05 Apr 2024
Researchers from the Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences Department at Michigan State University have been investigating the possibility of deploying bacteriophage viruses against bacterial canker for a few years now thanks to their specialisation in infecting bacteria.
02 Apr 2024
The pathogen infects many plant species and survives on the leaf surface of many weeds found on orchard floors. It is known for being epiphytic, which means that pathogen colonization can occur on any plant tissue without provoking infection or symptoms.
29 Mar 2024
Today's cherry growers are confronted with cherry blight, caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. In recent years, the disease has appeared more frequently in high and very high density planting and dwarfing rootstocks.
11 Mar 2024
The samba wasp and the ronin wasp have emerged as potential parasitoids. Researchers have studied the wasps and are seeking government approval to release them. The species have been found in the wild in Canada and the United States.
07 Mar 2024
According to the NIAB (UK) research centre, future research should focus on complementary control strategies in integrated pest management and control automation, while creating new skills and techniques in the industry.
05 Mar 2024
Youfu Zhao recommends pruning in summer whenever possible and switching from sprinkler to drip irrigation to keep the orchard drier. For larger trees, it is possible to cut back the cankers, Zhao said, but this is fatal for young trees.
04 Mar 2024
"We are trying to understand how X-disease pathogen exploits the grasshopper to facilitate its life cycle," said William Walker, USDA geneticist. "This could provide us with forms of disruption, such as biopesticides, to halt the insect's life cycle."
01 Mar 2024
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is based on the flooding of sterilised males of the species by ionising X-ray irradiation. SIT has been used successfully in the past against other key pests, e.g. the fruit fly.
22 Feb 2024
The study aimed to characterise for the first time the culturome at seven different stages of development in cv. Saco. The current investigation has successfully identified a total of twenty-three bacterial strains and twenty-five fungal strains.
02 Feb 2024
Birds, a threat to crops or friends for integrated pest management strategies? At the 'Stone Fruit Day' organised by Washington State University, the focus was on the role of birds in agriculture, looking at pros and cons of the latest research on the subject.
