Keywords

  • black rot
  • botrytis bunch rot
  • disease management
  • fruit disease management
  • fungicide activities
  • fungicide physical mode of action
  • fungicide resistance
  • grape disease management
  • grape pest management
  • grapevine downy mildew
  • grapevine powdery mildew
  • integrated pest management
  • pesticide resistance
  • phomopsis
  • phytophthora root rot
  • plant pathology

Wilcox, Wayne Frank

Professor
I lead Cornell`s grape pathology program, with responsibilities for research, extension, and undergraduate instruction on topics pertaining to disease biology and management for this crop. While necessarily focusing on issues of importance to New York stakeholders, the program maintains a regional, national, and international perspective through its involvement with colleagues throughout the U.S., Australia, South America, South Africa, and Europe. This is done via cooperative research projects, presentations at producer and technical meetings, and personnel exchanges. I also serve as an officer of our national professional organization, the American Phytopathological Society.

research

research and scholarship focus

My research focuses on the applied biology and integrated management of the common fungal diseases of grapevines, with two primary emphases. The first is how climate, grapevine physiology, and viticultural practices impact disease development, with the objective of increasing the success of disease management programs while minimizing the reliance on chemical intervention. The second is to better understand the activities of important fungicides utilized in grape production, in order to maximize the efficiency of their use and thereby minimize the necessary frequency and volume of their application.

research areas

submitted impact statement

affiliations

faculty appointment in

member of graduate field

other Cornell affiliations

teaching

teaching focus

My classroom instruction relates to grapevine disease management, with the objective of training students who will either be managing vineyards themselves or advising those who do. As such, the focus is on providing both (i) the theoretical background necessary to make informed decisions (e.g., disease biology, fungicide characteristics); and (ii) specific examples of different management programs currently in use.

service

outreach focus

My extension activities focus primarily on educational programs provided to key audiences (grape growers, winery owners, private- and public-sector advisors) concerning the identification, biology, and management of infectious diseases of grapes (primarily fungal in origin). Educational activities include oral presentations at grower meetings and field days; the production of numerous and varied written materials, delivered in both “hard” and electronic formats; and on-farm visits to diagnose problems and propose solutions. There is a heavy emphasis on the synthesis and delivery of new research-based information, emanating from both my own research program and those of colleagues. Although concentrated on the needs of the New York grape, wine, and juice industries, the extension program is consciously designed to address regional industry needs as well, befitting Cornell`s position as the leading institution for viticulture/enology research and education in the eastern United States.

current professional activities

Professional Societies
  • American Phytopathological Society
  • American Society of Enology and Viticulture
  • International Society of Horticultural Sciences
  • International Working Group on Grapevine Powdery and Downy Mildew

Sabbatical Leaves and External Assignments

  • South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, S.A Epidemiology and control of Botrytis bunch rot Disease-management educational programs for Australian winegrape producers, 2001 - 2002    
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, Uruguay Review of national Integrated Fruit Production program, 2000    
  • P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago Identity and prevalence of Phytophthora species on Chilean fruit crops, 1993 - 1994, 1995
  • U. S. D. A. Foreign Agricultural Service, Curtea d’Arges, Romania Integrated disease management programs for apples, 1993, 1994, 1995   

Professional Assignments

  • Associate Editor, Plant Disease, 1990-92    
  • Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1988-90    
  • Associate Editor, Biological & Cultural Tests for Control of Plant Diseases, 1985-87 

background

educational background

  • Ph.D. , Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, 1983
  • M.S., Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, 1978
  • B.S., Plant Science (Horticulture), University of California, Davis, 1977

professional background

  • Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, 1998 - present
  • Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, 1990 - 1998    
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, 1984 - 1990    
  • Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky, West Kentucky Research and Education Center, Princeton, 1982 - 1984    

awards and distinctions

  • Sabbatical Fellowship, Australian Grape and Wine Research & Development Corp., 2001-02      
  • Lee M. Hutchins Award, American Phytopathological Society, 1997     
  • International Honor Award, United States Dept. of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service, 1996     
  • Sabbatical Fellowship, Fundacíon Andes (Chile), 1993-94     
  • Ciba-Geigy Award, American Phytopathological Society, 1992     
  • Outstanding New Extension Publication, NY State Assoc. County Agr. Agents: 1990, 1990
Keywords: black rot, botrytis bunch rot, disease management, fruit disease management, fungicide activities, fungicide physical mode of action, fungicide resistance, grape disease management, grape pest management, grapevine downy mildew, grapevine powdery mildew, integrated pest management, pesticide resistance, phomopsis, phytophthora root rot, plant pathology