Pest and Plant Disease Management

OSU Extension newsletter helps mint growers save money on pest control

Oregon ranks second in the United States in mint production, with a value estimated worth $28.7 million in 2022. Losses from pests like mint root borer and variegated cutworm can eat into farmers’ profits. These two most ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension outreach helps slow the spread of deadly X-disease in cherries

Cherry growers in the Columbia River Gorge dread the emergence of X-disease, which makes cherries small, flavorless and unmarketable. At least 239,856 cherry trees were removed between 2015-2023, costing growers an estimated $115 ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

Solve Pest and Weed Problems website gives gardeners solutions

Pests and diseases are the bane of the gardener’s existence. One minute there’s a healthy cucumber, the next it’s a moldy mess. Searching for reliable information can be frustrating, particularly for research-based knowledge ...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps Klamath County farmers save forage by detecting and suppressing grasshoppers

In the summer of 2021, Oregon suffered its worst outbreaks of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets in 50 years. Light infestations – six to seven grasshoppers per square yard across 10 acres – will forage as much as one ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension-led team searches for chlorpyrifos alternatives for controlling insect pests in Oregon grass seed crops

Oregon leads the country in grass seed production, with over 400,000 acres grown each year. Insect pest issues continue to be an issue for Oregon’s grass seed growers, impacting profitability due to both crop damage and the ...

Mar 2022 | Impact Story

OSU research finds slugs go 'bonkers' for bread dough

Since the beginning of recorded history, slugs have ravaged crops and today are responsible for billions of dollars in damage – including between $60-$100 million to Oregon’s valuable grass seed industry alone, according to ...

Nov 2021 | Impact Story

Oregon Forest Pest Detector seeks to prevent damage to valuable trees

The dreaded emerald ash borer has wiped out millions of ash trees throughout the eastern United States and Canada since it was discovered in Michigan about 20 years ago. As the beetle has moved west, cities have spent ...

Dec 2019 | Impact Story

OSU Extension, partners inform south coast of new sudden oak death threat

Sudden oak death (SOD), caused by a non-native pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, has killed more than 1 million oak and tanoak trees in 15 coastal counties in California and thousands of tanoaks in Curry County, Oregon. The ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

Oregon IPM Center leads the way to better pest management

Pesticides are important tools for farmers around the globe—ask anyone who has contemplated a hundred acres of cabbage aphids. However, some pesticides are significantly more hazardous than others. Broad-spectrum pesticides carry risks...

May 2019 | Impact Story

Oregon State hazelnut varieties save industry, expand production

After hazelnut varieties developed at Oregon State University saved Oregon’s industry from devastation by eastern filbert blight, hazelnut acreage in Oregon has nearly tripled, marking a full recovery from a disease that nearly ...

May 2019 | Impact Story