The research and education program in my laboratory focuses on the ecology and management of economically important plant diseases, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture and fruit crops. We have worked primarily on integrated pest management systems, IPM, for apples, strawberries, and grapes. Our recent research has focused on the epidemiology of the sooty blotch/flyspeck disease complex of apples, and development of a forecast model for the disease and alternative methods of disease management. The long-term goal of this work is to develop disease management tools that contribute to more sustainable fruit production systems.

I teach courses in plant pathology, such as "Plant Disease Management and Ecology", and a General Education course called "Plagues: The Ecology of Disease". We have opportunities for graduate and undergraduate research both during the school year and in summer.

Check out our collaboration with Red Tomato on the Eco Apple Program. You may also want to look at my full CV, and links to some recent publications and a talk at the National Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education meeting.

Contact Information

Daniel R. Cooley
Associate Professor
Lab Site