Nelson, Eric Bronson
Professor
The overall goal of my research program is to understand the ecological interactions of oomycetes with plants and other soil organisms. Our work focuses on plant pathogenic Pythium species and their interactions with plant-associated microbes. Taking advantage of principals and concepts of population and community ecology as well as applying the tools of molecular and cellular biology and genomics, our work focuses various aspects of oomycete ecology:
1) Soil-plant feedback mechanisms regulating oomycete community structure and plant species invasions.
2) The nature of compost-induced Pythium suppressive soils, and
3) Developmental ecology of pre-infection responses of Pythium species to plants.
research
research and scholarship focus
Our research is focused in three major areas: 1) Developmental ecology of pre-infection responses of Pythium species to plants; 2) The nature of compost-induced Pythium suppressive soils, and 3) Soil-plant feedback mechanisms with soil oomycete communities that regulate plant species invasions.
primary investigator of
- DEVELOPMENT OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS BASED ON VERMICOMPOSTED DAIRY MANURE | Research Grant
- POTENTIAL USE OF VERMICOMPOST AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR SYNTHETIC INPUTS TO HORTICULTURE AND NURSERY PRODUCTION | Research Grant
- SUPPRESSION OF PYTHIUM DAMPING OFF WITH COMPOST AND VERMICOMPST - YEAR 2 | Research Grant
research areas
- biodiversity | collaborative research area (CALS)
- biological control | collaborative research area (CALS)
- compost | collaborative research area (CALS)
- ecology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- evolution | collaborative research area (CALS)
- microbiology | collaborative research area (CALS)
- pathogens | collaborative research area (CALS)
- plant pathology | collaborative research area (CALS)
submitted impact statement
- Understanding how composts reduce damage from plant diseases | 2007 Impact statement
- Understanding how composts reduce damage from plant diseases | 2006 Impact statement
- Biodiversity of oomycetes in the environment | 2005 Impact statement
- Biodiversity of oomycetes in the environment | 2004 Impact statement
- Contribution of seed-associated bacteria to plant health | 2004 Impact statement
affiliations
faculty appointment in
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology (PPPMB) | Cornell department
member of graduate field
- Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology | graduate field
- Plant Protection | graduate field
other Cornell affiliations
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) | research program
teaching
teaches
- PLPA 4330 - Ecology of Infectious Diseases (MWF 11:15:AM-12:05:PM) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 4970 - Independent Study in Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 4980 - Undergraduate Teaching Experience (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 6440 - Special Topics Series - Current Topics in Oomycete Biology (T 10:10:AM-11:05:AM) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 7980 - Graduate Teaching Experience (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 7990 - Graduate-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 9900 - Doctoral-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- PLPA 4970 - Independent Study in Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLPA 4990 - Undergraduate Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLPA 7980 - Graduate Teaching Experience (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLPA 7990 - Graduate-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLPA 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- PLPA 9900 - Doctoral-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
service
current professional activities
-
Editor, Biological Control, 1995 - present (Senior Editor, 2003-present)
-
Editor, Phytopathology, 2003-present (Senior Editor, 2006 to present)
background
educational background
- Ph. D. Ohio State University, 1982
- M.S. Ohio State University, 1980
- B.A. Indiana University, 1977
featured in
- With $1.1 million from Sea Grant, Cornell to study PCBs, lake invaders and more | Cornell Chronicle feature
publications
Keywords: biological disease control, fungal biology, microbial ecology, oomycetes, plant-microbe biology, plant pathology, rhizosphere, soilborne pathogens