75th Annual NC APS Meeting

The 75th Annual NC APS Meeting was hosted by Purdue University and held in West Lafayette, IN. The North Central Division is the regional representation of the American Phytopathological Society.

We had over 130 in attendance representing 12 north central universities and industry where 21 oral presentations and 46 poster presentations were shared. Popular events included peer-to-peer training sessions and tours of the Purdue Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel HerbariumAg Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility, Purdue Horticultural Garden Park, and Campus Tree Trails. 

Poster Presentation Awards:

  • First Place - Sabina Paudel, North Dakota State University, Developing a real-time PCR for rapid detection and identification of the pin nematode Paratylenchus nanus Type B
  • Second Place - Monica Mizuno, Purdue University,  Evaluation of drone applications for tar spot in corn in Indiana
  • Third Place (tied) - Ji Hyun Kim, University of Minnesota, Determining the role of soybean cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase genes in white mold
    and
    Pierce Taylor, University of Missouri, Soybean response to foliar fungicide applications in Missouri on-farm strip trials

Oral Presentation Awards: 

  • First Place - Monica Pennewitt, Iowa State University,  Assessing the effects of host plant exudates and leachates on hatching of Pratylenchus spp.
  • Second Place - Denise Caldwell, Purdue University, Uncovering the Morphological Characteristics of Phyllachora maydis in Maize: A Comprehensive Analysis
  • Third Place - Nitha Rafi, North Dakota State University,  Differential response of soybean accessions to Fusarium proliferatum causing root rot.

Distinguished Service Award​: Dr. Janna Beckerman, Purdue University
This recognition is given to members of the Division who have made outstanding contributions throughout her or his career to plant pathology, the North Central Division, and its parent society.

Mid-Career Award: Dr. Tamra Jackson-Ziems, University of Nebraska

Early-Career Award: Dr. Sally Mallowa, Augustanan University

A special thank you to Purdue Diagnostic Center (Dr. Corey Gerber and Team), Purdue Herbarium (Dr. Simmons), Ag Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility (Chris Hoagland), Dr. Jian Jin and his team, Dr. Fred Whitford for his engaging talk, and BTNY staff and students who helped out. They all contributed to a very successful program. Photos provided by Denise Caldwell, Mariela Fernandez Campos, and Michael Richter. 

Tour of AAPF Chris Hoagland gives a tour of the Ag Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility
Organizer opening meeting Meeting organizer and NC APS President, Darcy Telenko, opens the 75th annual NC APS Meeting
technology demonstration Postdoc Xing Wei and PhD student Xuan Li demonstrate Purdue's unique handheld hyperspectral leaf scanner, LeafSpec.
Group at presentation Oral presentations at the Beck Center
Presentations Darcy Telenko and Mayowa Aderoju from North Dakota State, who won the Extension Flash-N-Dash Competition
disease scouting table Turfgrass disease scouting peer-to-peer training with Dr. Lee Miller
Denise Caldwell presentation Purdue graduate student Denise Caldwell during her oral presentation.
disease scouting table Visiting Scholar Nileshwari Yewle and undergraduate Cora Reynolds from the Telenko Lab talking soybean diseases at peer-to-peer training
herbarium tour Herbaria curator, D. Rabern Simmons, gives a tour.
large group photo Group photo on steps on Lilly Hall

Featured Stories

Carl Kincaid standing by a trail.
Transforming spaces, enriching lives through landscape architecture

If you’ve strolled along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, biked the Monon Boulevard in...

Read More
Meghan Hartman by statue with children at the Celery Bogg Nature Center.
From classroom to camp: Purdue student’s AmeriCorps summer service term inspires environmental stewardship

As dawn breaks over the Celery Bog Nature Area, Meghan Hartman, a sophomore in Natural Resources...

Read More
Julie Young
Behind the Research: Julie Young

Weed scientist Julie Young’s workweeks are sometimes chaotic — but never dull. On any...

Read More
Steve Dahnke, Jack Ward and Larry and Janet White
Four inducted into Indiana Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame

Steve Dahnke, Jack Ward and Larry and Janet White join the ILBA Hall of Fame.

Read More
yellow agave flower sprout from the giant flower stalk against a clear blue sky
The death bloom of a century plant

Agave americana, also known as the century plant, has evolved for a dry desert life. For 30...

Read More
Two Purdue students compete in the Jack and Jack double buck competition at Midwest Conclave 2026
FNR Students Experience Midwest Forestry Conclave

The Purdue student chapter of the Society of American Foresters participated in the 69th Midwest...

Read More