Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) yields in the Willamette Valley of Oregon have been declining since the early 1990’s. Studies were done to determine if there is a relationship between ear weight and several disease parameters including necrotic crowns or stalk nodes, nodal root rot, radicle root rot, and sub-crown...
Commercial radish seed producers in the Willamette Valley of Oregon have observed a late season wilt in their seed fields. Twenty-two fields were surveyed for wilt in the Willamette Valley during June through August 2012 and 2013. Plants exhibiting wilt symptoms were collected from the fields and examined for vascular...
In ecological restoration, species that are sown to increase the native plant
diversity range in establishment ability. Some species readily establish, while others
rarely do. This study set out to investigate some of the potential processes influencing
species establishment, as well as the traits that are associated with the success...
Preservation of rare plant species often requires establishment of new populations. Survivorship surveys are the most common method of post-introduction monitoring. However, they provide an incomplete picture of establishment success. This study is an attempt to develop a model for determining establishment success by determining the factors affecting recruitment in...
Wetlands and wet prairies are economically and environmentally valuable ecosystems, but many have been degraded or converted to other uses. As human understanding of wetlands' value has increased, restoration efforts have grown correspondingly. Restoration attempts use a diversity of methods, which often include seeding with native plant species. This thesis...
In addition to its longstanding recognition as an influential evolutionary process, interspecific hybridization is increasingly regarded as a potential threat to the genetic integrity and survival of rare plant species, manifested through gamete wasting, increased pest and disease pressures, outbreeding depression, competitive exclusion, and genetic assimilation. Alternatively, hybridization has also...
Identifying mechanisms that determine who lives and dies is the first step in developing successful restoration techniques for rare species and endangered habitats. We studied interactions that affect establishment of native plant forbs of conservation concern at the seedling stage to support the theoretical basis for restoration activities in Pacific...
The development of resistance to multiple fungicide classes is currently limiting disease management options for many pathogens, while the discovery of new fungicide classes has become less frequent. To address this pressing issue, a three-part study with different layers of complexity, objectives, and experimental approaches was conducted using the model...
Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi pseudosclerotia overwinter on the soil surface and produce apothecia in early spring, providing primary inoculum for Mummy Berry Disease of blueberry. Burial under 2.5 cm of soil or the absence of light have previously been identified as critical factors preventing the development of apothecia. Mulches were applied to...
Prairies were once the dominant vegetation type in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Land use conversion, fire suppression, succession, and invasive species have reduced Willamette Valley prairies to less than 1% of their historical area. The remnant prairies that persist today are small in size and are highly fragmented. Marginal strips of...