Plant Disease Content

Plant Biologists Identify Promising New Fungicides

Andy Fell — February 29, 2024 - 9:00am

A promising new fungicide to fight devastating crop diseases has been identified by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The chemical, ebselen, prevented fungal infections in apples, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and roses, and improved symptoms of pre-existing fungal infection in rice.

Parasitic Weeds Threaten Tomato Plants on California Farms

Jocelyn C Anderson — September 26, 2023 - 8:15am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis leads the way in sustainable agriculture, employing innovative research to combat the invasive broomrape weed threatening California's tomato industry.

Drought and Climate Change Shift Tree Disease in Sierra Nevada

Katherine E Kerlin — August 24, 2021 - 8:54am

Even pathogens have their limits. When it gets too hot or too dry, some pathogens — like many living things — search for cooler, wetter and more hospitable climes. Ecologists have questioned if a warming, drying climate is connected to the spread of plant disease, but detecting a climate change fingerprint has been elusive.

New Pima Cotton Cultivars Show Improved Resistance to Disease

Amy M Quinton — August 16, 2021 - 11:15am

Researchers at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis have helped develop three new Pima cotton cultivars that are resistant to Fusarium wilt disease, a soil-borne fungus that can devastate a cotton crop.

Newly Identified Enzyme May Be the Culprit in Pierce’s Disease Grapevine Damage

Patricia Bailey — January 12, 2016 - 12:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis plant scientists have identified an enzyme that appears to play a key role in the insect-transmitted bacterial infection of grapevines with Pierce’s disease, which annually costs California’s grape and wine industries more than $100 million.

The researchers hope that the discovery, which runs counter to existing theories, will lead to new diagnostics and potential treatments for Pierce’s disease. Their findings are reported in Scientific Reports, an online journal of the Nature Publishing Group.