Josue Diaz received his B.S. in Plant Science from California State University Fresno. While working on his B.S., Josue worked for the University of California Cooperative Extension on a plant breeding program. The focus of the project was to breed for Fusarium Wilt Race 4 Resistance in Cotton. He received his M.S. from the Fresno State Department of Plant Science where his research focus was on the interactions between two important pathogens of cotton, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (FOV) and Rhizoctonia solani, their effects on disease development of cotton and evaluating possible fungicide treatments to manage these soils borne pathogens in combination with host resistance. As a PhD candidate in the TPS-GP, Josue’s goal is to gain experience with new technologies and cross disciplinary approaches involving genetic, molecular, biochemical and computational approaches to improve crop varieties with a special emphasis on disease.
Email: diaz.335@osu.edu
Education
BS, Plant Science, California State University Fresno, 2017
MS, Plant Science, California State University Fresno, 2019
Long Term Career Interests
Genetic Resitance to Plant Diseases
Genomic Selection
Plant Genetics
Current Status in TPS
Pre-candidacy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leah McHale Co-Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Fresnedo Ramirez
First Year Rotations
1. Clay Sneller
2. Guo-Liang Wang
3. Leah McHale
Grants & Awards
2019, The Ohio State Dean’s Graduate Enrichment Fellowship
Publications
Diaz, J. (2019). The Interaction Between Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Vasinfectum and Rhizoctonia Solani: Two Important Fungal Pathogens of Cotton and Their Management Through Variety Selection and Fungicide Chemistries. Master’s Thesis. Fresno State College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology