Dr. Ning Zhang

Contact Information

Mailing Address

Rutgers University
Department of Plant Biology & Pathology
Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology
201B Foran Hall/ Cook Campus
59 Dudley Rd.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
zhang@aesop.rutgers.edu

Campus Location

Office: Room 201B Foran Hall, 732-932-9711 x162
Lab: Room 201 Foran Hall, 732-932-9711 x200

Research Interests

I have two primary research interests: population and evolutionary biology of fungal pathogens and molecular diagnostics of important plant pathogenetic fungi and oomycetes. The basic questions we try to address include (1) Why is there so much genetic variation within populations? (2) What are the evolutionary forces that maintain variation in populations? (3) Are there associations between genetic variation and virulence of plant pathogens? (4) How did the plant diseases originate and evolve? (5) What’s the phylogenetic relationship between turfgrass pathogens and fungi in other habitats? etc.

(A) Molecular phylogeny of 17 plant pathogenic members of Fusarium solani species complex. (B) DNA array hybridization patterns of S-661 and S-719. Probe at the H2 position on the array distinguished the two closely related strains.

New pathogens are emerging all the time and many known pathogens are fast evolving due to dramatic climate change, host switching, and frequent transportation by humans. In addition to studying the evolution of fungi, we are interested in developing molecular tools for rapid pathogen detection and identification, such as (1) Pathochip (DNA array technique): The advantage of array technique is the remarkably high throughput compared to other detection methods. Hundreds of different pathogens can be detected with one chip in one reaction. (2) Real-Time PCR: The advantage of Real-Time PCR technique is the relatively accurate quantification of pathogens. The application of the new tools will facilitate disease management and the study of plant breeding.

Publications

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Rutgers Affiliations

1. Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
2. Center for Turfgrass Science

Other Affiliations

1. Mycological Society of America
2. American Phytopathological Society
3. American Society for Microbiology
4. Tree of Life Project

Current lab personnel

1. Sanjana Kirloskar (January 2009-present), undergraduate student, Biotechnology Major, Rutgers.
2. Sirrika Samuels (Febuary 2009-present), undergraduate student, Animal Science Major, Rutgers.
3. Suli Hu (February 2009-present), Lab technician.

Dr. Ning Zhang is an assistant professor and joined the department in 2009.