(07/08/21) BATON ROUGE, La. β Rodrigo Valverde, a professor in the LSU AgCenter Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, has been elected a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society.
The society honored Valverde for his research in describing and characterizing many newly recognized viruses that cause disease in beans, citrus, pepper, sweet potato, tomatoes and ornamentals.
Valverde uses double-strand RNA analysis for plant virus detection. His contributions are benefiting researchers and diagnosticians worldwide, as they use the modifications and validations developed by Valverde.
Valverde also is recognized for pioneering research on persistent plant viruses called endornaviruses, demonstrating that they have mutualistic relationships with plants.
Valverde takes a hands-on teaching approach. He mentors graduate and undergraduate students and interns who benefit from his constant presence at the lab bench.
βTo me, this award acknowledges not only my service, research and teaching accomplishments in plant pathology, but also the hard work of my students and research collaborators,β Valverde said.
Rodrigo Valverde, a professor in the LSU AgCenter Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, has been elected a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society. LSU AgCenter file photo
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture