Linda Hanson

Dr. Linda Hanson earned her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology with minors in mycology and genetics from Cornell University.  Prior to that she received her B.S. in botany from University of Washington and her M.S. in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University.  She did postdoctoral research projects at Texas A&M and with the USDA-ARS in College Station, Texas, before moving to a full time research plant pathologist position with the USDA-ARS Sugar Beet Research Unit in Fort Collins, CO.  In 2007, she was moved to the Sugar Beet and Bean Research Unit in East Lansing MI.  As well as her work for USDA, Dr. Hanson is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management at Colorado State University and in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University.  At Michigan State University she is an adjunct full professor.  She also has been active in working with professional societies, including the American Phytophathological Society, Mycological Society of American, American Society for Sugar Beet Research, and International Institute for Beet Research.  She has served on the editorial board for professional journals and is co-editor for the Journal of Sugar Beet Research. 

 

Dr. Hanson’s research focusses on diseases of sugar beet, related crops, and crops grown in rotation with sugar beet, especially those caused by fungi.  A major aim is to improve disease management through an integrated pest management approach, including use of resistant varieties, crop rotation, and other cultural management practices.  Her team works to characterize the fungi that cause seedling and adult-plant soil-borne diseases, such as root rots and wilts.  We collaborate with USDA-ARS breeders and with commercial seed companies to investigate host-pathogen interaction, how host responses vary with plant maturity, and the impact of combinations of pathogens (disease complexes).  The program also assists with diagnosis of diseases.  This has led to reporting new issues in Michigan and other growing regions.