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2026 BLS Research Conference — March 30 to April 1
Dilantha Fernando
Professor | University of Manitoba
Key Research Personnel:
Malini Jayawardena Postdoc
Shaheen Bibi Postdoc
Moien Khojasteh Postdoc
Vinuri Weerasinghe PhD Student
Rashadi De Silva MS Student
Scope of BLS Research:
We focus on the epidemiology, the biology, and effector biology and host-pathogen interaction, diversity of BLS strains and biological control, GWAS for resistance traits.
Contact email:
dilantha.fernando@umanitoba.ca
Team Site:
Justin Faris
Research Geneticist | USDA-ARS (Fargo)
Key Research Personnel:
Krishna Acharya Postdoc
Scope of BLS Research:
Screening of wheat germplasm, wheat relatives, and genetics stocks for reaction to BLS to identify genetic resistance.
Mapping of BLS resistance genes in wheat. Characterization of BLS resistance QTLs and development of markers.
Contact email:
Randy Kutcher
Professor | University of Saskatchewan
Key Research Personnel:
Valentina Anastasini Research Assistant
Scope of BLS Research:
Phenotypic screening methods and a diagnostic seed test to assess BLS in Canadian wheat and barley germplasm. Assessing seed to seedling transmission of Xt to establish inoculum thresholds on wheat and barley.
Contact email:
Robyn Roberts
Asst. Professor | Colorado State University
Key Research Personnel:
Diego Gutierrez PhD Student
Nichole Barber PhD Student
Scope of BLS Research:
Our group studies diseases of importance to Colorado Wheat, including bacterial and viral pathogens. We discovered a highly aggressive 2018 isolate of Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa in Colorado and aim to discover what makes this isolate so virulent.
Contact email:
Ruth Dill-Macky
Professor | University of Minnesota
Key Research Personnel:
Rebecca Curland Researcher 6
Scope of BLS Research:
BLS management
Disease resistance,
Xanthomonas biology and genetics
Contact email:
Upinder Gill
Asst. Professor | North Dakota State University
Scope of BLS Research:
We work on wild relatives of wheat to identify, novel disease resistance traits and introgress them into wheat. Our recent research is focused on Aegilops umbellulata which harbors resistance to wheat rusts, tan spot, and bacterial leaf streak.
Contact email:
Xuehui Li
Assoc. Professor | North Dakota State University
Scope of BLS Research:
Develop wheat breeding germplasm with enhanced tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses.
Explore, validate, and implement genomic tools to accelerate and improve wheat germplasm development.
Contact email:
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