New Robigus app allows viewers to track invasives, crop diseases worldwide - Land-Grant Impacts

Braham Dhillon, a molecular plant pathologist at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, demonstrates Robigus from his desktop.

New Robigus app allows viewers to track invasives, crop diseases worldwide

Food Security, Story 2026, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Extension, Florida, Food Security, Invasive Species, Pest Management, Research, Southern, University of Florida

Plant diseases pose a global threat to food security, yet critical data on outbreaks are scattered across thousands of journals and reports. This fragmentation makes it difficult to access timely information about the disease, delaying the search for treatments and potential best management control practices.

The new app Robigus, developed by a researcher at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) consolidates 45 years of global plant disease data into an easy-to-access interactive platform. Named after the Roman god who once guarded wheat fields from blight, the scientist built Robigus, hosted on the University of Florida’s HiPerGator supercomputer, to serve as the newest tech ally in the fight against plant diseases. Robigus gives access to over 9,600 records with the tap of a screen, desktop keyboard or smartphone. The app aggregates global plant disease reports, enabling users to filter by crop, pathogen, country or year.

Robigus provides a new, practical tool to empower growers and homeowners, as well as scientists, to track outbreaks, anticipate risks and protect crops, advancing food security worldwide.

View the full statement on the NIDB.

University of Florida / IFAS Extension | Photo by UF/IFAS Lourdes Mederos.

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