FORT PIERCE, Fla.—Rezel Borines, a University of Florida graduate student pursuing a doctoral degree in the Plant Pathology Department in Gainesville under the supervision of Nicholas Dufault, and, is also carrying out work for part of her Ph.D. studies at UF’s Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce, Florida under the co-supervision of Liliana Cano.The UF IRREC is part of the university’s statewide Institute of Food and Agricultural Science’s service to agricultural and natural resources, research, and extension.
Philippines native
Borines, a native of the Philippines, has a strong interest in emerging plant pathogens and enjoys serving as an instructor in agricultural sciences.
University instructor
Borines taught agricultural courses at Caraga State University in Butuan City, Philippines, for five years. Courses Borines instructed included “Principles in Crop Protection,” “Approaches and Practices in Pest Management,” and “Methods in Agricultural Research”. Borines served as a science research assistant at Visayas State University, in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines, for two years. In this agriculture-rich region, rice, corn, tomato, coconut, sweet potato, abaca known as manila hemp, and tropical fruit trees are major crops.
Borines completed a master’s degree in plant pathology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, South of Manila. She graduated Cum Laude with a Baccalaureate in agriculture with a major in crop protection from Visaya State University.
Urban agriculture
During the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Borines studied methods to strengthen urban agriculture, aiming to ensure food availability to address trade barriers that developed during the health crisis. A second project involved vegetable profitability and food security. Throughout her bachelor’s and master’s degree work, Borines investigated diseases of the abaca and vegetable crops, microbe-loaded biochar’s effects on soil fertility and microbial diversity, and biotechnology for crops.
Passion for emerging pathogens
Borines’ calm nature and fulfilling work with students and research needs in the Philippine Islands led her back to her first passion—emerging pathogens.
Borines said a desire to work with plant disease that impacts the profitability of crops strengthened as her career advanced. She sought a program in plant pathology that would give her the expertise to participate in crop disease management to minimize losses suffered by food and fiber producers. That search led Borines to the University of Florida Plant Pathology Department.
Today, Borines’ doctoral research aims to characterize powdery mildew on watermelon crops in the northern Florida production region. Working under the guidance of IRREC Plant Pathologist Liliana Cano and UF Gainesville Plant Pathologist Nicholas Dufault, Borines investigates effective aerial fungal spore sampling techniques for early detection of powdery mildew in watermelon.
To collect powdery mildew fungal spores, scientists use spore traps. When the powdery mildew spores at the threshold level are detected, extension agents can warn growers to begin using fungicides to minimize losses from the powdery mildew.
“I am fortunate to have Dr. Cano’s laboratory team supporting my graduate research with experts on molecular pathogen characterization and plant-microbe interactions,” said Borines. “I appreciate the expertise they share with me, which contributes to my professional growth and the knowledge I am gaining as I work toward helping watermelon producers manage powdery mildew disease.”
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