Dr. Alamgir Rahman began his position as Clemson’s Vegetable Pathologist specialist in late 2025. Before joining Clemson, he earned a PhD from Penn State University and then joined Corteva Agriscience as a Research Investigator and Discovery Fungicide Biologist, where he conducted projects on vegetables, cereals and small grain crops. At Clemson, Dr Rahman is eager to contribute significantly to the realm of vegetable pathology working alongside growers in South Carolina. The vegetable pathology program will focus on better understanding diseases of legumes, cucurbits, leafy greens and tomatoes. Dr. Rahman outlines below his research and extension plans at Clemson.
Dr. Alamgir Rahman, Clemson’s vegetable pathology specialists
“My program will begin in growers’ fields. In 2026, I will prioritize systematic pathogen scouting in lima bean, snap bean, cowpeas, pepper, kale, cucurbits, tomato, and watermelon production systems. These surveys will allow me to document disease incidence, collect representative pathogen isolates, and detect emerging or shifting populations.”, says Dr. Rahman, who also points out the additional research on the topic through molecular techniques. “Once collected, isolates will be purified and characterized in the laboratory using classical morphological approaches and molecular diagnostics. This process will establish a curated pathogen repository that will serve as the biological foundation for my long-term research program.”
“The flagship focus for 2026 will be anthracnose of lima bean, primarily caused by members of the Colletotrichum species complex, including C. truncatum, C. magnum, and C. lindemuthianum. Through scouting growers’ fields Collectotrichum symptomatic plant samples will be collected followed by pathogen isolation, characterization, fungicide sensitivity assays, and greenhouse-based pathogenicity tests to evaluate virulence diversity and cultivar response. By generating baseline EC₅₀ values and validating fungicide performance in plants, my research will aim to strengthen evidence-based management recommendations for growers while building foundational datasets for future genomic analyses.”
“In addition to lima bean, my research program will address several high-priority vegetable pathosystems. In leafy greens, I will investigate white mold of kale caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, focusing on biosurveillance of pathogen airborne spore detection to make informed decision of fungicide applications. In solanaceous crops, I will examine the distribution and diversity of Phytophthora capsici on tomato, including mating type characterization and baseline sensitivity to oomycete-targeted chemistries. For cucurbits, I will monitor downy mildew outbreaks associated with Pseudoperonospora cubensis and evaluate cultivar susceptibility and preventative fungicide programs under greenhouse conditions. The primary objective will be to establish robust baseline datasets on pathogen diversity, fungicide sensitivity, and host–pathogen interactions. These data will directly inform Extension recommendations and will provide practical, science-based guidance to South Carolina growers. Looking ahead, the long-term vision of my program includes whole-genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and transcriptomic analyses to identify virulence determinants and track pathogen population dynamics. By linking phenotypic characterization with genomic insight, my research program will contribute to molecular diagnostic development, fungicide resistance monitoring, and effector-informed breeding strategies.”
“At PDREC, my Vegetable Pathology Lab will remain committed to delivering precise, impactful research supporting specialty crop producers while building the molecular and epidemiological framework needed to confront future disease challenges of vegetables of Southeast US.”
