Areas of Expertise

• Nematology, with emphasis on the biology and management of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN).
• Identification, biology, and control of:
  • Nematodes that attack soybean, corn, and other row crops
  • Pathogenic nematodes affecting ornamentals and turf
  • Nematodes of fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops
• Interactions between nematodes and other pathogens in disease complexes, such as sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean
• Scouting for nematodes and use of damage thresholds for management recommendations
• Screening for resistance to nematodes

Current Research Projects

• Genetic diversity of SCN in Illinois
• Identification of molecular markers for virulence phenotypes in SCN populations that "break resistance"
• Role of SCN in the development and control of SDS
• Screening for resistance to SCN for the Illinois variety testing program and the Uniform SCN Trials
• Survey of plant-parasitic nematodes on soybean and corn in Illinois

Current Issues in Nematode Management

• New or revised recommendations for management of SCN in Illinois
  • Rotation of resistance genes
  • Long-term monitoring of SCN egg densities to evaluate management
  • Use of cultural techniques for SCN management
  • Northern vs Southern Illinois
• Changes in the way we talk about and use information on SCN genetic diversity (i.e., "races")
• Choosing SCN-resistant soybean varieties based on screening data
• Options for management of nematodes in corn, soybean, specialty crops, fruits, vegetables, turf, and ornamentals
  

Publications

• Gao X., G. L. Hartman and T. L. Niblack. 2007. Early infection of soybean roots by Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines. Phytopathology, in press.
• Niblack, T. L., G. L. Tylka, and K. N. Lambert. 2006. A Model Plant Pathogen from the Kingdom Animalia: Heterodera glycines, the Soybean Cyst Nematode. Annual Review of Phytopathology 44:283-303.
• Cianzio, S.R., Lightfoot, D.A., Niblack, T. L., Rivera-Velez N., Lundeen, P., and Gebhart. G. 2006. ISURF #03376 - Soybean line AR1.
• Gao, X., T. A. Jackson, G. L. Hartman, and T. L. Niblack. 2006. Interactions between the soybean cyst nematode and Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines in factorial experiments. Phytopathology (in press).
• Donald, P. A., P. E. Pierson, S. K. St. Martin, P. R. Sellers, G. R. Noel, A. E. MacGuidwin, J. Faghihi, V. R. Ferris, C. Grau, D. J. Jardine, H. Melakeberhan, T. L. Niblack, W. C. Stienstra, G. L. Tylka, T. A. Wheeler, and D. S. Wysong. 2006. Assessing Heterodera glycines-resistant and susceptible cultivar yield response. Journal of Nematology 38:76-82.
• Niblack, T. L. 2005. Soybean cyst nematode management reconsidered. Plant Disease 89:1020-1026.
• Jackson, T. A., G. S. Smith, and T. L. Niblack. 2005. Heterodera glycines infectivity and egg viability following nonhost crops and during overwintering. Journal of Nematology 37:259-264.
• Atibalentja, N., S. Bekal, L. L. Domier, T. L. Niblack, G. R. Noel, and K. N. Lambert. 2005. A genetic linkage map of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 273:273-281.
• Lambert, K. N., S. Bekal, L. L. Domier, T. L. Niblack, G. R. Noel, and C. A. Smyth. 2005. Selection of Heterodera glycines chorismate mutase-1 alleles on nematode resistant soybean. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 18:593-601.
• Colgrove, A. L., and T. L. Niblack. The differential effect of resistant soybean on adult sex ratios of Heterodera glycines. Journal of Nematology 37:161-167.
• Brucker, E., Terry Niblack, Friedrich J. Kopisch-Obuch, and Brian Diers. 2005. The effect of rhg1 on reproduction of Heterodera glycines in the field and greenhouse and associated effects on agronomic traits. Crop Science 45:1721-1727.
• Brucker, E., S. Carlson, E. Wright, T. Niblack, and B. Diers. 2005. Rhg1 alleles from soybean PI 437654 and PI 88788 respond differentially to isolates of Heterodera glycines in the greenhouse. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 111:44-49.
• Xu, Y.L., and T. L. Niblack (in Chinese). 2004. A new classification scheme for genetically diverse populations of Heterodera glycines. Soybean Science 21: 298-304.
• Gao, X., T. A. Jackson, K. N. Lambert, S. Li, G. L. Hartman, and T. L. Niblack. 2004. Detection and quantification of Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines in soybean roots with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Plant Disease 88:1372-1380.
• Bekal, S., T. L. Niblack, and K. N. Lambert. 2003. A chorismate mutase from the soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines shows polymorphisms that correlate with virulence. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 16:439-446.
• Niblack, T.L., J. A. Wrather, R. D. Heinz, and P.A. Donald. 2003. Distribution and virulence phenotypes of Heterodera glycines in Missouri. Plant Disease 87:929-932.
• Niblack, T.L., P. R. Arelli, G.R. Noel, C.H. Opperman, J. Orf, D.P. Schmitt, J.G. Shannon, and G.L. Tylka. 2002. A revised classification scheme for genetically diverse populations of Heterodera glycines. Journal of Nematology 34:279-288.
• Wang, J., Niblack, T.L., Tremaine, J.N., Wiebold, W.J., Tylka, G.L., Marrett, C.R., Noel, G.R., Myers, O., and Schmidt, M. E. 2002. The soybean cyst nematode reduces soybean yield without causing obvious symptoms. Plant Disease 87:623-628.
• Fallick, J.B., W.D. Batchelor, T.L. Niblack and G.L. Tylka. 2002. Coupling soybean cyst nematode damage to Cropgro-Soybean. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 45:433-441.
• Colgrove, A.L., G. S. Smith, R. D. Heinz, and T.L. Niblack. 2002. Lack of predictive value in Heterodera glycines race testing. Plant Disease 86:1101-1108.
• Pike, S., R. Heinz, T. Walk, C. Jones, G.A. Kraus, W. Gassmann, A.J. Novacky, and T.L. Niblack. 2002. Is change in electrical potential or pH a hatching signal for Heterodera glycines? Phytopathology 92:456-463.Riggs, R. D., T. L. Niblack, R. Kinloch, and A. E. MacGuidwin. 2002. Overwinter survival of Heterodera glycines. Journal of Nematology 33:219-226.
• Smith, G., Wiebold, W. J., Niblack, T. L., Scharf, P., and Blevins, D. 2001. Macronutrient concentrations of soybean infected with soybean cyst nematode. Plant and Soil 235:21-26.

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