Dr Deena Errampalli is a Research Scientist in Plant Pathology at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC's) London Research and Development Centre in Vineland Station, Ontario, Canada. She is also the Test-Site Manager for AAFC's Minor Use Pesticide Program at the Vineland site where she manages trials for insect pests, diseases and weed control on minor use crops. Deena is a plant pathologist with over 30 years of experience in agricultural research in India, the USA and Canada. In the 1980s, she worked on the development of viral disease resistant germplasm of pulses (pigeonpea and chickpea) at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru, India. Deena obtained her PhD in Plant Pathology from Oklahoma State University, USA, in 1990. There she met her husband, who is an engineer and Canadian, and followed her heart by moving to Burlington, Ontario, Canada in 1992. She joined AAFC in 1998 after completing postdoctoral positions at the University of Toronto Mississauga and University of Guelph. Deena has been conducting research on integrated pest management (IPM) of postharvest temperate tree fruits, grape, and potato diseases with cultural, biological and/or chemical control methods in Canada. She has published 35 refereed journal publications, 6 book chapters, 190 Pest Management Research Reports, 60 confidential reports and 15 articles in popular grower magazines and newsletters and has made over 200 presentations at regional, national and international scientific conferences. Deena is an Adjunct Professorwithin the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. In her leisure time, Deena enjoys travelling with her husband and creating art. She is a fine art painter, printmaker and photographer. Not surprisingly, agriculture sometimes enters into her art. She has exhibited her artwork in solo and group art exhibitions with agriculture themes. Deena was the President of the Canadian Phytopathological Society from 2014 to 2015. She is currently (from 2015 to 2019) the President of the Plant Canada Federation of Canadian Plant Science societies, an umbrella organization for Canadian plant science societies. Plant Canada is a founding member of the Global Plant Council (GPC).

phytopathology, plant sciences, environmental sciences