Four key aspects of the relationship between predatory hoverflies and the aphid pest Brevicoryne brassicae L. on broccoli were investigated in the Willamette Valley, Oregon USA: 1) the relationship between aphid density and hoverfly oviposition, 2) the larval voracity of key hoverfly species, 3) the preferences of hoverflies and broccoli...
Epichloë typhina (Ascomycetes: Clavicipitaceae) is an endophytic fungus that
infects perennial Pooid grasses and is the causal agent of choke disease. It is endemic
to Europe and was inadvertently introduced into orchardgrass seed production fields in
western Oregon. Choke disease, which was first recorded in Oregon in 1996, currently
infects...
Root rot of sweet corn in western Oregon and Washington is a significant disease that
can reduce yield of intolerant cultivars of processed sweet corn by fifty percent. Root rot
is caused by a complex of soilborne organisms, including Drechslera sp., Phoma
terrestris, and Pythium arrhenomanes. Processors have adopted tolerant...
Landscape heterogeneity is thought to differ among farm management types (i.e. organic and conventional), and this difference is hypothesized to result in variations in pest control by natural enemies. However, it is unclear if these variations in pest control are driven by landscape structure or by farm management practices themselves....
As species of ash trees become increasingly threatened worldwide by exotic pests and pathogens, it is important to develop descriptions of their ecologies that help guide the conservation and restoration of forests in which they are a major component. Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) is a dominant tree species in wetland...
Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests are widely distributed throughout western North America. However, the lodgepole pine forests of central Oregon are ecologically unique to the region, with a mixed severity fire regime, low cone serotiny, and their occasional presence as a climax species. Most of the research conducted regarding the...