Surrounded: Inoculum sources of complex pathogens around Florida Ericales crops: tea, camellia, and blueberry.

Tea, , is a globally important crop plant that is currently under investigation for production in the southeastern US. Both in the US and in traditional tea production regions, one of the most damaging diseases of tea is anthracnose, or brown blight, caused by various species of . In the US, only a single species had previously been reported on tea, while at least 12 species are known to cause disease in other regions, raising the question: is the absence of additional species in US grown tea due to differences between US and Asian pathogen populations, or simply to the limited acreage and duration of tea production in North America? We conducted a survey of spp.

Genetic and morphological characterization of United States tea (): insights into crop history, breeding strategies, and regional adaptability.

Multiple introductions of tea () to the United States since the 1850s have resulted in US tea germplasm that are currently poorly characterized. To resolve questions concerning the relatedness and regional adaptability of US tea germplasm, 32 domestic individuals were evaluated using 10 InDel markers, and compared with a background population of 30 named and registered Chinese varieties of tea. The marker data were analyzed a neighbor-joining cladistic tree derived from Nei's genetic distance, STRUCTURE, and Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components, which revealed four genetic groups.

Effects of Field Fumigation and Inoculation With the Pecan Truffle () on the Fungal Community of Pecan () Seedlings Over 5 Years.

Truffle fungi are esteemed for their aromatic qualities and are among the most widely cultivated edible ectomycorrhizal fungi. Here we document a successful method for establishing , the pecan truffle, on pecan () seedlings in a field setting. We assessed the impacts of soil fumigation and varying concentrations of truffle spore inoculum on the ectomycorrhizal fungal and the complete fungal communities as well as the colonization of on pecan roots at three nurseries in Georgia, United States.

Anthracnose in U.S. Tea: Pathogen Characterization and Susceptibility Among Six Tea Accessions.

Tea ( [L.] O. Kuntze) is under investigation as a specialty crop in the United States.

Finding the Gaps: An Assessment of Concepts, Skills, and Employer Expectations for Plant Pathology Foundational Courses.

Foundational plant pathology courses, taught at the undergraduate level, serve students from a wide array of disciplines, and for most will be the only plant pathology course taken. This work examined the content, skills, and delivery modes of undergraduate plant pathology courses at a national scale, and assessed employer expectations for these courses and for students entering the workforce with degrees in plant science-related disciplines. While content knowledge coverage among plant pathology courses was generally consistent and aligned well with employers' knowledge expectations, delivery modes and skill development components were more variable and less aligned.

Cellulase activity as a mechanism for suppression of phytophthora root rot in mulches.

Wood-based mulches are used in avocado production and are being tested on Fraser fir for reduction of Phytophthora root rot, caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. Research with avocado has suggested a role of microbial cellulase enzymes in pathogen suppression through effects on the cellulosic cell walls of Phytophthora. This work was conducted to determine whether cellulase activity could account for disease suppression in mulch systems.