Testing for Botrytis Resistance in Georgia Strawberries

Written by

Phil Brannen

February 1, 2019

We are already having Botrytis showing up on strawberry blooms. It is therefore a good time to test Botrytis for resistance to the various fungicide classes that are active against this pathogen group. Clemson University (Guido Schnabel) will once more test for resistance to Botrytis, but this will be the last year the service will be provided by Clemson University; the University of Georgia plans to take over the testing service next year. The instructions for submitting samples can be found in the link below. I discussed the protocol with Guido Schnabel yesterday, and he indicated that infected blooms (blossoms) work somewhat better than the cotton swabs. Send 10 of either the cotton swabs or blossoms to the indicated location, and make sure to follow the instructions carefully.

GrayMoldCollectionInstructions

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Phil Brannen

Phil Brannen is a Professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management, where he also received an M.S. in Plant Pathology, followed by a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. He has extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia – conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed towards developing IPM practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduate level Field Pathology Course, the History of Plant Diseases and their Impact on Human Societies Course, team-teaches the IPM Course, coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region Course (Cortona, Italy), and guest lectures in numerous other courses throughout the year.