User:Abiggs2

Alan R. Biggs was born in Lewisburg, PA, on June 22, 1953. He received a B.S. degree in forestry from the Pennsylvania State University in 1976 and remained at this university to complete his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology in 1978 and 1982, respectively. In 1983 Biggs joined Agriculture Canada, Research Branch, at the Vineland Station in Ontario as a research scientist with responsibilities for fruit tree diseases. In 1987 he was appointed head of the Plant Pathology Section at Vineland, in addition to his duties as research scientist. Biggs moved to his present position at West Virginia University in 1989, where he is professor and extension specialist in plant pathology at the Tree Fruit Research and Education Center in Kearneysville. His current responsibilities are 70% research and 30% extension.

In the early part of his career, Biggs specialized in the area of wound response and defense mechanisms in woody plants, publishing numerous research articles on the cytology, histology, physiology, biochemistry, epidemiology, tissue culture, and genetics of fruit tree canker diseases. He developed new cytochemical procedures that have enabled researchers to locate and quantify the biopolymer suberin in plant cells and tissues with more precision than was previously possible. By applying this procedure, he characterized a poorly defined region of tissue that forms in the bark of peach and other woody plants during the healing process following injuries or in response to pathogens. It then was shown that this tissue forms in bark and xylem of many other woody species and is required for regeneration of new tissues and, ultimately, the healing of wounds. This represented the first report that suberin may be a de novo component of the wound reaction zone.

With this background information, Dr. Biggs showed that while the new suberized layer may not be a primary determinant of resistance to fungal pathogens, the kinetics of suberin accumulation within newly formed tissues exhibited a high degree of correlation with known levels of pathogen resistance in the genotypes examined. This information has taken tree pathologists away from the traditional view of wound-related tissues as passive anatomical defense mechanisms and has focused attention on the importance of the dynamic interaction of biochemistry with anatomy and the intimate association of biochemical factors with the wound-healing process in woody plant tissues. Furthermore, these findings have expedited the use of suberin accumulation in wounds as a predictive measure in management programs for canker diseases. Studies on pruning to utilize the tree's natural boundary setting processes also have helped growers take advantage of the practical applications of this work.

In continuing studies Biggs focused on genetic aspects of suberin accumulation in order to determine the feasibility of using this factor as a criterion in programs for breeding trees with increased resistance to pathogens. It was shown that suberin was present in both bark and xylem tissues undergoing wound reactions or needing defense against pathogens, and that the accumulation of suberin in these different plant organs was independently controlled. The accumulation of suberin in the bark of peach trees had moderately high levels of genetic heritability among families and within individuals. This research was the first to demonstrate the heritability of a pathogen resistance mechanism in the bark of a woody plant. Biggs’ contributions to the area of defense mechanisms in fruit trees have been original and creative. He co-edited a book entitled Defense Mechanisms of Woody Plants against Fungi and edited another entitled Cytology, Histology, and Histochemistry of Fruit Tree Diseases.

Biggs also is internationally recognized for his research and extension programs in fruit pathology. Biggs and colleagues have made major advances in understanding the epidemiology of several important diseases of pome and stone fruits, with an emphasis on determining the effects of the environment on disease development. Especially noteworthy is his research with Dr. John Northover and others on brown rot of stone fruits, caused by Monilinia fructicola. This disease is a major problem worldwide and Biggs’ research has resulted in a broader and more in-depth understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, especially the relationship between weather conditions and infection, as well as the relative susceptibility of fruits at different growth stages. This information has been used to integrate cultural and chemical control methods to successfully manage the disease. Biggs also has made important contributions to disease management for fire blight, apple scab, and apple preharvest rot diseases.

Biggs has conducted numerous studies on the role of calcium supplementation in orchards and the effects of calcium compounds on pathogens. On the basis of the results from field and post-harvest studies, proper use of calcium has allowed growers to more successfully produce the valuable apple cultivar “Nittany”, which is highly susceptible to calcium deficiency disorders and Alternaria rot.

In addition to his contributions in research, Biggs is also recognized as an outstanding extension educator. His extension programs have significantly increased the awareness and use of integrated disease management strategies by commercial fruit growers in West Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region. He is known as an effective communicator within the fruit crop community and uses a wide variety of traditional and innovative processes to disseminate information. He maintains a strong commitment to multidisciplinary and regional cooperation in extension programs. In 1996, he was one of the first extension specialists to develop an extensive array of online information for fruit growers that included plant pathology, entomology, and horticulture resources from the Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring Guide and other sources. He also works with his regional colleagues to develop regional spray guides for commercial tree fruit and small fruit growers.

Dr. Biggs is an excellent example of how a plant pathologist with a research-extension appointment should function: that is, his research contributes to the profession, is problem solving, and has resulted in practical information that is directly useful to the fruit industry. He has authored or co-authored 75 refereed journal articles and in recognition of his excellence in research, was honored with the Lee M. Hutchins Award by APS in 1993. The impact of Biggs’ work is affirmed by nearly 950 citations of his papers (an extraordinary number in fruit pathology).

Biggs has an outstanding record of service locally, regionally, and nationally. Within APS, he has served as Associate Editor of Phytopathology, and Associate Editor, Senior Editor, and Editor-in-Chief of Plant Disease. He has also served on several APS boards and committees and was a member of APS Council from 2001 - 2003. Biggs has made over 25 years of exceptional contributions in extension and research in the state, region, and country and is very deserving of being recognized as Fellow of APS.