Rate My Professor Doug Higgins

In 2022, Higgins joined Virginia Tech with a 50/50 research and extension appointment, focusing on vegetable crops like snap beans, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, and sweet corn, as well as small grains including wheat and corn, and oilseeds like soybeans. His program develops disease management recommendations through pesticide optimization, early detection diagnostics, and novel tactics. He leads USDA-funded projects, such as climate-smart agriculture initiatives and specialty crop block grants for integrated pest management. Key extension contributions include co-authoring 'Angular Leaf Spot of Cucumber' (2024), 'Late Blight of Tomato and Potato' (2024), and sections in the 2026-2027 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Guide. Peer-reviewed publications highlight his expertise: 'Etiology of halo blight in Michigan hopyards' (Plant Disease, 2021), 'Fungicide Efficacy Against Pseudoperonospora humuli and Point Mutations Linked to Carboxylic Acid Amide Resistance in Michigan' (Plant Disease, 2021), 'Optimizing Molecular Detection for the Hop Downy Mildew Pathogen Pseudoperonospora humuli in Plant Tissue' (Phytopathology, 2022), and 'Diseases of carrot' (Handbook of Vegetable and Herb Diseases, 2023). Higgins collaborates with breeders, entomologists, and growers, translating research into practical solutions that bolster regional agricultural productivity and sustainability.