Development of alternate fertilization programs to mitigate nutrient problems found in long-term organic production systems

In long-lived organic blueberry production systems, nutrient imbalances caused by some fertilization and mulching practices can reduce yield and plant health. The ability to balance nutrient levels and thus improve productivity over time was evaluated in a mature planting of ‘Duke’ and ‘Liberty’ that had previously been used to study different mulching practices and various rates and sources of fertilizer. The prior fertilizer treatments were feather meal and fish emulsion, each applied initially at “low” and “high” rates of nitrogen (N), 29 and 57 kg·ha-1 N in 2007–08 and then increased incrementally as the planting matured to 73 and 140 kg·ha-1 N in 2013–2016. Mulch treatments included sawdust (9-cm deep), yard-debris compost (4-cm) + sawdust (5-cm) and weed mat. In winter 2016-17, existing weed mat was removed from plots where it was present, and new weed mat was installed on top of any existing organic mulches – thus changing the mulch treatments to weed mat (over bare soil), weed mat over sawdust, and weed mat over compost + sawdust from 2017–2020.

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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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Diversity of Pseudomonas syringae and diagnosis and management of bacterial canker on blueberry

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.

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New Opportunities for Control of Bindweed in Blackberries

The objectives of this project were to determine: 1) whether the herbicide Quinclorac can be used to control or suppress bindweed in blackberries without impacting crop performance; and 2) whether a biological control of bindweed, the gall-forming mite Aceria malherbae, can be established in berry fields and used in concert with herbicides to enhance bindweed control. Quinclorac was applied 30 days before harvest, after harvest, and near the first frost in the fall to both EY and AY blackberries, raspberries, and blackberry and raspberry transplants. Quinclorac provided 80 to 90% control of bindweed and did not harm caneberries.

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Development of a wine yeast to prevent stuck fermentations

Faulted wines pose a serious economic problem to the wine industry, these off flavors can cause consumers, new to a region or variety, to reject that region entirely. Wine faults can include off-aromas or flavors associated with chemical compounds produced by spoilage organisms Brettanomyces, Acetobacter, Pediococcus or Lactobacillus. From the producers and winemakers’ perspective, early detection of wine faults would allow for remediation before the fault becomes more serious, intractable, and costly. Research in wine fault detection continues to develop as more sensitive and rapid analytical methods are identified that can reflect the complexity of the faulted wine.

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