Graduate Student Successfully Defends Thesis on Gray Mold Fungicide Resistance
Graduate student Scott Cosseboom (Agriculture and Environmental Plant Sciences, ’16) successfully defended his thesis “Characterization of Botrytis cinerea resistance to fungicides in California strawberries” in 2018. Cosseboom is the second student to earn a master’s degree through the Cal Poly Strawberry Center.
The thesis committee consisted of Director Gerald Holmes, Professor Kelly Ivors and Guido Schnabel, a world-renown expert on fungicide resistance in Botrytis from Clemson University.
Cosseboom’s work characterized the fungicide resistance of nearly 900 isolates of Botrytis collected from the major strawberry-producing regions of the state. He showed that fungicide resistance is widespread and that most isolates of the fungus are resistant to three different fungicide chemical classes (FRAC codes).
He also described a new species of Botrytis (B. mali) discovered in California. These findings have been presented throughout the state and are helping California strawberry growers improve their management of Botrtyis gray mold.
Cosseboom will pursue a doctorate degree at the University of Maryland under the direction of Professor Mengjun Hu, continuing his study of Botrytis and other pathogens of small fruits.
For more details on Cosseboom’s research, visit the following:
Thesis defense seminar: https://strawberry.calpoly.edu/presentations
Disease note on Botrytis mali: https://tinyurl.com/y7jp7mzy
Webcast: https://tinyurl.com/y7kuxxew
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