b'Dr. Guiping Yan, NDSU by Tom Berg, NDSU Extension Writing AssociateNematodes are very tiny wormssoShe came to the United small in fact that they can only beStatestocontinueher viewedunderamicroscopebuteducationandcomplet-they can cause big damage to potatoedherdoctoratefrom crops.WashingtonState University. ThatswhereDr.GuipingYans expertise comes into play.Ididsomeresearch work on plant pathology YanisanAssociateProfessorofandgotallthebasic Nematology at North Dakota Stateprinciplesandlearned Universityandhasbeenattheall the concepts and also Fargo-based campus since 2014. Partgotfieldexperience, of her role at NDSU is to help nem- Yan said. atode management for potato farm-ers.ThatsachallengebecauseofShedidpost-doctoral the size of the pest.studiesatOregonState Universitywhereabig Nematodes, you cant see with thepart of research was cere-nakedeye,Yansaid.Therearealcystnematodesand very small and tiny. They are veryroot-lesion nematodes.Dr.GuipingYan,NDSU,speakingatthe2022 hard to detect.Field Days at Inkster, North Dakota.Igotalotoftrainingwhichstartedwhentheywere Whilenematodesaremicroscopic,andexpertiseonnematodes,Yandetected in a North Dakota growers they are very important to managesaid. I learned the skills and princi- field. and monitor for potato growers.plesandwhytheyareimportant. Its helped me a lot for my currentEighty to 90 percent of the tubers Yan is a native of China and com- position.were abandoned. They couldnt har-pleted her undergraduate and grad- vestthem,Yansaid.Wevisited uatedegreesatNortheastHerroleatNDSUincludesdoingthefield,collectedsamples,and AgriculturalUniversityinHarbin,research on detection, biology andfoundstubbyrootnematodesin China.Shechosetheagriculturalmanagementofplant-parasiticgood population. We know it trans-fielddespitenothavingaback- nematodes that threaten field cropsmitstheTobaccorattlevirus. ground in farming and despite herlike potatoes.Managingthisnematodeisvery parents hopes of her entering theimportant. medical field. Wevemadeseveraldiscoveries, Yan said. Yan and her team are also working Ifeltagricultureisagoodfield,to detect stubby root nematodes in Yansaid.ItssomethingthatwasStubbyrootnematodesareabigfieldstohelpmanageCorky just an instinct.focusofYanscurrentresearch,Ringspot disease in potatoes. 10 POTATO GROWER APRIL 2023'