As the J.G. Boswell Endowed Chair in Plant Science, Dr. Ellis' research primarily
focuses on the improved management of wilt and seedling diseases impacting the California
cotton industry.
She joined the department in 2014 and received the 2020 Outstanding Research and Scholarly
Activity Award for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
Her current research includes:
- the evaluation of new fungicides and biological soil amendments for their management
of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4)
- continued evaluations of selected Pima and Upland cotton germplasm for resistance
to FOV4
- development of a detection method for FOV4 from contaminated field soil
- genetic characterization of FOV4 isolates
- the evaluation of the interaction between FOV4 and Rhizoctonia solani
Other research collaborations include:
- the improvement of determination methods for plant parasitic nematodes of almond
- the evaluation of survival mechanisms of pathogenic Botryosphaeriaceae fungi of nut
and fruit crops under drought conditions
- the evaluation of fungicide resistance in populations of Botrytis cinerea collected
from different fruit crops
Wilt and seedling diseases impacting the California cotton industry.
