CREATION OF AN INTEGRATED DISEASE MANAGEMENT PLAN TO CONTROL LATENT FRUIT ROT IN DECIDUOUS HOLLY

This proposal aims to understand the interaction between D. ilicicola, Ilex spp. fruits and the environment in order to create a sustainable integrated disease management plan to protect deciduous holly fruit against latent fruit rot.The planned research to achieve this goal is organized into four objectives:Objective 1. Visualize the colonization patterns of Ilex fruits by Diaporthe ilicicolaObjective 2. Identify putative antifungal compounds within deciduous holly fruitObjective 3. Integrate cultural control methods for fruit rot of deciduous hollyObjective 4. Educate stakeholders on best management practices (BMP) for disease controlCompletion of these 4 objectives will advance our understanding of latent infections as well as allow for the development of an integrated disease management plan to be implemented by deciduous holly growers to significantly reduce crop loss due to latent fruit rot disease.