Title: Professor & Extension Plant Pathologist
Organization: Texas A&M AgriLife
Web: http://plantclinic.tamu.edu

Dr. Kevin Ong serves as the Associate Department Head in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology at Texas A&M University in College Station, overseeing its Extension programs. His areas of expertise include plant diagnostics, diseases of ornamentals and tree fruits.  He received his PhD in Plant Pathology from Clemson University and joined Texas A&M in 2002 as the Extension Urban Plant Pathologist based at the Dallas Research & Extension Center.  In 2008, he moved to College Station to direct the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M College Station (TPDDL).  The Extension Plant Pathology & Microbiology (ExtPLPM) unit that he leads provide plant health support to stakeholders in Texas and beyond.  Dr. Ong continues to work with Texas Department of Agriculture and the USDA-APHIS-PPQ in areas related to pest/pathogen surveillance, management and quarantines. 

His applied research program targets a diversity of pathosystems with focus on the development, validation and optimization of pathogen detection methods, and development and implementation of best management practices to minimize and/or manage disease incidences.  His recent applied research programs include works in rose diseases and virus tested roses (National Clean Plant Network Rose) and seed health testing methodologies for ToBRFV on tomatoes and peppers.