Mengjun Hu

Biography: 

I am a plant pathologist with statewide extension responsibility to address disease management concerns in commercial wine grape and small fruit production. My research has been primarily focused on fungicide resistance and epidemiology, with emphasis on Botrytis spp., Colletotrichum spp. and other common fungal pathogens associated with fruit rots.  

Education: 

Postdoctoral Research Associate (09/2013 – 01/2018), Clemson University, Clemson, SC 

Ph.D. Plant Pathology; Huazhong Agricultural University (2013)

B.S. Plant Protection; China Agricultural University (2008)

Awards and Honors: 

• New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research, 2020. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

• Contributor of Virginia Strawberry Association News, 2020 Outstanding Education Materials Award; ASHS American Soc. for Hort. Sci. Extension Division Education Award under the Newsletter Category.  

• Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, 2014, Huazhong Agricultural University

• National Scholarship for PhD student, 2012, Ministry of Education of China

Professional Positions Held: 

Assistant Professor (02/2018 – present), Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Professional Licenses: 

Maryland Pesticide Applicator License (No. 8939-90660)

Professional Service: 

2022 – present: Senior Editor for Plant Disease Journal (American Phytopathological Society)

2014 – present: American Phytopathological Society Pathogen Resistance Committee (member)

2014 – present: American Phytopathological Society Chemical Control Committee (member)

Areas of Interest: 

• Fungicide resistance and its molecular basis

• Disease epidemiology

Current Research: 

• Understanding and managing grape late-season rots

• Fitness cost associated with fungicide resistance

• Disease model development 

Extension programs: 

• Validation and implementation of small fruit disease forecasting models

• Creation and maintenance of grape section in the MyIPM app

• Monitoring fungicide resistance

• Fungicide efficacy field trials

Selected Publications:​​​​​

• Cosseboom, S., and Hu, M. (2022). Ontogenic susceptibility of grapevine clusters to ripe rot, caused by the Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides species complexes. Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-01-22-0004-R
• Cosseboom, S., and Hu, M. (2022). A SYBR green qPCR method for detecting and quantifying spores of Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides species complexes causing ripe rot of grape. Plant Health Prog. 23: 65-71
• Cosseboom, S., and Hu, M. (2021). Diversity, pathogenicity, and fungicide sensitivity of fungal species associated with late-season rots of wine grape in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Plant Dis. 105: 3101-3110 
• Hu, M., Cosseboom, S., Schoeneberg, A., Johnson, C., Peres, N., and Lea-Cox, J. (2021). Validation of the strawberry advisory system in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Plant Dis. 105: 2670-2679 
• Luo, Q., Schoeneberg, A., and Hu, M. (2021). Resistance to azoxystrobin and thiophanate-methyl is widespread in Colletotrichum spp. isolates from the Mid-Atlantic Strawberry Fields. Plant Dis. 105: 2202-2208
• Cosseboom, S., and Hu, M. (2021). Identification and characterization of fungicide resistance in Botrytis populations from small fruit fields in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Plant Dis. 105: 2366-2373
• Hu, M. and Chen, S. (2021). Non-target Site Mechanisms of Fungicide Resistance in Crop Pathogens: A Review. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 502.
• Chen, F., Tsuji, S.S., Li, Y., Hu, M., Bandeira, M.A., Câmara, M.P., Michereff, S.J., and Schnabel, G. (2020). Reduced sensitivity of azoxystrobin and thiophanate-methyl resistance in Lasiodiplodia theobromae from papaya. Pestic. Biochem. Phys. 162:60-68
• Chen, S., Hu, M., Schnabel, G., Yang, D., Yan, X., and Yuan, H. (2020). Paralogous CYP51s of Colletotrichum spp. mediate differential sensitivity to sterol demethylation inhibitors. Phytopathology 110:615-625.
• Cosseboom, S., Schnabel, G., and Hu, M. (2020). Competitive ability of multi-fungicide resistant Botrytis cinerea in a blackberry planting over three years. Pestic. Biochem. Phys. 163:1-7.
• Li, Y., Tsuji, S.S., Hu, M., Câmara, M.P.S., Michereff, S.J., Schnabel, G., and Chen, F. (2020). Characterization of difenoconazole resistance in Lasiodiplodia theobromae from papaya in Brazil. Pest. Manag. Sci., 76: 1344-1352.
• Wu, Y., Saski, C., Schnabel, G., Xiao, S., and Hu, M. (2020). A high-quality genome resource of Botrytis fragariae, a new and rapidly spreading fungal pathogen causing strawberry gray mold in the U.S.A. Phytopathology 111: 496-499
• Meng-Jun Hu (2019) Improving fungicide use in integrated fruit disease management: integrated management of insect pests and diseases of tree fruit, X. Xu and M. Fountain (eds.), chapter 12. United Kingdom 
• Mengjun Hu, S.D. Cosseboom, and G. Schnabel. (2019) AtrB-Associated Fludioxonil Resistance in Botrytis fragariae Not Linked to Mutations in Transcription Factor Mrr1. Phytopathology 109:839-846
• Dowling, M. E., M.-J Hu, and G. Schnabel. (2018) Fungicide Resistance in Botrytis fragariaeand Species Prevalence in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Plant Dis. 102:964-969
• Meng-Jun Hu, M.E. Dowling, and G. Schnabel. (2018) Genotypic and phenotypic variations in Botrytis spp. isolates from single strawberry flowers. Plant Dis. 120:179-184
• Meng-Jun Hu, C.Y. Peng, J. C. Melgar and G. Schnabel. (2017)Investigation of potential causes of peach skin streaking. Plant Dis. 101:1601-1605
• Dowling, M. E., M.-J Hu, and G. Schnabel. (2017) Identification and characterization of Botrytis fragariae isolates on strawberry in the United States. Plant Dis. 101:1769-1773
• Meng-Jun Hu, Kerik D. Cox, and Guido Schnabel. (2016) Increasing resistances to chemical classes of fungicides via selection by association in Botrytis cinerea. Phytopathology 106:1513-1520 
• S. N. Chen, C. X. Luo, M. J. Hu, and G. Schnabel. (2016) Sensitivity of Colletotrichumspecies, including C. fioriniae and C. nymphaeae, from peach to demethylation inhibitor fungicides. Plant Dis. 100:2434-2441