Tatum Miklasevics | Former Undergraduate Researcher 

 

Tatum Miklasevics has earned a position as an Agriculture Teacher in the TriDistrict CAPS Program in Minnesota, marking an exciting step in her professional journey.

 

---

 

 

Ji Hyun (Jay) Kim | Former Graduate Researcher 

 

Ji Hyun (Jay) Kim completed his master’s program in the Ranjan Lab from 2023 to 2025. He has now earned a position as a Research Professional III in the Microbial and Plant Genomics Department in the Voytas Lab.

 

 

---

Nick Talmo awarded DSI-MnDRIVE PhD Graduate Assistantship

Congratulations to Nick Talmo on receiving a 2025 DSI MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship! Nick is a PhD student in the Ranjan lab doing soybean disease resistance work, with a focus on genetic resistance to white mold (Sclerotinia stem rot) in soybean plants.

Soybean is a vital global crop, but fungal diseases cause substantial yield losses. The conventional solution is heavy reliance on chemical fungicides, which preserve crop yield but are an environmental pollutant. Nick’s research uses multiple approaches to analyze how naturally-occurring genes and metabolites can contribute to disease resistance, particularly a natural compound called trans-cinnamic acid (CA), which has been shown in preliminary studies to have antimicrobial properties. By analyzing CA’s role in soybean’s natural defense from white mold, this research will enhance understanding of disease management possibilities that can aid in reducing the need for chemical fungicides. 

The DSI MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship supports students working at the intersection of data science and at least one MnDRIVE strategic area. Nick’s research meets two major goals of the MnDRIVE initiative: food security via pest management, and reducing adverse environmental effects of using pesticides by utilizing large-scale data analysis/multiomics studies. 

 

---

Celebrating Jay’s first job and wishing him farewell as he transitions to his new role as Research Professional III.

 

 

Clockwise from left: Group photo featuring Sonal, Nick, Anshu, Elliot, Kamar, Ashish, and Jay.

 

---

In Fall 2025, Nick’s and Sonal’s My Plant Path feature was published in Aurora Sporealis.

My Plant Path | Nick Talmo

 

My Plant Path | Sonal Srivastava

 

North Central APS 2025

UMN-PLPA department members shared research at the 2025 North Central APS meeting in Brookings, SD. 

Clockwise from top left: Group photo featuring Lovepreet, Pranaya, Ashish, Mia, Fariba, Sonal, Sam, and Ashok; Fariba postering; a group session; Pranaya and Mia; Sonal; Lovepreet

 

Research presented

• Novel Streptomyces strains combat phytopathogens and boost plant growth promotion in soybean - Mia Copeland, Ashish Ranjan
• Genetic heterogeneity and pathogenicity gene profiling of soil and tuber-derived Streptomyces spp. Isolates - Sonal Srivastava, Kriti Tyagi, Manish Ranjan, Grace Petzold, Ashish Ranjan

Wilt Watch: Ranjan Lab members publish first report of Verticillium dahliae race 3 in Minnesota

An emerging pathogen of potato found by UMN researchers will require vigilant crop monitoring. 

A first report made by Ranjan Lab members confirms that fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae race 3 has been discovered in Minnesota. V. dahliae variants are one of the main causes of Verticillium wilt of potato, a yield-limiting crop disease already troubling Midwestern farmers.

Cottony white mycelium and black microsclerotia of V. dahliae growing out of potato stem. Photo courtesy of Ranjan Lab

In 2022, lab member Kay Lerohl and PI Ashish Ranjan began working in a Sherburne County, MN disease nursery field with the goal of screening potato crops for Verticillium wilt disease resistance. During the 2022–2023 period, they observed Verticillium wilt symptoms in more than 80% of potato plants grown in this experimental disease nursery. In 2023, the team further characterized isolated fungal samples at the molecular level to identify the species and race of Verticillium present. Using genomic DNA isolation and PCR amplification of the effector gene and sequencing, the research team, now also including Josephine Le Winkel, was able to confirm that race 3 of V. dahliae was growing in Sherburne County, which was previously not reported in Minnesota. More information on their process, and confirming Koch's postulates, can be found in the full publication. 

Minnesotan farmers, gardeners, and professionals in extension and education should be aware of Verticillium wilt and its symptoms, especially in the absence of resistant potato cultivars. (See the image below or the linked video.) Genetic pathogen information such as this report, though, should provide valuable information to plant pathologists and breeders developing disease management strategies and resistant varieties. Findings underscore the evolving threat of soilborne pathogens and the critical role of adaptive agricultural strategies.

CFANS researchers are making big discoveries in small, tightly controlled environments. Inside 145 growth chambers on the St. Paul campus, scientists simulate everything from tropical climates to Minnesota winters. These customizable spaces, managed by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, are critical to year-round research in plant growth, disease response, and environmental stress, helping CFANS stay at the forefront of ag innovation. Our new edition of "Campus Curiosities" shows how graduate student Nick Talmo is using these chambers to study how soybeans respond to pathogens that threaten crop yields across Minnesota. With fine-tuned controls, his team can replicate real world growing conditions to better understand plant resistance. “Having access to this level of environmental control is essential for testing hypotheses that would be difficult or impossible to study in the field,” says Talmo. This research supports tackling global challenges in food security and climate resilience.