About Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Department Overview
Welcome to the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. Plant Pathology is assuming an even greater role in today’s agriculture as the world’s need for high-quality, safe and economical food increases exponentially. The role of plants and microbes in the biosphere is multifaceted. Microbes affect global climate patterns, nutrient cycling, biomass degradation, crop production, and plant and animal health.
We conduct leading-edge research on biotic (microbial pathogens) and abiotic factors (drought, temperature, etc.) that impact plant growth, development, yield and stress resilience that impact farmers’ ability to produce sufficient and safe food, fiber and fuel. We offer a graduate program in plant pathology that prepares students for a broad range of career opportunities. Our graduate students are involved in all aspects of plant pathology research and extension, including plant disease resistance, genomics, molecular aspects of plant-microbe interactions, and field strategies for disease management. The department is comprised of nationally and internationally known faculty recognized for a wide range of expertise in plant pathology and plant microbiology. The department also includes faculty in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers located across Texas.
We also teach members of society about sustainable and environmentally responsible crop production while we educate and prepare leaders in the STEM fields of plant and environmental health through our undergraduate program in Bioenvironmental Sciences. Knowledge relevant to plant health, food safety and environmental health is conveyed to the citizens of Texas, the United States and the World through teaching and outreach.
Howdy and Welcome!
We are excited that you are visiting this website to learn more about our department. Our research, teaching and extension impact society’s ability to feed the world, protect the environment and improve health by excelling in plant pathology, plant microbiology and bioenvironmental sciences.
Through science and education, we prepare citizens to improve these goals with knowledge relevant to plant health, food safety and environmental health. Our research is crucial for developing strategies to manage plant diseases to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture. Our undergraduate program, bioenvironmental sciences, provides tremendous opportunities for our teaching mission and expands our research capacity.
Our department moved into a new Plant Pathology and Microbiology building in 2019. Along with this state-of-the-art facility, we have an amazing group of people in our department, faculty, students and staff, dedicated to advancing science in plant pathology, plant and microbial genetics, genome editing, microbiome, climate-smart systems, data science, biofuels and bioplastics.
Please learn more about our nationally recognized graduate and undergraduate programs as well as our vast research and extension programs. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to learn more about our opportunities and programs.
Thank you and Gig’em!
Won Bo Shim, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Mission
Conduct leading edge research on plant diseases and plant-microbe interactions that directly and indirectly impact: Our ability to feed the world; Human and animal health; Environmental stewardship and sustainability. Educate and prepare leaders in the STEM fields of plant and environmental health through a creative and challenging educational environment that integrates scholarship, fundamental knowledge, and experiential learning. Convey information relevant to society through effective outreach and services that address plant health, food safety and environmental health to the citizens of Texas, the United States and the World.
An extension of this mission is to train the next generation of environmental professionals by providing them both the analytical and biological understanding to successfully protect the environment while promoting economic vitality.
Vision
Positively impact our ability to “Feed the World”, “Protect our Environment”, and ”Improve our Health” by excelling in the education and preparation of students in the fields of Plant Health and Disease, Plant-Microbe Interactions and Bioenvironmental Sciences.
Plant Pathology and Microbiology News
AgriLife Research discovery defends citrus and potatoes
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have developed a new approach to countering citrus greening and potato zebra chip diseases, two economically devastating agricultural diseases in the U.S. Their method uses spinach antimicrobial peptides, known as defensins, which naturally defend plants against a broad range of pathogens. The effects show significant progress toward recovering yield and improving quality in diseased plants.
An Aggie family formed in Fuzhou
When Shane Tabor ’17 stepped into a classroom in Fuzhou, China, in 2015, he did not expect to meet his future wife, let alone build a life with her so strongly influenced by science, service and shared purpose. Alice Tabor ’17, then a student at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, was participating in a faculty-led study abroad program that brought faculty and students from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to China.