UC Davis doctoral alumna Inga Zasada of the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Ore., will return to her alma mater on Monday, Dec. 2 when she speaks on "How an Applied Nematologist Uses Genomic Tools to Address Plant-Parasitic Nematode Research" at a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

The seminar, the last of the fall quarter, takes place at 4:10 p.m. in Room 122 Briggs Hall. It also will be on Zoom. The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672. Her seminar then will be archived at https://entomology.ucdavis.edu/seminars.

"Advancements in molecular plant pathology have created an environment in which applied, field-based research programs have the opportunity to utilize genomic tools in their programs," she says in her abstract. "There are potential rewards for incorporating genomics into a research program including enhanced nematode diagnostics, population genetics of infestations, and novel biological discoveries. However, along with these rewards come many considerations including cost, tempered expectations, and the capacity to generate and analyze data."

"A cautionary tale of such a journey will be presented," she related. "Efforts to characterize the nematode microbiomes from a diversity of plant-parasitic nematodes, understand the population genetics of a potato cyst nematode infestation, and sequence and annotate nematodes genomes will be presented to highlight the rewards and challenges of this type of research. Underpinning all of these efforts is the need to establish and maintain productive collaborations with scientists with diverse backgrounds."

Zasada is also a courtesy assistant professor at Oregon State University.  Her research focuses on the management of plant-parasitic nematodes in small fruits and other horticultural crops. Beginning in 2010, Zasada has led research on Globodera ellingtonae, a new cyst nematode species found in Oregon and Idaho. Her research provides insights into pathogencity to potato, developmental biology, and mitochondrial genomics.

Zasada holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in crop science from Oregon State University and North Carolina State University, respectively. She received a doctorate in plant pathology in 2002 from UC Davis, and initially joined the USDA-ARS Nematology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD in 2003, "where during her tenure she led a national effort to implement a biosolid amendment product into a diversity of crop production systems for plant-parasitic nematode management," her resume says.

Nematologist Amanda Hodson, assistant professor of soil ecology and pest management, is coordinating the ENT seminars. The full list is here. For more information or for technical issues, contact Hodson at akhodson@ucdavis.edu.