Jun 8, 2023

Seminar addresses fire blight pruning and sanitation

Washington State University Extension is presenting a webinar on fire blight pruning and sanitation.

The June 13 session is part of a series of updates on a national research project on fire blight in Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, California and Washington that began in December.

The webinar lasts about an hour and begins at 4 p.m. Pacific on June 13. Registration is online.

Tianna DuPont, regional Extension specialist and associate professor at Washington State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will discuss the results of 10 on-farm trials on pruning and sanitation for fire blight management.

Researchers looked at the success of fire blight removal strategies in Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania and New York. The 10 experiments had different scions, rootstocks, vigor and training systems, according to a news release. Researchers then compared six therapeutic fire blight removal practices. The webinar will update the industry on pruning strategy based on what was learned.

For each webinar, participants are eligible for one pesticide update credit with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Agriculture, New York State and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The final webinar in the series is scheduled for October.