Department of Plant Plathology and Microbiology @ UCR

The focus of my research and extension program is the management of diseases of turf and landscape in

California. Both are multi-billion dollar industries in California. We dedicate much of the program on turfgrass diseases, especially those caused by new and invasive pathogens. We have also had a large emphasis on diseases of landscape ornamentals affected by the bacteria, Xylella fastidosa.

Current projects in the lab include:

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum cereale) control on annual bluegrass
Population structure of gray leaf spot (Pyricularia grisea) affecting ryegrass and kikuyugrass
Biology of Waitea circinata var circinata (Rhizoctonia circinata), a new disease of annual bluegrass
Fungicide resistance development for anthracnose and gray leaf spot
Characterization of Xylella fastidosa populations causing disease in urban landscapes

More Information on our program can be found at www.turfpathology.ucr.edu

Wong, F. P. and Wilcox, W. F. 2000. Distribution of baseline sensitivities to azoxystrobin among isolates of Plasmopara viticola. Plant Disease 84:275-281.
Wong, F. P. and Wilcox, W. F. 2001. Heterothallism in Plasmopara viticola. Plant Pathology 50:427-432.
Wong, F. P. and Wilcox, W. F. 2001. Comparative physical modes of action of azoxystrobin, mancozeb and metalaxyl against grapevine downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola). Plant Disease 85:649-656.
Wong, F. P. and Wilcox, W. F. 2002. Sensitivity to azoxystrobin among isolates of Uncinula necator: Baseline distribution and relationship to myclobutanil sensitivity. Plant Disease 86:394-404.
Wong, F. P. ; Gelernter, W.; Stowell, L. and Tisserat, N. A. 2003. First report of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis on kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in the United States. Plant Disease 87:600.
Wong, F. P. ; Gelernter, W.; and Stowell, L. 2005. First Report of Pyricularia grisea Causing Gray Leaf Spot on Kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum) in the United States. Plant Disease 89:433, 2005
Hernandez-Martinez, Pinckard, T., Costa, H. S., Cooksey D. A., and Wong, F. P. 2006. Discovery and Characterization of Xylella fastidiosa Strains in Southern California Causing Mulberry Leaf Scorch. Plant Disease 90:1143-1149.
Wong, F. P. and de la Cerda, K. A. 2006. First Report of Pyricularia grisea (Gray Leaf Spot) on Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in Nevada. Plant Disease 90:683
Fidanza, M. A., Wong, F. P., Kostka, S. J, and McDonald, S. J. 2007. Use of a Soil Surfactant with Fungicides for Control of Fairy Ring Disease in Turfgrass Journal of ASTM International, Vol. 4, No. 4, ID:JAI100892
de la Cerda, K. A., Douhan, G. W., and Wong, F. P. 2007. Discovery and Characterization of Waitea circinata var. circinata affecting Annual Bluegrass from the western United States. Plant Disease 91:791-797.
Hernandez-Martinez, R., de la Cerda, K. A., Costa, H. S., Cooksey, D. A., and Wong, F. P. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships of Xylella fastidiosa strains isolated from ornamentals in southern California. Phytopathology 97:857-864.
Chen, C. M., Douhan, G. W. and Wong, F. P. First Report of Waitea circinata var. circinata Causing Brown Ring Patch on Poa trivialis in California. Plant Disease 91:1687.
Wong, F. P., Midland, S. L. and de la Cerda, K. A. 2007. Occurrence and distribution of QoI-resistant isolates of Colletotrichum cereale from annual bluegrass in California. Plant Disease 91:1531-1546.
Wong, F. P., and Midland, S. L. 2007. Sensitivity distributions of California populations of Colletotrichum cereale to four sterol demethylation inhibitor fungicides: propiconazole, myclobutanil, tebuconazole and triadimefon. Plant Disease 91:1547-1555.
Wong, F. P., de la Cerda, K. A., Hernandez-Martinez, R., and Midland, S. L. 2007. Detection and characterization of benzimidazole resistance in California populations of Colletotrichum cereale. Plant Disease (in press)