SW New Mexico News

A researcher from New Mexico State University is set to lead a workshop focusing on a prevalent plant pathogen during the upcoming 2025 New Mexico Chile Conference. The event will take place in February.

Soum Sanogo, who serves as a professor of fungal plant pathology at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, will conduct the "Spring Institute on Phytophthora Research and Extension." This session is scheduled for Monday, February 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum located in Las Cruces.

The workshop aims to share insights from a multi-state research initiative targeting Phytophthora blight. This condition is caused by Phytophthora capsici, a soilborne pathogen responsible for fruit rot, root rot, rapid wilting, and plant death in various vegetables and fruits such as melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, snap beans, and lima beans.

Funding for this research comes from a $5.9 million grant provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The event welcomes crop and soil health specialists, county Extension agents, growers, processors, agricultural practitioners, K-12 science teachers and students, post-secondary students, members of 4-H and FFA organizations as well as the general public. Attendees will receive information about Phytophthora blight's impact on crops along with updates on ongoing research efforts to address this issue.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to contact Soum Sanogo at ssanogo@nmsu.edu or Jason Fechner at jfechner@nmsu.edu to arrange registration details.