I conduct translational studies on  plant/insect/pollinator pathogens or microbes and fungal viruses that address immediate and long-term needs of growers and stakeholders involved in the production of fruit, vegetable, grain and ornamental crops as well as restore natural biosystems. My research program emphasizes pathogen and beneficial microbes discovery and characterization, genetic diversity and population genetics studies, and understanding of disease epidemiology, ecology and evolution . The ultimate goal is to utilize the results of these studies to develop sustainable disease management strategies for crop production and to conserve natural beneficial  biosystems.

Research Acievements and Results

1. I determined the full-length coding genomes of two divergent PRSV isolates from severely infected papaya plants in Bangladesh. They are phylogenetically distinct, and co-infection of both isolates increased symptom severity. Their distribution study confirmed these two strains of PRSV could be isolated and detected from a single papaya plant in Bangladesh and other unknown strains are also present, which will lead to the establishment of its control strategy (Publication no. 3, 22).
2. I detected multiple begomoviruses in papaya plants with severe leaf curl symptoms and analyzed their complete genome sequences. This analysis revealed that begomoviruses, which were originally found from tomatoes, and their betasatellite and defective and recombinant DNA satellites infect and cause symptoms to papaya plants in Bangladesh (Publication no. 1, 4). This finding suggests that tomato-infecting begomoviruses expanded their host range from tomatoes to papaya plants and several recombination events in these viruses. For this research, I got the best poster award and travel award at University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2018  
   3. I developed specific, ultrasensitive single-tube nested PCR assay to assist epidemiological studies of PRSV (Publication no. 9). For this work, I got the best poster award and travel award at University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2017.
   4. I conducted further characterization of homology-dependent resistance in transgenic papaya to PRSV, which correlates with transgene derived siRNA levels (Publication no. 10).
   5. As a co-scientist, I determined the whole genome sequences of two Dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV) strains and novel Taro bacilliform CH virus (TaBCHV) Hawaii strain, their distribution and genetic diversity from taro in Hawaii in the United States (Publication no. 11 &13).
   6. As a co-scientist, I characterized a new isolate of pineapple mealybug wilt-associated viruses PMWaV-1 and supplemented the available sequences of the genomes of PMWaV-2 and PMWaV-3 in their 5-terminal regions (Publication no. 2) 
      7. a) I reported banana bunchy top virus in Heliconia spp. in Hawaii for the first time (Publication no. 12). b)As a co-scientist, I reported DsMV in taro plants in Bangladesh, BYMV infecting nasturtium plants, Zucchini tigre mosaic virus infecting Bitter Melon.Apple of Peru Infected with Pepper Mottle Virus in Hawaii for the first time (Publication no. 5-8). c) As a co-scientist, I reported bean common mosaic virus infecting Phaseolus lunatus and Bean yellow mosaic virus in vanilla in Hawaii, TaBCHV on Taro in the USA for the first time (Publication no. 14-16).
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