History of the Diagnostic Services Lab at UKREC

In 1982, a plant pathology position was established at the research station, and Wayne Wilcox was hired as an Extension plant pathologist. A diagnostic laboratory was established, and a plant pathology research specialist, Paul Bachi, was hired in 1983. Don Hershman replaced Wilcox in 1984. Soon after Hershman’s arrival, the soybean cyst nematode laboratory was relocated from Lexington to Princeton. 

Hershman initiated a soybean cyst nematode program to help farmers in the area identify and control the pest. Through an aggressive research and Extension program, farmers used the recommendations of the research to improve yields in infected fields by some 10 percent. The effort to control the pest continues to this day through research, education, and diagnostic services.  

Looking to the Future

The future of plant disease diagnostics holds many promising advances in early detection of pathogens.  In the past decade alone, greater reliance on DNA-based diagnostics and rapid detection technologies have moved from the realm of research labs into the plant disease clinic setting.  With these highly sensitive detection methods added to the traditional diagnostic “toolkit,” the next ten years will promote greater specificity in pathogen detection, while reducing the time needed for accurate disease diagnosis.  Already the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories (PDDL) focus on surveillance for emerging plant diseases, and the PDDL at UKREC is poised to rapidly alert growers in the region of new disease threats and changing patterns of disease expansion.  As we look further into the future of advanced disease modeling systems, predictive technologies, and novel methods of disease management, the PDDL will be a critical component in proactive plant health care as well as rapid response to existing threats.