Written by: Becky Anderson Published by: David Santos Ralstonia solanacearum What is Ralstonia solanacearum? The bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is a Gram-negative, soil-borne bacterial pathogen that causes bacterial wilt and brown rot in potatoes. This bacterium belongs to a complex of four groups called phylotypes. These groups are known as the R. solanacearum species complex (RSSC). Each […]
Healthy Hydroponics at CGC 2022 The Canadian Greenhouse Conference is one of the most important conferences for anyone in the indoor agriculture industry. CGC is regarded as “Canada’s foremost event for commercial greenhouse flower, vegetable, cannabis, berry and nursery growers” (1) because of the quality of the exhibits and the number of people that come […]
Written by: Becky Anderson Published by: David Santos What is Fusarium oxysporum? Fusarium oxysporum is a fungus which can cause root rot, crown rot and, most commonly, wilting in a wide variety of crops such as basil, lettuce, cannabis and tomatoes (Figure 1). Wilting caused by F. oxysporum is known as Fusarium wilt and is a common […]
Tackling ToBRFV in hydronic systems Most tomato growers have become very familiar with the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). A few months ago, we published a blog post about the damage the virus is causing worldwide. Between then and now, we developed a qPCR test called Pathogen Mini to help detect the virus in […]
Beneficial microbes have been the talk of the town over the past few years, but what are they and how do they work? This post dives into the world of microbial beneficials and what that means for the health of your crops. What are beneficial bacteria? Beneficial bacteria are naturally occurring bacteria typically found in […]
Written by: Becky Anderson Published by: David Santos What is Podosphaera xanthii? Podosphaera xanthii is a pathogenic fungus which causes “powdery mildew” on plants, especially cucurbits [1]. The naming of this fungus is not standardized, and you may also know it as Podosphaera fusca, Sphaerotheca fuliginea or Sphaerotheca fusca [1]. In addition to P. xanthii, powdery mildew […]
Healthy Hydroponics at Cultivate’22 Cultivate’22 by AmericanHort is one of the greenhouse industry’s must-go events! We are proud to have exhibited beside well-known agricultural companies answer learned so much from industry experts. Let’s look back at some of the highlights of our trip! Cultivate’22 is a world-class trade show where equipment manufacturers, suppliers, solution providers, […]
Written by: Becky Anderson Published by: David Santos What is Pectobacterium carotovorum? Pectobacterium carotovorum is one pathogen, of many, that causes soft rot in plants. It is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobe [1], (Figure 1). This bacteria is part of the order Enterobacterales [2] which includes other well-known bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella, to […]
Up to 40% of global crop loss is due to pests and plant diseases costing the global economy over $220 billion annually estimated by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Plant pathogens are not just a problem in traditional field agriculture, but also in indoor farms such as greenhouses and vertical […]
3 Common Greenhouse Pests One of the most common issues that lots of growers deal with in a greenhouse is different types of pests. The warm, humid conditions and abundant food in a greenhouse provide the perfect environment for pest development. Greenhouses also lack the natural predators for most pests that would be found in […]