Research

This page highlights selected publications, recent outputs, and software contributions related to plant disease epidemiology, risk assessment, and quantitative plant health.

Recent publications

  1. Alves KS, Barro JP, Del Ponte EM (2025) Quantifying ENSO-mediated shifts in soybean rust impact: Yield loss dynamics and management implications in Brazil. Plant Pathology. Accepted.
  2. Alves KS, Shah DA, Dillard HR, Del Ponte EM, Pethybridge SJ (2025) Safer and Smarter: Leveraging Interpretation-Guided Modeling and Data Merging of Disease and Environmental Data for Plant Disease Risk Prediction. Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-01-25-0008-FI
  3. Gondo IRG, da Rocha MR, Gondo CY, Alves KS, dos Anjos BB, Moraes SPCB, Camara GR, Zucoloto M, Barbosa DHSG, Alves FR, Xavier AS, Silva SA, Moraes WB (2025) Temporal dynamics of guava root-knot nematode under the effect of different management methods. Crop Protection. 107012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2024.107012

Full publication list

  1. Alves KS, Barro JP, Del Ponte EM (2025) Quantifying ENSO-mediated shifts in soybean rust impact: Yield loss dynamics and management implications in Brazil. Plant Pathology. Accepted.
  2. Alves KS, Shah DA, Dillard HR, Del Ponte EM, Pethybridge SJ (2025) Safer and Smarter: Leveraging Interpretation-Guided Modeling and Data Merging of Disease and Environmental Data for Plant Disease Risk Prediction. Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-01-25-0008-FI
  3. Gondo IRG, da Rocha MR, Gondo CY, Alves KS, dos Anjos BB, Moraes SPCB, Camara GR, Zucoloto M, Barbosa DHSG, Alves FR, Xavier AS, Silva SA, Moraes WB (2025) Temporal dynamics of guava root-knot nematode under the effect of different management methods. Crop Protection. 107012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2024.107012
  4. Sparks AH, Ponte EMD, Alves KS, Foster ZSL, Grunwald NJ (2023) Openness and computational reproducibility in plant pathology: where we stand and a way forward. Phytopathology. 113:1159-1170. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-10-21-0430-PER
  5. da Silva Junior AL, Borges AV, da Silva HAO, Leite ICHL, Alves KS, de Medeiros LS, Abreu LM (2023) Lipopeptide-enriched extracts of Bacillus velezensis B157 for controlling tomato early blight. Crop Protection. 172:106317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2023.106317
  6. Queiroz MF, Alves KS, Paixao CF, Alfenas RF, Del Ponte EM, Alfenas AC (2023) Effect of rater instruction and standard area diagram structure on the accuracy of estimates of severity in Calonectria leaf blight. Tropical Plant Pathology. 48:452-462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-023-00580-x
  7. Alves KS, Rothmann LA, Del Ponte EM (2022) Linking climate variables to large-scale spatial pattern and risk of citrus Huanglongbing: a hierarchical Bayesian modeling approach. Phytopathology. 112:189-196. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-21-0219-FI
  8. Del Ponte EM, Cazon LI, Alves KS, Pethybridge SJ, Bock CH (2022) How much do standard area diagrams improve accuracy of visual estimates of the percentage area diseased? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Tropical Plant Pathology. 47:43-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-021-00479-5
  9. Del Ponte EM, Moreira GM, Ward TJ, O’Donnel K, Nicolli CP, Machado FJ, Duffeck MR, Alves KS, et al. (2022) Fusarium graminearum species complex: A bibliographic analysis and web-accessible database for global mapping of species and trichothecene toxin chemotypes. Phytopathology. 112:741-751. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-21-0277-RVW
  10. Lehner MS, Alves KS, Del Ponte EM, Pethybridge SJ (2022) Comparing the Fungicide Sensitivity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Using Mycelial Growth and Ascospore Germination Assays. Plant Disease. 106:360-363. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-21-1234-SC
  11. Alves KS, Del Ponte EM (2021) Analysis and simulation of plant disease progress curves in R: introducing the epifitter package. Phytopathology Research. 3:22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42483-021-00098-7
  12. Alves KS, Guimaraes M, Ascari JP, Queiroz MF, Alfenas RF, Mizubuti ESG, Del Ponte EM (2021) RGB-based phenotyping of foliar disease severity under controlled conditions. Tropical Plant Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-021-00448-y
  13. Ascari JP, Barro JP, Santana FM, Padua JM, Maciel JLN, […], Alves KS, Del Ponte EM (2021) Sequential Post-heading Applications for Controlling Wheat Blast: A Nine-year Summary of Fungicide Performance in Brazil. Plant Disease. 105:4051-4059. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-21-1183-RE
  14. Barro JP, Alves KS, Godoy CV, Dias AR, Forcelini CA, Utiamada CM, de Andrade Junior ER, et al. (2021) Performance of dual and triple fungicide premixes for managing soybean rust across years and regions in Brazil: a meta-analysis. Plant Pathology. 70:1920-1935. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13418
  15. Alves KS, Barro JP, Guimaraes M, Del Ponte EM (2021) Profitability of fungicide applications for managing soybean rust in scenarios of variable efficacy and costs: a stochastic simulation. Plant Pathology. 70:1354-1363. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13396
  16. da Silva HAO, Teixeira WD, Borges AV, Silva Junior AL, Alves KS, Rodrigues Junior OM, de Abreu LM (2021) Biocontrol of potato early blight and suppression of Alternaria grandis sporulation by Clonostachys spp. Plant Pathology. 70:1677-1685. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13402
  17. Alves KS, do Carmo LHM, Del Ponte EM (2020) Spatiotemporal spread of huanglongbing in commercial citrus orchards of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Tropical Plant Pathology. 45:668-679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-020-00398-x
  18. Franceschi VT, Alves KS, Mazaro SM, Godoy CV, Duarte HS, Del Ponte EM (2020) A new standard area diagram set for assessment of severity of soybean rust improves accuracy of estimates and optimizes resource use. Plant Pathology. 69(3):495-505.
  19. Duffeck MR, Alves KS, Machado FJ, Esker PD, Del Ponte EM (2020) Modeling yield losses and fungicide profitability for managing Fusarium head blight in Brazilian spring wheat. Phytopathology. 110(2):370-378.
  20. Alves KS, Da Rocha MR, Alves CHA, Polastreli JL, Camara GR, Silva WB, Moraes WB (2018) Modelagem da eficiencia do roguing sob diferentes frequencias de vistorias e taxas de infeccao em epidemias virais do mamoeiro. Scientia Agraria. 19:180-185.
  21. Cosmi FC, Alves KS, Moraes WB, Ventura JA, Moraes SPCB, Moraes WB, Jesus Junior WC (2017) Analise epidemiologica da evolucao temporal da meleira do mamoeiro. Summa Phytopathologica. 43(4):303-309. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0100-5405/169330

Software development

R packages

Notes

Shared first authorship is indicated in the original CV where applicable.