Dr. Paul Okello

Assistant Professor

Education

• D. Plant Science; South Dakota State University, USA
• MBA; Swiss School of Management, Rome - Italy
• Natural Resources Management; Egerton university, Kenya

Courses Taught

• 03-130 Plant Science
• 03-440 Introduction to Precision Agriculture (Co-teaching)
• 03-331 Integrated Crop Management

Academic Interests

• Sustainable Agriculture
• Host Plant - Pathogen Interaction
• Soilborne Fungal Pathogens
• Science Communication

Scholarly Activity

Peer Reviewed Publications:

• Rafi, N., Dominguez, M., Okello, P., and Mathew, F. M. 2024. No Common Candidate Genes for Resistance to Fusarium graminearum, proliferatum, F. sporotrichioides, and F. subglutinans in Soybean (Glycine max L.) Accessions from Maturity Groups 0 and I: Findings from Genome-Wide Association Mapping. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-02-24-0477-RE
• Mohan, K., Kontz, B., Okello, P.N., Allen, T., Bergstrom, G.C., Bissonnette, K., Bonkowski, J., Bradley, C. A., Buck, J., Chilvers, M.I., Dorrance, A. E., Giesler, L., Kelly, H.M., Koehler, A., Lopez-Nicora, H., Mangel, D., Markell, K., Mueller, D.S., Price, P.P., Rojas, A., Shires, M. K., Smith, D. L., Spurlock, T., Webster, R., Wise, K., Yabwalo , D., and Mathew, F. 2023. Variation in isolate virulence and accession resistance associated with Diaporthe aspalathi, caulivora, and D. longicolla in soybean. Plant Health Prog. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-04-23-0041-RS
• Okello, P. N., Solanki, S., Rafi, N., and Mathew, F. 2023. Sources of resistance, effect of maturity groups and marker-trait associations associated with Fusarium graminearum causing root rot of soybean (Glycine max). Plant Health Prog. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-01-23-0011-RS
• Chowdhury, Rawnaq N., Paul N. Okello, and Emmanuel Byamukama. 2022. "Examining the Interaction between Phytophthora sojae and Soybean Cyst Nematode on Soybean (Glycine max)" Plants 11, no. 4: 560. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11040560
• Paul N. Okello, Kristina Petrovic, Asheesh K. Singh, Brian Kontz & Febina M. Mathew. 2020. Characterization of species of Fusarium causing root rot of Soybean (Glycine max) in South Dakota, USA, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 42:4, 560-571. https://doi.org/10.1080/07060661.2020.1746695
• Okello, P. N., and Mathew, F.M. 2019. Cross pathogenicity studies show South Dakota isolates of Fusarium acuminatum, equiseti, F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, and F. subglutinans from either soybean or corn are pathogenic on the two crops. Plant Health Progress. 20:44-49. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHP-10-18-0056-RS
• Okello, P. N., Petrovic, K., and Mathew, F. M. 2019. Eight species of Fusarium can cause root rot of corn (Zea mays) in South Dakota. Plant Health Progress. 20:38-43. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHP-11-18-0075-RS
• Okello, P. N., Petrović, K., Kontz, B., Ali, S., Marek, L.K., and Mathew, F.M. 2018. Root rot caused by species of Fusarium on Brassica carinata in South Dakota. Plant Health Progress 19:188-192. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-04-18-0012-RS

Abstracts (peer-reviewed)-Proceedings of Scientific Meetings

• Rafi, N., Okello, P., and Mathew, F. 2023. Response of MG I soybean (Glycine max L.) to multiple Fusarium species. 2023 APS North Central Meeting. West Lafayette, Indiana. June 20-22, 2023. Phytopathology 113 (9).
• Petrovic, K., Ghimire, K., Okello, P., Bradley, C., Ceran, M., Chilvers, M., Dordevic, V., Dukic, V., Miladinovic, J., Miladinov, Z., Mueller, D., Smith, D., Tubic, S., Vidic, M., Wise, K., and Mathew, F. 2018. Aggressiveness evaluation of Diaporthe species causing stem canker in the United States. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 108:S1.29. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-108-10-S1.1.
• Okello, P., Johnson, M., Singh, A., and Mathew, F. 2018. Genome-wide association mapping of resistance to Fusarium proliferatum in soybean. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 108:S1.172. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-108-10-S1.1
• Okello, P., Osborne, S., and Mathew, F. M. 2017. Effects of N-P-K fertilizer rates on the interaction between Fusarium virguliforme and soybean cyst nematode on soybean. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 107:S5.4. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-107-12-S5.1
• Okello, P. N., Osborne, S., Kleinjan, J., and Mathew, F. M. 2017. Evaluating fertilizer effect on the interaction between Fusarium proliferatum and soybean cyst nematode on soybean. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 107:S5.97. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-107-12-S5.1
• Okello, P., Adhikari, A., Varenhorst, A., Osborne, S., Byamukama, E., and Mathew, F. 2016. Interaction between Fusarium and soybean cyst nematode on soybean. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 106:S4.4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-106-12-S4.1
• Okello, P., Singh, A., Hyronimus, L., Weber, A., and Mathew, F. 2016. Screening soybean germplasm for resistance to multiple Fusarium species. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 106:S4.88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-106-12-S4.1.
• Adhikari, A., P., Kontz, B., Dunbar, M., Varenhorst, A., and Mathew. F. 2016. Characterizing Fusarium species infecting corn roots in South Dakota. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 106:S4.29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-106-12-S4.4
• Okello, P., Gebreil, A., Olson, T., Kontz, B., Micijevic, A., and Mathew, F. 2016. Pathogenicity of Diaporthe species infecting soybeans (Glycine max L.) in South Dakota. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 106:S4.103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-106-12-S4.1
• Okello, P. N., Gebreil, A., Ge, X., and Mathew, F. M. 2015. Characterization and aggressiveness of Fusarium species causing soybean root rot in South Dakota. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 106(Suppl. 1):S1.7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-106-1-S1.1.

Extension Publications/Reports

• Melanie Caffe-Treml, Paul Okello, Nick Hall, Jonathan Kleinjan, Peter Sexton, Brad Rops, Dwayne Beck, Ruth Beck, and David Karki. 2019-2020 South Dakota Forage Oat Variety Trial Results. iGrow, SDSU Extension. https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2021-02/S-0002-2020-02-Oat-Forage.pdf
• Okello P., Treml, C.M., Kleinjan, J., Sexton, P., Glover, K., Hall, N., Rops, B, and Sweeter, C. 2019. South Dakota Organic Oat & Spring Wheat Variety Trial Results. 2019 South Dakota Organic Oat and Spring Wheat Variety Trial Results - S-0002-2019-02-Oat-Orgranic-SW.pdf
• Olson, T., Okello, P., Alberti, P., Posch, J., Varenhorst, A., Byamukama, E., Burrows, R., Mathew, F. 2018. Growing sweet corn in South Dakota. iGrow, SDSU Extension. https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2018-12/03-2004-2018.pdf
• Febina Mathew, Nathan Braun, Paul Okello, and Ishani Lal. 2018 South Dakota Sunflower Hybrid Performance Trials. https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2019-01/03-3067-2018.pdf
• Febina Mathew, Paul Okello, Jonathan Kleinjan, Shannon Osborne, Madhav Nepal, Adam Varenhorst, and Emmanuel Byamukama. 2017.Understanding the Relationship between Soybean Cyst Nematode and Fusarium on Soybean. https://www.sdsoybean.org/news-media/understanding-the-relationship-between-soybean-cyst-nematode-and-fusarium-on-soybean

Other Professional Experiences

Reviewer of Scientific Journals:

• Plant Health Progress
• Plant Disease
• Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology
• Journal of Phytopathology
• Journal of Crop Improvement
• Plant Pathology
• Scientific African

Professional Membership(s):

• The American Phytopathological Society