Link to Mississippi State University Web site
Paul Williams

Dr. Paul Williams

Professor
Specialty: Genetics and Plant Breeding
Research Organism(s): Corn
Department: USDA - Main Campus

Mailing Address
Box 9555
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Physical Address
340 Dorman Hall
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Email: paul.williams@ars.usda.gov
Telephone: (662) 325-2735
Fax: (662) 325-8441

Assignment
Research Leader, USDA-ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit. The primary research objective is to identify and develop maize germplasm with resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination and resistance to damage by southwestern corn borer and fall armyworm. In addition, the research includes identification of genes and proteins associated with resistance and determining the functions of the genes and proteins.

Web Site Title
Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit

URL
http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=6406-15-05

 

Curriculum vitae

Education

Experience

Research Geneticist (1976-1991) and Supervisory Research Geneticist and Research Leader (1991-present), USDA-ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit, Mississippi State, MS

Society Membership

Publications

Williams, W. P., G. L. Windham, P. M. Buckley, and J. M. Perkins.  Southwestern corn borer damage and aflatoxin accumulation in conventional and transgenic corn hybrids.  Field Crops Res. 91: 329-336.  2004.

Brooks, T. D., M. C. Willcox, W. P. Williams, P. M. Buckley.  Quantitative trait loci conferring resistance to fall armyworm and southwestern corn borer leaf feeding damage.  Crop Sci. 45: 2430-2434. 2005.

Brooks, T. D., W. P. Williams, Gary L. Windham, M. C. Willcox, and H. K. Abbas. Quantitative trait loci contributing resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in the maize inbred Mp313E.  Crop Sci. 45: 171-174. 2005

Hawkins, L. K., G. L. Windham, and W. P. Williams.  Effect of different post-harvesting drying temperatures on Aspergillus flavus survival and aflatoxin content in five maize hybrids.  J. Food Protect. 68: 1521-1524. 2005.

Dowd, Patrick F., Eric T. Johnson, and W. P. Williams. Strategies for insect management targeted toward mycotoxin management. In Abbas, H., (ed.) Aflatoxin and Food Safety. New York, NY: Marcell-Dekker. 25:517-541. 2005.

Windham. Gary L., W. P. Williams, Paul M. Buckley, Hamed K. Abbas, and Leigh K. Hawkins. Techniques used to identify Aflatoxin resistant corn. In Abbas, H., (ed.) Aflatoxin and Food Safety. New York, NY: Marcell-Dekker. 20:407-421. 2005.

Williams, W. P., G. L. Windham, and P. M. Buckley. Enhancing maize with resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination. In Abbas, H.,(ed.) Aflatoxin and Food Safety. New York, NY: Marcell-Dekker. 18:379-394. 2005.

Baird, R. E., R. N. Trigiano, G. L. Windham, W. P. Williams, H. K. Abbas, J. K. Moulton, and M. L. Scruggs.  Comparison of aflatoxigenic and nontoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus using DNA amplification fingerprinting techniques.  Mycopathologia 161: 93-99. 2006.

Gardner, H. D., W. P. Williams, and G. L. Windham. Effects of xenia on Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin accumulation in maize inbreds. Crop Sci. 46: 2151-2154. 2006.

Harfouche, A. L., Renuka Shivaji, R. Stocker, W. P. Williams, and D. S. Luthe.  Ethylene signaling mediates a maize defense response to insect herbivory.  Mol. Plant-Microbe Interactions. 19: 189-199. 2006.

McCarthy, F. M., N. Wang, G. B. Magee, B. Nanduri, M. L. Lawrence, E. B. Camon, D. G. Barrell, D. P. Hill, M. E. Dolan, W. P. Williams, D. S. Luthe, S. M. Bridges, and S.C  Burgess.  AgBase: a functional genomics resource for agriculture. BMC Genomics 7: 229. 2006.

Mohan, S., W. K. MA, T. Pechan, E. Bassford, W. P. Williams, and D. S. Luthe. 

Degradation of the Spodoptera  frugiperda peritrophic matrix by an inducible maize cysteine protease. J. Insect Physiol.  52: 21-28. 2006.

Williams, W. P.  Breeding for resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in maize. Mycotoxin Res. 22: 27-32. 2006.

Williams, W. P., and G. L. Windham.  Registration of maize germplasm line Mp717.  Crop Sci. 46: 1407-1408. 2006.

Bridges, S.M., G.B. Magee, N. Wang, W.P. Williams, S. Burgess, and B. Nanduri.  ProtQuant: A tool for the label-free quantification of MudPIT proteomics data.  BMC Bioinformatics. 8(Suppl 7):S24:1-9. 2007.

Brooks, T.D., B.S. Bushman, W.P. Williams, M. D. McMullen and P.M. Buckley. Genetic basis of resistance to fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuida) and southwestern corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) leaf-feeding damage in maize.  J. Econ. Entomol. 100:1470-1475. 2007.

Daves, C. A., W. P. Williams, and F. M. Davis. Impact of  plant  resistance on southwestern corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) biology and plant damage. J. Econ. Entomol. 100:969-975. 2007.

Daves, C. A., W. P. Williams, F. M. Davis, G. T. Baker, P. W. Ma and W. A. Monroe. Plant resistance and its effect on the peritrophic membrane of southwestern corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae.  J. Econ. Entomol. 100:976-983. 2007.

Gardner, H. D., W. P. Williams, and G. L. Windham. Diallel analysis of aflatoxin accumulation in maize. Field Crops Res. 102:60-63. 2007.

Lopez, L., A. Camas, R. Shivaji, A. Ankala, W. P. Williams and D.S. Luthe.  Mirl1-CP, a novel defense proteinase accumulates in maize vascular tissues in response to herbivory.  Planta. 226:517-527. 2007.

Magbanua, Z. V., C. M. Demoraes, T. D. Brooks, W. P. Williams, and D. S. Luthe. Is catalase activity associated with maize resistance to Aspergillus flavus?  Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions. 20:697-706. 2007.

McCarthy, F. M., S. M. Bridges, N. Wang, G. B. Magee, W. P. Williams, D. S. Luthe, and S. C. Burgess.  AgBase: a unified resource for functional analysis in agriculture. Nucleic Acids Res. 35(D): 599-603. 2007.

Williams, W. P., G. L. Windham, P. M. Buckley, and C. A. Daves.  Aflatoxin accumulation in corn hybrids infested at different growth stages with southwestern corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).  J. Agric. Urban Entomol. 23:97-103. 2007.

Williams, W.P., P.M. Buckley and C.A. Daves.  Identifying resistance in corn to southwestern corn borer (Lepidoptera:Crambidae), fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Agric. Urban Entomol. 23:87-95. 2007.

Windham, G. L., and W. P. Williams.  A comparison of inoculation techniques for inducing aflatoxin contamination and Aspergillus flavus kernel infection on corn hybrids in the field.  Phytoparasitica 35:244-252. 2007.

Windham, G. L., and W. P. Williams.  Effect of ear bagging systems on Aspergillus flavus kernel infection and aflatoxin contamination  of  corn hybrids grown in the field. Phytoparasitica 35:277-281. 2007.

Windham, G. L., and W. P. Williams.  Systemic infection of stalks and ears of corn  hybrids by Aspergillus parasiticus  Mycopathologia 164:249-254.  2007.

Alwala, S., C. A. Kimbeng, W. P. Williams, and M. S.Kang.  Molecular markers associated with resistance to Aspergillus flavus in maize: QTL and discriminant analyses.  J. New Seeds. 9:1-18. 2008.

Baird, R., H. K. Abbas, G. L. Windham, W. P. Williams, S. Baird, P. Ma, R. Kelley, L. Hawkins, and M. Scruggs.  Identification of select fumonisin forming Fusarium species using PCR applications of the polyketide synthase gene and its relationship to fumonisin production in vitro.  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 9:554-570.  2008.

Hawkins, L. K., G. L. Windham, and W. P. Williams. Occurrence of aflatoxin in three maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids over 5 years in Northern Mississippi.  Mycopathologia 165:165-171. 2008.

Mohan, S., P. Ma, W. P. Williams and D. S. Luthe.  A naturally occurring plant cysteine protease possesses remarkable toxicity against insect pests and synergizes Bacillus thuringiensis.  PLos One. Available: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001786. 2008.

Williams, W. P., M. D. Krakowsky, G. L. Windham, P. J. Balint-Kurti, L. Hawkins and W. B. Henry.  Identifying maize germplasm with resistance to aflatoxin accumulation. Journal of Toxicology – Toxin Reviews.  27:319-345.  2008.

Williams, W. P., G. L. Windham, and P. M. Buckley. Diallel analysis of aflatoxin accumulation in maize.  Crop Science. 48:134-138. 2008.

Windham, G. L., W. P. Williams, L. K. Hawkins, and T. D. Brooks.  Effect of Aspergillus flavus inoculation methods and environmental conditions on aflatoxin accumulation in corn hybrids. Journal of Toxicology – Toxin Reviews. 27:1-20. 2008.