Jason A. Smith
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Department of Plant Pathology
University of Minnesota
495 Borlaug Hall
1991 Upper Buford Cir.
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-625-6231
smit1278@umn.edu

Research interests:
I am interested in basic biology of plant-pathogen interactions including plant defenses, etiology and co-evolution. In addition, I also have a strong interest in fungal diversity especially rust fungi in the Melampsoraceae. My current Ph.D. thesis work focuses on resistance traits in Pinus strobus to the introduced pathogen Cronartium ribicola. I am also involved in projects looking pathogens of Salix species in the high Arctic, bronze leaf disease of Populus, role of silicon in plant defenses and molecular approaches to studying fungal diversity in wood from the Arctic and Antarctica.

Selected Publications:

Smith, J.A., Blanchette, R.A., Jacobs, J.J., Higgins, L., Witthun, B. A., Gillman, J. H. and A. J. David. 2006. Proteomic comparison of needles from blister rust-resistant and susceptible Pinus strobus seedlings reveals up-regulation of putative disease resistance proteins. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 19: 150-160. (reprint)

Smith, J.A., Blanchette, R.A., Burnes, T.A., Gillman, J.H. and A. J. David. 2006. Epicuticular wax and white pine blister rust resistance in selections of Pinus strobus L. Phytopathology 96: 171-177. (reprint)

Smith, J. A., R. A. Blanchette, G. Newcombe. 2004. Molecular and morphological characterization of the willow rust fungus, Melampsora epitea, from arctic and temperate hosts in North America. Mycologia 96 1330-1338.

Gillman, J.F., Zleasak, D., and Smith, J.A. 2003. Application of potassium -silicate reduces black spot infection of Rosa ‘Meipelta’ (Fuschia Medilin®). HortScience 38(6): 1144-1147.

Smith, J. A. T. A. Burnes, J. A. Jurgens, A. J. David and R. A. Blanchette. 2003. Potential resistance mechanisms in Pinus strobus to Cronartium ribicola. In: Proceedings of the Second IUFRO Rusts of Forest Trees Working Party Conference, 19- 23 Aug., 2002, Xu, M.-Q., Walla, J.A., and Zhao, W.-X. (eds.) Yangling, China Forest Research 16 (Suppl). PDF reprint