Lawrence E. Datnoff

Lawrence E. Datnoff is Professor and Head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology at Louisiana State University's College of Agriculture. His research focuses on mineral nutrition and plant disease interactions, particularly silicon-mediated disease resistance.

Education:

• PhD in Plant Pathology, University of Illinois (1985)
• MS in Plant Pathology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1981)
• BS in Horticulture and Plant Pathology, University of Georgia (1976)

Dr. Datnoff investigates silicon's role in suppressing soilborne and foliar diseases of rice, turf, and vegetables. His work explores interactions between silicon and fungicides, host resistance enhancement, and mechanisms of silicon-mediated disease resistance against pathogens like Magnaporthe grisea (rice blast) and Colletotrichum species.

Recent publications (2007-2023) demonstrate silicon applications across diverse crops including hemp, turfgrass, citrus, and ornamentals. Research trends include sustainable disease management, soil silicon dynamics, and global implementation of nutritional disease control strategies.

Dr. Datnoff teaches Fundamentals of Plant Pathology, training graduate students in pathogen biology, disease diagnosis, and management principles. He has supervised 8 PhD, 5 MS, and 3 Doctor of Plant Medicine students while hosting international research scholars.