Rate My Professor Boyd Padgett

G. Boyd Padgett serves as Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, domiciled at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center. He has held this rank since 2006, following service as Associate Professor and Specialist in Research/Extension Plant Pathology from 1999 to 2006, Assistant Specialist Extension Cotton Agronomist at LSU from 1996 to 1999, Assistant Professor Extension Plant Pathologist at the University of Georgia from 1992 to 1996, and Research Associate at LSU from 1989 to 1992. Padgett obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Louisiana State University in 1992, M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia in 1987, and B.S. in Agricultural Business from Louisiana Tech University in 1984.

Padgett's academic interests center on the identification, epidemiology, and integrated management of diseases in row crops, including soybeans, wheat, corn, small grains, and cotton. He coordinates the annual Louisiana Plant Disease Management Guide, evaluates fungicide efficacy and resistance, and participates in variety performance trials to inform producers. Key publications include Cai, G., Schneider, R. W., and Padgett, G. B. 2009. Assessment of lineages of Cercospora kikuchii in Louisiana for aggressiveness and screening soybean cultivars for resistance to Cercospora leaf blight. Plant Disease 93:868-874; Robinson, A. F. et al. 2008. Detection of suppressiveness against Rotylenchulus reniformis in soil from cotton fields in Texas and Louisiana. Journal of Nematology 40:35-38; and Mascagni, H. J., Jr., Harrison, S. A., and Padgett, G. B. 2008. Influence of sulfur fertility on wheat yield performance on alluvial and upland soils. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 39:2133-2145. He has contributed extensively to Louisiana Agriculture articles on soybean and wheat disease management from 2005 to 2011. Padgett received the American Phytopathological Society Southern Division Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award in 2024 for his contributions to disease advisories, leadership, and service; the LSU AgCenter Extension Excellence Award in 2019; and the Tipton Team Research Award in 2025 for soybean taproot decline investigations. He chairs the department's Promotion and Tenure Committee, serves on LSU AgCenter awards committees, mentors graduate students, and presents at production meetings, pesticide recertifications, and commodity boards.