Growers can improve their prevention and management of diseases in nurseries and greenhouses by registering for Disease Management, the fourth course of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training courses offered by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension. This intermediate course is designed for growers with some experience and training. Topics covered include: how to differentiate between a disease and other issues, disease prevention tips, organic and conventional disease management options, and how to safely apply and handle fungicides. The course is offered in English and Spanish.
Dr. Carrie Harmon, Director of the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center in Gainesville, FL, and Co-Director of the National Plant Diagnostic Network, teaches the course. Growers have described the training as “detailed but digestible, with an emphasis on practical, field-applicable knowledge”, and that it helped them “feel more capable identifying disease problems, and less intimidated by the disease books on the shelf.”
The course runs from Sept. 19 to Oct. 14, 2022. All course material is completely online and available at any time of the day, and includes pre-recorded videos, an interactive discussion board with Ph.D. professors, and quizzes. Two new modules are activated each week during the course, for a total of eight learning modules. Instruction is at your own pace and time within the four weeks of the course, with a typical time commitment of about six hours per week. Click here to register.
Disease Management is one of the courses included in the new Plant Health Professional certification program launched in July 2022. This program is supported by University of Florida UF IFAS Extension (UF Greenhouse Training Online) and the Michigan State University Floriculture Program Extension (MSU Online College of Knowledge) for greenhouse clientele successfully completing several existing courses from the two programs.
For more information, including discounts for registering multiple staff, email greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu.