Nusbaum, Charles J. (Charles Joseph), 1906-1987

Charles Joseph Nusbaum (1906-1987) was a leading plant pathologist who saved farmers millions of dollars in losses by fighting crop diseases. Born in Salem, Oregon, 24 August 1906, he received his B.S. degree from Oregon State College in 1929. He received his M.S. in 1931 and his Ph.D. in 1934, both from the University of Wisconsin. During his years at Oregon State, he was a field research assistant for the Division of Forest Pathology of the United States Department of Agriculture.

After completing his post-doctoral work in Wisconsin, Nusbaum accepted a position at Clemson University, where he worked at the Edisto Experiment Station in Blackville, South Carolina . During this time, he discovered internal cork disease of sweet potato, which led to extensive research on virus diseases and breeding for disease resistance. In 1948, Nusbaum moved to North Carolina State College to work on tobacco diseases such as Granville Wilt, black shank, and nematode root knot .

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