Integrated Disease Management of Exotic and Emerging Plant Diseases of Horticultural Crops

Objective 1: Describe the pathogen biology and disease epidemiology of exotic and emerging plant pathogens affecting horticultural crops. Sub-objective 1A: Comparative genomics of Phytophthora pathogens. Sub-objective 1B: Population genomics and evolution of Phytophthora pathogens. Sub-objective 1C: Characterize the fungal, oomycete and bacterial microbiome associated with horticultural crops. Sub-objective 1D: Disease surveys of small fruits in the Pacific Northwest. Objective 2: Develop improved integrated disease management of pathogens of horticultural crops. Sub-objective 2A: Integrate disease risk forecasters with models for air turbulence to predict pathogen dispersal and spatially explicit disease risk. Sub-objective 2B: Develop methods to monitor presence of fungicide resistance in pathogen inoculum. Sub-objective 2C: Optimize fungicide selection and application timing to manage powdery mildew on grape berries. Sub-objective 2D: Identify inoculum sources of Botrytis cinerea in caneberry fields and evaluate methods to reduce overwintering populations. Sub-objective 2E: Develop and evaluate alternative control measures for management of diseases that reduce fruit yield or quality.