I was born and raised in a small town in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Having been raised in a tropical place, my first exposure to plants came very early in my childhood; I was fascinated by seeing abundant colorful plants. My interest in them increased when I learned that they got sick. In 1995, I entered Universidad Autonoma Chapingo to pursue my B.S. education in Plant Parasitology. I took intense class work and practice training in agricultural entomology, plant pathology and weeds. Early on, I realized my passion for the study of plant diseases, so during the senior year of my program I got formally involved with a research group working on epidemiological aspects of the lethal yellowing disease in coconut palms. My work itself and the readings of many of the classical epidemiology books inspired me to learn more about how diseases develop in time and space and what methods were available to quantify such an expansion. Educational background
Ph. D. student from November 20, 2005 to present.
M. S. Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, September 2005. Alternative hosts of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in the Americas: an analysis of their role in the epidemiology of soybean rust in the continental US.
B. S. Agronomist, specialist in Plant Parasitology, Universidad Autonoma Chapingo. 2002. Spatial Pattern of Lethal Yellowing in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in Yucatan, Mexico.
Publications
Referred Publications
Pérez-Hernández, O., Góngora-Canul, C.C., Medina-Lara, M. F., Oropeza-Salin, C., Escamilla-Bencomo, J. A., y Mora-Aguilera, G. 2004. Patrón Espacio-Temporal del Amarillamiento Letal en Cocotero (Cocos nucifera L.) en Yucatán, México. Revista Mexicana de Fitopatología 22: 231-238.
Góngora-Canul, C. C., Pérez-Hernández, O., Pech-Cauich, O., Escamilla-Bencomo, J. A., y Mora-Aguilera, G. 2004. Gradientes de Diseminación del Amarillamiento Letal en Cocotero (Cocos nucifera L.) en Yucatán, México. Revista Mexicana de Fitopatologia: 22:370-376.
Published Abstracts in Scientific Meetings
Perez-Hernandez, O., Yang, X. B., Pivonia, S., and Guan, J. 2004. Assessing the role of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) in potential epidemics of soybean rust in the United States. Phytopathology 94:S83.
Perez-Hernandez, O., Kim K. S. And Yang, X. B. 2005. Delineation of the presence of alternative hosts of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Phytopathology 95:S82.
Silva-Dias, A. P., Perez-Hernandez, O., and Yang, X. B. 2005. Role of susceptible kudzu and volunteer soybeans in the epidemiology of soybean rust: an analysis of the USA and Brazil scenario. Phytopathology 95:S24
Kim, K., Yang, X. B., Pan, Z., and Perez-Hernandez, O. 2005. Simulation of spore trajectories to identify potential pathways of soybean rust in the United States. Phytopathology 95:S54
Bonde, M. R., Perez-Hernandez, O., and Yang, X. B. 2005. Studies to determine the importance of alternative hosts in the overwintering of Phakopsora pachyrhizi. Phytopathology 94:S144.
Research Interests
I joined Dr. Gleason’s laboratory in November 2005 to work on the disease “anthracnose fruit rot of strawberry”, which is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. The specific objectives of my research project are still being delineated, but our focus is already grounded on three closely linked components: i) Study of quiescent infections and their impact in auto-infection processes (intra-plant events that are conducive to fruit infections in the absence of inoculum splash), ii) development of a sensitive PCR technique that allows rapid diagnosis of the pathogen in the field, iii) incorporation of epidemiological tools for designing effective sampling schemes in the field. The ultimate goal of our project is to enhance our understanding in the ecology of C. acutatum in order to search for more viable options of management of anthracnose fruit rot in the North central region.
Hobbies and interests
Back in Mexico, I was a member of a romantic guitar band and I used to play soccer competitively. In Ames, I have not found any romantic guitar band to join and I have injured my ankle twice playing soccer. Now, I sing and play for fun. Some of my other hobbies and interests include dancing, jogging and reading. I also enjoy learning about my native language and its mother “the Latin”, as well as other romance languages.
Contact information
osperh@iastate.edu
Office: (515) 294 6570
Lab: (515) 294 0589