X-disease, colloquially referred to as “little cherry disease” is the key threat to Pacific Northwest cherry production and the only management options are tree removal and control of leafhoppers that vector the phytoplasma pathogen. With little natural enemy knowledge, vector control focuses only on chemical controls, suspending integrated management principles. Here, we propose using primers […]
State-wide mapping of soil-health indicators and related agricultural practices is key to tracking our progress towards improving sustainability of agriculture. While this information and low-cost platforms to gather this information for large areas are currently lacking, there have been some recent successes such as satelliteimagery based tillage class mapping for the United States Corn Belt. […]
Very large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) will need to be removed from the atmosphere over the course of the next century or two to stabilize Earth’s climate at a safe temperature. A handful of C-drawdown approaches are available to perform this task, three of which involve soils: increasing stocks of soil organic matter (SOM), […]
Tillage is a crucial stage in annual agricultural systems that terminates overwintering vegetation, incorporates plant residues, and prepares the soil for crops. These activities degrade soil health and impact indicators such as soil microbial biomass, organic matter, and aggregate stability. Weed populations are also influenced by tillage as seed and vegetative parts are horizontally and […]
Microbiota associated with fruits are strongly affected by agricultural practices, but there is only sparse data available on fungal and bacterial diversity in biologically intensive, organic, and conventional apples and none on pears. In Europe, ciders are traditionally produced through spontaneous fermentation from fruits and equipment-associated microbiota, a practice that imparts distinct organoleptic properties and […]
We have identified a gene from Sinorhizobium medicae that substantially increases nodulation of Sinorhizobium meliloti on barrel medic and Rhizobium leguminosarum on pea and increases biomass of nodulated barrel medic by ~40%. The glx gene appears to work by overcoming plant-mediated inhibition of nodule formation and is the first gene we know of with this […]