robchoudhury.github.io

Robin Choudhury

Biography

I am currently a post doctoral researcher in the Plant Pathology Department, Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, and the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida working with Dr. Karen Garrett. I am interested in the ecology of emerging pathogens, understanding how they disrupt native systems and propagate. I am currently researching the epidemiology of laurel wilt disease, an invasive beetle-vectored disease that has destroyed both native and agricultural hosts. I use network analysis to model how human behavior at local and regional scales will affect the outcome of the disease progress.

Prior to joining the Garrett Lab at UF, I was a graduate student with Dr. Neil McRoberts at UC Davis, where I studied the epidemiology and control of spinach downy mildew in coastal California. Before working with Neil, I worked on my master’s degree with Dr. Doug Gubler studying grapevine powdery mildew epidemiology. My bachelor’s degree is in Plant Sciences from University of Maryland.

Education

PhD Plant Pathology
University of California, Davis
March 2013 – August 2016
Advising Committee: Dr. Neil McRoberts (PI), Dr. Michael Davis, Dr. Johan Leveau
Thesis Title: Epidemiology of spinach downy mildew in coastal California

MS Plant Pathology
University of California, Davis
June 2010 – Febuary 2013
Advising Committee: Dr. W. Douglas Gubler (PI), Dr. Neil McRoberts, Dr. David Rizzo
Thesis Title: Consecutive heat acclimation and modeling uncertainty for grapevine powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator)

BS Plant Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Walsh
Fall 2006 – Fall 2009

Research Experience

Aug 2016 – Present, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Garrett Lab, University of Florida

Model the epidemiology of laurel wilt disease using network analysis in both agricultural and natural systems.
Assess and model the impacts of extreme weather events on agriculture.

Mar 2013 – Aug 2016, Graduate Student Researcher, McRoberts Lab, University of California – Davis

Model spatio-temporal dynamics of spinach downy mildew epidemiology.
Develop model to estimate role of non-zero phytosanitary thresholds for spinach oospores.

Jun 2010 – Feb 2013, Graduate Student Researcher, Gubler Lab, University of California – Davis

Determine effects of multiple exposures of extreme temperatures on colony growth of grape powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator).
Developed and tested risk model to predict disease severity under field conditions.

Sep 2009 – May 2010, Biological Science Technician, Stommel Lab, USDA ARS GIFVL

Managed greenhouse and field experiments for solanaceous fruit breeding research.

May 2009 – July 2009, Summer Research Scholar, Wilcox Lab, Cornell University

Effect of heat and UV radiation exposure on germination and sporulation of grape powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator).

Publications and Reports

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Hughes, G., Choudhury, R.A., and N. McRoberts. 2019. Summary measures of predictive power associated with logistic regression models of disease risk. Phytopathology (in press). doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-09-18-0356-LE.

Ziska, L.H., Bradley, B.A., Wallace, R.D., Bargeron, C.T., LaForest, J.H., Choudhury, R.A., Garrett, K.A., and F.E. Vega. 2018. Climate change, carbon dioxide and pest biology: managing the future. Agronomy 8(8), 152. doi: 10.3390/agronomy8080152.

Garrett, K. A., Alcala, R., Andersen, K., Buddenhagen, C., Choudhury, R.A., Fulton, J., Hernandez Nopsa, J., Poudel, R., and Y. Xing. 2018. Network analyses: multivariate models for disentangling relationships affecting plant diseases. Annual Review of Phytopathology 56:25.1-25.22.

Bourret, T. B., Choudhury, R.A., Mehl, H. K., Blomquist, C. L., McRoberts, N. and D. M. Rizzo. 2018. Multiple origins of downy mildews and mito-nuclear discordance within the paraphyletic genus Phytophthora. PLOS ONE doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192502.

Choudhury, R.A., and McRoberts, N. 2017. Temperature and light effects on in vitro germination of Peronospora effusa. BioRxiv doi:10.1101/163923. Tropical Plant Pathology doi: 10.1007/s40858-017-0204-y.

Choudhury, R.A., Garrett, K. A., Klosterman, S. J., Subbarao, K., and McRoberts, N. 2017. A Framework for optimizing phytosanitary thresholds in seed systems. Phytopathology 107:1219-1228. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-04-17-0131-FI.

Ploetz, R.C., Kendra, P.E., Choudhury, R.A., Rollins, J.A., Campbell, A., Garrett, K., Hughes, M., and Dreaden, T. 2017. Laurel wilt in natural and agricultural ecosystems: understanding the drivers and scales of complex pathosystems. Forests 8(2): 48. doi: 10.3390/f8020048.

Choudhury, R.A., Koike, S.T., Fox, A.D., Anchieta, A., Subbarao, K.V., Klosterman, S.J., and McRoberts, N. 2017. Spatio-temporal patterns in the airborne dispersal of spinach downy mildew. Phytopathology 107: 50-58. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-04-16-0162-R.

Choudhury, R.A., Koike, S.T., Fox, A.D., Anchieta, A., Subbarao, K.V., Klosterman, S.J., and McRoberts, N. 2016. Season-long dynamics of spinach downy mildew determined by spore trapping and disease incidence. Phytopathology 106: 1311-1318. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-12-15-0333-R.

Choudhury, R.A., McRoberts, N, and W. D. Gubler. 2014. Effects of punctuated heat stress on the grapevine powdery mildew pathogen, Erysiphe necator. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 53: 148-158. doi: 10.14601/Phytopathol_Mediterr-12721.

Reports in Peer Reviewed Journals

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, W. D. Gubler, D. Marcum. 2019. Cultivar evaluation for resistance to grape powdery mildew in commercial wine grapes, 2012. Plant Disease Management Reports. In Press.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, S. T. Koike. 2017. Evaluation of biofungicides for control of downy mildew on spinach, 2016. Plant Disease Management Reports. doi:10.1094/PDMR11:V017.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, and W. D. Gubler. 2017. First report of powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera sp. on Triadica sebifera in California. Plant Disease 101: 389. doi:10.1094/PDIS-07-16-1001-PDN.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, S. T. Koike. 2016. Evaluation of mixed seed lines for control of downy mildew on spinach, 2013. Plant Disease Management Reports. doi:10.1094/PDMR10:ST008.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, K. Kammeijer, S. T. Koike. 2015. Evaluation of mixed biofungicides for control of downy mildew on spinach, 2015. Plant Disease Management Reports. doi:10.1094/PDMR10:V016.

Choudhury, R.A., A. C. Erickson, W. D. Gubler, and N. McRoberts. 2015. First Report of Powdery Mildew of Erodium moschatum Caused by Podosphaera cf. erodii in California. Plant Disease 99:1866. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-05-15-0527-PDN.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, K. Kammeijer, S. T. Koike. 2015. Evaluation of biofungicides for control of downy mildew on spinach, 2014. Plant Disease Management Reports. doi:10.1094/PDMR09:V022.

Choudhury, R.A., N. McRoberts, W. D. Gubler, D. Marcum. 2015. Cultivar evaluation for resistance to grape powdery mildew in commercial wine grapes, 2011. Plant Disease Management Reports. doi:10.1094/PDMR09:SMF018.

Peduto Hand, F, Choudhury, R.A., and W. D. Gubler. 2014. First report of Cytospora punicae causing wood canker and branch dieback of pomegranate (Punica granatum) in the United States. Plant Disease 98:853. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-11-13-1133-PDN.

Choudhury, R.A., Modi, P., Hanstad, J., Elkins, R., and W. D. Gubler. 2013. First report of Diplodia seriata causing pear branch canker dieback in California. Plant Disease 98: 688. doi:10.1094/PDIS-07-13-0715-PDN.