Dr. Frankie Crutcher's Studies and Speaking Topics

Dr. Frankie Crutcher started working at the Eastern Agriculture Research Center in Sidney in June 2016. She has a Bachelor's degree in Plant Biotechnology from Montana State University. She also has a Ph.D. in Genetics from Texas A&M University and did postdoctoral research for four years at the USDA-ARS Southern Plains Agricultural Research Unit.

Crutcher is now an Assistant Professor at the Eastern Ag Research Center and will be speaking on two separate topics at the EARC/MSU Extension Field Day on Wednesday, July 19th.

Crutcher has conducted several studies on Fusarium head blight this year. She will be giving recommendations on how to prevent Fusarium head blight and vomitoxin grain contamination. She also has some fungicide studies for control of Ascochyta blight in chickpeas and field peas. She will also provide and discuss recommendations for detection and fungicide application.

"After last year's Fusarium head blight outbreak in Eastern Montana, there have been many questions about how to detect and control the disease. We have both fungicide studies as well as spring wheat, durum, and barley breeding lines in the Fusarium head blight experimental plots. We will use the results we get from these experiments over the next couple of years to develop more tools for growers to lower vomitoxin levels in grain," explained Crutcher.

To hear more from Professors and Assistant Professors like Dr. Frankie Crutcher, you can attend the EARC/MSU Field Day on Wednesday, July 19th in Sidney.