Christine Smart
Goichman Family Director, Cornell AgriTech
Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
My program has the goal of developing improved management strategies for vegetable diseases by increasing our understanding of pathogen biology and diversity under field conditions. Using this information, we provide growers with novel disease management options.
Interests
Biology and management of vegetable diseases
Host-pathogen interactions
Recent Research
Academic appt: 50% research; 40% extension; 10% teaching
Areas of research and extension emphasis:
- Vegetable pathology and disease control specializing in bacterial and oomycete pathogens
- Population genomics, genotypic diversity and effector complement of plant pathogens
- Detection and identification of vegetable pathogens
- Public engagement
Outreach and Extension Focus
Diseases of vegetables cause significant losses to growers in New York and around the world. My lab utilizes genomic tools to understand the diversity of plant pathogen populations. This information is used to identify and track pathogen movement. This information is coupled with applied research on host resistance and efficacy of available control products to provide science-based disease management options for growers.
Vegetable production in New York continues to thrive as we are fortunate to have a climate in which a great diversity of vegetables can be grown, and a knowledgeable and engaged group of growers. The goals of my extension program are two-fold. The first goal is to work with conventional, transitional and organic growers, seed companies, chemical companies and private consultants to improve vegetable disease management while promoting sustainable agricultural practices. My lab focuses primarily on bacterial and oomycete pathogens of vegetables. The second goal is to develop and promote partnerships between Cornell University and elementary school educators and students to increase awareness of agriculture. The two goals are very integrated, as much of my elementary science outreach work is focused on vegetables and nutrition. As the percentage of the population that farms decreases, it is critical to educate the rest of the population about where our food is produced and of the value of agriculture.
Selected Publications
View publications on Google Scholar.
- Indermaur, EJ, Day, CTC, Dunn-Silver, AR, and Smart, CD. (2024) Biorational fungicides to manage cucurbit powdery mildew on winter squash in New York. Plant Health Progress In press https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-11-23-0103-RS
- Stack, GM, Cala, AR, Quade, MA, Toth, JA, Monserrate, LA, Wilkerson, DG, Carlson, CH, Mamerto, A, Michael, TP, Crawford, S, Smart, CD, and Smart, LB (2024) Genetic mapping, identification, and characterization of a candidate susceptibility gene for powdery mildew in Cannabis sativa L. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 37:51-61. https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-04-23-0043-R
- Andersen, T, Sudermann, MR, DeJong, DM, Francis, DM, Smart, CD, and Mutchler, MA (2023) Detection of trait donors and QTL boundaries for early blight resistance using local ancestry inference in a library of genomic sequences for tomato. The Plant Journal 117:404-415. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16495
- Rodriguez-Herrera, KD, Ma, X, Swingle, B, Pethybridge, SJ, Gonzalez-Giron, JL, Herrmann, TQ, Damann, K, and Smart, CD. (2023) First report of cucurbit yellow vine disease caused by Serratia marcescens on cucurbits in New York. Plant Disease 107:3276. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-23-1051-PDN.
- Munir, M, Kesheimer, K, Bolt, M, Zuefle, M, Aronson, E, Ricciardi, M, Schluttenhofer, C, Joly, D, Henry, S, Coburn, J, Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho, J, Rondon, S, Smart, C, Collins, A, Garfinkel, A, Gauthier, N. (2023) Occurrence and distribution of common diseases and pests of US Cannabis: a survey. Plant Health Progress 24:498-507. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-01-23-0004-S
- Nieto-Lopez, EH, Cerritos-Garcia, DG, Koch Bach, RA, Petka, A, Smart, CD, Hoepting, CA, Langston, D, Rideout, S, Dutta, B, Everhart, SE. (2023) Species identification and fungicide sensitivity of fungi causing Alternaria leaf blight and head rot in cole crops in the eastern US. Plant Disease 107:1310-1315. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1318-SC
- Giles, G, Indermaur, EJ, Gonzalez-Giron, JL, Herrmann, TQ, Shelnutt, SS, Starr, JK, Myers, K, Jensen, SL, Bergstrom, GC, Crawford, JL, Hansen, JL, Smart, LB, and Smart CD (2023) First report of downy mildew caused by Pseudoperonospora cannabina on Cannabis sativa in New York. Plant Disease 107: 1638 https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-08-22-1930-PDN
- Indermaur EJ, Day CTC, and Smart CD (2023) First report of Didymella rhei causing leaf spot on rhubarb in New York. Plant Disease 107: 222 https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-22-0573-PDN
- Vogel, G, Giles, G, Robbins, KR, Gore, MA, and Smart CD (2022). Quantitative genetic analysis of interactions in the pepper- Phytophthora capsici pathosystem. Molecular Plant-Microber Interactions 35:1018-1033 https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-12-21-0307-R
- Dubrow, ZE, Carpenter, SCD, Carter, ME, Grinage, A, Gris, C, Audran, C, Butchachas, J, Jacobs, JM, Smart, CD, Tancos, MA, Noel, LD, and Bogdanove, AJ (2022) Cruciferous weed isolates of Xanthomonas campestris yield insight into pathovar genomic relationships and genetic determinants of host- and tissue-specificity. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 35:791-802 https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-01-22-0024-R
- Crowell, CR, Wilkerson, DG, Smart, LB and Smart CD (2022) Evidence of asexual overwintering of Melampsora paradoxa and mapping of stem rust host resistance in Salix. Plants 11:2385. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11182385
- Sudermann, MR, McGlip, L, Regnier, M, Rodriguez Jaramillo, A, Vogel, G, and Smart, CD (2022) The diversity of Passalora fulva isolates collected from tomato plants in US high tunnels. Phytopathology 112:1350-1360. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-21-0244-R
- Crowell, CR, Wilkerson, DG, Bekauri, M, Cala, A, McMullen, P, Mondo, S, Andreopoulos, W, Lipzen, A, Lail, K, Yan, M, Ng, V, Grigoriev, I, Smart, LB, and Smart CD (2022) The Melampsora americana population on Salix purpurea in the Great Lakes Region is highly diverse with a contributory influence of clonality. Phytopathology 112:907-916. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-21-0201-R
Presentations and Activities
- Leveraging genomic data to help farmers manage Phytophthora. October 2018. Oregon State University. Corvalis, OR.
- Following sexual and asexual populations of Phytophthora. April 2018. North Carolina State University. Raleigh NC.
- Breeding for downy mildew resistance in cucumber. Cucurbitaceae. October 2014. Bay Harbor, MI.
Awards & Honors
- Awardee (2018) New York Farmers Club
- Fellow (2017) American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Outstanding accomplishments in applied research (2013) Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Excellence in the teaching, advising and mentoring of graduate and professional students (2012) Cornell University Graduate and Professional Student Association
- Fellow 2016 American Phytopathological Society
Courses Taught
- PLSCI 7440: Graduate-Level Thesis Research
- AGSCI 4960: Internship in Agricultural Sciences
- PLSCI 4925: Plant Sciences Senior Portfolio
- PLSCI 4900: Reflection on Plant Sciences Experiential Learning
Contact Information
213 Barton Lab
Geneva, NY 14456
cds14 [at] cornell.edu
School & Section
School of Integrative Plant Science
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology SectionGraduate Fields
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
More information
Education
- Doctorate
Michigan State University
1992
- Bachelor of Science
Michigan State University
1986
- Doctorate
Christine in the news
News
The gift from the Seneca Foods Foundation will help food producers of all sizes bring their products to market.
- Cornell AgriTech
- Cornell Food Venture Center
- Food Science
News
The Hudson Valley Research Laboratory in Highland, New York, a partnership between Cornell AgriTech and area growers, is receiving $1 million in capital funding from the state for improvements that will take the research facility into the future...
- Hudson Valley Lab
- Cornell AgriTech
- Cornell Cooperative Extension