The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is an important production region for blueberry with 158 million lbs harvested in Oregon and 180 million lbs harvested in Washington in 2022, valued at $187 million (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2023)
Gray mold, caused by Botrytis spp., is a major issue for blueberry crops in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), leading to losses in yield and quality. This study examined the pathogen's in vitro resistance to various fungicides, collecting samples from 35 fields in 2022 and 2023, resulting in 376 and 339 Botrytis isolates, respectively.
‘Concord’ vineyards in central Washington are plagued by a leaf chlorosis problem that occurs around bloom. It significantly reduces vine size, vine uniformity, and productivity, and even causes vine death. Chlorotic leaves from WA vineyards have significantly lower active Iron (Fe) compared with green leaves whereas total leaf Fe is the same or even higher; 2) high soil pH induces leaf chlorosis in Concord vines; 3) leaf active Fe content is a better indicator of Concord vine Fe status than total Fe. This project is a continuation of the work. The objectives were to determine the effects of FeEDDHA (a chelated form of Fe) and different rootstocks on reducing leaf chlorosis. A field trial in central WA over 3 years clearly showed that FeEDDHA application significantly decreased the degree of canopy leaf chlorosis; and that Concord vines grafted onto 3309, 5C and 110R had better growth, higher photosynthesis, and less chlorosis than the own-rooted vines at high soil pH (7.6).
