USDA-ARS -Throughput In Vitro Screening of Antimicrobial Compounds Against Phytoplasma in Cherry

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA-ARS-PWA-

11/6/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Pacific West Area (PWA) at the Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research Unit located in Wapato, Washington.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency with a mission to find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS will deliver cutting-edge, scientific tools and innovative solutions for American farmers, producers, industry, and communities to support the nourishment and well-being of all people; sustain our nation’s agroecosystems and natural resources;

and ensure the economic competitiveness and excellence of our agriculture. The vision of the agency is to provide global leadership in agricultural discoveries through scientific excellence.

The unit focuses on developing novel biological, molecular, and bio-intensive methods to control insect pests and plant pathogens affecting temperate tree fruits (apples, pears, and stone fruits like sweet cherries) and vegetable crops.

For more information on the agency, visit the USDA Agricultural Research Service Home Page.

You will engage in a collaborative research initiative focused on evaluating therapeutic interventions against Cherry X-disease (Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni), a major threat to sweet cherry and stone fruit production in the Pacific Northwest.

Under the mentorship of USDA-ARS research scientists, you will gain hands‑on experience utilizing an in vitro plant tissue culture and molecular screening platform to evaluate candidate therapeutic compounds (such as EPA-registered antimicrobials, antimicrobial peptides, or biologically active molecules) for their efficacy in suppressing phytoplasma titers.

Throughout this educational fellowship, you will have opportunities to receive training and gain practical experience in:

• Micropropagation & Plant Tissue Culture:
  Participating in the maintenance, subculturing, and propagation of micropropagated in vitro cherry plantlet culture systems under sterile laboratory conditions.
• Therapeutic Application & Assay Setup:
  Learning and applying protocols to incorporate test therapeutics into plantlet growth media or application systems to evaluate compound uptake and plant physiological responses.
• Molecular Diagnostics & Quantification:
  Collecting plant tissue samples and performing molecular diagnostic assays, including DNA/RNA extractions, end-point PCR, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR) to quantify pathogen dynamics and gene expression.
• Data Analysis & Synthesis:
  Learning to process, analyze, and interpret diagnostic dataset outputs using statistical tools and software to compare treatment efficacy and phytoplasma titer reductions over time.
• Scientific Communication &
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Collaborating with interdisciplinary research teams, presenting findings during internal research updates, and contributing data synthesis for peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, and technical reports.

This opportunity is designed to enhance your professional and technical skills in molecular plant pathology, bio-assay design, and sustainable crop protection methodologies in alignment with the scientific mission of the USDA-ARS.

The mentor for this opportunity is Marco Pitino (marco.pitino). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

September 14, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.