James G. Menzies, Ph.D.

Image James Garner Menzies
Research Scientist - Phytopathologist

Research on the fungal smut pathogens of cereals, crown rust of oats and ergot on wheat, focused mostly on genetics.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Route 100, Unit 100-101, Morden, MB

Current research and/or projects

Identifying and characterizing sournces of resistance to the smut fungi in cereals, crown rust of oats and ergot of wheat.

Working to develop genetic markers for resistance to aid breeding programs.

Studying the genetics of the pathogens in terms of virulence to better understand the pathogen populations and provide informative advice to plant breeders.

 

Research and/or project statements

Genetics of resistance in wheat to ergot, oat to crown rust and cereals for the smut fungi.

Virulence assessement of collections of Puccinia coronata var avenae f. sp. avenae in western Canada (particularly Manitoba)

Assessment of resistance to the smut fungi, and crown rust in wheat, barley and oats to aid in development of new commercial cereal lines.

Professional activities / interests

Plant Pathology

Cereals

Genetics

Host-Pathogen interactions

Education and awards

Ph.D., University of Guelph, 1987

M.Sc. University of Manitoba, 1983

B.Sc. University of Winnipeg, 1979

Award for Outstanding Research, Canadian Phytopathological Society

International experience and/or work

Collaborative research projects with colleagues in the United Kingdom, the Unites States of America, Poland, China

Key publications

  1. Menzies, J.G., Xue, A.G., Dueck, R., and Gruenke, J. (2015). "Virulence of Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae in Canada, 2010 to 2013.", 14th International Cereal Rusts and Powdery Mildews Conference, Helsingør, Denmark, July 5-8, 2015, pp. 95. (Abstract)

    2015 - View publication details

  2. Kassa, M.T., Hiebert, C.W., You, F.M., Fobert, P., Jordan, M.C., Sharpe, A.G., Pozniak, C.J., Fetch Jr., T.G., Zegeye, T., Menzies, J.G., and McCartney, C. (2015). "Genetic mapping and marker development for high-throughput marker-assisted breeding for Ug99 stem rust resistance gene SrCad/Sr42.", Botany 2015, Shaw Convention Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 25-29, 2015.

    2015 - View publication details

  3. Kassa, M.T., You, F.M., Hiebert, C.W., McCallum, B.D., Cabral, A.L., Panwar, V., Pozniak, C.J., Fetch Jr., T.G., Zegeye, T., Menzies, J.G., Humphreys, D.G., Fobert, P., Sharpe, A.G., Jordan, M.C., and McCartney, C.A. (2015). "Targeting high impact wheat resistance genes for leaf rust, Ug99 stem rust and wheat midge.", Canadian Wheat Alliance Annual Science and Business Meeting (Invited), Saskatoon, SK, Canada, July 14-16, 2015. (Presentation)

    2015 - View publication details

  4. McCartney, C.A., Kassa, M.T., You, F.M., McCallum, B.D., Hiebert, C.W., Cabral, A.L., Panwar, V., Pozniak, C.J., Menzies, J.G., Humphreys, D.G., Fobert, P., Sharpe, A.G., and Jordan, M.C. (2015). "Progress towards sequencing the leaf rust resistance gene Lr16.", 9th International Wheat Conference 2015, Sydney, Australia, September 20-25, 2015.

    2015 - View publication details

  5. Kassa, M.T., Menzies, J.G., McCartney, C.A. (2015). Mapping of a resistance gene to loose smut (Ustilago tritici) from the Canadian wheat breeding line BW278, 35(9), http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-015-0369-3

    2015 - View publication details

  6. Vivancos, J., Labbé, C., Menzies, J.G., Bélanger, R.R. (2015). Silicon-mediated resistance of Arabidopsis against powdery mildew involves mechanisms other than the salicylic acid (SA)-dependent defence pathway. Molecular Plant Pathology, [online] 16(6), 572-582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12213

    2015 - View publication details

  7. Brown, P.D., Randhawa, H.S., Fetch, J.M., Meiklejohn, M., Fox, S.L., Humphreys, D.G., Green, D., Wise, I., Fetch, T., Gilbert, J., McCallum, B., Menzies, J. (2015). AAC Tenacious red spring wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 95(4), 805-810. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps-2015-011

    2015 - View publication details

  8. Brown, P.D., Randhawa, H.S., Fetch, J.M., Fox, S.L., Humphreys, D.G., Meiklejohn, M., Green, D., Wise, I., Fetch, T., Gilbert, J., McCallum, B., Menzies, J. (2015). AAC Foray red spring wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 95(4), 799-803. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps-2015-007

    2015 - View publication details

  9. Gnanesh, B.N., McCartney, C.A., Eckstein, P.E., Mitchell Fetch, J.W., Menzies, J.G., Beattie, A.D. (2015). Genetic analysis and molecular mapping of a seedling crown rust resistance gene in oat. Theoretical and Applied Genetics (TAG), [online] 128(2), 247-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00122-014-2425-5

    2015 - View publication details

  10. Menzies, J.G. and Turkington, T.K. (2015). "An overview of the ergot (Claviceps purpurea) issue in western Canada: challenges and solutions.", Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 37(1), pp. 40-51. doi : 10.1080/07060661.2014.986527

    2015 - View publication details

  11. Gnanesh, B.N., McCartney, C.A., Lin, Y., Beattie, A.D., Chong, J., Mitchell Fetch, J.W., Kutcher, H.R., Eckstein, P.E., Jackson, E.W., Menzies, J.G., and Parkin, I.A.P. (2014). "A major QTL for Adult Plant Crown Rust Resistance in Oat.", XXII Plant & Animal Genome Conference, Town & Country Convention Center, San Diego, CA, USA, January 10-15, 2014. (Poster)

    2014 - View publication details

  12. Kassa, M.T., You, F.M., McCallum, B.D., Hiebert, C.W., Cabral, A.L., Panwar, V., Menzies, J.G., Pozniak, C.J., Sharpe, A.G., Fobert, P., Jordan, M.C., and McCartney, C.A. (2014). "Fine Mapping of the Wheat Leaf Rust Resistance Gene Lr16.", XXII Plant & Animal Genome Conference, Town & Country Convention Center, San Diego, CA, USA, January 10-15, 2014.

    2014 - View publication details

  13. Cabral, A.L., Gnanesh, B.N., Mitchell Fetch, J.W., McCartney, C.A., Fetch Jr., T.G., Park, R.F., Menzies, J.G., McCallum, B.D., Nanaiah, G.K., and Goyal, A. (2014). "Oat Fungal Diseases and the Application of Molecular Marker Technology for Their Control.", in Goyal, A. and Manoharachary, C. - Future Challenges in Crop Protection Against Fungal Pathogens, Fungal Biology, Springer Science + Business Media, pp. 343-358.

    2014 - View publication details

  14. Menzies, J.G., Xue, A.G., Gruenke, J., Dueck, R., Saramaga, C., Popovic, Z., and Thomson, S. (2014). "Crown rust of oat in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and eastern Canada in 2013.", Canadian Plant Disease Survey, 94, pp. 132-134.

    2014 - View publication details

  15. Lin, Y., Gnanesh, B.N., Chong, J., Chen, G., Beattie, A.D., Mitchell Fetch, J.W., Kutcher, H.R., Eckstein, P.E., Menzies, J.G., Jackson, E.W., McCartney, C.A. (2014). A major quantitative trait locus conferring adult plant partial resistance to crown rust in oat. BMC Plant Biology, [online] 14(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12870-014-0250-2

    2014 - View publication details

  16. Menzies, J.G., Thomas, P.L., Woods, S. (2014). Incidence and severity of loose smut and surface-borne smuts of barley on the Canadian prairies from 1972 to 2009, 36(3), 300-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07060661.2014.927791

    2014 - View publication details

  17. Knox, R.E., Campbell, H.L., Clarke, F.R., Menzies, J.G., Popovic, Z., Procunier, J.D., Clarke, J.M., Depauw, R.M., Cuthbert, R.D., Somers, D.J. (2014). Quantitative trait loci for resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) to Ustilago tritici. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, [online] 36(2), 187-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07060661.2014.905497

    2014 - View publication details

  18. Legge, W.G., Tucker, J.R., Fetch, T.G., Haber, S., Menzies, J.G., Tekauz, A., Turkington, T.K., Savard, M.E. (2014). AAC synergy barley. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, [online] 94(4), 797-803. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/CJPS2013-307

    2014 - View publication details

  19. Guérin, V., Lebreton, A., Cogliati, E.E., Hartley, S.E., Belzile, F., Menzies, J.G., Bélanger, R.R. (2014). A zoospore inoculation method with Phytophthora Sojae to assess the prophylactic role of silicon on soybean cultivars. Plant Disease, [online] 98(12), 1632-1638. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-14-0102-RE

    2014 - View publication details

  20. Kassa, M.T., Menzies, J.G., McCartney, C.A. (2014). Mapping of the loose smut resistance gene Ut6 in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Molecular Breeding, [online] 33(3), 569-576. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-013-9973-2

    2014 - View publication details

Contact

Research facility

Morden Research and Development Centre
Route 100, Unit 100-101
Morden, MB R6M 1Y5
Canada

Expertise

Agriculture›Cereals
Plant›Pathology›Fungus

Affiliations

Laval University, Quebec, Quebec

Canadian Phytopathological Society

Language

English