Francesca Peduto Hand

Francesca Peduto Hand studies plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens affecting ornamental, agricultural, and wild plants, with a focus on identifying new disease-causing organisms, understanding how diseases spread, and developing detection and management strategies. Much of the work centers on diseases of ornamental crops (like boxwood, phlox, holly, and gladiolus) as well as pathogens such as downy mildew, powdery mildew, and the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. The research combines field surveys, laboratory diagnostics, and molecular detection tools (such as qPCR) to characterize plant pathogens and evaluate disease control methods.

Publication output has been fairly steady over the last decade, with a notable peak in 2020 (10 papers) followed by a moderate decline to about 3 papers per year in 2024-2025.

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 from public bibliographic data · Jul 20, 2026