Kelly L. Ivors

I am located over 250 miles away from the main campus of NC State at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, NC.  My program encompasses 80% extension and 20% research responsibilities, and focuses on plant pathogens of the diverse agricultural economy of North Carolina, including ornamentals, Christmas trees, and vegetables. The greenhouse and nursery industry ranks third in the state behind only hogs and broilers, and includes over 2000 different commercial crops. The relatively mild winter temperatures combined with the cooler summer temperatures in western NC make it ideal for greenhouse and nursery production. Applied research and education are needed to assist growers in production of these high-value crops in order to enhance the economy of farming. Although the temperature, abundant rainfall, and fertile river bottom soils of this region are highly favorable for production of quality crops, this climate is also conducive to intense disease pressure from numerous economically important plant pathogens.

Research projects in my lab involve applied and molecular disease diagnostics and pathogen population biology. Many of the pathosystems I investigate involve Oomycete plant pathogens (i.e. Phytophthora, Pythium, or Peronospora species), as these pathogens attack all major crops that I study. Lately my program has also focused on a new emerging disease in the U.S. called boxwood blight. Information on boxwood blight and ways to manage it can be found here.

Currently my lab is initiating a state-wide project to survey nurseries and greenhouses for water-dispersed plant pathogens. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the various systems both greenhouse and nursery growers use to sanitize their irrigation water, as well as gaining a better understanding of the water quality issues facing this industry. We are also conducting similar surveys of forest streams within NC to determine what kinds of pathogens are established in our forests. In addition, I am involved in a collaborative multi-state project involving the development of the Phytophthora database. With the goal of enhancing the ability to detect, diagnose, monitor, and manage Phytophthora diseases, we aim to build a highly integrative system that is centered around a genotype and phenotype database, which is accessible through the Phytophthora Database.