History
The Department of Botany, Bacteriology and Plant Pathology was created in 1924 by combining faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. Claude W. Edgerton was named the first head, and the department grew from three to 13 faculty members by 1930. In 1950, St. John P. Chilton became the head, and with increased research and teaching responsibilities, the department grew to a faculty of 28. The department was divided in 1962 to form a new Microbiology Department and the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. In 1970, the Department of Botany was formed and placed in the College of Arts and Sciences, while the Department of Plant Pathology was placed in the newly formed Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) with research administered by the director of the Experiment Station and teaching administered by the dean of the College of Agriculture. After Dr. Chilton retired, Weston J. Martin became head (1977-1982), and the name of the department was changed to its current name of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology to more accurately reflect the disciplines of the faculty residing within the department. In 2002, the weed science program was moved to the Department of Agronomy while the extension plant pathology faculty and programs were merged into the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology. Other department heads that have served are the following: David R. MacKenzie (1983-1989), John B. Baker (1989-1992), Johnnie P. Snow (1992-2002), Gerard T. Berggren (2002-2008) and Lawrence E. Datnoff (2008-present). From the 1980s to present, the number of faculty positions has ranged from 16 to 25, and currently = 15.