David Zlesak
Assistant Professor of Horticulture
Plant and Earth Science
Office: 305 Ag Science Building
Phone: 715-425-3852
Email: david.zlesak@uwrf.edu 
Courses Taught:
Horticulture 120: Plants and Society
Horticulture 161: Introduction to Plant Science
Horticulture 200: Plant Propagation
Horticulture 352: Woody Landscape Plants
Horticulture 369: Plant Tissue Culture
Horticulture 452: Arboriculture and Nursery Management
Research Interests:
- Coordinator of the Northern Earth-Kind® Rose Trials (purpose is to identify well-adapted, low maintenance landscape roses for our northern Midwest region).
- Woody plant pathology.
- Breeding regionally-adapted woody and herbaceous landscape plant cultivars.
Publications:
Lockhart, B, D.C. Zlesak, and J. Fetzer, 2011. Identification and partial characterization of six new viruses of cultivated roses in the USA. Acta Horticulturae 901:139-147.
Zlesak, D.C., V.M. Whitaker, S. George, and S.C. Hokanson, 2010. Evaluation of roses from the Earth-Kind® Trials: black spot (Diplocarpon rosae Wolf) resistance and ploidy. HortScience 45:177-1787.
Zlesak, D.C., 2009. Pollen diameter and guard cell length as predictors of ploidy in diverse rose cultivars, species, and breeding lines. In: Zlesak DC (Ed) Roses. Floriculture and Ornamental Biotechnology. 3(Special Issue 1):53-70.
Harp D.A., Zlesak, D.C., Hammond, G., George, S., and W. Mackay, 2009. Earth-Kind® Rose Trials–Identifying the World’s Strongest, Most Beautiful Landscape Roses. In: Zlesak DC (Ed) Roses. Floriculture and Ornamental Biotechnology. 3(Special Issue 1):166-175.
Zlesak, D.C. and B.J. Hanson, 2008. ‘Tuscan Sun’ Helopsis. HortScience 43:927-928. Grabowski, M.A, Zlesak, D.C., and J.H. Gillman, 2008. Control of black spot on rose. Plant Disease Management Reports 2:OT005
Zlesak, D.C., 2007. Factors affecting seed germination of Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet. Seed Science and Technology 35:577-594.
Zlesak, D.C., Zuzek, K. and S.C. Hokanson, 2007. Rose pollen viability over time at varying storage temperatures. Acta Horticulturae 751:337-343.
Zlesak, D.C., Bradeen, J.M. and N.O. Anderson, 2007. The use of AFLP markers to resolve clonal origin and integrity in rose, hydrangea, and lily. Floriculture and Ornamental Biotechnology. 1(1):51-60.
Horticulture Specializations:
Woody plant identification, culture, pathology, and genetics; Plant propagation; and Plant breeding.
Cultivars:
- First Editions® Little DevilTM ninebark (PPAF)- Compact ninebark that won the 2011 American Nursery Landscape Association’s Garden Idol Award as the best new plant of the year
- Oso HappyTM Smoothie rose (PPAF)
- Oso HappyTM Petit Pink rose (PP22,205)- Winner of the American Rose Society Award of Excellence for miniature roses 2012
- Oso HappyTM Candy Oh! rose (PP20,471)
- 'Tuscan Sun' heliopsis (PP18,763)
- Monarch MedianoTM and Monarch GrandeTM series of ageratum (PPAF)