06/23/05 Fighting off blackberry rust

06/23/05 Fighting off blackberry rust

Blackberry rust is a fungus used as a biological control agent against wild blackberries that threaten native species in places such as Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. Despite that intention, Oregon blackberry growers are still concerned how a believed accidental introduction of blackberry rust in two Southern Oregon counties might affect desirable varieties. Tim Butler of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Noxious Weed Control Program says testing has been underway since discovery of the fungus occurred. BUTLER: We set up a trap garden down in the area where this rust exists with the idea of getting some commercial varieties of blackberry in that area to see if there might be any affect on those. Butler says despite the concern, there may be some benefits to having blackberry rust around, such as addressing a very narrow host range. BUTLER: It`s specific to the weedy Himalayan blackberry, which infests hundreds and thousands of acres in Western Oregon along streams and throughout our watersheds. This could be a big benefit to us in the long run. Meaning elimination of an unwanted species which should help more desirable blackberry varieties thrive in Oregon, that is, if no harmful effects to commercial varieties are found. And with a $30 million dollar industry potentially at stake, Butler says it behooves researchers to determine the impacts of blackberry rust.
Previous Report06/22/05 First pear crop projections
Next Report06/24/05 Smart Fresh and apples