Soilborne Disease Ecology Lab

The Pennsylvania State University

Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology Department

Welcome to our website!

What we do: 

The Crandall Lab investigates how soilborne pathogens drive plant disease dynamics across time and space.

Community Ecology – We research how fungal and oomycete pathogens shape soil and plant microbiome diversity, structure, and function of the soil, seeds, and roots. When, where, and why soil microbiomes and soilborne pathogens disperse over short and long distances is a major focus.

Ecological Interactions  –  From using high throughput metabarcoding and metagenomics to comparative genomics, we strive to understand how pathogenicity and ecological disturbance drive the complex interactions between hosts, microbiomes, and the environment.

Disease Management – We also work closely with extension specialists, growers, and land managers to test sustainable soil management practices to encourage plant and soil health.

Fieldwork –  Our field sites span ecosystem types and locations such as farms, vineyards, and forests in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan New York, and California.

Principal Investigator

Sharifa G. Crandall, PhD

sgcrandall@psu.edu 

For more information about our lab, check out:

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