F. William Zettler - CV

Professor (50% Research, 50% Teaching)

Education:

Penn State University, B.S., 1961

Cornell University M.S., 1964, Ph.D., 1966

Employment:

University of Florida, Assistant Professor, 1966-1972
University of Florida, Associate Professor, 1972-1976
University of Florida, Professor, 1976-present

Teaching Activities:

  • Courses Taught Biennially: Transmission of Plant Pathogens by Vectors, 5000-level (1969-1976); plant virology, PLP 6223 & PLP 4222 (1966-1991)
  • Courses Taught Annually: Plants, Plagues & People, PLP 2000 (1990-present); general plant pathology, PLP 3002 & PLP 5005 (1994-present); Seminar in Plant Pathology, PLP 4931 (1996-present).
  • Guest Lecturer: Plant virology, PLP 6223 & PLP 4222 (biennially since 1993); Tropical Plant Pathology, PLP 5023 (biennially since 1993); Mennonite Central Committee's Transcultural Seminar Series (annually from 1976-1983).
  • Plant Virology Short Courses Presented: Bolivia (1983) and Ecuador (1989)
  • Chair or Co-Chair of Supervisory Committees: Career totals, 3 M.Ag., 11 M.S., 7 Ph.D. Since 1990, 2 M.Ag., 1 M.S., 4 Ph.D. Committee Member: Career Totals, 1 M.Ag., 16 M.S., 44 Ph.D.
  • Graduate and Undergraduate Coordinator: Since 1991 and 1993, respectively.
  • Consultant: Prepared a five-part set of audiovisual teaching programs consisting of 489 illustrations and 5 narrative cassettes for incoming employees of Twyford Plants, Inc. (1987).
  • Accomplishments: Created (with Dr. C.A. Baker) the department's first lower division course (PLP 2000), which currently has the highest annual enrollment of any course in our Department. Created (with IFAS Editorial) both the graduate and undergraduate plant pathology recruitment brochures.

Research Activities:

  • Responsibilities: Identification and Control of Viruses Infecting Ornamental and Related Crops.
  • Career Publications: Chapters in books or reviews: 19; Research Papers (refereed): 53; Research Papers (not refereed): 23; Abstracts: 67; Other Publications: 56.
  • Postdoctorates:
    M.M. Abo El-Nil (now Senior Scientist, Kuwait, Institute of Scientific Research, Safat, Kuwait)
    R. Charudattan (now Professor, Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida)

Accomplishments:

Described several new viruses of plants, including dasheen mosaic potyvirus, which proved to be the world's most widespread and serious viral pathogen of foliage ornamentals and edible aroid root crops. Developed plant tissue culture and other management strategies that are now being routinely used commercially to control this and other pathogens of foliage ornamentals and flowering ornamentals. Co-founded the department's aquatic weed biological control program and was Principal Investigator of three grants, totaling $179,583, to initiate this program (1970-1975).

Other Service:

  • Chair: Plant Pathology Department Building Planning Committee (1975-1978).
  • Chair: Plant Pathology Greenhouse Committee (1974-1978 and 1982-present).
  • Chair: IFAS Peanut Stripe Virus Control Committee (1984-1992), which was designed to prevent this virus from China from contaminating Florida's certified peanut seed and being introduced into commercial plantings.
  • Member: College of Agriculture Academic Development Committee (1996-1999).
  • Member & Chair (1995): College of Agriculture Graduate Committee (1993-1996).
  • Grants and Contracts as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator: Career total, $706,135. Since 1990, $230,260.
  • International Programs: Hosted visiting Scientists (>1 month): Two each from Brazil and Costa Rica, and one each from P.R. China, Colombia, Italy, Taiwan, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Consultant:

Evaluated Bolivia's national experiment station system (1982-1983), an endeavor sponsored by the Intramerican Bank for Development and the Bolivian Institute of Agricultural Technology.

Assessed the threat of orchid viruses to governmental and commercial vanilla plantings in French Polynesia (1986), an endeavor funded by the National Science Foundation.

Sabbatical:

Three months leave taken in Great Britain in 1987 with Twyford Plants, Inc.

Other overseas activities: Included trips to conduct research in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Egypt.

Selected Recent Publications (since 1990):

  • Zettler, F.W. and Hartman. 1995 Dieffenbachia, Caladium, and Zantedeschia. pp.464-470 in: Viruses and Virus-ike Diseases of Ornamentals. G. Loebenstein et al. (eds.). J. Wiley & Sons, NY.
  • Zettler, F.W., R.D. Hartman, and A.E. Logan. 1991. Feasibility of producing pathogen-free aroid root crops commercially by micropropagation. pp. 80-85 in: 26th Annual Meetings of the Caribbean Food Crops Soc., July-August, 1990, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. (Plenary Paper)
  • Zettler, F.W., N.-J. Ko, G.C. Wisler, M.S. Elliott, and S.M. Wong. 1990. Viruses of orchids and their control. Plant Disease 74:621-626. (Feature Article)
  • Elliott, M.S., F.W. Zettler, M.T. Zimmerman, O.W. Barnett, and M.D. LeGrande. 1996. Problems associated with interpretation of serological assays in a virus survey of orchid species from Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Florida. Plant Disease 80:1160-1164.
  • Hu, J.S., S. Meleisea, M.A. Shaarawy, and F.W. Zettler. 1995. Distribution of dasheen mosaic virus infections in Hawaiian taro. Australasian Plant Pathology 24:112-117.
  • Yang, T.-C., C.-Y. Lin, F.W. Zettler, and N.-J. Ko. 1994. Identification and diagnosis of lily symptomless virus in commercial lilies grown in Taiwan and Florida. Taiwan Plant Protection Bull. 35:89-96.
  • Zettler, F.W., M.S. Elliott, D.E. Purcifull, G.I. Mink, D.W. Gorbet, and D.A. Knauft. 1993. Production of peanut seed free of peanut stripe and peanut mottle viruses in Florida. Plant Disease 77:747-749.
  • St Hill, A.A., F.W. Zettler, M.S. Elliott, M.A. Petersen, R.H. Li, and J. Bird. 1992. Presence of Passiflora latent virus and a serologically distinct strain of maracuja mosaic virus in Passiflora spp. in Florida. Plant Disease 76:843-847.
  • Morales, F.J., M. Castaño, A.C. Velasco, J. Arroyave, and F.W. Zettler. 1991. Natural infection of tropical forage legume species of Arachis and Stylosanthes by potyviruses related to peanut mottle virus. Plant Disease 75:1090-1093.
  • Zettler, F.W. and M.S. Elliott. 1996. Dasheen mosaic potyvirus. in: Crop Protection Compendium for South-East Asia. A. Sweetmore (Project Coordinator). Commonw. Assoc. Bio., Wallingford, UK.
  • Wong, S.M., C.G. Chng, Y.H. Lee, K. Tan, and F.W. Zettler. 1993. Incidence of cymbidium mosaic and odontoglossum ringspot viruses and their significance in orchid culture in Singapore. Crop Protection 13:235-239.