Strawberry Gender Decided by Two Genes, Not One

"New research by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and her cooperators found gender in strawberries is determined by two genes, not one as previously believed.

Strawberry plants possess one of three reproductive functions. Male plants bear flowers that produce pollen but cannot set fruit. Female plants produce fruit if their flowers are pollinated, but cannot produce their own pollen. Hermaphrodites contain both male and female functions that enable them to flower, self-pollinate and bear fruit. Neuters, which look like male strawberry plants, can also exist but do not posses reproductive functions." Stephanie Yao (ARS)

More »

Source: USDA (ARS) http://www.ars.usda.gov

Looking for effective fertilizers or plant nutrients, please visit our website at www.ferticell.com or call (602)233-2223

ARS Releases New Leaf Lettuce Breeding Lines with Corky Root Resistance

"Three new leaf lettuce breeding lines with resistance to corky root, a serious disease of lettuce, have been released by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Corky root is caused by a bacterium called Sphingomonas suberifaciens. It lives in the soil and attacks the plant's roots, causing them to enlarge and develop yellow to brown lesions and longitudinal cracks, taking on a cork-like appearance.

Once infected, the roots are unable to effectively absorb water and nutrients, resulting in smaller lettuce heads and yield loss. Cultural practices and fumigation techniques used to treat the disease are costly and labor-intensive. Therefore, developing lines with genetic resistance is still the most common and preferred method to combat the disease."Stephanie Yao, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

More »

Source: USDA (ARS) http://www.ars.usda.gov

Looking for effective fertilizers or plant nutrients, please visit our website at www.ferticell.com or call (602)233-2223

Researchers Testing “One-Two Punch” Against Disease-Spreading Thrips

"Spraying tomatoes with kaolin, a type of powdered clay, and one of three plant essential oils cut in half the incidence of tomato spotted wilt disease, which is spread by thrips.

According to Stuart Reitz, an entomologist with the ARS Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research Unit’s Tallahassee, Fla., site, kaolin forms a white coat that may interfere with thrips’ ability to zero in on color cues during flight. Thrips that do still land on treated plants may find the kaolin coat difficult to penetrate with their juice-sucking mouthparts. This, in turn, may diminish their transmission of the TSW virus, which is present in the insects’ saliva. " Jan Suszkiw

More »

Source: USDA (ARS) http://www.ars.usda.gov/

A Biocontrol for a Wide-Ranging Thrips

"A pest with a voracious appetite may have met its match in a predatory mite being evaluated as a biocontrol agent by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Fort Pierce, Fla. in collaboration with University of Florida researchers.

The chilli thrips is an invasive pest that feeds on leaves, turns them brown, kills new growth and attacks up to 150 crops, including peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, peanuts, cotton and a variety of ornamentals."

More »

Source: USDA Agricultural research service

Why Invasive Plants Take Over

"New research shows that two key causes of plant invasion--escape from natural enemies, and increases in plant resources--act in concert. This result helps to explain the dramatic invasions by exotic plants occurring worldwide. It also indicates that global change is likely to exacerbate invasion by exotic plants."
More »

Source: USDA Agricultural research service