am a member of the Graduate Faculty for the Plant Pathology, Functional Genomics, Biotechnology, and the Genetics and Genomics programs at NC State. I am also part of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and the NC Plant Sciences Initiative. My program focuses on studying diseases of cucurbits, sweetpotato, and other vegetable and specialty crops to deliver novel disease management strategies. We blend applied and basic research to provide science-based disease management recommendations to vegetable growers in North Carolina and advance our knowledge in the field of plant pathology. Some of our research interests include studying the effect of disease management on pathogen population structure, developing molecular diagnostic tools for timely detection and biosurveillance of pathogens, understanding the development of fungicide resistance in pathogen populations, and identifying sources of host resistance for disease control. We also conduct lab, greenhouse, and field experiments to test the efficacy of disease control measures and provide disease management recommendations to growers. We work in close collaboration with The North Carolina Plant Disease and Insect Clinic to assist with diagnostics of cucurbit and sweetpotato diseases.
Projects in the lab are highly cross-disciplinary and diverse, providing a broad skill-set in plant pathology to undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. We use diverse tools including genomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and population genetics to answer our scientific questions and translate our findings into solutions for vegetable growers and stakeholders.
For detailed information about our team, ongoing projects, scientific and extension publications, news and events, and opportunities to work in my program please visit our lab website or contact us by email.
Selected Publications
Visit our lab website for a complete list of publications.
Publications
- Effect of Cucurbit Host, Production Region, and Season on the Population Structure of Pseudoperonospora cubensis in Florida , PLANT DISEASE (2024)
- Effector Repertoire of the Sweetpotato Black Rot Fungal Pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata , Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® (2024)
- Phytophthora capsici: Recent Progress on Fundamental Biology and Disease Management 100 Years After Its Description , ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY (2023)
- Recent Advances and Challenges in Management of Colletotrichum orbiculare, the Causal Agent of Watermelon Anthracnose , HORTICULTURAE (2023)
- Carboxylic Acid Amide but Not Quinone Outside Inhibitor Fungicide Resistance Mutations Show Clade-Specific Occurrence in Pseudoperonospora cubensis Causing Downy Mildew in Commercial and Wild Cucurbits , PHYTOPATHOLOGY (2022)
- Clade-Specific Monitoring of Airborne Pseudoperonospora spp. Sporangia Using Mitochondrial DNA Markers for Disease Management of Cucurbit Downy Mildew , PHYTOPATHOLOGY (2022)
- Development, Validation, and Utility of Species-Specific Diagnostic Markers for Detection of Peronospora belbahrii , PHYTOPATHOLOGY (2022)
- Duration of Downy Mildew Control Achieved with Fungicides on Cucumber Under Florida Field Conditions , PLANT DISEASE (2022)
- Managing Stubborn Oomycete Plant Pathogens Introduction , PLANT HEALTH PROGRESS (2022)
- Phytophthora capsici Populations Are Structured by Host, Geography, and Fluopicolide Sensitivity , PHYTOPATHOLOGY (2022)