Northwest Research and Outreach Center

Dr. Carol Windels' Plant Pathology Publications

Select, recent publications in peer-reviewed journals: 1996 - present

  • Windels, C.E. 2000. Economic and social impacts of Fusarium head blight: Changing farms and rural communities in the northern Great Plains. Phytopathology 90:17-21.
  • Windels, C.E., Lamey, H.A., Hilde, D., Widner, J., and Knudsen, T. 1998. A Cercospora leaf spot model for sugar beet: In practice by an industry. Plant Disease 82:716-726.
  • Brantner, J.R., and Windels, C.E. 1998. Variability in sensitivity to metalaxyl in vitro, pathogenicity, and control of Pythium species on sugar beet. Plant Disease 82:896-899.
  • Nelson, B.D., Hansen, J.M., Windels, C.E., and Helms, T.C. 1997. Reaction of soybean cultivars to isolates of Fusarium solani from the Red River Valley. Plant Disease 81:664-668.
  • Windels, C.E., Kuznia, R.A., and Call, J. 1997. Characterization and pathogenicity of Thanatephorus cucumeris from sugar beet in Minnesota. Plant Disease 81:245-249.
  • Windels, C.E., and Nabben-Schindler, D.J. 1996. Limitations of a greenhouse assay for determining potential Aphanomyces root rot in sugarbeet fields. J. Sugar Beet Res. 33:1-13.
  • Engelkes C.A., and Windels, C.E. 1996. Susceptibility of sugar beet and beans to Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2IIIB and AG-2-2IV. Plant Disease 81:1413-1417.
  • Nelson, B.D., Hansen, J.M., and Windels, C.E. 1996. Races of Phytopathora sojae on soybean in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. Plant Disease 80:104.

Extension bulletins: (access at http://www.sbreb.org, select "Brochures and Pamphlets")

  • · Windels, C.E., and Lamey, H.A. 1998. Identification and control of seedling diseases, root rot, and rhizomania on sugarbeet. North Dakota Univ. Ext. Serv./Univ. Minnesota Ext. Serv. PP-1142 BU-7192-S. 20 pp.
  • · Lamey, H.A., Cattanach, A.W., Bugbee, W.M., and Windels, C.E. 1996. Cercospora leaf spot of sugarbeet. North Dakota State Univ. Ext. Serv., PP-764. 4 pp.
  • · Jones, R.K, and Windels, C.E. 1991. A management model for Cercospora leaf spot of sugarbeets. Univ. Minnesota Ext. Serv. AG-FO-5643. 8 pp.
  • · Windels, C.E., and Jones, R.K. 1989. Seedling and root diseases of sugarbeets. Univ. Minnesota Ext. Serv. AG-FO-3702. 8 pp.

Abstracts presented at recent meetings: (access at APS homepage, http://www.scisoc.org)

Brantner, J.R., and Windels, C.E. 2000. Variability in spore production and aggressiveness of Aphanomyces cochlioides. Phytopathology 90: In Press.
A. cochlioides isolates (16) from 3 sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) fields in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Texas (4, 6, 6 isolates, respectively) were assayed for zoospore and oospore production and aggressiveness. Zoospores were produced in a mineral salts solution and oospores in oatmeal broth. There were significant differences (P=0.05) among isolates in number of zoospores (mean: 59,600/ml; range: 250-186,000) and oospores (mean: 15,300/ml; range: 500-42,000), regardless of source. Ten isolates that produced more than 29,000 zoospores/ml were tested for aggressiveness (other isolates produced inadequate zoospores). For each isolate, 4-wk-old sugar beet roots were inoculated with 200,000 zoospores/plant; after 4 wk, roots were rated on a 0-7 scale (0=healthy, 7=root rotted, foliage dead). There were significant differences (P=0.05) among isolates (mean: 2.9, range: 1.9-3.4) but these differences were not correlated with innate zoospore or oospore production. Thus, isolates that produce adequate numbers of zoospores or oospores also should be evaluated for aggressiveness before they are used in sugar beet breeding programs.

Brantner, J.R., and Windels, C.E. 1999.  A technique for evaluating adult plant resistance of sugar beet germ plasm to Aphanomyces cochlioides.  Phytopathology 89:S8-9.
A technique is needed to reliably evaluate resistance of sugar beet germ plasm of older (>6-wk-old) plants to infection by A. cochlioides. Six-wk-old sugar beet plants were grown in 15-cm diam pots and inoculated with 0, 104,105, and 5 × 105 zoospores of A. cochlioides/pot. In another experiment, plants were inoculated 8 wk after seeding with 0, 104, 105, and 2 × 105 zoospores/pot. Plants were then placed in a growth chamber at 25-27 C. After 4 wk, roots were removed, cleaned, and rated for root rot (0-7 scale, 0 = roots clean, 7 = root completely rotted). Inoculation with 105 zoospores/pot separated susceptible from resistant germ plasm. Mean root rot ratings for a susceptible breeding line, moderately susceptible cultivar, moderately resistant cultivar, and resistant breeding line were 4.3, 2.2, 1.7, and 2.1, respectively, on 6-wk-old plants, and 3.8, 2.4, 2.0, and 1.8, respectively, on 8-wk-old plants. In both trials the susceptible breeding line was different (P = 0.05) from all other lines. This technique shows promise in evaluating adult plant resistance of sugar beet germ plasm to A. cochlioides.

Brantner, J.R. and Windels, C.E. 1999. Aphanomyces damping-off of susceptible and partially resistant sugar beet cultivars over a range of oospore concentrations. Phytopathology 89:S104.
Partial resistance in sugar beet to the soilborne pathogen Aphanomyces cochlioides discernible in adult stages and in the field, is difficult to demonstrate and evaluate at the seedling stage. Seed of susceptible and partially resistant cultivars was sown in autoclaved and natural field soil infested with 0, 1, 10, 25, 50, and 100 oospores/g dry weight of soil. After 4 wk, seedlings were rated for Aphanomyces root rot, and root rot indices (RRI's; 0-100 scale, 0 = all plants clean, 100 = all plants dead) were calculated. Root rot indices for susceptible and partially resistant cultivars were not significantly different from each other; there were no cultivar by oospore concentration interactions.  Mean RRI's in 0, 1, 10, 25, 50, and 100 oospores/g dry weight of soil were 3, 55, 91, 90, 89, and 92, respectively, in autoclaved soil, and 3, 23, 75, 88, 91, and 95, respectively, in natural soil.  Partial resistance of seedlings was not demonstrated even over a wide range of oospore concentrations and resulting RRI's.

Sugarbeet Research, Popular Articles: (access at http://www.sbreb.org , select "Search the Journals"):
This web site includes all annual reports published in the Minnesota-North Dakota Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports from 1970 to present.