Top Grafting Apple Trees to Manage Fire Blight Infection
Conference Year
2023
Abstract
Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is a bacterial disease on apple trees which is very difficult to eradicate. It leads to branch and possible tree death and lives within the vascular tissue of each tree, with the only effective treatment being prevention or diligent pruning (Cooley, 2015). Block 19, an orchard at the UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center (HREC), has been heavily infected with fire blight, but replanting the orchard would result in significant lost production. Top grafting is used in some orchards for changing variety, but is an undocumented approach of fire blight control. This study will assess if top grafting fire blight infected trees will reduce disease compared to standard treatment.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Terence Bradshaw
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Second Student College
Patrick Leahy Honors College
Program/Major
Accelerated RN-BS-MS
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
Top Grafting Apple Trees to Manage Fire Blight Infection
Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is a bacterial disease on apple trees which is very difficult to eradicate. It leads to branch and possible tree death and lives within the vascular tissue of each tree, with the only effective treatment being prevention or diligent pruning (Cooley, 2015). Block 19, an orchard at the UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center (HREC), has been heavily infected with fire blight, but replanting the orchard would result in significant lost production. Top grafting is used in some orchards for changing variety, but is an undocumented approach of fire blight control. This study will assess if top grafting fire blight infected trees will reduce disease compared to standard treatment.