Alyssa Collins, Ph.D.

Alyssa Collins, Ph.D.

  • Associate Research Professor
  • Director, Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center
The Pennsylvania State University
1446 Auction Road

Manheim, PA 17545

Areas of Expertise

  • Corn Disease
  • Soybean Disease
  • Wheat Disease
  • Hemp Production
  • Field Crops Disease Management

Education

  • Ph.D. Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware
  • M.S. Plant Pathology, NC State University
  • B.S. Biological Sciences, Cook College, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Areas of Interest

Disease management of agronomic crops; Fungicide efficacy; Integrated crop management for plant health; Industrial hemp production

Publications

Occurrence and Distribution of Common Diseases and Pests of US Cannabis: A Survey
Plant Health Progress, Munir, Misbakhul, Leonberger, Kimberly, Kesheimer, Katelyn, Bolt, Marguerite, Zuefle, Marion, Aronson, Emma, Ricciardi, Magdalena, Schluttenhofer, Craig, Joly, David, Smith, Henry, Coburn, Jacqueline, Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho, Jose, Rondon, Silvia, Smart, Christine, Collins, Alyssa, Garfinkel, Andrea, Gauthier, Nicole, 2023

Updated 2023 Fungicide Efficacy Tables, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2023

Occurrence and Distribution of Common Diseases and Pests of U.S. Cannabis: A Survey
Plant Health Progress, Munir, Misbakhul, Leonberger, Kimberly, Kesheimer, Katelyn, Bolt, Marguerite, Zuefle, Marion, Aronson, Emma, Ricciardi, Magdalena, Schluttenhofer, Craig, Joly, David, Smith, Henry S., Coburn, Jacqueline, Da Cunha Leme Filho, Jose Franco, Rondon, Silvia I., Smart, Christine D., Collins, Alyssa, Garfinkel, Andrea, Gauthier, Nicole A., 2023

Scouting for Stalk Rots in Corn, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2022

Reports of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome and Brown Stem Rot in PA
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2022

Reflecting on Tar Spot in 2022
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2022

When Was the Last Time You Checked Soybean Roots for Soybean Cyst Nematode?, Collins, Alyssa, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Esker, P, 2022

Don't Be Fooled by Tar Spot Look-alikes in Corn
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2022

Help Us Find Tar Spot of Corn Across Pennsylvania, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2022

Wheat Disease Loss Estimates from the United States and Ontario, Canada — 2021, Bowen, Kira, Faske, Travis, Koehler, Alyssa, Collins, Alyssa, 2022

Suspicious Early-season Symptoms in Small Grains and Cereal Forages, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2022

Spring is Here: Test Your Field for Soybean Cyst Nematode
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2022

Fusarium Head Blight of Small Grains in Pennsylvania: Unravelling Species Diversity, Toxin Types, Growth, and Triazole Sensitivity
Phytopathology, Duffeck, Maíra R., Bandara, Ananda Y., Weerasooriya, Dilooshi K., Collins, Alyssa A., Jensen, Philip J., Kuldau, Gretchen A., Del Ponte, Emerson M., Esker, Paul D., 2022

Upcoming “Scabinar” Focuses on Wheat & Barley Improvement, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2022

Home stretch: Evaluating your small grain crops
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Reed, Heidi, 2022

IPM Program for Soybean in Pennsylvania: A Comprehensive Approach to Controlling Invertebrate Pests, Weeds, and Diseases, Tooker, J, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Wallace, J, Esker, P., Tooker, J, Collins, A, Wallace, J, 2022

Sun’s Up, Soil’s Dry: Let’s Sample for Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN)
Field Crop News, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Esker, P, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Harvest Time Corn Ailments
Field Crop News, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2021

Corn Ear Rots and Mycotoxins
Field Crop News, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2021

Fusarium head blight of small grains in Pennsylvania: unravelling species diversity, toxin types, growth and triazole sensitivity
Phytopathology, Duffeck, Maira, Bandara, Ananda, Weerasooriya, Dilooshi, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Tar Spot: A New Corn Disease for Pennsylvania
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2021

Pay Attention to Uneven Soybean Stands – Reports of Stem Diseases Increasing
Field Crop News, Esker, P, Collins, Alyssa, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2021

First Report of Tar Spot of Maize (Zea mays) Caused by Phyllachora maydis in Pennsylvania
Plant Disease, Collins, A. A., Bandara, A. Y., May, S. R., Weerasooriya, D. K., Esker, P. D., 2021

Scout Now for Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN): The Hidden Enemy
Field Crop News, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Esker, P, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Mitigating Production Risks in Hemp for Fiber, Grain, and Essential Oils, Snyder, Krystal, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Low Risk for Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2021

On Manufacturing Carbon Negative Materials to Reduce Embodied Emissions in Buildings, Gevaudan, J, Costello, C, Napolitano, R, Reinhart, W, Brown, N, Vasco-Correa, J, Colburn, J, 2021

Grain Quality Is Key for Malting Barley Production and Marketing
Field Crop News, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Borrelli, Kristi, Esker, P, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Hemp Permitting Season is Here
Field Crop News, Collins, Alyssa, 2021

Soybean Yield Loss Estimates Due to Diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada, from 2015 to 2019
Plant Health Progress, Bradley, Carl A., Allen, Tom W., Sisson, Adam J., Bergstrom, Gary C., Bissonette, Kaitlyn, Bissonnette, Kaitlyn M., Bond, Jason, Byamukama, Emmanuel, Chilvers, Martin I., Collins, Alyssa, Damicone, John P., Dorrance, Anne E., Dufault, Nicholas S., Esker, Paul D., Faske, Travis R., Fiorellino, Nicole M., Giesler, Loren J., Hartman, Glen L., Hollier, Clayton A., Isakeit, Tom, Jackson-Ziems, Tamra A., Jardine, Douglas J., Kelly, Heather M., Kemerait, Robert C., Kleczewski, Nathan M., Koehler, Alyssa M., Kratochvil, Robert J., Kurle, James E., Malvick, Dean K., Markell, Samuel G., Mathew, Febina M., Mehl, Hillary L., Mehl, Kelsey M., Mueller, Daren S., Mueller, John D., Nelson, Berlin D., Overstreet, Charles, Padgett, G. Boyd, Price, Paul P., Sikora, Edward J., Small, Ian, Smith, Damon L., Spurlock, Terry N., Tande, Connie A., Telenko, Darcy E.P., Tenuta, Albert U., Thiessen, Lindsey D., Warner, Fred, Wiebold, William J., Wise, Kiersten A., 2021

2021 Wheat fungicide ratings available
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2021

The home stretch: Evaluating your small grain crop
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Reed, Heidi, Clark, Brittany, 2021

Pennsylvania tar spot update
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2021

Heads up, barley heads are out!
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2021

Fungicide considerations for corn and soybean
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2021

Recovery Plan for Tar Spot of Corn, Caused by Phyllachora maydis
Plant Health Progress, da Silva, Camila Rocco, Check, Jill, MacCready, Joshua S., Alakonya, Amos E., Beiriger, Robert, Bissonnette, Kaitlyn M., Collins, Alyssa Anne, Cruz, C. D., Esker, Paul D., Goodwin, Stephen B., Malvick, Dean, Mueller, Daren S., Paul, Pierce, Raid, Richard, Robertson, Alison E., Roggenkamp, Emily, Ross, Tiffanna J., Singh, Raksha, Smith, Damon L., Tenuta, Albert U., Chilvers, Martin I., Telenko, Darcy E.P., 2021

Updated fungicide efficacy for control of corn diseases available
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2021

Assessing winter wheat stands and snow molds
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2021

2021-2022 The Agronomy Guide, Collins, Alyssa, 2020

Forage Diseases, Collins, Alyssa, Santangelo, Nicole, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2020

What are mycotoxins?, Collins, Alyssa, 2020

2020 Penn State Flower Trials, Collins, Alyssa, 2020

Fusarium Head Scab Update, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2020

Root Rot in Woody Ornamentals, Collins, Alyssa, 2020

Corn yield loss estimates due to diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada, from 2016 to 2019
Plant Health Progress, Mueller, Daren, Wise, Kiersten, Sisson, Adam, Allen, Tom, others (37 total authors), None, Bergstrom, Gary, Bissonnette, Kaitlyn, Bradley, Carl, Byamukama, Emmanuel, Chilvers, Martin, Collins, Alyssa A., Esker, Paul D., Faske, Travis, Friskop, Andrew, Hagan, Austin, Heiniger, Ron, Hollier, Clayton, Isakeit, Tom, Jackson-Ziems, Tamra, Jardine, Douglas, Kelly, Heather, Kleczewski, Nathan, Koehler, Alyssa, Koenning, Steve, Malvick, Dean, Mehl, Hillary, Meyer, Ron, Paul, Pierce, Peltier, Angie, Price, Paul, Robertson, Alison, Roth, G, Sikora, Edward, Smith, Damon, Tande, Connie, Telenko, Darcy, Tenuta, Albert, Thiessen, Lindsey, Wiebold, William, 2020

Multifaceted approaches to managing Fusarium head blight in small grains in PA
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Murillo Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Borrelli, Kristy, Antle, Mark, Duffeck, Maíra, Weerasooriya, Dilooshi, Bandara, Ananda, 2020

Preparing to manage barley diseases
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2020

Scouting small grains diseases for improved fungicide decision making
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Collins, A, Murillo Williams, Adriana, 2020

Growing Hemp in PA: What’s new for 2020, Collins, Alyssa, Graybill, Jeff, Snyder, Krystal, 2020

Tar spot: A new corn disease for Pennsylvania
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2020

Soybean fields firing early? There may be more to the story...
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2020

Is soybean cyst nematode (SCN) in your fields? Sample now and find out
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2020

Keep your eye on Fusarium head blight risk in Pennsylvania
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2020

White mold in soybeans Sporecaster forecasts and scouting 2020 results
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, McFeaters, Tyler, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, McFeaters, Tyler, 2020

Evaluating late season diseases in small grains
Field Crop News, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2020

Get out your shovels: This is a great time to scout for soybean cyst nematode
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2020

Relationship between soybean yield from high and low yielding field sites and selected soil characteristics
Agrosystems, Geosciences and Environment, Bandara, Ananda Y., Weerasooriya, Dilooshi K., Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, White, Charles M., Collins, Alyssa A., Bell, Terrence H., Esker, P., 2020

Reports of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS)
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, 2020

Fall is a perfect time to sample for plant parasitic nematodes in field crops
Field Crop News - Penn State Extension, Murillo Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2019

Manipulating Wild and Tamed Phytobiomes: Challenges and Opportunities
Phytobiomes Journal, Collins, Alyssa, Bell, Terrence H, Hockett, Kevin, Esker, P, Alcala-Briseno, Ricardo, Gugino, B, Alcalá-Briseño, Ricardo, Barbercheck, Mary, Peter, K, Beattie, Gwyn, Bruns, Mary Ann, Carlson, John, Chung, Taejung, Collins, A, Emmett, Bryan, Esker, Paul, Garrett, Karen, Glenna, Leland, Gugino, Beth K., Del Mar Jiménez-Gasco, María, del Mar Jimenez Gasco, M, Jimenez Gasco, Maria del Mar, Kinkel, Linda, Kovac, Jasna, Kowalski, Kurt, Kowalski, Kurt, Leveau, Johan, Myrick, J, Kuldau, Gretchen, Peter, K, Leveau, Johan, Michalska-Smith, Matthew, Salazar, Maria, Myrick, Jessica, Shade, Ashley, Peter, Kari, Stopnisek, Nejc, Tan, Xiaoqing, Vivanco Salazar, Maria fernanda, Salazar, Maria, Shade, Ashley, Welty, Amy, Stopinsek, Nejc, Stopnisek, Nejc, Wickings, Kyle, Yergeau, Etienne, Tan, Xiaoqing, Welty, Amy, Wickings, Kyle, Wickings, Etienne, Yergeau, Etienne, 2019

Scouting and quantifying Fusarium head blight in small grains, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2019

Managing the Damage: Understanding Soybean Harvest Quality, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2018

Prepare Now for Small Grain Planting Season, Sylvester, Philip, Miller, Jarrod, Whaley, Cory, Shober, Amy, VanGessel, Mark, Cissel, Bill, Collins, Alyssa, 2018

Soybean Sudden Death and Brown Stem Rot: How to Tell the Difference, Collins, Alyssa, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2018

Avoiding Mycotoxins in Grain Corn and Silage, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2018

Be on the Lookout for White Mold, Collins, Alyssa, 2018

Evaluating the profitability of foliar fungicide programs in mid-atlantic soft-red winter wheat production
Plant Disease, Sylvester, Phillip N., Lana, Felipe Dalla, Mehl, Hillary L., Collins, Alyssa A., Paul, Pierce A., Kleczewski, Nathan M., 2018

White mold consideratons in 2018, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2018

Assess Your Wheat for Scab, Collins, Alyssa, 2018

Keeping your small grains clean, Collins, Alyssa, Sylvester, Philip, 2018

Making small grain fungicide decisions, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, P, 2018

Corn ear rots and mycotoxins, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

Plant parasitic nematodes explained, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

Bin-run seed: Associated risks for soybean production, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

Scouting for White Mold in Soybean, Collins, Alyssa, Esker, Paul, 2018

Soybean stem diseases: What are the different symptoms and signs?, Esker, Paul, Collins, A, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2018

A soggy situation for plant disease, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, 2018

Wheat and barley diseases: What is in your seed?, Murillo-Williams, Adriana, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

What to do if you have scab?, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

When to pull the trigger on wheat fungicide, Collins, A, Esker, Paul, 2018

Barley Yellow Dwarf Prevention Happens Now, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Plan now for a healthy small grain crop, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Diseases to look for in corn, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

It’s Time to Talk Diseases in Corn and Beans, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Small Grain Disease Update, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Are you going to spray your wheat?, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Wheat Scab Risk Update : Yes, it’s wet, but scab risk is still low., Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Wheat Diseases of All Stripes, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Don’t let your small grains and forages catch you by surprise—scout now!, Collins, Alyssa, 2017

Soybean yield loss estimates due to diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada, from 2010 to 2014
Plant Health Progress, Allen, Tom W., Bradley, Carl A., Sisson, Adam J., Byamukama, Emmanuel, Chilvers, Martin I., Coker, Cliff M., Collins, Alyssa A., Damicone, John P., Dorrance, Anne E., Dufault, Nicholas S., Esker, Paul D., Faske, Travis R., Giesler, Loren J., Grybauskas, Arvydas P., Hershman, Donald E., Hollier, Clayton A., Isakeit, Tom, Jardine, Douglas J., Kelly, Heather M., Kemerait, Robert C., Kleczewski, Nathan M., Koenning, Steve R., Kurle, James E., Malvick, Dean K., Markell, Samuel G., Mehl, Hillary L., Mueller, Daren S., Mueller, John D., Mulrooney, Robert P., Nelson, Berlin D., Newman, Melvin A., Osborne, Larry, Overstreet, Charles, Padgett, Guy B., Phipps, Patrick M., Price, Paul P., Sikora, Edward J., Smith, Damon L., Spurlock, Terry N., Tande, Connie A., Tenuta, Albert U., A.Wise, Kiersten, Allen Wrather, J., 2017

Ear Rots in Your Corn Crop?, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Investing now for clean grain in June, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Timely new factsheets about corn ear rots available., Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Should you apply fungicides in your soybeans?, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Reduction of Salmonella populations on cucumber fruit by application of lytic bacteriophages
American Society for Microbiology ASM Microbe 2016, Sharma, Manan, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Malting Barley in Pennsylvania, Collins, Alyssa, Roth, G, Kirt, Austin, 2016

Are you looking at smut on the job? (Smut diseases of wheat and barley), Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Wheat Watching: Disease, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Early Season Wheat & Barley Health, Collins, Alyssa, 2016

Corn yield loss estimates due to diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada from 2012 to 2015
Plant Health Progress, Mueller, Daren S., Wise, Kiersten A., Sisson, Adam J., Allen, Tom W., Bergstrom, Gary C., Bosley, D. Bruce, Bradley, Carl A., Broders, Kirk D., Byamukama, Emmanuel, Chilvers, Martin I., Collins, Alyssa, Faske, Travis R., Friskop, Andrew J., Heiniger, Ron W., Hollier, Clayton A., Hooker, David C., Isakeit, Tom, Jackson-Ziems, Tamra A., Jardine, Douglas J., Kelly, Heather M., Kinzer, Kasia, Koenning, Steve R., Malvick, Dean K., McMullen, Marcia, Meyer, Ron F., Paul, Pierce A., Robertson, Alison E., Roth, Gregory W., Smith, Damon L., Tande, Connie A., Tenuta, Albert U., Vincelli, Paul, Warner, Fred, 2016

Start Clean and Stack the Deck Against Cereal Killers, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Early small grain planting increases risk for Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Late Season Soybean Diseases, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

What’s the Deal With Frogeye Leaf Spot?, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

How to decide about fungicides, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Identification is a key to disease management, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Disease Update (Mostly Corn), Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Evaluating your wheat crop for disease, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Resources for fighting the good fight against crop disease, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

New Publication available from extension: Identifying Wheat Diseases Affecting Heads & Grain, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Be on the Lookout for Snow Molds in Small Grains, Collins, Alyssa, 2015

Selecting your 2015 seed with disease in mind., Collins, Alyssa, 2014

So you’ve got white mold…, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

When it comes to corn diseases, a little genetics can go a long way., Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Nematode Testing Services, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Weird soybean symptoms on top? Look down below!, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

What You Can Do Now to Reduce DON in 2015., Collins, Alyssa, 2014

What to bear in mind when considering an early fungicide application on corn., Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Assess Your Wheat for Scab, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Fusarium Head Blight Update, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Capture the Flag (Leaf), Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Wheat Disease Considerations, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Submitting a Sample to the Plant Disease Clinic, Collins, Alyssa, 2014

Timing of Foliar Fungicide Applications of Wheat, Collins, Alyssa, 2014