Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Crops Pathology and Genetics Research » People » Kendra Baumgartner

Kendra Baumgartner

Plant Pathologist
Phone: (530) 754-7461
Fax: (530) 754-7195
Office:

University of California, Davis

3204 Storer Hall

Davis, CA 95616

 

/ARSUserFiles/21532/Kendra.jpg

Research Program:

Dr. Baumgartner's research is focused on developing vineyard practices that reduce chemical inputs, while achieving production and quality demands. Her research on Armillaria root disease in California vineyards led to the development of nonchemical control practices that growers use to mitigate yield losses from infected vines.Her basic research on the causal pathogen of Armillaria root disease, Armillaria mellea, has resulted in study tools (e.g., rapid inoculation technique, genetic transformation system) for researchers to examine the infection process in the laboratory and to screen for resistant rootstocks. Dr. Baumgartner's research on Pierce's disease shows that the invasive weed periwinkle may contribute to long-term survival of the pathogen, Xylella-fastidiosa, in North Coast vineyards that border riparian woodlands.

Dr. Baumgartner runs a research program in sustainable viticulture, which was established in 2000 by Congressional mandate. The purpose of the program is to develop effective and efficient control strategies for fungal diseases of grape. Basic research on pathogen biology and disease epidemiology is at the core of this mission. Research interests include: infection biology, population genetics, and host resistance to fungal pathogens that attack the permanent, woody structure of the vine. Current focus is on Armillaria mellea, Eutypa lata, Phomopsis viticola, and various species of the Botryosphaeriaceae. As some of these same taxa attack numerous fruit and nut crops, we collaborate with other ARS researchers in our Research Unit and UC researchers in projects on walnut, almond, stonefruits, and pistachio.

Biography:

Dr. Baumgartner's background is in Natural  Resources Conservation and Plant Pathology. In 1996, she received her Bachelor's degree in Forest Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. From 1996-2000, she trained as a plant pathologist at UC Davis. As a doctoral student at UC Davis, she studied the epidemiology of Armillaria root disease in California forests and vineyards. In 2000, she joined the USDA, ARS in Davis, CA.