IN 2018, GROWERS IN THE MAJOR CENTER OF STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION IN THE EASTERN U.S. REPORTED OUTBREAKS OF AN UNUSUAL LEAF BLIGHT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. THE CAUSAL PATHOGEN APPEARS TO BE AN UNEXPECTEDLY AGGRESSIVE PATHOTYPE IN THE GENUS NEOPESTALOTIOPSIS. PRELIMINARY STUDIES REVEALED THE FOLLOWING DISTURBING FACTS: (I) THE PATHOGEN IS WELL-ESTABLISHED IN A NURSERY OPERATION VITAL TO EASTERN GROWERS, (II) NO PRESENTLY REGISTERED OR EXPERIMENTAL FUNGICIDES PROVIDE COMMERCIALLY RELEVANT CONTROL OF THE PATHOGEN, (III) NO SOURCE OF RESISTANCE HAS EMERGED AMONG EXISTENT CULTIVARS, (IV) ONCE ESTABLISHED IN FIELDS, THE PATHOGEN PERENNATES ON CROP RESIDUES, AND (V) THE PATHOGEN IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE NURSERY SYSTEM. IN TWO SEASONS, THE PATHOGEN HAS ELIMINATED PRODUCTION IN APPROXIMATELY 10% OF FLORIDA'S FIELDS. IT HAS ALSO STARTED TO SPREAD TO NURSERY AND FRUIT PRODUCTION FIELDS IN OTHER STATES. WE WILL ADDRESS THIS EMERGENCY BY DEVELOPING NEW METHODS TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY, CONTAIN THE SPREAD, AND ELIMINATE THE PATHOGEN FROM NURSERIES AND FRUIT PRODUCTION FIELDS THROUGH AN INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION EFFORT. OUR PRELIMINARY RESEARCH HAS REVEALED MEANS TO LIMIT SPREAD AND ELIMINATE CROP RESIDUES, POTENTIALLY AVOIDING INFESTATIONS AND ALLOWING FORMERLY-INFESTED FIELDS TO RETURN TO PRODUCTION. OUR PROJECT IS ALIGNED WITH EVERY ONE OF THE SEVEN STATED PRIORITIES OF THE AFRI FOUNDATIONAL AND APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAM, CROSSCUTTING PROGAM B: CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION, PROGRAM AREA CODE A1701.