Pest and Plant Disease Management

Wider spacing helps Oregon nurseries slow boxwood blight

Boxwood blight causes serious losses in nursery production by making plants unsalable and increasing management costs. Oregon is the nation’s leading producer of boxwood, supplying about one-fifth of the U.S. market, so disease ...

May 2026 | Impact Story

OSU research helps Oregon golf courses target hidden turf pests

Golf courses contribute to Oregon’s economy through jobs, tourism, recreation and local spending. On each course, putting greens represent the smallest acreage but the highest-value turf because their quality directly affects play, ...

Apr 2026 | Impact Story

OSU pruning research helps hazelnut growers cut losses

Oregon is the center of the U.S. hazelnut industry, and the crop is an important driver of farm income, processing activity and rural economic vitality in the Willamette Valley. Hazelnuts support growers, nurseries, processors, ...

Apr 2026 | Impact Story

Gilliam County producers gain tools and guidance

Gilliam County in north-central Oregon is one of the state’s leading dryland wheat-producing regions and part of the Columbia Plateau’s grain belt. The county’s rolling wheat fields support a large share of its agricultural ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU Extension, partners develop strategy for gray-tailed vole control

Gray-tailed voles are a recurring pest in Oregon agriculture and can cause serious crop damage when populations surge. In the Willamette Valley, grass seed fields provide prime habitat. By identifying shared priorities and ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

School IPM Program protects health and safety of Oregon children

Asthma is the top cause of absenteeism in U.S. public K–12 schools. In Oregon, common school pests such as mice, cockroaches and flies can trigger asthma and spread diseases including E. coli, Lyme disease and salmonellosis. ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps lead X-disease response in cherries

Oregon is the third-largest producer of sweet cherries in the United States, supplying about 11% of the national market. The state’s sweet cherry industry was valued at $72.5 million in 2024, with most production concentrated ...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU helps Oregon strengthen invasive species defense

Invasive species are nonnative plants and animals that can spread quickly and cause environmental or economic harm. In Oregon, they harm agriculture, aquaculture and forests, damage infrastructure, habitats, outcompete native species for...

Mar 2026 | Impact Story

OSU research shows smarter ways to manage a costly berry pest

Spotted-wing drosophila is a small fruit fly that can ruin berries right before harvest. Unlike the fruit flies many people know from kitchens, it can lay eggs in firm, ripening fruit still on the plant. The eggs hatch into...

Feb 2026 | Impact Story

OSU studies reveal when and how carrot disease spreads

In the high desert of Central Oregon, farmers produce some of the world’s most valuable hybrid carrot seed. But their fields face a persistent and costly threat: a plant disease called bacterial blight, caused by the ...

Feb 2026 | Impact Story