Advisor: Lane P. Tredway

Born and raised in Bristol, CT, Alex entered the turfgrass industry when he began working for John Ruzsbatzky on the maintenance staff at the Country Club of Farmington.  He chose to study turf in college and during his time at the University of Maryland, College Park, coaxing by Mr. Ruzsbatzky and Dr. Mark Carroll led Alex to consider a career in research.  Interning at the University of Maryland’s Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility for Drs. Carroll, Peter Dernoeden, and Thomas Turner sparked Alex’s interest in academia.  Following graduation with a B.S. in Natural Resource Sciences (concentration in Turf and Golf Course Management) in 2006, Alex pursued an M.S. in Agronomy at the University of Connecticut under the direction of Dr. John Kaminski.  His research at UConn focused on various management practices for dollar spot disease and resistance of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa to fungicides.  Upon completion of his M.S. in December 2008, Alex began pursuit of a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh under the advisement of Dr. Lane Tredway. 

Research:

Mr. Putman's dissertation research will consist of an in-depth investigation of the biology of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, causal agent of dollar spot.  Specific interests include:

·         Isolation and development of microsatellite markers in Sclerotinia homoeocarpa

·         Discovery and characterization of mating-type genes and the vegetative compatibility system in Sclerotinia homoeocarpa

·         Assessment of diversity in Sclerotinia homoeocarpa from select worldwide populations using microsatellite markers, mating types, and vegetative compatibility groups

·         Diversity of the double-stranded RNA Ophiostoma novo-ulmi Mitovirus found in Sclerotinia homoeocarpa

·         Elucidation of specialization of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa on cool- and warm-season gramanicious hosts