Department of Agriculture

9740 Red Spring Rd

Mountain Grove, MO 65711

Phone: 417-547-7524

Fax: 417-547-7540

E-mail: : LaszloKovacs@MissouriState.edu

Current Research:

We are interested in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) biology with emphasis on

•          Resistance to the fungal disease powdery mildew
•          Compatible interaction between grapevine and powdery mildew; and
•          The biosynthesis of polyphenolic compounds in grape berries.

Presently, the powdery mildew fungus (Erysiphe necator Schwein.) is controlled by cyclical, heavy application of fungicides.  It is becoming increasingly clear that some of these chemicals can harm the environment, pose risk to human health, or become ineffective by the pathogen’s ability to develop fungicide resistance. Dependence on chemical disease control can be alleviated by the cultivation of grape varieties that are resistant to the pathogen. We are working toward this goal by studying the interaction between E. necator and Vitis vinifera in both a compatible and an incompatible interaction.

          Lab Members:

•          Patrick Winterhagen, Research Associate
•          Mohammad B. Ali, Research Associate
•          Courtney Coleman, Graduate Research Assistant
•          Susanne Howard, Research Specialist

        Collaborators:

•          Wenping Qiu, Missouri State University-Mountain Grove, USA
•          Paul Durham, Missouri State University-Springfield, USA
•          Daniel Schachtman, Danforth Plant Science Center, USA
•          Oliver Yu, Danforth Plant Science Center, USA
•          Robert Oláh, Corvinus University-Budapest, Hungary
•          Walter Gassmann, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
•          Pál Kozma, Institute for Viticulture and Enology, University of Pecs, Hungary
•          Erzsébet Kiss, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Szent Istvan University, Hungary
•          Gabriele di Gaspero, Institute for Applied Genomics, University of Udine, Italy
•          Shangwu Chen, China Agriculture University, China

In the News Media: 

·         Science (for full text, click here), April, 2008

·         Wines and Vines , March, 2008

·         KSMU, March 2008

·         KSMU, July, 2007

·         Latest Technology News, June, 2006

·         CheckBiotech, July 8, 2005

·         AgBios,  June, 2006

Current Sources of Funding:

    

 

 

Beyond Biology: 
Grapevines are fascinating not only in their biology, but also in their role as economic plants that acquired great cultural significance throughout history. Their domestication dates back to at least 7,000 years ago, which makes them one of the oldest crops. Viticulture is most commonly associated with Mediterranean and European civilizations. Grape growing, however, also spread eastward along the Silk Road and became established China as early as during the Han Dynasty. Grape cultivation also flourished in the Islamic cultures of Central Asia where numerous table and raisin varieties have been developed over the centuries. Wild grapes were collected and consumed by Native Americans as evidenced by grape seed remnants ubiquitous at pre-historic dwelling sites in North America (Neal Lopinot, Center of Archaeological Research, Missouri State University). In ancient and medieval Europe, grapes were consumed also as an herb – an intriguing fact in light of recent findings that they contain high levels of bioactive polyphenols that are beneficial to human health. We are conducting research at the interface of mammalian cell physiology and plant science to determine which tissues of the grape berry are richest in polyphenols.