BACKGROUND In general, the definite determination of bacterial species is a tedious process and requires extensive manual labour. Novel technologies for bacterial detection and analysis can therefore help microbiologists in minimising their efforts in developing a number of microbiological applications. METHODOLOGY We present a robust, standardized procedure for automated bacterial analysis t...

Streptomycin has been authorized for restricted use in the prevention of the fire blight disease of pome fruit orchards in the EU and Switzerland. This study addresses the important topic of the influence of the use of streptomycin in agriculture on the total bacteria community within the soil ecosystem. Soil samples were taken from soils under apple trees, prior to streptomycin application and...

In light of public concerns over the use of pesticides and antibiotics in plant protection and the subsequent selection for spread of resistant bacteria in the environment, it is inevitable to broaden our knowledge about viable alternatives, such as natural antagonists and their mode of action. The genus Pseudomonas is known for its metabolic versatility and genetic plasticity, encompassing pat...

Organic apple production in the eastern US is small and is mostly based on existing varieties, which are susceptible to scab, and rootstocks, which are susceptible to fire blight. This requires numerous sprays per year of various pesticides to produce acceptable fruit. From 2014 to 2016, we tested different arthropod, disease and weed management programs in an advanced tall spindle high-density...

Before European settlement, vast areas of the eastern US deciduous forest were dominated by oak species. Evidence indicates that periodic understory fire was an important ecological factor in the historical development of oak forests. During European settlement of the late 19th and early 20th century, much of the eastern United States was impacted by land-clearing, extensive timber harvesting, ...

Fire blight, caused by pathogen Erwinia amylovora, is a major disease in Malus. Biological, chemical and cultural controls are efficient to manage fire while rootstocks, host resistance can limit damages. During the 2020 season naturally occurring blight outbreak occurred United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Malus collection, providing unique opportunity evaluate diverse collection fo...