Ferguson College of Agriculture

Oklahoma State University Entomology and Plant Pathology professor and extension wheat pathologist Bob Hunger will be retiring this month after 39 years of service to OSU Ag Research.

Hunger obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in plant pathology from Colorado State University and a doctorate from Oregon State University.

 

Since his research appointment in 1982, his work with the Wheat Improvement Team (WIT) has been instrumental in the development and release of 40 different wheat cultivars. Twenty of these varieties have been released in the last decade, with five varieties (Uncharted, Breakthrough, Big Country, Strad CL Plus and Butler’s Gold) released in 2020.

Hunger has been involved in fungicide testing on wheat at OSU, with as many as 25 different treatments tested each year for the past 20 years. Information from these trials has helped wheat producers and extension educators in choosing and applying fungicides to manage foliar fungal diseases.

Hunger said his interactions with graduate students have been one of the most rewarding parts of his job.

“You get to see the passing of knowledge into the future. Their excitement and energy for resolving and studying and figuring things out and being able to help that along and nurture their passion for science and discovery is something I found rewarding with every one of them.”

Following his retirement, Hunger plans to travel with his wife to visit national parks, visit friends, go camping and to zip line in every state in the United States. He also hopes to spend more time with his son’s family in Texas and his daughter in Oklahoma.