College of Agricultural Sciences

Christmas tree specialist, Chal Landgren, gives an update of shipping and exporting issues, disease and pest management and current resources for growers.

An initial report on research conducted on two intelligent, or precision, sprayers designed for use in the ornamental horticultural industry. The goal of this research is to develop efficient and affordable sprayers that use technology to respond to crop size and presence.

Pest management researcher discusses the Interregional Research Project No. 4, commonly known as IR-4, a federally funded program that assists growers of ornamental horticulture crops in obtaining safe and effective pest management tools.

Correctly diagnosing a plant problem for nursery growers can be challenging. However, the right diagnostic resources coupled with an early and appropriate diagnosis can prevent pests or pathogens from spreading, saving time and money.

A discussion about live plant imports as an important invasion pathway for non-native plant pests. The authors discuss the effect of current regulation, the need for updated regulation, and the recent and proposed changes to plant import regulation.

Pests and pathogens are a threat for growers that produce containerized nursery stock. The authors discuss how to reduce these threats by considering the type of containers and growing media they use, where they are sourced, how they are handled, and how they are stored.

The purpose of this research was to determine the susceptibility of the strawberry crown moth, Synanthedon bibionipennis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) larvae to two species of entomopathogenic nematodes. The entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) strain Agriotos and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Steiner) strain Oswego were evaluated in laboratory soil bioassays and the field.

These studies were conducted to determine the compatibility of M. anisopliae (F52) with a wide range of fungicides commonly applied to container-grown ornamentals for the management of soil-borne plant pathogens. In addition, the impact of fungicide application to M. anisopliae population in soilless potting media (bulk and rhizosphere soil) was also determined.

This study sought to ascertain if there was an association between host plant and species of fungi by using phylogenetic analysis to determine the prevalence of Metarhizium and Beauveria spp. isolated from the rhizosphere of strawberry, blueberry, grape and Christmas tree crops in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

A report on research conducted to determine the susceptibility of the two primary direct insect pests of hazelnuts in Oregon to three species of entomopathogenic nematodes. Additionally, a small-scale replicated field trial was performed to determine the efficacy of the two most effective nematodes species in the laboratory against both insects in the field.