About the Program

Program Mission

The mission of UF's Plant Medicine Program, established in 1999, is to provide all segments of agriculture with rapid, accurate, and scientifically sound diagnoses and management strategies for all types of plant health problems through the activities of broadly trained Plant Doctors. It is our belief that Plant Doctors will have a positive impact on worldwide agriculture by increasing the productivity, usefulness, and profitably of plants while lessening non-target effects of management practices to humans and the environment.

Program Goal

The multidisciplinary Plant Medicine Program consists of courses and practical training in all relevant departments (Agronomy, Entomology/Nematology, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Pathology, Soil and Water Science, etc.). It is our goal to train students in the science, practice and business of the profession of plant medicine, and to prepare them for interesting and rewarding careers.

Florida's mild climate and great agricultural diversity make it an ideal setting for the study of plant medicine. Valued in excess of $7 billion dollars annually, Florida's agriculture occurs on small to large acreages and includes temperate, subtropical and tropical plants and crops. The state's agricultural industry includes agronomic crops, vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, turf-grasses, and hard and pine forests. This diversity allows students to develop expertise in many crops (see map - 1MB pdf)

Florida's warm and moist climate also favors the survival, development and spread of plant pathogens and arthropod pests. The state's soil types and high rainfall are also conducive to the occurrence of nutrient deficiencies. Florida's edaphic and climatic conditions and crop diversity present students with an ideal opportunity for hands-on experience in diagnosing and managing plant health problems of all types.

Under the guidance of their Supervisory Committee students can tailor their course of study to their crop or other career interests. In addition, certificate programs currently exist for DPM students in Tropical Agriculture and Environmental Policy and are planned in the near future for Regulatory Agriculture and Sustainable Crop Production.