Dilooshi Weerasooriya

Dilooshi Weerasooriya

  • Postdoctoral Scholar/Lab Manager
211 Buckhout Lab
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Plant disease epidemiology
  • Breeding, genetic and genomic approaches for plant disease resistance development
  • Statistical genomics

Websites

Education

  • Ph.D. Plant Breeding and Genetics, Kansas State University, 2016
  • M.S. Molecular and Applied Microbiology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2010
  • B.S. Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2008

Publications

Weerasooriya DK, Bandara AY, Dowell F and Tesso TT (2021). Growth, agronomic characteristics and nutritional attributes of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) genotypes resistant to ALS inhibitor herbicides. Accepted for publication in Plant Breeding. 140(3).

Weerasooriya DK, Gobena DD, Bandara AY, Dowell F, Peiris K, Bean S, Perumal R, Adee E, and Tesso T (2020). Performance of grain sorghum hybrids resistant to acetolactate Synthase (ALS) and acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase inhibitor herbicides. Crop Science. 2020: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20309

Bandara, A. Y., Weerasooriya, D. K., Murillo‐Williams, A., White, C. M., Collins, A. A., Bell, T. H., & Esker, P. D. (2020). Relationship between soybean yield from high and low yielding field sites and selected soil characteristics. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, 3(1), e20126.

Ananda Y. Bandara, Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya, Shawn P. Conley, Carl A. Bradley, Tom W. Allen, and Paul D. Esker (2020). Modeling the relationship between estimated fungicide use and disease-associated yield losses of soybean in the United States I: Foliar fungicides vs foliar diseases. PLoS ONE. 15(6): e0234390.

Ananda Y. Bandara, Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya, Carl A. Bradley, Tom W. Allen, and Paul D. Esker (2020). Dissecting the economic impact of soybean diseases in the United States over two decades. PLoS ONE. 15(4): e0231141.

Ananda Y. Bandara, Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya, Dereje D. Gobena, Daniel J. Hopper, Tesfaye T. Tesso, and Christopher R. Little (2020). Improving sweet sorghum for enhanced juice traits and biomass. Plant Breeding. 139:131–140.

Ananda Y. Bandara, Dilooshi K. Weerasooriya, Tesfaye T. Tesso, and Cristopher R. Little (2019). Stalk rot resistant sorghum genotypes are resilient to pathogen-mediated photosystem II quantum yield retardation. Crop Protection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.104852

Weerasooriya DK, Bean SR, Nugusu Y, Ioerger BP and Tesso TT (2018). The effect of genotype and traditional food processing methods on in-vitro protein digestibility and micronutrient profile of sorghum cooked products. PLoS ONE 13(9): e0203005

Tesso TT, Gobena DD, Duressa DO, Roozeboom K, Jagadish K, Perumal R, Serba DD and Weerasooriya DK. (2018).  Harnessing genetic/genomic resources to transform production and productivity of sorghum. In Achieving sustainable cultivation of sorghum Volume 1: Genetics, breeding and production techniques. (Ed.) B. Rooney. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Sawston, Cambridge, UK. ISBN-13: 9781786761200

Bandara YMAY, Weerasooriya DK, Liu S and Little CR (2018). The necrotrophic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina promotes charcoal rot susceptibility in grain sorghum through induced host cell wall degrading enzymes. Accepted - Phytopathology

Maulana F, Weerasooriya D and Tesso T (2017). Sorghum bicolor landrace collections from cooler regions of the world exhibit magnificent genetic differentiation and early season cold tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8:756

Bandara YMAY, Weerasooriya DK, Tesso TT, Prasad PVV and Little CR (2017). Stalk rot fungi affect grain sorghum yield components in an inoculation stage-specific manner. Crop Protection. 94:97-105

Bandara YMAY, Weerasooriya DK, Tesfaye TT and Little CR. Stalk rot fungi affect leaf greenness (SPAD) of grain sorghum in a genotype- and growth stage-specific manner (2016). Plant Disease. 100(10): 2062-2068

Weerasooriya DK, Maulana FR, Bandara AY, Tirfessa A, Ayana A, Mengistu G, Nouh K and Tesso TT (2016). Genetic diversity and population structure among sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, L.) germplasm collections from Western Ethiopia. African Journal of Biotechnology, 15(23): 1147-1158

Bandara YMAY, Weerasooriya DK, Tesso TT and Little CR (2016). Stalk rot diseases impact sweet sorghum biofuel traits (2016). BioEnergy Research, 10 (1): 26–35

Weerasooriya, DK. (2016). Genetic analysis of interveinal chlorosis and reduced seedling vigor as related to agronomic performance in sorghum resistant to ALS inhibitor herbicides. K-REx. Kansas State University

Bandara YMAY, Weerasooriya WWRWMDK and Wickramasinghe HAM (2009). DNA fingerprinting and phylogenetic study of some Indica rice varieties using SSR markers. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences. 3 (1): 1-6

First author of 15 conference publications

Publications Under Review
Duressa D, Bean S, Weerasooriya DK, Tilley M and Tesso T. Genetic Basis of Protein Digestibility in Grain Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Submitted - Crop Science

Tesso TT, Weerasoriya DK, Al-Khatib K, Tuinstra MR, Gobena DD, Thompson C, Jugulam M and Perumal R. Herbicide Resistance: An Alternative Approach for Managing Post Emergence Weeds in Sorghum. Submitted - InTech. ISBN 978-953-51-5282-8

Employment History

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2019 –Present
  • Research Technologist 2, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2018 – 2019
  • Postdoctoral research associate, Dept. of Agronomy, Kansas State University, 2016-2017 
  • Visiting research scientist, USDA-ARS, Manhattan, KS, 2016-2017
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Dept.  of Agronomy, Kansas State University, 2011 – 2016
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Agricultural Biology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2009 - 2010
  • Temporary Lecturer, Dept. of Agricultural Biology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 2008 - 2009

Awards and Scholarships

  • 2015 - First place, ACS528 Diversity poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2015 - Third place, C09 Biomedical, Health-Beneficial & Nutritionally Enhanced Plants graduate student poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2015 - Selected among top 10 presenters at the Research and the State poster competition to represent Kansas State University at the 13th Capitol Graduate Research Summit at Topeka, Kansas
  • 2015 - Second place, graduate student interdisciplinary oral presentation competition at 20th K-State Annual Research Forum, Manhattan, Kansas
  • 2014 - Second place, ACS528 Diversity poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Long Beach, California
  • 2014 - Third place, C2 Crop physiology and metabolism graduate student poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Long Beach, California
  • 2013 - Third place, ACS528 Diversity poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Tampa, Florida
  • 2014 - Love of Learning Award, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
  • 2015, 2016 - Don C. Warren Genetics Scholarship award, Kansas State University
  • 2015 NIGMS Travel fellowship, Statistical Genetics and Genomics course, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • 2015 - Konza and Manhattan Rotary Clubs International Graduate Student Scholarship, Kansas State University
  • 2015 - SICNA Scholarship, Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America
  • 2015 - International Coordinating Council Scholarship, Kansas State University
  • 2013, 2014 and 2015 - John H. Parker Scholarship, Kansas   State University
  • 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 - The Graduate Student Council travel award, Kansas State University
  • 2012 and 2014 - Dan M. Rodger's Scholarship, Kansas State University


Volunteer Work

  • TissuLyser Trainer, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2021 - Current
  • Safety Committee Member, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2021
  • Socila Committee Memeber, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 2018 – 2020
  • Judging panel - C08 division graduate student poster competition, Intl. Annu. Meetings of ASA, CSSA and SSSA - October 22-25, 2017, Tampa, Florida
  • Judging panel - science fair projects, St. Xavier High School, Junction City, Kansas on January 22, 2013