Plant Pathology: Personnel
Claudia Nischwitz
Post-doctoral Research Associate
Plant Science Building
Coastal Plain Experiment Station
115 Coastal Way
P.O. Box 748
Tifton, GA 31793
Office: 229-386-7230
Lab: 229-386-7479
mail: cnisch@uga.edu
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Ph.D. in Forest Resources, University of Idaho
M.S. in Plant pathology, University of Arizona
Dipl. Ing. agr. (FH) in Horticulture, University of Applied Sciences of Osnabrueck, Germany
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND CURRENT EFFORTS
Biological, cultural and chemical control of plant pathogens; disease management, biology, etiology and epidemiology of fungal plant pathogens, bacteria and viruses; diagnosis of plant diseases and development of diagnostic tools; phylogenetic analyses to determine origin of new pathogens; Extension.
Current research projects are: Development of management strategies for Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in tobacco and peanut using cultural and chemical methods; determination of feeding habits of thrips to identify local sources of TSWV. Recently, we conducted a survey of peanut viruses across the peanut growing region of Georgia to determine which viruses are present in Georgia.
I am responsible for diagnostics of virus diseases for scientists, county agents and growers and I am also involved in the diagnostics of bacterial and fungal diseases.
Side projects are: Host range studies of the bacterium Pantoea ananatis, causal agent of center rot of onion, and of the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from onion. C. gloeosporioides causes ‘twister’ disease of onion and was observed for the first time in Georgia in onions in fall 2007.
CURRENT MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL AND HONORARY SOCIETIES
American Phytopathological Society (APS)
Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS)
Southern Division of APS
Sigma Xi
Georgia Association of Plant Pathologists
AWARDS
Gary A. Herzog Award of Excellence for Junior Scientist – Research 2008
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Nischwitz, C., Langston, D., Jr., H. Sanders, R. Torrance, Lewis, K.J. and R. Gitaitis. 2008. First report of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing ‘Twister Disease’ of onion (Allium cepa) in Georgia. Plant Dis. 92:974
Nischwitz, C., A.L. Maas, S.W. Mullis, A.K. Culbreath and R.D. Gitaitis. 2007. First report of Peanut mottle virus in forage peanut (Arachis glabrata) in North America. Plant Dis. 91:632.
Nischwitz, C., H.R. Pappu, S.W. Mullis, A.N. Sparks, D.B. Langston, A.S. Csinos and R.D. Gitaitis. 2007. Phylogenetic analysis of Iris yellow spot virus isolates from onion (Allium cepa) in Georgia and Peru. J. Phytopathology 155:531-535.
Nischwitz, C., R. D. Gitaitis, S. W. Mullis, A. S. Csinos, and D. B. Langston, Jr. 2007. First Report of Iris yellow spot virus in Spiny Sowthistle (Sonchus asper) in the United States. Plant Dis. 91:1518.
Nischwitz, C., R. Gitaitis, H. Sanders, D. Langston, B. Mullinix, R. Torrance, G. Boyhan, and L. Zolobowska. 2007. Use of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Profiles to compare copper-tolerant and copper-sensitive strains of Pantoea ananatis. Phytopathology 97:1298-1304.
Nischwitz, C., Mullis S.W., Gitaitis, R.D. Csinos, A.S. 2006. First report of Tomato spotted wilt virus in soybean (Glycine max) in Georgia. Plant Disease 90: 524
Mullis, S.W., Gitaitis, R.D., Nischwitz, C., Csinos, A.S., Rafael Mallaupoma, Z.C., and Inguil Rojas, E.H. 2006. First report of onion (Allium cepa) naturally infected with Iris yellow spot virus (Family Bunyaviridae, Genus Tospovirus) in Peru. Plant Disease 90:377
Nischwitz, C., Newcombe, G. and Anderson, C.L. 2005. Host specialization of the mycoparasite Eudarluca caricis and its evolutionary relationship to Ampelomyces. Mycological Research 109: 421-428
Nischwitz, C., Olsen, M. and Rasmussen, S. 2004. Effect of irrigation type on inoculum density of Macrophomina phaseolina in melon fields in Arizona. Journal of Phytopathology 152: 133-137.
Newcombe G. and Nischwitz C. 2004. First report of powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe cichoracearum on creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) in North America. Plant Disease 88: 312.
Nischwitz, C. and Newcombe, G. (2003). First report of powdery mildew (Sawadaea bicornis) on Norway maple (Acer platanoides) in North America. Plant Disease 87: 451.
Nischwitz, C. and Newcombe, G. (2003). First report of powdery mildew (Microsphaera palczewskii) on Siberian pea tree (Caragana arborescens) in North America. Plant Disease 87: 451.
Olsen, M., Rasmussen, S. and Nischwitz, C. (2003). Effect of powdery mildew of pecan shucks on nut weight and quality and relevance to fungicide application. Crop Protection 22: 679-682