Welcome to the Gevens lab!
My research program investigates the ecology of fungus and fungus-like plant pathogens for enhanced and integrated disease management to support commercial agriculture in Wisconsin. We have three main areas of focus: management of Phytophthora species pathogenic on potato and vegetable crops in field and storage, investigating species distribution and occurrence of pathogenic Alternaria affecting potato, and development of integrated disease management programming in potato systems to reduce reliance upon soil fumigation in managing key soilborne diseases. As the University of Wisconsin Extension Potato and Vegetable Pathologist, my program supports vegetable growers by providing research-based recommendations for controlling diseases during production and in storage. My research program directly feeds into my extension work.
Vegetable Crop Update Newsletter
Get the latest information about disease management in vegetable crop production in Wisconsin. To be added to the email listserv and receive this newsletter in your inbox, please contact Amanda Gevens.
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Vegetable Crop Update – Mar 2, 2026
In This Issue: Updates on information resources | A3422 Commercial Vegetable Production in Wisconsin 2026 | WPVGA/UWEX Grower Education Conference Online Proceedings | UWEX Central WI Processing Crops Meeting, UW-Hancock ARS on Mar 18, 2026 | Rhizomania – a new beet disease for WI
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Potato IPM “Back to Basics” video series now available
Instructional videos that can be used as a primer to learn about the basics of potato production, initially focusing on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) basics. Key aspects of insect, disease, and weed IPM programs are highlighted.
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Important update on Blocker fungicide in potato
In mid-December 2025, AMVAC Chemical Corporation, the manufacturers of the fungicide Blocker (pentachloronitrobenzene, PCNB), decided to stop producing Blocker 4F and 10G. In effect, this concludes production of Blocker for the future. The Blocker that is on the shelves at this time is all that will be available for future use. It is estimated that this will leave potato growers with a supply that may satisfy only 25-33% of the potato use demand in 2026.
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events found.
Additional Resources
Vegetable Disease Resources
Learn more about common vegetable diseases, disease risk prediction tools, and other online and print resources.
Decision Support Tools
View weather data and disease severity values in interactive charts for managing the risk of early blight and late blight of potato from a select set of locations in Wisconsin.
Field Trials and Publications
Find a list of our refereed journal publications or read our fungicide and disease management evaluations.
Lab Members
Lists of current and former lab members.