Sathoff, Andrew

• Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota

• B.A., St. Olaf College

The Sathoff lab primarily investigates plant diseases. Understandably, there’s a lot of focus on human diseases, but plants get sick too! In order to feed the world, it is estimated that we’ll have to increase food production by 70% by 2050. A great way to improve production is to reduce crop losses due to pathogens and pests.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is used in modern agriculture mainly as a source of high- protein feed for dairy and beef livestock. Surprisingly, alfalfa often ranks as the third most valuable crop in the US behind corn and soybeans. South Dakota typically plants the most acres of alfalfa in the US, but few researchers are studying alfalfa in the state. This lack of alfalfa research initially led Dr. Sathoff to South Dakota since he is one of the few trained alfalfa pathologists in the US.

The Sathoff lab is currently interested in an emerging alfalfa disease called Bacterial Stem Blight (BSB). BSB can reduce alfalfa yields up to 50% in the Central and Western United States, and the worst damage occurs during the first cutting, which is often the most valuable harvest. As of 2023, BSB has been reported in California, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Ohio. Dr. Sathoff has a network of South Dakota alfalfa growers, who believe BSB is already in South Dakota. A Summer 2026 project will survey alfalfa stands in Eastern South Dakota for the presence of BSB pathogens. Through this research, BSB pathogens will be isolated, genetically identified, and characterized for pathogenicity against alfalfa. Since there are currently limited effective management strategies against BSB, defensin peptides will be evaluated for activity against BSB pathogens. Defensins are small, cationic antimicrobial peptides that are part of the human and plant innate immune systems, which have previously shown to have widespread antibacterial activity.