8/26/08. Buongiorno!! I have to apologize for not being here in person for the first day of class. I'm currently in Italy attending the 9 th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Turin , where the who's who in plant pathology worldwide are currently gathered. This congress is held every four years, and its sort of like the Olympics of Plant Pathology. And since I'm one of those who's who, I need to be here in Italy to eat good food, drink fine wine, and talk about all the great things that are cutting edge in Plant Pathology these days. It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it!

But fortunately for me, I have a great TA this year, Ravi Periasamy, who works in my lab studying the biocontrol of a nasty pathogen of lettuce, Sclerotinia scrlotiorum. And I'm sure if you ask him, he'll talk your ear off about Sclerotinia….its a great fungus!

So I'm not here today, and I won't be here on Thursday either, so fortunately for you there will be no class on Thursday. But unfortunately, we'll just have to work a little harder during the semester to catch up. Don't worry, Plant Pathology is a great subject and it won't feel like work at all. ( Ravi , do you think they believe me??).

So for today, Ravi is going to go over the syllabus with you and answer any questions you may have, and then show a movie on late blight of potatoes, one of the classic plant disease epidemics of all times. You probably have heard about it at one time, and if you are Irish, your grandparents or greatgrandparents could probably tell you great stories. So, pay attention to Ravi while he goes over the syllabous, please turn off your cell phones, and enjoy the show. Oh, one more thing. If you want to add the class even though the course is full, just email me and then see me when I get back next Monday. I don't think there will be a problem with adding. Ravi will also be here in the classroom on Thursday even though there's not class just to help anybody who wanders in on the second day of class and wants to add. Ciao, see you next Tuesday!

8/15/08 Welcome to PLP 305: Introductory Plant Pathology!!! On this page I'll post any last minute announcements for the class, as well as any items of interest not covered in the previous lectures. Click on this link frequently to find out the latest info for PLP 305. This is going to be a great class!!! I know you'll enjoy it. And please email, phone, or drop by my office anytime during the semester if you have any questions or just want to chat about Plant Pathology. See you in lecture!