Dr. Yuncong Li and Dr. Shouan Zhang Receive University Term Professorship Award

Dr. Shouan Zhang on the left. Dr. Yuncong Li on the right.

Homestead, FL – Dr. Zhang is an associate professor in the Plant Pathology department at the Tropical Research and Education Center located in Homestead, Florida. His program puts special emphasis on detection and identification of invasive diseases and integrated disease management of vegetable and herbal crops that are economically important in South Florida. Among other things, Dr. Zhang has identified and reported 10 new diseases of vegetable and herb crops in South Florida. He conducts research on the biology and epidemiology of vegetable and herb diseases and monitors fungicide resistance in pathogen populations and developing management strategies addressing these challenges. He also investigates beneficial rhizobacteria for their role in disease management and plant growth enhancement and the effect of plant nutrients on diseases. One aspect of his research focuses on developing an integrated management approach to controlling diseases of vegetable and herbal crops including cultural, biological, chemical strategies, and host resistance. These findings have contributed to significant improvement in disease management, crop yields, and protection of the environment. The University Term Professorship Award recognizes recent research contributions. Dr. Zhang earned one of 250 awards given annually to faculty members from across the university.

Dr. Li has nationally and internationally recognized research accomplishments. His research program puts special emphasis on how plant productivity and soil/water quality interact in calcareous soils. Some of Dr. Li’s outstanding achievements include: elucidating the important properties of calcareous soils and key aspects of nutrient cycling, especially phosphorus (P) within these soils; identification of key nutrient deficiencies of plants and their effects on the physiology of crops grown in calcareous soils; and the development of management practices to reduce nutrient loading and protect water quality in the Everglades basin. These efforts have contributed to significant improvement in fertilizer practices and technologies, crop yields and ecosystem protection on calcareous soils found around the world. Dr. Li has an outstanding research publication record, which includes 185-refereed papers, of which many are in high impact journals, 61 non-refereed publications, 2 books, and 15 book chapters. Of particular significance, Dr. Li’s “Handbook of Soil Sciences” includes over 200 authors from 27 countries. The University Term Professorship Award recognizes recent research contributions. Dr. Li earned one of 250 awards given annually to faculty members from across the university.

Article written by Carolina Vendrame.

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Posted: May 14, 2017


Category: Agriculture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research



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