BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY AND CROP PHYSIOLOGY

Although University personnel were teaching and conducting research in the disciplines now associated with this department prior to 1924, the numbers were small and there was no departmental structure. In 1924, a department was created by combining certain faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences and of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station - at that time a part of the College of Agriculture. This new Department of Botany, Bacteriology and Plant Pathology was headed by Dr. C.W. Edgerton and had both teaching responsibilities, administered through the College of arts and Sciences, and research responsibilities, administered through the Experiment Station portion of the College of Agriculture. Thus, from its inception this department has had a dual role and a dual administrative structure.

The Department was created during LSU's grand period of growth, and the Department rapidly grew from three faculty members to thirteen by 1930. It remained at this level until Dr. Edgerton retired in 1950, and Dr. S. J. P. Chilton became head of Plant Pathology and chairman of Botany, Bacteriology and Plant Pathology.

The Department had 28 faculty members in 1962, when it was divided to form a new Microbiology Department, leaving a faculty of 25 in the department that became Botany and Plant Pathology. The Department was further reduced in size to 20 when, in 1970, another split took place with the formation of the Department of Botany in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Agriculture with the teaching responsibilities under the Director of Resident Instruction and the research responsibilities under the Director of the Experiment Station, both being under the Dean of the College of Agriculture. At this time the Department had the simplest administrative structure in its history. When Dr. Chilton retired in 1977, the Department had a faculty of 20.

Two other developments occurred while Dr. W. J. Martin was department head (1977-82). First, the name of the Department was changed to Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, in an attempt to more accurately reflect the composition and responsibilities of the Department. The second development was the formation of the Agricultural Center. This established a new dual administrative chain of command for the Department, with teaching responsibilities in the College of Agriculture under the Dean of the College, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the Chancellor of LSU A&M, and research responsibilities in the Experiment Station under the Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station (Vice Chancellor for Research) and the Chancellor of the LSU Agricultural Center.

The number of full-time faculty positions in the Department increased to 25 during the mid-1980's while Dr. D. R. MacKenzie was department head (1983-89). Dr. John Baker served as department head from 1989 until his retirement in 1992. During that time, the number of faculty positions declined to 19. Dr. J.P. Snow became department head in 1992 and continued to serve in that position until 2002. At the end of Dr. Snow's tenure as department head, the Weed Science program was moved to the Department of Agronomy, and the Extension Plant Pathology faculty and programs were merged into the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology. Today, the department is led by Dr. Gerard Berggren. The composition of the faculty is 15 scientists representing the three Land Grant Missions of Teaching, Research and Extension.

The Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology is located in the Life Sciences Building on the LSU Campus. Our main office is located in Room 302, and our laboratories are located throughout the Life Science Building and the Life Science Annex. For information on contacting our Department or a member of our faculty, please click here.

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