¨To make laboratory and field diagnoses of plant pathological materials.To conduct surveys, isolates and identifies nematodes and other organisms which causes diseases in plants.Prepares, examines and interprets histological specimens.
¨Analyzes potential hazards to plant life and makes recommendations for solutions to problems.Trains and advises co-workers.
¨Studies and compares healthy and diseased plants to determine symptoms of diseased condition.
¨Inoculates healthy plants with culture of suspected agents taken from diseased plants and studies effects to determine agents responsible for diseases.
¨Isolates disease causing agents, studies habits and life cycle, and devises methods of destroying or controlling agent.
¨Tests possible control measures under laboratory and field conditions for comparative effectiveness, practicality, and economy.
¨Investigates comparative susceptibility of different varieties of plants and develops varieties immune to disease.
¨Studies rates of spread and intensity of disease under different conditions of soil, climate and geography, and predicts outbreaks of plant diseases.
¨Determine kinds of plants and insects that harbor or transmit disease.
¨Studies losses from deterioration of perishable plant products in transit or storage and develops practices to prevent or reduce losses.
¨Assists staff biologists in the enforcement of state laws and regulations as they relate to plant diseases.
¨Prepares news releases, bulletins and other educational materials on methods to cope with plant diseases.Maintains records and prepares reports.
¨Preparation of operational control procedures.
¨Monitoring of key parameters of activities / operations which can have significant impacts on environment.