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Trials of Advanced Raspberry selections to evaluate suitability for IQF processing and to promote adoption

A new cultivar, ‘Cascade Premier’, and an advanced selection, ‘WSU 2188’, were compared with industry standard cultivars under commercial production and processing conditions. The cultivars were evaluated for Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) processing quality, yield, pest tolerance, disease susceptibility and winter hardiness. ‘Cascade Premier’ was compared with adjacent, similarly managed ‘WakeHaven®’. ‘Cascade Premier’ yields were limited at one location by cane botrytis, which reduced the numbers of fruiting laterals. ‘Cascade Premier’ generally produced fewer, but larger fruits than WakeHaven®. Under warm conditions favoring rapid ripening, ‘Cascade Premier’ produced IQF quality fruit when harvest intervals were short enough (less than 3 days), but became too soft for IQF processing at longer harvest intervals.

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Risk assessment of nematode-transmitted viruses of small fruit crops in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) maintains a $840 million small fruit industry susceptible to nepoviruses, which are viruses that are transmitted by dagger nematodes. The association of viruses with nematodes is complicated with many nepoviruses, taxonomic confusion among vector nematodes, and limited data on the ability of Xiphinema spp. populations to vector many of the nepoviruses. Research was conducted to provide an up-to- date assessment of the problem in the region and to develop new molecular tools to improve detection of this disease complex. Over two years, 96 small fruit fields and vineyards were sampled in the PNW. In total 43 vineyard, 24 blueberry, 15 raspberry, 8 blackberry, 5 strawberry and one ribes fields were assessed for dagger nematode and nepoviruses. The highest incidence of dagger nematode was found in grape vines (79 %) followed by raspberry and blueberries. The population densities were 56 and 37 nematodes per 250 cc of soil in grapes and blueberry, respectively. Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) was found in three blueberry fields, while, in grape, raspberry and ribes only one field each. Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) was found in six vineyards.

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Detection and monitoring of Tomato Ringspot Virus in red raspberry and Xiphinema americanum.

Washington and Oregon account for 85% of national raspberry production and 15% of worldwide production. Growers from Washington and Oregon harvest over 80 million pounds of raspberries on about 12,000 acres. Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) continues to be a problem in raspberry production in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and in southern Washington. The predominant mode of spread of ToRSV is via the nematode vector Xiphinema americanum, also known as “Dagger” nematodes. Methyl bromide is often a method of choice for managing ToRSV and other nematode-borne plant viruses because it kills the nematode vectors. However, ToRSV often reappears within 3-4 years of fumigation with methyl bromide.

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Enhanced IPM of Rose Stem Girdler, an Emerging Pest of Pacific Northwest Caneberries

Rose stem girdler (RSG) is an invasive beetle pest of caneberry crops that is becoming increasingly problematic for Pacific Northwest (PNW) growers. It has progressively become naturalized throughout the northern Willamette Valley northward to the south Puget Sound region throughout the 2000s-present due to abundant wild bramble hosts. Grower reports of damage to crops has been variable, but with incidental claims of up to ~70% crop loss in a given year due to cane girdling by the beetle’s larvae. Control has been difficult and inefficient due to narrow windows of time for effective control (after adults emerge from canes, but before egg-laying begins 7 days later), and the lack of region-specific information to predict emergence and longevity of egg-laying activity. Our project objectives were: 1) to refine determinants of risk to PNW caneberry plantings from RSG through coordinated regional pest surveys, 2) to develop an enhanced integrated pest management (IPM) program with refined information on RSG detection methods, life cycle, and development of a pest management prediction model, and 3) to investigate biocontrol potential of a parasitoid wasp that may mitigate RSG’s viability and play a role in future IPM programs.

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Development of Aphid Resistance Resources in Black Raspberry

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.

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