Winter 2000, Volume 1, number 1

Joe Hudack, Ag Research Technologist
WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center
7612 Pioneer Way East.
puyallup, WA 98371-4998
253/ 445-4596
E-mail: hudack@puyallup.wsu.edu

Personnel update
The majority oof the special research funds that WSU Puyallup received from the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association (PNWCTA) this past year are being used to support key support personnel working in our Christmas tree program. Joe Hudak was hired to work full time with Christmas trees this past spring. Joe has a master's degree in Plant Pathology from Montana State University. During the past couple of years, Joe has split his time between the pesticide education and Christmas tree/conifer disease programs at Puyallup. Many of you have had the opportunity to meet Joe this past summer. He is looking forward to meeting additional growers this coming year.

Another key person the special research funds support in part is Kathy Riley. Kathy has worked at WSU-Puyallup for the past 17 years. She has been involved in much of the Christmas tree disease research and has conducted virtually all of the postharvest "keepability" studies during this time. WSU and the Christmas tree industry are fortunate to have Kathy as part of the Christmas tree program at Puyallup. In addition to Joe and Kathy, Paul Kaufmann joined Gary Chastagner's lab on November 1st. Paul's position is paid for by the state. Part of his time will be spent working on Christmas tree pathology and keepability projects. Paul has a master's degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Arkansas. He came to WSU Puyallup from a USDA position at Shafter, CA, where he was working on cotton.

Grants
In addition to support from Christmas tree growers, the WSU Christmas tree research and extension program receives competitive grants from various sources. Recently the Oregon Department of Agriculture approved $12,200 to support work on the management of interior needle blight and root aphids on noble fir Christmas trees. We also just received $15,784 from the Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration (WSCPR) to support work on the management of Annosus root rot on noble fir Christmas trees. A major reason we were successful in obtaining these grants is the use of PNWCTA funding as a match for the amounts we were requesting. We offer special thanks to Marc Fisher for his willingness to be the official grower representative for the WSCPR proposal.

Root Rot Survey Completed
Traveling many miles and visiting with lots of growers, we completed the first step in understanding the types of root rot problems common in western Oregon and Washington. Joe Hudak collected samples from and surveyed more than 40 growers this summer. Preliminary results show that Phytophthora was the most prevalent problem, occurring on 32% of the samples. Annosus Root Rot appeared on 20% of the samples and Armillaria on 13% of the samples. Other causes of injury appeared to be associated with cultural practices, environmental stress, root aphids, and other plant pathogens. This information is beneficial to us so we can direct our research on the most prevalent problems. Thank you to all that participated in the survey to make it a success.

Christmas Tree Pest Workshop
A hands-on workshop focusing on insect, weed and disease pests of Christmas Trees that is being held in Lacey, WA on January 29th is full. Attendance was limited to 45 people and the workshop filled up rapidly after it was announced. A similar workshop will likely be scheduled for 2002.

WANTED: Root Aphids
We need help! We are in search of growers willing to participate in an Aphistar efficacy trial in the spring or summer of 2001. We had a difficult time finding an appropriate site during 2000. Any grower who has smaller trees, a history of root aphid infestation, and a willingness to sacrifice a few trees for research, please contact us.

Gary Chastagner and Kathy Riley spent 3 weeks during October working at the Forest and Landscape Research Institute (FLS) in Denmark. Interest is increasing in growing Nordmann fir in the PNW because of its high quality foliage and potential resistance to Phytophthora and Annosus root rots, which can limit where noble fir Christmas trees will grow. Both we and FLS geneticist Ulrik Nielsen are working on the identification of sources of Nordmann fir Christmas trees having superior needle retention characteristics. This project has been supported during the past three years by grants from USDA and the Danish Christmas Tree Growers Association. We also have conducted studies to compare the moisture retention characteristics of Danish and PNW sources of noble fir.

Recent Christmas Tree Related Publications
Antonelli, A, J. Stark and G. Chastagner. 2000. Floramite: A new possibility for spruce spider mite control in Christmas tree plantations. Christmas Tree Lookout 33(3): 31-33.

Chastagner, G. A and D. M. Benson. 2000. The Christmas tree: Traditions, Production, and Diseases. Plant Health Progress Online Journal, Oct. 13th (http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/sub/php/review/1225tree/) . Sixty percent of the Christmas trees produced in the United States come from the PNW and North Carolina. This publication provides a historical look at the Christmas tree industry and an overview of some of the major disease and insect problems that are limiting the production of noble and Fraser fir Christmas trees.

Chastagner, G. and E. Hinesley. 2000. Maintaining moisture levels in cut Christmas trees. American Christmas Tree Journal 44(5): 10-16.

Chastagner, G. A. 2000. Another PNWCTA success story: Swiss needle cast research. Christmas Tree Lookout 33(3): 18-20.

Project personnel
Project leaders: Gary A Chastagner, Plant Pathologist
John Stark, Environmental Toxicologist and Entomologist
Art Antonelli, Extension Entomologist

Support Personnel: Joe Hudak, Agriculture Research Technologist II
Kathy Riley, Agriculture Research Technologist II
Paul Kaufmann, Agriculture Research Technologist II