Researcher Probes Genetic Mechanisms By Which Nematodes Overcome Resistance

 Asia Kud, assistant professor of nematology, will pursue the mechanisms by which nematodes overcome resistance in crop plants.

 U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller

FRED MILLER

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS

   Kud joined the department of entomology and plant pathology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, in October.

   She also has a teaching appointment in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Kud will be teaching an existing Biotechnology in Agriculture course and develop a new nematology course.

   “We are excited to have Dr. Kud join our faculty,” said Ken Korth, entomology and plant pathology department head. “She comes to us with outstanding credentials and broad experience in plant pathology.

   “Nematodes are a critical problem in plant production systems, especially on several important Arkansas crops,” Korth said. “Once established, they are very difficult to control. Dr. Kud’s focus on nematode pests will benefit Arkansas growers and her expertise will be a great boost to our research and teaching capacities.”

   Path to Arkansas

   Kud earned a Master of Science degree in biotechnology with a specialization in immunology from Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland. She earned her doctorate in plant science at the University of Idaho, Moscow.

   Her master’s thesis work focused on colon cancer research, but she switched to plant sciences for her Ph.D. She worked in molecular nematology as a post-doctoral scientist at the University of Idaho, focusing on nematode pests in potatoes.

   At the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station she plans to focus on Arkansas crops, beginning with soybean, corn and cotton.

   Defining the problem

   Nematodes are a diverse and ubiquitous animal phylum that can be found in every ecosystem on Earth. While many are beneficial, Arkansas’ agricultural fields are often home to parasitic nematode pests that damage plants directly or by transmitting plant diseases. Species like the soybean cyst nematode, root-knot nematode, reniform nematode and others cause considerable economic loss to farms, forests, lawns and golf courses throughout the state, according to information from the Division of Agriculture’sArkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory.

   Because they live in the soil, nematodes can be difficult to control with pesticides, Kud said. So plant breeders focus on developing nematode resistance in new crop varieties. But nematodes can be quick to find new ways to infect resistant plants.

   “Nematodes are absolutely amazing in their ability to overcome resistance,” Kud said.

   Because of this innate ability in nematodes, plant breeders are locked in a sort of biological warfare, constantly looking for new resistance traits they can cross into improved crop varieties.

   Research aim

   Kud is just beginning to develop her Arkansas research program, but she said she plans to investigate the molecular mechanisms that give nematodes the ability to overcome resistance in crops.

   “I want to know, what is the mechanism by which they achieve this,” Kud said. “If you know the mechanism, you can target it with new technologies. Maybe you can slow it down enough to stretch out the effective duration of nematode resistance.”

   Initially, at least, Kud’s work will be based on molecular tools and methods conducted in a lab. But she also wants to develop a more applied research approach that will take her into the field.

   “Asia has worked on both applied approaches to nematode control and molecular plant-pathogen interactions,” Korth said. “This combination of skills means that Asia will contribute to both of our ongoing field- and lab-based approaches to understand plant pests and host defenses.”

   Meanwhile, Kud is settling in to northwest Arkansas with her husband, Ahmed Muftah, a civil engineer, and their son, Tarek, and daughter, Sarah.  ∆