Expertise:
Rush's
research deals with the ecology and control of plant disease
of the major crops in the Texas Panhandle with emphasis on sugar
beets and wheat, primarily focused on disease caused by soilborne
pathogens. Specific areas of study include seedling disease,
epidemiological aspects of the black root disease of sugar beet,
vertical distribution and time of infection studies on Fusarium
spp. and Aphanomyces cochlioides causing tip root of sugar beet
and effects of cultural practices on diseases, and pathogen
populations in wheat-sugar beet rotations. A more basic aspect
of the research program at Amarillo involves studies of a viral
disease complex of sugar beets. Several undescribed furovirus
(virus vectored by soilborne fungi) have been found to be associated
with beet necrotic yellow vein virus, the causal agent of Rhizomania.
The primary goals of this project are to characterize these
new viruses, investigate their role in the Rhizomania disease
complex, and to compare them to similar viruses isolated from
sugar beets in Europe. Both traditional and molecular techniques
are employed to achieve these goals.
Professional
and Academic Training:
1974, B.S., University of Texas Permian Basin, Literature
1976, M.Agric., Texas A&M University, Plant Protection
1981, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Plant Pathology