Mission:
The twofold mission of the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory is to provide the knowledge required for the identification of agriculturally important fungi and nematodes and to develop environmentally safe control strategies for plant-parasitic nematodes. Specific approaches include (1) curation and utilization of the resources contained in the one million reference specimens in the U.S. National Fungus Collections and the USDA Nematode Collection to enhance plant protection; (2) development of molecular tools to improve fungus and nematode identification and systematics; (3) production of publicly accessible electronic databases containing information about plant-associated fungi and nematodes; (4) fulfilling the needs of action agencies for nematode identifications and assisting with fungus identifications; (5) discovery of biocontrol organisms and soil amendments for suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes, and elucidation of their mode of action; and (6) utilization of functional genomics and biochemical methodologies to isolate and characterize compounds essential for nematode reproduction, development and survival.