Agdia, Inc.

09/04/2026

Here's a nice writeup by Bracken Henderson (University of Idaho Extension) about Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV).

Disease symptoms caused by this aphid-transmitted potyvirus can resemble many other cucurbit-infecting viruses in addition to other abiotic disorders such as nutrient deficiencies.

See here for more info:

This has been a year to make a gardener proud. The sweet corn is tall and tasseled. Bush beans are lush and loaded. Kale, collards, and Swiss chard have never looked more vigorous. Cucumbers, zucchini, okra, carrots, and potatoes are producing beautifully. In fact, the garden is doing so well that i...

08/28/2026

Well this certainly isn't a tomato. It isn't even a dicot.

Check out this recent LinkedIn post by Debi Groth-Helms highlighting a report on a new host of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV): Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis)

📣 ToBRFV natural host range expanding 📣 Now found in Commelina dayflower, a monocot.

08/21/2026

Here's an interesting investigation into lettuce disease symptoms out of the UC Cooperative Extension office of Monterey County in Salinas, California:

Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) was originally suspected, but the plants tested negative for INSV in addition to negative results for Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and the usual bacterial and fungal suspects.

More info on the case here: https://hubs.li/Q04tRsfc0

08/14/2026

Tar spot continues to spread in the Midwest. States where the disease has been reported so far this year include Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Tar spot is a fungal disease in corn caused by Phyllachora maydis. Initial symptoms include dark flecks/lesions and chlorosis (yellowing) on leaves. Symptoms can eventually progress to early leaf drop and reduced kernel yield.

More info here, including a map of current disease status in the US provided by the Crop Protection Network: https://hubs.li/Q04t4K5p0

08/04/2026

Another day at ! If you're in Rhode Island for APS, don't forget to stop by booth 302 to chat with our team about hundreds of plant pathogen test kits and services we offer to help you keep your crops healthy, including:

- A new panel of rapid molecular test kits for emerging cucurbit pathogens
- A couple of our newer ImmunoStrip offerings (Pseudomonas spp. and a 3-strip test for nematode-transmitted viruses).

ImmunoStrips are rapid, easy-to-use tests we've been refining over the past 2-plus decades to help growers, researchers and extension agents to detect pathogens quickly in the field. They are available in 5- or 25-pack kits that come with sample bags pre-filled with extraction buffer.

Others might call that lateral flow format a recent "innovation".

We call it Tuesday.

07/31/2026

Stop by and see these smiling faces at (APS) in Rhode Island next week! Our team will be all over the place, presenting posters, participating in committee meetings, giving presentations to working groups, and more.

If you don't catch Deborah (Debi) Groth-Helms, Heidi Falzon, Bryant Davenport and Kylie Rau at any of those sessions, you can always stop by Booth # 302 to meet up and geek out with them over all things plant health and see our latest tools for pathogen detection in action.

Who else is attending? We hope to see you there!

07/24/2026

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 and grapevine red blotch virus can cost Canadian growers tens of thousands of dollars per acre, and once a vine is infected, it stays infected permanently.

In Ontario and British Columbia, the grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus) is a primary vector for leafroll viruses. Current monitoring relies on manual bark inspection, and the only registered insecticide option for mealybug control is a single product.

Researchers at Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute are developing something better. Dr. Debra Inglis and Dr. Malkie Spodek are working to characterize the regional s*x pheromone profile of Canadian grape mealybug populations, which appear to be genetically distinct from populations elsewhere, making commercial pheromone lures developed for other regions ineffective in Ontario and BC. Field trials using Canada-specific experimental lures are now running across vineyards in both the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan Valley.

Thank you for your efforts, Dr. Inglis and Dr. Spodek! Here's the full article:

Debra Inglis provides an update on new monitoring and control tools designed for a major insect vector of grapevine viruses in Canadian vineyards

07/17/2026

Aphid season is here, and MSU Extension entomologist Zsofia Szendrei has a good reminder for growers: not all aphid problems call for the same fix.

Before reaching for a sprayer, ask what's actually at risk. Some crops mainly suffer from aphid feeding itself, honeydew, curled leaves, reduced vigor as colonies build up. For those, scouting and natural enemies can handle a lot of the work, with insecticides used only once populations threaten yield.

Other crops, cucurbits especially, are more at risk from the viruses aphids carry than the aphids themselves. Many of these viruses spread in seconds, before an insecticide even has a chance to work. Here the better strategy is resistant varieties, w**d management, reflective mulches, and mineral oil sprays rather than relying on sprays to kill the aphid.

Same pest, two very different playbooks depending on what's actually threatening the crop.

Image source and full article (Zsofia Szendrei, MSU Extension): https://hubs.ly/Q04pTVNg0

07/10/2026

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TWSV) has caused three major outbreak events in Alabama tomato production between 2020 and 2025, with 64% of the state's tomato acreage concentrated in just two counties.

Western flower thrips can acquire the virus during their larval stage and carry it for life, spreading it to healthy plants with every subsequent feeding. By the time visible symptoms appear (stunting, bronzing, ring spots, deformed fruit), the problem is already established.

Researchers at Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System are working to change that dynamic. Dr. Paulo Gimenez Cremonez is leading a USDA-funded multistate project focused on earlier detection, better monitoring protocols, and closing the management gaps that currently leave Southeast growers without a coordinated response strategy.

Good work, Dr. Cremonez, and team! The full article is worth a read:

Tiny pest, big problem: Researchers take on tomato virus outbreak - The Cullman Tribune - Featured

06/30/2026

Beet curly top virus is a quarantine-significant pathogen affecting sugar beet, tomato, pepper, common bean, cucumber, squash, spinach, potato, and industrial h**p.

The disease was first observed on sugar beets in the western United States in the late 1800s. It wasn't linked to a specific pathogen until 1915, when researchers confirmed leafhopper transmission and proposed a viral cause.

BCTV is spread by the beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) in North America and by C. opacipennis in parts of Europe. The virus is phloem-limited, meaning the leafhopper must feed on infected phloem tissue to acquire and transmit it. A single leafhopper can remain infectious for up to a month.

Symptoms vary by host. On tomato and pepper, fruit set declines, and any fruit that does form ripens prematurely with purpling veins. On beets, phloem tissue becomes necrotic and exudate appears on the leaf surface. Younger plants are typically hit hardest, with many failing to reach maturity.

Industrial h**p has emerged as a newer host as acreage has expanded following federal legalization in the United States. Reported symptoms on h**p include stunting, leaf deformation, and chlorosis.

Canada, Israel, Mexico, and the European Union all classify BCTV as a quarantine pathogen. Movement of infected propagative material remains a primary pathway for its spread across regions.

For those interested in rapid, onsite molecular results, we offer a DNA-based test kit for BCTV detection on our AmplifyRP platform, giving producers a way to confirm infection status and react quickly, without needing to send samples to an outside lab.

Don't wait and wonder. Test and know.


Images: Beet curly top symptoms in h**p and tomato. Provided courtesy of Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University / Bugwood