New real-time tools for monitoring diseases and fungicide resistance to support a smart and sustainable crop protection platform in Brazil

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Emerging plant pathogens are described as pathogens that: (i) have been recently discovered or described; (ii) have recently evolved; (iii) have increased in incidence, expanded geographically or broadened their host range; and (iv) have changed their pathogenic properties. An emerging pathogen may be a new virus, bacterium or fungus with the potential to become endemic, epidemic or even pandemic. Plant-pathogenic fungi, in particular, are known to cause high yield losses in agricultural crops, with consequent economic impact, and devastating new fungal diseases are constantly emerging in agroecosystems. South American agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the emergence of plant pathogens. Because our understanding of the risk of pathogen emergence in agroecosystems is still limited, strategies for monitoring, surveillance and risk prediction must be developed.

Three studies at IUMS 2026 in Lisbon

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From 4 to 6 November 2026, I’ll be at IUMS 2026, the biennial congress of the International Union of Microbiological Societies, in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s theme is Beyond the Microscope: AI & Innovation in Microbiology.

I’m part of three studies developed at UNESP.

The first two look for alternatives to conventional fungicides against Fusarium verticillioides, a fungus that attacks maize and can produce mycotoxins:

Dolomite–silver composite: an abundant, low-cost mineral impregnated with silver, tested against the fungus in the laboratory.
Red propolis from Alagoas: a Brazilian natural product, evaluated at different concentrations with dose-response curves.

The third one is in the Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture session:

Microbial consortia and organic fertilization in Astronium fraxinifolium seedlings: composted sewage sludge mixed with sugarcane bagasse was combined with the bacterium Bacillus subtilis and the mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus clarus. We evaluated seedling growth, quality and water use. The study is led by Philippe Silva, in a partnership between FEIS/UNESP and FCA/UNESP in Botucatu.

Behind-the-scenes updates will be on Instagram, and the abstracts will be added to the page after the event.

More about the congress: .

Plant Pathology |

New real-time tools for monitoring diseases and fungicide resistance to support a smart and sustainable crop protection platform in Brazil

Three studies at IUMS 2026 in Lisbon