08/18/05 Blackberry Rust spread

It was last April that Oregon Department of Agriculture officials discovered a fungus in the Southern coast area & one that threatened that state's valuable blackberry industry. HILLBURN: Since then it has spread rapidly throughout the western part of Oregon and now to southern Washington, as well as southward into two counties in California. Dan Hillburn of O.D.A. says winds will help carry rust spores to remaining areas of Western Oregon currently uninfected. Hillburn says Blackberry Rust is not a human health threat. However, it does affect the plant from both an appearance and a vigor standpoint. And while the fungus has posed a threat to the Evergreen Blackberry grown in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, there has been some good news. First, trap plantings in the southern coast and continued testing and observation throughout other infected areas of the state show that while the Evergreen, a commercial variety, is susceptible to Blackberry Rust, more popular varieties such as Loganberries, Marionberries, and Boysenberries do not appear to be. And second, Hillburn says the fungus help control a negative competitor to the commercial blackberry varieties. HILLBURN: It's impacting primarily the Himilayan Blackberries, which are a weed, which is a good thing. So its making those plants sick, and hopefully that will help control that weed. In the meantime, O.D.A. is working with groups to develop fungicide controls and other effective strategies to control Blackberry Rust.