H. Randy Kutcher

H. Randy Kutcher is a Professor and Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair in Cereal and Flax Crop Pathology at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Department of Plant Sciences and Crop Development Centre. His research focuses on integrated pest management (IPM) solutions for cereal and flax diseases, including stripe rust, Fusarium wilt, and leaf spot diseases. He has contributed to developing resistant cultivars and fungicide management strategies for wheat, barley, oat, and flax crops.

Key research interests include:

• Mitigation of cereal and flax diseases via IPM
• Stripe rust and Fusarium head blight resistance mechanisms
• Crown rust of oat and pasmo of flax
• Fungicide efficacy and timing optimization

His recent work emphasizes disease control strategies for winter wheat, durum wheat, and flax, with a focus on chemotype diversity of Fusarium graminearum and population genetics of pathogens like Puccinia striiformis.

Awards include the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit (2020) and Provost College Award for Outstanding Teaching (2020), highlighting his contributions to both research and education. He teaches PLSC 335.3: Field Crop Disease Management/Integrated Pest Management.

Labs/Teams: Active collaborations within the Crop Development Centre and Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture programs. Research engages with synchrotron-based imaging technologies to study host-pathogen interactions in cereals.