By Andy Jones Daily Evergreen staff Lindsey du Toit knows what diseases are in your food. And for her efforts in plant pathology at WSU, she has now been awarded her second endowment.

Du Toit, a plant pathologist at WSU’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mt. Vernon, has been studying vegetable seeds at WSU since 1998.

Plant pathology is the study of the conditions, processes or results of diseases within plants.

Du Toit, who received a similar four-year award in 2001, said the endowment is worth $10,000 annually. The money was allocated by the Alfred Christianson Seed Co. Du Toit is one of two plant pathologists at the NWREC. “We are excited about the future of this organization,” said Debra Inglis, interim director for the NWREC. “We think we will now only be better at serving the agricultural needs of the region and the state.” The funding will be used for new equipment at the center’s research labs, du Toit said.

The endowment was established in 1926 by the Alfred Christianson Seed Co. Each year, the endowment is given to a scholar in vegetable seed sciences.

The Mt. Vernon-based company sells to seeds to more than 90 different countries, du Toit said. Northwest Washington is one of the world’s leading areas for vegetable seed production.

At the NWREC, du Toit uses test seeds to identify pathogens – microorganisms or viruses that cause disease – in a variety of vegetables, including spinach, cabbage, onion and carrots.

One way scientists research pathogens in spinach seeds is to grow fungi on the seeds, du Toit said. The seeds are first soaked in a petri dish to grow the fungi and then frozen to eliminate the seeds. The fungi is then studied for two weeks in a growth chamber so the spores can be identified. By researching the spores, the source of the pathogens can be identified, du Toit said. With this information, scientists can gain a better understanding of how to protect vegetable seeds from diseases.

Plant pathology is offered for graduate and doctoral students in the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, said Tim Murray, department chair of plant pathology. Twenty-six students are currently enrolled in the program.

Though classes are open for the students in Pullman, many students study at the university’s extension centers in Wenatchee, Prosser, Puyallup and Mt. Vernon, Murray said. WSU also has 20 faculty members for plant pathology, eight of whom are currently studying at extension centers.

“[Du Toit’s research] is extremely-high-value agriculture,” Murray said. “The support Lindsey gets from the Christianson family helps her fulfill her potential.”