Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist

Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 4502 Ave I Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 632-1239;  Fax: (308) 632-1365
Email: rharveson2@unl.edu

EDUCATION/DEGREES

  • Ph. D. 1999, University of Florida - Plant Pathology
  • M. S. 1989, Texas A&M University - Plant Pathology
  • B. S. 1985, Tarleton State University - Plant/Soil Science
  • B. A. 1983, Trinity University - History

EMPLOYMENT:

July 2010-present: Professor of Plant Pathology/Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska, PHREC, Scottsbluff

July 2005-June 2010: Associate Professor of Plant Pathology/Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska, PHREC, Scottsbluff

July 1999-June 2005: Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology/Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska, PHREC, Scottsbluff

Jan 1996-June 1999: Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida, Gainesville FL

April 1991-Dec. 1995: Research Associate, Texas A&M University, Texas Agric. Exp. Station, Amarillo TX

June 1989-March 1991: Senior Biological Scientist/Diagnostician, University of Florida, SWFREC, Immokalee, FL

Aug. 1986-June 1989: Graduate Teaching Assistant, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

AREAS OF INTEREST

Diseases of specialty crops

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Phytopathological Society (APS)
  • North Central Division of American Phytopathological Society
  • Mycological Society of America
  • American Association of Sugar Beet Technologists (ASSBT)
  • Gamma Sigma Delta
  • Sigma Xi

RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITIES

Fund, design, and conduct research projects that address the etiology, spread, and applied management of new and/or important diseases of specialty crops in the Panhandle of Nebraska, with an emphasis on sugar beet root rots, bacterial diseases of dry beans, and sunflower diseases.

EXTENSION RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and deliver statewide and regional educational publications and programs involving diseases of specialty crops - including sugar beets, dry beans, sunflowers, potatoes, chickpeas, dry peas, cowpeas, and other pulse crops, proso millet, chicory, fenugreek, bio-fuel crops like camelina and canola, and other newly emerging alternative crops.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Received Marquis Who’s Who in America Lifetime Achievement Award (2020)

  • Received Distinguished Service Award from the NC Division of the American Phytopathological Society in 2019 

  • Scottsbluff plant pathology research and extension program was profiled with individual  pages for three European journals dedicated to disseminating information on science, research, and technology.  1) International Innovation, (2014) Issue 164: 96-98; 2) Pan- European Networks, (2015) 14: 207; 3) Adjacent Government, (2015) May: 188-189.
  • Selected to Strathmore’s Who’s Who (2010), Madison’s Who’s Who (2009), Continental Who’s Who (2009), IBC’s International Scientist of the Year (2009), IBC’s Leading Scientists of the World (2009), Marquis’ Who’s Who in America (2008), and IBC’s 2,000 Outstanding Scientists (2008)
  • Elected to Bridgeport (TX) High School’s “Wall of Fame” (2004)
  • Winner of UNL Ag Research Division’s Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Award (2003)
  •  Named to AcademicKeys Who’s Who in Agriculture Higher Education (2003)

 

SERVICE ACTIVITIES:

  • Author of:  A Century of Plant Pathology in Nebraska, a new book on the history of agriculture and plant pathology in Nebraska (2020)
  • Lead editor and author/co-author for chapters in APS Disease Compendium and Pests: Beet (2009); Sunflower (2016); Pea (2020); Bean (TBA); author of bacterial wilt chapter in Soybean (2015)
  • Author/Co-author for book chapters in: Central High Plains Sugar Beet Pest Mgmt. Guide (2013); Fungicides for Field Crops (2013); Central High Plains Dry Bean Pest Mgmt. Guide (2015); Sunflower: Chemistry, Production, Processing and Utilization (2015); Handbook of Florists’ Crop Diseases (2018)
  • Senior Editor of Plant Health Instructor (2016-2021)
  • Senior Editor of APS Press (2013-2018)
  • Author of: Bacterium of Many Colors, a plant pathology book for APS Press (2015)
  • Senior Editor of Plant Disease (2010-2012)
  • Associate Editor of Plant Disease (2008-2009)
  • Chair of Review Panel for ARS sugar beet germplasm and breeding programs (2013)
  • Reviewer on Panel for USDA-ARS germplasm and breeding programs (sugar beets-2007, 2009, 2013 and 2017); (sunflowers-2017); (dry beans-2018)

TOTAL PUBLICATIONS AS OF NOVEMBER 2020: 817

Refereed Journal/Review Articles: 70

Books: 2

Book Chapters: 54

Technical Articles: 122

Popular articles: 336

Abstracts: 79

RECENT REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

1. Friskop, A. J., Gulya, T. J., Harveson, R. M., Humann, R. M., Avecedo, M., and Markell, S. G.  2015.  Phenotypic Diversity of Puccinia helianthi (Sunflower Rust) in the United States from 2011 and 2012.  Plant Dis. 99: 1604-1609

2. Harveson, R. M.  2015.  Beet curly top, America’s first serious sugar beet disease. APSnet Feature, February, 2015.

3. Harveson, R. M., Nelson, A., Mathew, F. M., and Seiler, G. J.  2015.  First report of Orobanche ludoviciana parasitizing sunflowers.   Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-BR-15-0043.

4. Harveson, R. M., Schwartz, H., F., Urrea, C. A., and Yonts, C. D.  2015.  Bacterial wilt of dry-edible beans in the central high plains of the U.S.:  past, present, and future.  Plant Dis. 99: 1665-1677.

5. Porter, L. D., Pasche, J. S., Chen, W., and Harveson, R. M. 2015. Isolation, identification, storage, pathogenicity tests, hosts, and geographic range of Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi causing Fusarium root rot of pea. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-DG-15-0013.

6. Webb, K. M., Harveson, R. M., and West, M. S.  2015.   Evaluation of Rhizoctonia zeae as a potential biological control option for fungal root diseases of sugar beet. Ann. Appl. Biol. 167: 75-89. 

 7. Adesemoye, A. O., Wei, H.-H., and Harveson, R. M.  2016.  Identification of Erwinia rhapontici, as the causal agent of crown and shoot rot and pink seed of pea in Nebraska.  Plant Health Prog. 17:155-157.

8. Osdaghi E., Taghavi, S. M., Hamzehzarghani, H., Fazliarab, A., Harveson. R. M., and  Lamichhane, J. R.  2016.  Occurrence and characterization of a new red-pigmented variant of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, the causal agent of bacterial wilt of edible dry beans in Iran.  Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 146:129–145.

9.  Hergert, G. W., Darapuneni, M. K., Aqeel, A. M., Wilson, R. G., Harveson, R. M., Bradshaw, J. D., and Nielsen, R. A.  2017. Agronomic potential of using precipitate calcium carbonate on early plant growth and soil equality in the intermountain west – greenhouse studies.  J. Sugar Beet Res. 54: 35-49.

10.  Osdaghi, E., Taghavi, S. M., Hamzehzarghani, H., Fazliarab, A., Harveson, R. M., Tegli, S. and Lamichhane, J. R. (2017), Epiphytic Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens strains isolated from symptomless solanaceous vegetables are pathogenic on leguminous but not on solanaceous plants. Plant Pathol. doi:10.1111/ppa.12730

11. Urrea, C. A., Muehlbauer, F. J., and Harveson, R. M.  2017.  Registration of 'New Hope' Chickpea Cultivar with Enhanced Resistance to Ascochyta Blight. Journal of Plant Registrations 11: 107-111.

12.  Adhikari, A. D., Nielsen, K. A., Harveson, R. M., Graham, C., Beck, R., and Mathew, F. M. 2018.  Bacterial blight of Lentil (Lens culinaris) is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae.  Plant Health Progress. (in press).

13.  Harveson, R. M., Mathew, F. M, Gulya, T. J., Markell, S. G., Block, C. C., and Thompson, S.  2018.  Sunflower Stalk Diseases Initiated through Leaf Infections.  Plant Health Progress 19: 82-91.

14. Mathew, F., Harveson, R., Gulya, T., Markell, S., Block, C., and Thompson, S. 2018. Phomopsis Stem Canker of Sunflower. Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2018-1103-01.

15. Osdaghi, E., Taghavi, S. M., Calamai, S., Biancalani, C., Cerboneschi, M., Tegli, S., and Harveson, R. M.  2018.  Phenotypic and Molecular-Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals Insight into Population Structure of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens Phytopathology 108: 1154-1164.

16. Gulya, T. J., Harveson, R. M., Mathew, F. M., Block, C. C., Thompson, S., Kandel, H., Berglund, D., Sandbakken, J., Kleingartner, L., and Markell, S. G. 2019.  Comprehensive Disease Survey of U.S. Sunflower:  Disease Trends, Research Priorities and Unanticipated Impacts.  Plant Disease 102: 601-618.

17. Harveson, R. M.  2019.  Managing Dry Bean Bacterial Diseases in Nebraska with New Copper-Alternative Chemicals.  Plant Health Progress 20: 14-19.

18. Darapuneni, M., Hergert, G. W., Bradshaw, J. D., Wilson, R. G., Aqueel, A., Harveson, R. M., and Nielsen, R.  2020.  Agronomic utilization of precipitated calcium carbonate- effect of PCC on sugar beet root aphid control and herbicide dose response of kochia grown on PCC Piles. Agronomy 10, article number 537.

19. Das, S., Plyler-Harveson, T., Santra, D. K., Harveson, R. M, Nielsen, K. A. 2020.  A longitudinal study on morpho-genetic diversity of pathogenic Rhizoctonia solani from sugar beet and dry beans of western Nebraska. BMC Microbiology 20:354. https ://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-020-02026-9.

20. Elverson, T. R., Kontz, B. J., Markell, S. G., Harveson, R. M., and Mathew, F. M.  2020. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays developed for Diaporthe helianthi and D. gulyae for Phomopsis stem canker diagnosis and germplasm screening in sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Plant Disease 104: 793-800.

21. Mathew, F., Harveson, R., Block, C., Gulya, T., Ryley, M., Thompson, S., and Markell, S. 2020.  Sclerotinia sclerotiorum diseases of sunflower. Plant Health Instructor. (DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2020-1201-01.

22. Osdaghi, E., Young A. J., and Harveson, R. M.  2020. Bacterial wilt of dry beans caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens: A new threat from an old enemy. Molecular Plant Pathology 21: 605-621. https ://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12926

23. Ryley, M., Gulya, T., Mathew, F., Thompson, S., Block, C., Markell, S., and Harveson, R. 202X. Sunflower Wilt Diseases - Charcoal rot, Phialophora yellows, and Verticillium wilt. Plant Health Prog. (PHP-10-20-0081-DG; In press: October 28, 2020).