Facilities and Labs

The Department of Plant Pathology has well-equipped laboratories and the instrumentation for contemporary biological and molecular biology research at all three campuses. Greenhouse and growth chamber facilities are also available at each location. In addition, experimental farms and Research and Education Centers for field studies are available throughout Georgia, providing a range of opportunities to engage in the practice and art of plant pathology.

Two Plant Disease Clinics provide diagnostic support for Extension personnel and the residents of Georgia. Our services include analysis of plant material and soil for pathogens as well as suggesting appropriate control measures when available.

The Plant Molecular Diagnostic Lab (MDL), located at the Tifton campus, is a fee-based service lab that provides advanced testing for plant pathogens via molecular and serological methods (PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR, LAMP, ELISA etc.) on plant samples affected by bacteria, fungi, viruses, or nematodes. We provide molecular disease diagnostic support to extension & research personnel, commercial growers & homeowners, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture for a wide range of plant species.

A unit of the Georgia Museum of Natural History at the University of Georgia, the Julian H. Miller Mycological Herbarium (GAM) is an internationally recognized collection of fungi with an estimated 30,500 specimens. The herbarium collections are especially strong in plant-pathogenic ascomycetes, with the majority of specimens from Georgia and the southeastern USA. Specimens in the collection date back to the late 1800s, including exsiccati of J.B. Ellis and M.B. Everhart and A.B. Seymour and F.S. Earle. Other important collections are the Forest Disease Fungi acquired from the USDA Forest Service in Athens, which includes the rust collections of George Hepting and the Coleosporium collection of George Hedgcock, a large collection of Georgia myxomycetes and a collection of Georgia lichens. The herbarium data are publicly available at MycoPortal and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), with detailed instructions available here.