Steven Rideout
- Professor
Blacksburg, VA
Education
- Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, 2002
- M.S., Plant Pathology, Virginia Tech, 1998
- B.S., Botany, North Carolina State University, 1995
Program Focus
My position encompasses both a research and extension component (50%:50%) and is housed at Virginia Tech's Eastern Shore AREC in Painter, VA.
I have statewide extension responsibilities on vegetable crop diseases. With the wide array of vegetables grown in Virginia, our research program is one of the broadest and most diverse in country. Research trials are conducted in the field, greenhouse and laboratory annually on tomato, potato, snap bean, cucurbit, pepper, and cole crops annually. In addition to vegetables, research is also conducted on cotton, soybeans, corn, and wheat; all crops that are important to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Research results are disseminated in refereed journals, at professional meetings, and newsletters. Results are distributed to producers through Pest Management Guides, presentations at grower meetings, newspaper articles, and electronic newsletters. Generation of magnificent data is meaningless without proper dissemination.
Currently there is a great demand for students trained in applied plant pathology. Our program gives students and postdoctoral research associates the opportunity to be well rounded in this field through their involvement in our overall research program.
I also serve as the ESAREC's director effective January 10, 2012 after serving as it's interim associate director for one and a half years. It is my goal to better promote the activities of the ESAREC to our clientele locally, statewide, and regionally.
Current Projects
- “Enhancing QPRAM for Salmonella enterica on Vegetable Crops” – this project funded by the US FDA is an attempt to identify risky production practices that could lead to increased Salmonella contamination within vegetable crops.
- “Fungicide Usage on Field Crops” – these projects are funding through local commodity boards and agricultural industries aimed at better understanding fungicide use and timings in wheat, barley, soybeans, and corn.
Grant Proposals
- Dutta, B., S. Everhardt, D. Langston, C. Smart, and S. Rideout, 2020 – 2024. Enhancing resiliency of broccoli production by mitigating Alternaria leaf blight and head rot in the eastern United States. USDA-NIFA. Rideout Amount: $205,602.
Courses Taught
- AT 0434 - Pest Management: Insects, Disease and Weeds
- PPWS 4104 - Plant Pathology
- PPWS 5034 - Clinic and Field Experience
- PPWS 5204 - Plant Disease Management
- PPWS 5214 - Diseases of Crop Plants
- PPWS 5994 - Research and Thesis
- PPWS 6004 - Field PPWS
- PPWS 6004 - Graduate Student Introduction to Virginia Agriculture
- PPWS 7994 - Research and Dissertation
Other Teaching and Advising
During my tenure at Virginia Tech I have had three students graduate with M.S. degrees, one student graduate with a Ph.D. and have placed a post doctoral research associate. I currently advise a Ph.D. student, a post doctoral research associate, and a M.S. online student.
Experience
Associate Director of Extension | 2024-Present
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Professor and Extension Specialist | 2020-Present
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Director | 2012-2020
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Associate Professor | 2011-2020
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Interim Director | 2010-2011
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Assistant Professor | 2005-2011
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Research and Development Scientist | 2002-2005
Syngenta Crop Protection
Southern Regional Technical Center
Synergistic Activities
- American Phytopathological Society, Chair of Chemical Control Committee, 2015
- Lead Organizer of Annual Tomota Disease Workshop, 2007 and 2018
Program Focus
As a faculty member with a 50% extension appointment, it is essential that emphasis be placed on establishing strong communication outlets. A sound working relationship with cooperative extension agents and other area specialists is mandatory. Agents provide a direct link between producers and should be included in interactions when possible. This forum also allows an opportunity to instruct agents of current research findings. On-farm trials are also beneficial to extension agents and producers. Positive results from such trials can be demonstrated to the cooperating grower and the adjacent farming community. Field tours at the ESAREC and farms can be a beneficial avenue to expose new disease management practices. Presentations at local grower meeting and altering Virginia disease management recommendations according to research results are the ultimate method in which research results can benefit producers. Proper disease control tactics cannot be implemented unless the correct disease problems are identified. Annually the Eastern Shore Plant Disease Clinic assesses approximately 150 plant samples from producers and homeowners.
Diagnoses and recommendations are passed along to county agents and producers.
Current Projects
- Using Social Media to Enhance Extension Programming – Our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/vtesarecpp) has been growing over the past two years as an alternative venue to present recommendations, disease updates and other news.
- Ensuring Safe Production of Virginia-grown Tomatoes – Our research team is evaluating production systems to discover risky practices that may enhance the likelihood of human pathogens on tomato fruits.
- Virginia Tech Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Extension, 2021
- Distinguished Service Award, Virginia Association of Potato and Vegetable Growers, 2018
- Certificate of Appreciation, United States Food and Drug Administration, 2016
- Outstanding Extension Service Award, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, 2015
- Outstanding Extension Publication Award, co-author on Southeastern US Vegetable Production Guide. The American Society for Horticultural Science, 2009
- Certificate of appreciation from the United States Food and Drug Administration for the Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, 2009
- Global Innovation Award, Syngenta Crop Protection, 2005
Sutton, K., T. Kuhar, S. Rideout, S., Taylor, M. Reiter, A. Del Pozo-Valdivia, D. Reisig, and K. McIntyre. 2024. Simple Insecticide Bean-Dip Bioassay Shows Pyrethroid Susceptibility of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations in Virginia Varies across Locations and Years. Journal of Entomological Science 59:1-11.
Cook, C., Diekman, C. M., Weller, D. L., Murphy, C. M., Hamilton, A. M., Ponder, M., Boyer, R., Rideout, S., Maguire, R., Danyluk, M., and Strawn, L. K. 2023. Factors associated with foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms in agricultural soils. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS, 7, 12 pages. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2023.1269117
Sutton, K. L., Kuhar, T. P., Rideout, S. L., Taylor, S. V., Reiter, M. S., Del Pozo-Valdivia, A. I., Reisig, D., and McIntyre, K. 2023. Simple Insecticide Bean-Dip Bioassay Shows Pyrethroid Susceptibility of Helicoverpa zea; (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations in Virginia Varies across Locations and Years. Journal of Entomological Science. doi:10.18474/jes23-23
Gu, G., Murphy, C. M., Zheng, J., Nou, X., Rideout, S. L., & Strawn, L. K. 2023. Effects of Fumigation on the Reduction of Salmonella enterica in Soil. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 20(12), 563-569. doi:10.1089/fpd.2023.0031
Gu, G., C. Murphy, A. Hamilton, J. Zheng, X. Nou, S. Rideout, and L. Strawn. 2023. Effect of pesticide application on Salmonella survival on inoculated tomato leaves. Journal of Food Safety https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.13043.
Carneiro, R., K. Adie, D. Yu, M. Beverly, C. Neill, B. Zhang, T. Kuhar, S. Rideout, M. Reiter, H. Huang, S. O’Keefe, and S. Duncan. 2022. Understanding the role of overall appearance and color in consumers’ acceptability of edamame. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.738453.
Garcia-Gonzalez, J., H. Mehl, D. Langston, and S. Rideout. 2022. Planting date and cultivar selection to manage southern blight in potatoes in the mid-Atlantic United States. Crop Protection 162: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2022.106077.
Li, X., G. Welbaum, S. Rideout, W. Singer, and B. Zhang. 2022. Vegetable soybeans and its emergence in the United States. InTech Open: DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.102622.
Murphy, C., D. Weller, M. Reiter, C. Bardsley, J. Eifert, M. Ponder, S. Rideout, L. Strawn. 2022. Anaerobic soil disinfestation, amendment-type, and irrigation regimen influence Salmonella survival and die-off in agricultural soils. Journal of Applied Microbiology 132:2342-2354. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.15324.
Nieto-Lopez, E., D. Garcia, R. Bach, A. Petkar, C. Smart, C. Hoepting, D. Langston, S. Rideout, B. Dutta, and S. Everhart. 2022. Species identification and fungicide sensitivity of fungi causing Alternaria leaf blight and head rot in cole crops in the Eastern US. Plant Disease https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1318-SC.
Bardsley CA, Weller DL, Ingram DT, Chen Y, Oryang D, Rideout SL and Strawn LK. 2021. Strain, Soil-Type, Irrigation Regimen, and Poultry Litter Influence Salmonella Survival and Die-off in Agricultural Soils. Front. Microbiol. 12:590303. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.590303.
Carneiro R, Duncan S, O'Keefe S, Yu D, Huang H, Yin Y, Neill C, Zhang B, Kuhar T, Rideout S, Reiter M, Ross J, Chen P and Gillen A. 2021. Utilizing Consumer Perception of Edamame to Guide New Variety Development. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 4:556580. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.556580.
Gu G, Strawn LK, Ottesen AR, Ramachandran P, Reed EA, Zheng J, Boyer RR and Rideout SL. 2021. Correlation of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Irrigation Water to Environmental Factors, Fecal Indicators, and Bacterial Communities. Front. Microbiol. 11:557289. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.557289.
Lord, N., Kuhar, T., Rideout, S., Sutton, K., Alford, A., Li, X, Wu, X., Reiter, M., Doughty, H. and Zhang, B. 2021. Combining Agronomic and Pest Studies to Identify Vegetable Soybean Genotypes Suitable for Commercial Edamame Production in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. Agricultural Sciences, 12, 738-754. doi: 10.4236/as.2021.127048.
Gu, G., A. Ottesen, S. Bolten, Y. Luo, S. Rideout, and X. Nou. 2020. Microbiome convergence following sanitizer treatment and identification of sanitizer resistant species from spinach and lettuce rinse water. International Journal of Food Microbiology 318:108548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2019.108458.
Mechan Llontop M., P. Sharma, M. Aguilera Flores, S. Yang, J. Pollok, L. Tian, C. Huang, S. Rideout, L. Heath, S. Li, and B. Vinatzer. 2020. Strain-level identification of bacterial tomato pathogens directly from metagenomic sequences. Phytopathology 110:768-779.
Ottesen, A., P. Ramachandran, E. Reed, G. Gu, S. Gorham, D. Ducharme, M. Newell, S. Rideout, T. Turini, T. Hill, E. Strain, and E. Brown. 2019. Metagenome tracking biogeographic agroecology: Phytobiota of tomatoes from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Food Microbiology 79:132-136.
Gu, G., A. Ottesen, S. Bolten, L. Wang, Y. Lou, S. Rideout, S. Lyu, and X. Nou. 2019. Impact of routine sanitation on the microbiomes in a fresh produce processing facility. International Journal of Food Microbiology 294:31-41.
Bardsley, C., L. Truitt, R. Pfuntner, M. Danyluk, S. Rideout, and L. Strawn. 2019. Growth and Survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella on Whole and Sliced Cucumbers. Journal of Food Protection 82:301-309.
Bardsley, C., R. Boyer, S. Rideout and L. Strawn. 2019. Survival of Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of basil, cilantro, dill, and parsley plants. Food Control 95:90-94.
Mahovic, M., G. Gu, S. Rideout. 2013. Effects of pesticides on the decontamination of plant and human pathogenic bacteria in application water. Journal of Food Protection in press.
McAvoy, T., M. Paret, J. Freeman, S. Rideout, S. Olson. 2012. Grafting using hybrid rootstocks for management of bacterial wilt in field tomato production. HortScience 47:621-625.
Reiter, M., S. Rideout, J. Freeman. 2012. Nitrogen fertilizer and growth regulator impacts on tuber deformity, rot, and yield for Russet potatoes. International Journal of Agronomy, Vol. 2012, Article ID 348754, doi:10.1155/2012/348754.
Wimer A., S. Rideout, J. Freeman. 2011. Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Tomato Bacterial Wilt on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. HortTechnology 21:198-201.
Ojiambo P., G. Holmes, W. Britton, T. Keever, M. Adams, M. Babadoost, S. Bost, R. Boyles, M. Brooks, J. Damicone, M. Draper, D. Egel, K. Everts, D. Ferrin, A. Gevens, B. Gugino, M. Hausbeck, D. Ingram, T. Isakeit, T. Keinath, S. Kioke, D. Langston, Jr., M. McGrath, S. Miller, R. Mulrooney, S. Rideout, E. Roddy, K. Seebold, E. Sikora, A. Thornton, R. Wick, C. Wyenandt, S. Zhang. 2011. Cucurbit downy mildew ipmPIPE: A next generation web-based interactive tool for disease management and extension outreach. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2011-0411-01-RV.
Rideout, S. L., M. A. Hansen, N. F. Gregory, and T. A. Evans. 2011. First report of downy mildew of lima bean caused by Phytophthora phaseoli in Virginia. Plant Disease 95:71.
Wyenandt, C.A., S. L. Rideout, B. K. Gugino, M. T. McGrath, K. L. Everts and R. P. Mulrooney. 2010. Fungicide resistance management guidelines for the control of tomato diseases in the mid-atlantic and northeast regions of the United States. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2010-0827-01-MG.
Hintz, L. D., R. R. Boyer, M. A. Ponder. R. C. Williams, and S. L. Rideout. 2010. Recovery of Salmonella enterica Newport Introduced through irrigation water from tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) fruit, roots, stems, and leaves. HortScience 45:675-678.
Wyenandt, C. A., M. T. McGrath, S. L. Rideout, B. K. Gugino, K. L. Everts, and R. P. Mulrooney. 2009. Fungicide resistance management guidelines for cucurbit downy and powdery mildew control in the mid-atlantic and northeast regions of the United States. Crop Management doi:10.1094/CM-2009-0629-01-BR.
Wyenandt, C. A., S. L. Rideout, K. L. Everts, R. P. Mulrooney, and N. L. Maxwell. 2009. Development of a fungicide resistance management guide for vegetable growers in the mid-atlantic states. Crop Management doi:10.1094/CM-2009-0316-01-MG.
Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors:
PhD: Brenneman, Timothy, University of Georgia
MS: Johnson, Charles, Virginia Tech
Thesis Advisor and Postgraduate Scholar Sponsors over the Last Five Years:
Graduate Students: Jason Cooper (ANR Extension Agent, Rockingham Co., VA), Jose Garcia (R&D Scientist, FMC Corp, Sparks, GA), Heather Schronce (ANR Extension Agent, NC State), Keri Fulp (United State Marine Corp), Xiaoying Li (Current Ph.D. student), Carlos Saint-Prieux (Current Ph.D. student), Kemper Sutton (Postdoc, University of Georgia), Lauren Harrison (Current MS student), and Taylor Sermershein (Current MS student).
Total Number of Graduate Students advised: 9 in past 5 years, 17 over career
Postdoctoral Fellows:
Total Number of Postdoctoral Scholars Sponsored: 1 in past 5 years, 2 over career