The Plant Improvement Initiative will ensure the long-term sustainability of PNW small fruit growers and protect them from emerging horticultural, environmental, and food security challenges.
Black raspberry is a well-known Pacific Northwest specialty crop with unique flavor and nutritional attributes, but also unique vulnerabilities. A prominent threat facing the crop is the aphid-vectored Black Raspberry Necrosis Virus. Natural genetic resistance to aphids has been identified in black raspberry germplasm in Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), and Ontario (ON), Canada. In a collaboration between OSU and USDA-ARS researchers, genetic linkage mapping found three separate but linked genetic loci on Rubus Linkage Group 6 (RLG 6). Attempts to target these loci with genetic markers could not clearly distinguish the three from each other.
Bacterial canker caused by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae is characterized by killed buds and stems. The disease can be severe when environmental conditions support growth and infection of tissues in the fall and spring. The disease is especially damaging to young succulent plants. Copper is sprayed onto plants to control the growth of the pathogen and the development of bacterial canker. P. syringae actually refers to a complex group of pathogens, with individual members that have either a wide host range or narrow host range. Surprisingly, little was known about P. syringae causing bacterial canker on blueberry. It was not known if only a single type of P. syringae with a narrow host range caused bacterial canker or if multiple types of the pathogen complex caused bacterial canker. P. syringae can use many traits to cause plant diseases, such as the production of plant toxins or the ability to nucleate ice formation.
abstract An individual grower’s response to pests and diseases in their vineyard can have consequences for an entire growing region. Collective action strategies can help align disease responses to achieve…
Erythritol is a non-caloric sugar used in artificial sweeteners such as Truvia and is safe for human consumption. Formulations with erythritol have induced mortality among spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) adults in the lab and greenhouse, and reduced infestation rates among fruits in the field. While promising, the erythritol formulation needs to be improved for field application and its non-target effects considered. Recently, we developed two new formulations to reduce the stickiness of sprays
