09/24/2026
Florida high school student Tanishka Aglave has developed a three-part approach to tackling citrus greening, a devastating disease affecting citrus trees worldwide and severely impacting Florida growers, including her own family.
An IB senior at Strawberry Crest High School, Aglave began the research as a freshman and spent more than 300 hours working on the project. Her research combines a curry-leaf-based bactericide, localized thermal therapy and an AI-powered monitoring system. Her work earned her a $50,000 scholarship as a 2026 Davidson Fellow.
Aglave investigated curry leaves after noticing that they can host the insect responsible for spreading citrus greening without effectively transmitting the disease. She developed a curry-leaf extract treatment for infected trees and explored trunk delivery.
She also created a localized heating system using phase-changing materials and salt chemistry to generate sustained heat around the tree base, potentially improving treatment movement through the plant.
For disease monitoring, she developed a web-based computer-vision tool using YOLOv11 to analyze citrus-leaf images and track visible symptoms.
Her project has received recognition at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and was published in Plant Disease. She hopes her research can eventually help address other plant diseases and provide more practical, affordable tools for growers.
