Dr. Peter Cotty
Research Plant Pathologist
Agricultural Research Service
USDA
Division of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Adjunct Professor

Marley Building, Room 341B
Phone: (502) 626-5049
Email: pjcotty@email.arizona.edu
 

Visit these web-sites to learn more about Dr. Cotty and his research

 
   
Background and Interests
 
Research: Aflatoxin contamination of crops is a severe problem in many parts of the world. Over the next five years we hope to develop improved methods for limiting aflatoxin contamination. Our research is directed at developing solutions to aflatoxin problems through both practical field based studies and fundamental investigations into the physiology, genetics, and biology of aflatoxin producing fungi. Field based studies emphasize industry collaborations in Arizona, Texas, and California. A key aspect of the lab's work is development of novel biocontrol strategies through close collaborations with the Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council including development of commercial scale processes for producing biocontrol material at a grower-run facility in Phoenix. Fundamental aspects include regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis and it's interaction with morphogenesis, divergence of aflatoxin producing fungi, hydrolase production by aflatoxin producers, identification of adaptive fungal characters, characterization of host-fungal interactions that dictate extent of contamination, epidemiology of aflatoxin contamination, and population biology of aflatoxin producers. For over a decade the laboratory has been involved in characterizing the diversity of aflatoxin producers, clarifying the etiology of contamination, describing geographical and physiological divergence among strains. This work continues and interests in both vegetative incompatibility and intra-specific competition within Aspergillus flavus remain an emphasis.

 
Selected Publications
 

Mellon J.E., Dowd M.K., Cotty P.J.. Mar 2005. Substrate utilization by Aspergillus flavus in inoculated whole corn kernels and isolated tissues. J Agric Food Chem, 53:2351-7

Ehrlich K.C., Yu J., Cotty P.J. Jan 2005. Aflatoxin biosynthesis gene clusters and flanking regions. J Appl Microbiol, 99:518-27

Ehrlich K.C., Chang P.K., Yu J., Cotty, P.J.. Nov 2004. Aflatoxin biosynthesis cluster gene cypA is required for G aflatoxin formation. Appl Environ Microbiol, 70:6518-24

Bock, C.H., Mackey, B. and Cotty, P.J. Oct 2004. Populatoin Dynamics of Aspergillus flavus in the air of an intensively cultivated region of southwest Arizona. Plant Pathology, 53:422-433

Ehrlich KC, Cotty PJ. Jul 2004. An isolate of Aspergillus flavus used to reduce aflatoxin contamination in cottonseed has a defective polyketide synthase gene. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 65:473-8

Jaime-Garcia, R, Cotty, P.J.. Jul 2004. Aspergillus flavus in Soils and Corncobs in South Texas: Implications for Management of Aflatoxins in Corn-Cotton Rotation. Plant Disease, 88 No. 12:1366-1371

Mellon JE, Cotty PJ. Apr 2004. Expression of pectinase activity among Aspergillus flavus isolates from southwestern and southeastern United States. Mycopathologia, 157:333-8

Cleveland TE, Dowd PF, Desjardins AE, Bhatnagar D, Cotty PJ. Jun 2003. United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research on pre-harvest prevention of mycotoxins and mycotoxigenic fungi in US crops. Pest Manag Sci, 59:629-42

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