New Nematode Named After Ohio Plant Pathologist
In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture
After three years of studying batch after batch of discolored beech leaves from Cleveland Metroparks, plant pathologist David McCann finally found the culprit: microscopic nematodes feeding on the plant.
Unaware at the time, McCann was the very first (in the world!) to find this particular subspecies of roundworm. Testing later revealed that he had discovered a new nematode.
Since that globally significant discovery in September 2017, McCann has spoken at conferences and received the Center of Science Industry’s (COSI) 2020 STEM Star Award, which honors champions in science. Most staggering, the new nematode subspecies was named after him: Litylenchus crenatae mccannii.
“Having an organism named after me is really the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me,” says McCann, who runs the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s plant diagnostic lab. “Having your name go into perpetuity is cool, and I did it for my parents as much as anything else.”
McCann had more than 15 years of experience in plant pathology when he made this microscopic discovery, which was easily mistaken for hair naturally found on the backs of leaves. The finding helps diagnose and treat black-striped leaves symbolic of beech leaf disease, predominantly found in northeast Ohio, since 2012. Nematode injury makes American beech trees vulnerable to further damage and potential death from fungi, insects, inclement weather, and nitrogen deficiencies.
See more: Ohio Heifer Center Researches for the Future
“I would have never found this without the proper education,” says McCann, whose path to obtaining his doctorate at age 50 was anything but typical.
At 16 years old, McCann dropped out of high school. When he was 30 years old, he enrolled in a California community college after working as a pipe fitter. McCann then transferred to earn his bachelor’s degree in forestry at Humboldt State University in California. Finally, he moved to the East Coast to attain his master’s and doctorate degrees in plant and soil sciences from West Virginia University.
“I wanted an education that had something to do with trees,” McCann says. “I went camping in the Sierra mountains all the time, and I loved it out there. I wanted to get paid for using my mind and not my body.”
When the opportunity arises, McCann encourages young people to obtain an education.
“I tell kids all the time – the most important thing that you can do is get an education,” he says. “It doesn’t matter when. It’s really never too late.”
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That is really impressive.