Assistant Professor & Extension Plant Pathologist | Ornamentals, Nursery plants & Turf | University of Tennessee | UT Central Region Extension Office| Rose
A scouting gold star! 1st signs of fairy ring activity in Chicago. Super: “I always see this where the grass is real tall then we cut it and it’s yellow.”#friskyfairyringmonday@MikeFidanza@hcwetzel3
🌹Last weekend I had the opportunity to share our lab’s research and Extension program update on rose rosette disease management with members of the Carolina District of the American Rose Society members in Winston-Salem, NC. Thank you Carolina District for the invitation.🌹
School district personnel, Teachers, and Educators from middle Tennessee explored plant pathology concepts through interactive activities. Great engagement and thoughtful discussions around plant health education.
Last week, Ranabhat lab shared a hands- on, teacher-ready lesson plan, "Plants Get Sick, Too" using rose rosette disease as a model system. Hosted by the Tennessee Farm to School Institute, Tennessee Department of Education.
Happy 134th birthday to humans knowing that viruses exist! OTD in 1892 Dmitri Ivanovsky presented his evidence of a tobacco mosaic disease caused by filterable agents (not bacteria!). Martinus Beijerinck confirmed this independently in 1898. And voila, virology is born!
Last week, our Sustainable Rose Project director and his Texas A&M team visited our Rose Rosette varietal screening nursery in Crossville, TN. It was a pleasure catching up with the team. Great discussions on current and future strategies to manage Rose Rosette Disease.
🌹A blast at the "2025 Fall Gardeners' Festival" in Crossville, TN yesterday! Nearly 1500 attendees and over 200 stopped by our Rose Rosette Research booth!🌹Great conversations, answering questions on rose diseases and sharing our research to protect roses🌹
Wrapping up #PLANTHEALTH2025: Our PhD student, Alina Pokhrel presenting her research on "Evaluating mite-host-virus interactions in rose cultivars with varying defense mechanism" #roserosettevirus#mitevector@epp_tn
and protecting plant health. Trained Extension Agents share Knowledge exponentially, and events like this help reaffirm our mission of solving problems together and preparing to provide Real Life Solutions for Tennessee Agriculture and beyond!
Our recent in-service trainings for ANR Extension Agents across three regions of Tennessee were a great success! Through hands-on activities and real-life diagnostic scenarios, we explored the "Art of Plant Health Diagnostics", essential skills for supporting growers
It was a hot week, but always a pleasure to connect with ornamental nursery growers in Warren County TN, and collaborate to find Real Life Solutions @epp_tn@utextension@UTIAg
Our summer sampling for the mite population study is in full swing! Thank you Dr. Carver @KC4UTIA visiting our Rose Rosette Research and Extension plots in Crossville, TN @utextension@UTIAg@epp_tn@SustainableRRD
Great to connect with new and returning green industry professionals at the Green Industry Field day at UT Gardens, Knoxville!🌸 We had a fantastic time leading walking tours and exploring ornamental plant diseases across the gardens! 🥬 @utextension@UTIAg@epp_tn
Join us on June 12 at the 2025 Green Industry Field Day, where @utextension specialists Midhula Gireesh and Nar Ranabhat will present on herbaceous and woody plants and pest management. #epptn