I See Dead Plants

The I See Dead Plants Podcast features the stories of people and plants, pests and pathogens, and the conflicts among them. Join us as we speak to the folks who are helping the rest of us live healthier, more productive lives through pest management research and education. I See Dead Plants is created by the Crop Protection Network and hosted by Ed Zaworski. The Crop Protection Network is a product of land grant universities.

(S5:E15) Aisles Under Attack: Food Distribution and Plant Pests 07/29/2026

(S5:E14) What's Lurking in the Lettuce? 07/22/2026

(S5:E13) Cultivating Connections: Leading Extension Across Diverse Agricultural Systems 07/08/2026

(S1:E3) Alternate Hosts: What's Up with Fireflies? 07/03/2026

(S5:E12) Seeing the Unseen: New Technologies for Studying Plant-Parasitic Nematodes 06/17/2026

(S5:E12) Seeing the Unseen: New Technologies for Studying Plant-Parasitic Nematodes In this episode Ed interviews of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. They discuss how Sebastian and his lab are using tech such a machine learning and 3d printing to gather data regarding plant parasitic nematodes. Additional Resources List of Contributors: Siyuan Wei, Jie Zhou, Olaf Prosper Kranse, Unnati Sonawala, Gang Sun, Ziyang He, Beatrice Senatori, Clement Pellegrin, Andrea Díaz-Tendero Bravo, Roberta Healey, Victor Hugo Moura de Souza, Vincent C.T. Hanlon, George Harpum, Tithira Wijayathilake, Adela Gaja Jezierska-Suwinska, Anika Damm, Kerry VerMeulen, Thomas Baum, Lida Derevnina, Ji Zhou, Sebastian Eves-van den Akker. Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction and Background of the Speaker 02:45 Sebastian's Journey into Plant Sciences 05:43 Exploring Nematodes and Their Impact 08:54 Research Focus: Cyst Nematodes and Their Mechanisms 11:40 Drivers of Nematode Research in the UK 14:34 Innovative Methods in Nematode Research 17:47 High-Throughput Imaging and AI in Research 20:31 Logistics of Large-Scale Experiments 24:28 The Greenhouse Imaging Project 26:48 The Challenges of Lab Work 29:57 Designing the Imaging Machine 33:14 Collaborative Engineering in the Lab 36:23 AI and Nematode Detection 42:08 Building Growth Curves from Data 43:51 Nematode Interactions: Cooperation or Competition? 45:47 Genetic Screening for Nematode Traits 49:29 Future Directions: AI and Nematode Research 51:54 Innovations in Screening Technology 55:36 Communication Between Plants and Animals 56:28 Advancements in Nematode Management 01:00:26 Understanding Nematodes as Orphan Diseases 01:07:50 outro with logo.mp4 Zaworski, E. (Host) and Eves-van den Akker, S. (Interviewee). S5:E12 (Podcast). Seeing the Unseen: New Technologies for Studying Plant-Parasitic Nematodes. 6/17/2026. In I See Dead Plants. Crop Protection Network. /episode/index/show/08dbec9a-1b86-4c76-8583-04dba2d1cb2c/id/41655595