Dr. James (Jim) H. Graham has been named a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society. The award will be presented at the national meeting of the Society’s national meeting in San Diego in July.

Jim received his B.S. degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine. He received his PhD from Oregon State in mycology in 1980 working on mycorrhizal fungi and soil-borne diseases. He spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the UC Riverside.  In 1981, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Soil Microbiology here and has been here since.

Initially, he worked on soil-borne organisms such as Phytophthora and developed assay procedures for these pathogens and determined their affects on yields of citrus.  His work demonstrated that a new species for Florida citrus, P. palmivora, was responsible for epidemics of brown rot of fruit, attacked roots of normally resistant rootstocks, and caused a serious tree decline in association with the root weevil, Diaprepes.  Graham demonstrated that normally beneficial, soil-borne mycorrhizal fungi could become parasitic when plants had adequate phosphorus. 

When citrus canker was introduced into Florida, he investigated the survival, epidemiology and strain relationships in the bacteria that attack citrus. His research showed that citrus bacterial spot was caused by a weak pathogen and only affected nurseries resulting in discontinuation of the eradication program for that disease.  His work with Tim Gottwald demonstrated the need to remove trees exposed to canker in larger areas to have any hope of eradicating that disease. After a series of hurricanes made eradication impossible, he developed programs for management of the disease. 

In addition, Graham has contributed to his profession in many ways. He has served as associate editor of Phytopathology, held editorial posts with Plant & Soil and New Phytologist, and is currently editor for APS Press, Inc. Graham received the Lee Hutchins award several years ago for his contributions to the understanding of canker and bacterial spot.

Graham has trained several PhD and Master’s students and frequently receives visiting scientists, students, and citrus growers from other countries seeking training and information. He travels extensively to present talks and to advise citrus growers nationally and internationally. Dr. Graham is an exceptional research scientist who has distinguished himself by his research in diverse areas in plant pathology and soil microbiology. He is a renowned expert on citrus canker who is looked to by colleagues, regulatory agencies, and citrus growers in Florida and elsewhere for advice on establishment of regulations and practices for disease management.

This award is presented to only 0.25 percent of the active membership of the society each year. At CREC, the only other pathologist who has been named a Fellow of the Society is Pete Timmer. Other Fellows involved in citrus research include Steve Garnsey, retired plant pathologist from the USDA-ARS in Orlando, and Tim Gottwald of the USDA-ARS in Fort Pierce.