This coordinated agricultural project uses a transdisciplinary systems approach to addressbacterial leaf spot (BLS) caused by a variety of pseudomonas strains, by integrating plantbreeding, seed…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded The Pennsylvania State University $7.75 million on July 1, 2026, under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (CFDA 10.309) to develop integrated management solutions for bacterial leaf spot disease across seed and food crops.

The project delivers diagnostic assays and best management practices for bacterial leaf spot caused by Pseudomonas strains, validated through collaboration with an 18-member industry advisory panel. Outputs include new diagnostic tools, regionally tailored BMPs to mitigate host resistance breakdown and reduce costly pesticide applications, and resistant cultivars developed through plant breeding. The work integrates plant breeding, seed pathology, ecology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, genomics, plant pathology, and agricultural economics to translate research into practical outcomes applicable across the seed industry, particularly for chenopod and cucurbit seed quality and regulatory compliance. By assessing individual treatments and combined BMPs on pathogen inoculum load, spread, and evolution, the project identifies effective interventions at regional scales for food and seed crop production, reducing economic losses and enhancing seed trade sustainability.

Performance occurs at State College, Pennsylvania, with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

This coordinated agricultural project uses a transdisciplinary systems approach to addressbacterial leaf spot (BLS) caused by a variety of pseudomonas strains, by integrating plantbreeding, seed pathology, ecology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, genomics, plantpathology, and agricultural economics. The planning, research, evaluation, and outreachcollaborations of academic researchers and an 18-member industry advisory panel (IAP) ensurescientific insights are translated into practical outcomes, including new diagnostic tools, bestmanagement practices (bmps), and resistant cultivars. By integrating knowledge of pathogenemergence, host response, and environmental factors, the project will inform locally tailoredbmps that mitigate host resistance breakdown and the costly pesticide applications. Bmpsdeveloped not only will reduce disease pressure throughout the production chain but also enhanceeconomic efficiency by minimizing unnecessary treatments and optimizing resource allocations.diagnostic assays and bmps for all BLS pathogens, validated by the IAP, will be applicable acrossthe seed industry, improving chenopod and cucurbit seed quality and regulatory compliance. Byassessing the effects of individual treatments and combined bmps on pathogen inoculum load, spread, and evolution, the project will identify effective treatments at regional scales of food andseed crop production. These efforts will reduce economic losses, enhance seed trade sustainability, and support transformative impacts for growers nationwide. The integration of disciplines andstakeholder engagement positions this project as a model for managing economically impactfulplant diseases. The tools and synthesis strategies have transformative potential beyond the cropsstudied, offering scalable solutions for other seedborne pathogens and crops affected bypseudomonas pathogens.