Guohong Cai

Botany and Plant Pathology

USDA Assistant Professor

Phone

765.494.8529

Fax

765.494.0363

Office

Lilly Hall Room B462A

Email

cai192@purdue.edu

Dr. Guohong Cai studies all aspects of soybean diseases. Current focus is on two diseases with serious economic consequences in the Mid-West region: Phytophthora root and stem rot and sudden death syndrome. Phytophthora root and stem rot is caused by two oomycete pathogens: Phytophthora sojae and P. sansomeana. Soybean death syndrome is caused by the fungus Fusarium virguliforme in North America. In South America, additional Fusarium species cause the same disease. Dr. Cai uses multi-faceted approach, from pathogen genomics, genetic, and population, their interaction with soybean, greenhouse and field screening, and microbiome to identify economically sound disease management strategies. Dr. Cai also coordinates the Northern Uniform Soybean Tests, which screen publically developed soybean lines in more than 10 states in Northern USA and provinces in Canada and at approximately 50 locations. These tests screen soybean lines for agronomic performance, disease resistance and quality traits. They provide the information required by public breeders to accurately assess a line’s ability to produce prior to its potential release, while eliminating the constraints of individually conducting trials in numerous locations and across multiple states.

Selected Publications

Zhang, N., Cai, G., Price, D. C., Crouch, J. A., Gladieux, P., Hillman, B., . . . Bhattacharya, D. (2018). Genome wide analysis of the transition to pathogenic lifestyles in Magnaporthales fungi. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24301-6

Mantooth, K., Hadziabdic, D., Boggess, S., Windham, M., Miller, S., Cai, G., . . . Trigiano, R. (2017). Confirmation of independent introductions of an exotic plant pathogen of Cornus species, Discula destructiva, on the east and west coasts of North America. PLOS ONE, 12(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180345

Qiu, H., Cai, G., Luo, J., Bhattacharya, D., & Zhang, N. (2016). Extensive horizontal gene transfers between plant pathogenic fungi. BMC BIOLOGY, 14. doi:10.1186/s12915-016-0264-3

Price, Paul P., III, Purvis, M. A., Cai, G., Padgett, G. B., Robertson, C. L., Schneider, R. W., & Albu, S. (2015). Fungicide Resistance in Cercospora kikuchii, a Soybean Pathogen. PLANT DISEASE, 99(11), 1596-1603. doi:10.1094/PDIS-07-14-0782-RE

Luo, J., Qiu, H., Cai, G., Wagner, N. E., Bhattacharya, D., & Zhang, N. (2015). Phylogenomic analysis uncovers the evolutionary history of nutrition and infection mode in rice blast fungus and other Magnaporthales. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 5. doi:10.1038/srep09448

Zhang, N., Cai, G., Price, D. C., Crouch, J. A., Gladieux, P., Hillman, B., . . . Bhattacharya, D. (2018). Genome wide analysis of the transition to pathogenic lifestyles in Magnaporthales fungi. Scientific reports, 8(1), 5862. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24301-6