Fruit Science Commons^™

Replacing Herbicides With Groundcovers To Enhance Vineyard Sustainability, Benjamin A. Loseke

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In many Midwestern vineyards a three to four-foot weed-free strip is maintained directly beneath the vines to reduce vine-weed competition. Conventionally, this strip has been conserved with repeated applications of herbicide, mainly glyphosate. The necessity for this weed-free strip to reduce vine-weed competition has been well documented in more arid climates. However, in areas with higher soil fertility and adequate rainfall, this strip may be unnecessary. Moreover, stand establishment and early vine growth have not been well documented when planting groundcovers (GC) immediately following the vine planting. The main objective of this project is to assess the severity of competition …

Breeding For Resistance In California Strawberry To Verticillium Dahliae, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This article focuses on breeding resistant strawberries to the fungus Verticillium dahliae, common name Verticillium wilt. This is a serious fungal disease that can result in a loss of 50% or more of a strawberry harvest when grown in infested soil. The main goal is to provide an example of how a cultivar can be made more resistant to a plant pathogen with the use of plant breeding methods.

Since 1930 the University of California, Davis, has been developing strawberry cultivars that are adapted to the agricultural industry and regional farms. Developing cultivars that require fewer inputs are of …

Micropropagation And Acclimatization Of 'Norton' Grapevine (Vitis Aestivalis), Brant B. Bigger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Propagation of the Vitis aestivalis cultivar 'Norton‘ (syn='Cynthiana‘) through traditional woody cuttings has been difficult. Rooting of woody cuttings has been a major hindrance in propagating this cultivar and providing enough plants to meet grower needs. In vitro propagation offers another method of increasing plant material. Cultures were established and maintained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 4 M 6-benzyladenine (BA) and thiamine at 0.5 mg•L^-1 and solidified with Difco-Bacto agar at 7.5 g•L^-1. The objectives of this study were to determine optimal methods for in vitro production and ex vitro establishment of 'Norton‘ plantlets. …