Venkateshwaran is an associate professor of crop physiology and molecular biology and the Soil and Crop Science Program coordinator at UW–Platteville. His research interests include plant-microbe symbioses, plant defense signaling, plant disease management, rhizosphere microbiome and sustainable agricultural practices. Venkateshwaran earned his PhD in plant pathology from UW–Madison.
This project will utilize a fluorescent stereomicroscope (Leica M165FC Fluorescent Stereomicroscope) to assess internal colonization of oomycete pathogen in the infected roots of alfalfa seedlings to estimate disease severity scores.