Paul Esker Joins Plant Pathology

Craig Grau and Paul Esker, Plant Pathology

It is my pleasure to introduce the newest member of the Department of Plant Pathology, Paul Esker.  Dr. Esker will officially start September 1 as an Assistant Professor and Field Crops Extension Plant Pathologist.  He has prepared the following statement about himself and his future plans.  Please take the time to introduce yourself to Paul if the opportunity arises.

Statement by Paul Esker

Who am I?  Originally from Wisconsin, I grew up around Wausau, specifically Weston.  After graduating from D. C. Everest Sr. High School in Schofield, I started my University education at the UW-Marathon County before transferring to UW-Madison where I graduated in 1998 with a degree in Genetics and Bacteriology.  It was while at Madison that I first developed my interest for plant pathology, which led me to move into that field for my graduate studies.  After graduation, I pursued my graduate education at Iowa State University, first completing my M.S. in 2001 in Plant Pathology, and subsequently, my Ph.D. in 2005 with a co-major of Plant Pathology and Statistics.  My thesis research (both degrees) focused on Stewart’s wilt (or Stewart’s disease) of corn.  This research emphasized a mix of plant pathology, entomology, and climatology.  Overall, this research helped improve our understanding of the number of corn flea beetle (vector) generations in Iowa, the role of seed insecticides and planting date on reducing the risk of Stewart’s wilt, and the development and validation of potential disease forecasting models using seed corn inspection data and an economically based approach for validation.  Before returning “home” to UW, I have spent the past 1.5 years conducting research on soybean rust.  This research has taken me between the U.S. and Brazil and is one project that I will continue to work on while at UW-Madison.  I would be glad to discuss any of my research work with you!

What are my goals at UW-Madison?  My goals as the Field Crops Extension Plant Pathologist emphasize increasing our understanding of how plant pathogens affect field crop production.  There has been lots of interest in the role of fungicides in corn and soybean, and I hope to tackle this question in more detail.  But, I also recognize that there are many plant pathogens that are currently affect field crop production and for which management tactics are more limited.  Because of this, some of my Extension and Research goals include approaching field crop production through a systems approach (for example, cultivar by tillage by rotation) in order to determine the timing and effect of plant pathogens on field crops.  I also hope to implement field training programs for the sampling and diagnosis of field crop diseases.  Another area of interest is to integrate such new disease information with current management recommendations in order to determine the economic cost-benefit of different disease management tactics. 

Finally, I am excited by the opportunity to work with Wisconsin agricultural producers.  I cannot think of a more wonderful place to be able to work at and I welcome you questions, emails, and phone calls!

Contact Information:

Phone, 608-262-1410

Email, pde@plantpath.wisc.edu