Key Takeaways
- NC State researchers are developing an AI-powered live-cell microscopy system to detect Neo-P infections before visible symptoms appear, offering a faster, non-destructive alternative to traditional lab diagnostics.
- Neopestalotiopsis (Neo-P), an aggressive fungal pathogen first identified in Florida in 2017, has emerged as a significant threat to North Carolina's strawberry industry since being confirmed in the state in 2022.
- Infected plants often appear healthy when transplanted from nurseries into fields, allowing the fungus to spread undetected for weeks before plants collapse.
- A January review article by NC State researchers calls for an integrated management approach spanning pathogen-free nursery propagation, improved field sanitation, crop rotation, and resistance breeding.
- North Carolina ranks fourth nationally in strawberry crop value, with roughly 2,000 acres planted across more than 300 farms, most marketed directly to local consumers.
An Aggressive Fungal Pathogen Threatens North Carolina Strawberries
Neopestalotiopsis, known as Neo-P, has evolved from a minor, opportunistic fungus into a significant threat to strawberry growers. The pathogen first drew national attention after a devastating 2017 outbreak in Florida strawberry fields, and was confirmed in North Carolina by 2022. Infected plants frequently appear healthy at the time of transplanting from nurseries into farm fields, allowing the fungus to spread undetected for weeks before infected plants collapse — turning red, developing mushy discolored fruit, and showing brown, yellow, and reddish leaf lesions.
Austin Wrenn, a Zebulon, North Carolina grower and president of the North American Strawberry Growers Association, was among the first in the state to experience losses from the pathogen.
“They're relying on the revenue from selling their fruit to repay that investment and for their livelihood. When Neo-P takes off, you can lose large portions of your fields almost overnight. That is financially devastating, especially for our smaller growers,” said Austin Wrenn, President of the North American Strawberry Growers Association.
NC State Develops AI-Powered Early Warning System
Researchers at NC State University are approaching Neo-P from multiple angles, including a novel artificial intelligence-powered live-cell microscopy system designed to detect the pathogen before visible symptoms emerge. Led by microbiologist Orlando Arguello-Miranda in collaboration with plant pathologists Tika Adhikari and Susmita Gaire, the system adapts AI image-processing models originally developed for neurobiology, using microfluidic chips to trap fungal spores and track their growth.
“This technology provides a rapid, non-destructive and highly sensitive alternative to lab-based diagnostics. The AI algorithm can quantify complex fungal structures in milliseconds, a task that would take a trained technician up to 20 minutes per image,” said Orlando Arguello-Miranda, researcher in NC State's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology.
The team envisions an affordable tool that connects a portable microscope to a smartphone, allowing nursery operators to receive immediate alerts when detection microchambers show a high probability of infection — enabling targeted fungicide use or removal of infected material before field-level collapses occur.
Calls for a Multipronged Research and Management Approach
A January review article by NC State researchers Susmita Gaire, Frank Louws, and Tika Adhikari, along with South African plant scientist Norman Muzhinji, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, urges an integrated management approach spanning pathogen-free nursery propagation, improved field sanitation, and crop rotation. Mark Hoffmann, an NC State Extension strawberry specialist, compares the current situation to the anthracnose outbreaks of the 1990s, which were eventually managed through research-informed integrated pest management protocols.
“There was a lot of rhetoric, fingerpointing and panicking when it first came to North Carolina. It's a serious disease and people need to adjust. Growers, nurseries and breeding programs are all doing just that,” said Mark Hoffmann, NC State Extension strawberry specialist and associate professor of horticultural science.
Wrenn argues that chemical controls alone will not resolve the threat, calling instead for expanded breeding of resistant cultivars alongside continued research funding across the supply chain.
