Masaki Shimono works at the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources as a research scientist. He studies beneficial microbes to improve and mitigate disease in potatoes during storage and has joined Patricia Santos, assistant professor of plant-microbe interactions in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, in her lab to conduct research for the food industry.
Shimono, an expert in resistance mechanisms of plants against bacteria, is looking into how long-term storage conditions affect potatoes in terms of water loss and disease decay due to plant pathogens. Soft and dry rot, caused by bacterium and fungus, respectively, are two important diseases being investigated.
Source: unr.edu