Dr. Sebastian Albu

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• 2015, Ph.D., Plant Pathology, Louisiana State University, AgCenter. Dissertation: Evolutionary Relationships among Fungal Soybean Pathogens and Molecular Marker Development in the Genus Cercospora.
• 2012, M.S., Plant Pathology, Louisiana State University, AgCenter. Thesis: A survey of ballistosporic basidiomycete phylloplane yeasts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the description of two yeasts in Ustilaginales.
• 2006, B.S., Biology, Metropolitan State University of Denver.
• 2001, B.A., Music, University of Pittsburgh.

Publications

1. Albu S, Starodumova, IP, Dorofeeva LV, Evtushenko LI, Subbotin SA. 2025. Identification of Bacteria Isolated From Leaves of American Beech, Fagus grandifolia, Infested by the Foliar Nematode, Litylenchus crenatae (Nematoda: Anguinoidea), in New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1111/efp.70009
2. Albu V, Albu S. 2024. An Analysis of the Lepidoptera of the San Joaquin Desert of California, with Notes on their Herbivory and Host Plant Relationships. J Lep Soc. 78(3).
3. Blomquist C, Rooney-Latham S, Albu S, Koike S. 2024. First Report of Leaf Blight on California Buckeye Caused by Boeremia lilacis in California. Plant Dis. 108(1).
4. Albu V and Albu S. 2023. Lepidoptera Assemblages along a Western Slope Elevation Gradient of the South-Central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Lep Soc. 77(1):43-58
5. Albu V, Passoa S, Albu S. 2021.Host Plants and Illustrations of the Feeding Habits, Last Instar Larva, and Pupa of Anoncia mosa Hodges (Gelechioidea: Cosmopterigidae), with Notes on Larval and Pupal Characters of Potential Taxonomic Significance in the Cosmopterigidae. J Lep Soc. 75(4):280-290.
6. Rush T, Albu S, Kijpornyongpan T, Aime, MC. 2020 Farysia magdalena sp. nov. and description of the anamorph of Anthracocystis heteropogonicola from the Americas. Myc. Prog. 19:921-934.
7. Albu V and Albu S. 2020 Contributions to the knowledge of the Lepidoptera of Vlăsia Plain (Muntenia, Romania). Entomol. Romanica 24:5-18. doi: 10.24193/entomolrom.24.1
8. Haelewaters D, Toome-Heller M, Albu S, Aime MC. 2019. Red yeasts from leaf surfaces and other habitats: three new species and a new combination of Symmetrospora (Pucciniomycotina, Cystobasidiomycetes). Fung. Syst. Evol. 5:187-196. doi.org/10.3114/fuse.2020.05.12.
9. Albu S, Blomquist CL, Scheck HJ, Doyle VP. 2019. First report of rust on Modiola caroliniana caused by Puccinia modiolae in California. Plant Dis. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-02-19-0303-PDN.
10. Poret-Peterson AT, Albu S, McClean AE, Kluepfel DA. 2019. Shifts in Soil Bacterial Communities as a Function of Carbon Source Used During Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation. Front. Environ Sci. 6:160. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2018.00160.
11. Albu V and Albu S. 2018. Contributions to the knowledge of the Lepidoptera fauna of Southern Transylvania. Entomol. Romanica 22:13–56. doi: 10.24193/entomolrom.22.3.
12. Aćimović SG, Rooney-Latham S, Albu S, Grossman DM, Doccola JJ. 2018. Characterization and Pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae Fungi Associated with Declining Urban Stands of Coast Redwood in California. Plant Dis. 102(10):1950-1957.doi: 10.1094/PDIS-02-18-0339-RE
13. Albu S, Lai M, Woods PW, Kumagai LB. 2018. First report of Pseudomonas viridiflava as the causal agent of bacterial leaf spot of Mexican Heather in California. Plant Dis. 102(12):2633. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-03-18-0405-PDN
14. Albu S, Sharma S, Bluhm BH, Price PP, Schneider RW, Doyle VP. 2017. Draft Genome Sequence of Cercospora cf. sigesbeckiae, a causal agent of Cercospora leaf blight on soybean. Genome Announc. 5:e00708-17. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00708-17
15. Albu V and Albu S. 2016. Contributions to the knowledge of the Lepidoptera species diversity in an urban park setting of Bucharest, Romania, with considerations on the species dynamics in the city over the last century. Entomol. Romanica 20:69–78.
16. Albu S, Price PP, Doyle VP, Padgett, B, Schneider, RW. 2016. The G143A mutation is responsible for strobilurin fungicide resistance in Cercospora leaf blight and purple seed stain pathogens of Louisiana soybean. Plant Health Prog. 17(3):197. doi: 10.1094/PHP-BR-16-0043
17. Albu S, Price PP, Schneider, RW, Doyle VP. 2016. Cercospora cf. flagellaris and C. cf. sigesbeckiae are associated with Cercospora leaf blight and purple seed stain on soybean in North America. Phytopathology. 106(11):1376-1385. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-12-15-0332-R
18. Albu S, Toome M, Aime MC. 2015. Violaceomyces palustris gen. et sp. nov. and a new monotypic lineage, Violaceomycetales ord. nov. in Ustilaginomycetes. Mycologia. 107(6):1193–1204. doi: 10.3852/14-260
19. Price PP, Purvis MA, Cai G, Padgett GB, Robertson CL, Schneider RW, Albu S. 2015. Fungicide resistance in Cercospora kikuchii, a soybean pathogen. Plant Dis. 99:1596–1603. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-07-14-0782-RE
20. Toome M, Ohm R, James T, Lazarus K, Henrissat B, Albu S, Chow J, Clum A, Heller G, Lipzen A, Nolan M, Sandor L, Zvenigorodsky N, Grigoriev I, Spatafora J, Aime MC. 2014. Genome sequencing reveals insights into the reproduction, nutrition mode and ploidy of the spores of the fern pathogen Mixia osmundae. New Phytol. 202(2):554–564. doi: 10.1111/nph.12653
21. West J, Harral J, Deng Y, Ickes B, Albu S, Stewart D, Fagan K. 2008. Mice expressing BMPR2R899X transgene in smooth muscle develop pulmonary vascular lesions. Am J Physiol: Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 295 (5): L744–755. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.90255.2008

Grants

• 2017. Phillip Morris International Management (with Co-PI Chuck Johnson). $40,000. Optimizing Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation against soilborne tobacco pathogens to increase the sustainability of tobacco production.
• 2016. California Department of Food and Agriculture (with Co-PI Dan Kluepfel). $30,000. Anaerobic soil disinfestation against soilborne phytopathogenic agents.
• 2016. National Science Foundation and the Louisiana Board of Regents (with Co-PI Raymond Schneider). $10,000. Establishing a multidisciplinary international collaboration between the LSU Agricultural Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) in Londrina, Brazil and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Minas Gerais, Brazil.  
• 2012. United Soybean Board (with Co-PI Raymond Schneider). $106,470. Elucidating the Complex Etiology of Cercospora Leaf Blight of Soybean.

Presentations

• Albu S. 2024. Updates from the Bacteriology Lab. California Department of Food and Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, Sacramento, CA.
• Albu S. 2023. Blights, Spots, Cankers and Galls: Bacterial Tree Diseases of California. Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture, Rohnert Park, CA
• Albu S. 2023. Acute Oak Decline and Other Emerging Bacterial Diseases of Trees in California. California Forest Pest Council. University of California, Davis, CA.
• Albu S. 2021. Plant Pathology, Microbial Diversity, and Regulatory Diagnostics. University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA.
• Albu S. 2021. Xylella update. California Forest Pest Council. University of California, Davis, CA.
• Albu S. 2019. Bacterial diagnostics from a regulatory perspective: If “everything is everywhere,” how deep should we dig? California Department of Food and Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, Sacramento, CA.
• Westphal A, Buzo T, Maung Z, Albu S, Strauss S, Kluepfel, DK. 2017. Efficacy of anaerobic soil disinfestation in reducing plant-parasitic nematodes under nursery conditions. American Phytopathological Society, Pacific Division Annual Meeting, Riverside, CA.
• Albu S, Strauss S, Kluepfel D. 2016. Anaerobic soil disinfestation as a pre-plant non-fumigation strategy for controlling soilborne phytopathogens in walnut nurseries. UC Davis Postdoctoral Research Symposium, Davis, CA.
• Albu S and Kluepfel D. 2016 Influence of carbon source on anaerobic soil disinfestation efficacy: The search for a rice bran alternative. 62nd Annual Conference on Soilborne Plant Pathogens. Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier, CA.
• Silva, EC, Albu S, Ward BM, Garcia-Aroca T, Robertson, C, Price PP, Doyle V, Schneider RW. (2015). Cercospora leaf blight of soybean: phylogenetic analysis of the pathogen and disease management with micronutrients. 7th Annual Brazilian Soybean Congress, Florianopolis, Brazil.
• Albu S, Price PP, Doyle, V, Schneider RW. 2014. Is Cercospora kikuchii the causal agent of Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) and purple seed stain (PSS) in the Gulf South? Phytopathology 104(Suppl. 3):S3.5.
• Albu S, Price PP, Doyle V, Schneider RW. 2014. A molecular phylogenetic revision of Cercospora kikuchii. Proceedings, Southern Soybean Disease Workers, Pensacola, FL.
• Silva EC, Chanda AK, Garcia-Aroca T, Robertson CL, Tubana E, Ward BM, Albu S, Schneider RW. 2014. Management of Cercospora leaf blight of soybean with foliar applications of iron. Proceedings, Southern Soybean Disease Workers, Pensacola, FL.
• Albu S, Price PP, Doyle V, Schneider RW. 2014. Cryptic diversity within Cercospora kikuchii on soybean in Louisiana. Phytopathology 104(Suppl. 2):S2.1.
• Ward BM, Robertson CL, Schneider RW, Silva E, Albu S. 2013. Effects of minor elements on Cercospora leaf blight of soybean and production of cercosporin. Phytopathology 103(Suppl. 2):S2.158.
• Albu S and Aime MC. 2013. A survey of ballistosporic phylloplane yeasts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Phytopathology 103(Suppl. 2):S2.4.
• Albu S, Rush TA, Aime MC. 2012. Description of two anamorphic yeasts in the Ustilaginales. Inoculum 63(3):7.
• Albu S, Blackwell M, Aime MC. 2011. Gulf coast tarball-associated yeasts: understudied agents of microbial hydrocarbon degradation and potential human pathogens. Inoculum 62(3):7.
• Albu S and Aime MC. 2011. Phenology of basidiomycete ballistosporic phylloplane yeasts from seven fern species growing in Baton Rouge, LA. Inoculum 62(3):7.
• Hagen M, Harral J, Albu S, Paradis H, Gendron R, Stenmark K, West J. 2007. Endothelial BMPR2 dysfunction results in pulmonary perivascular inflammation and hypercoagulation. AM J. Physiol: Lung Cell Mol Physiol Jun: 292(6):L1473-9.