New from Extension: Guides on sooty bark disease, mobile drip irrigation

Sooty bark disease
New from Extension: Guides on sooty bark disease, mobile drip irrigation

The latest free online guides from WSU Extension help irrigated crop growers consider the pros and cons of a flexible mobile drip system, and aid Washington residents in identifying a troubling, emerging problem in maple trees: sooty bark disease.

Sooty Bark Disease Diagnostic Guide (FS375E)

Sooty bark disease, caused by the fungus Cryptostroma corticale, is an emerging disease that can impact deciduous trees in urban areas, primarily maples. This guides walks readers through how to correctly identify the diagnostic symptoms this troubling disease, first detected in Washington in Whitman County in 1968. Authors include Rachel Brooks and Dan Omdal with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources; and Joseph Hulbert, Marianne Elliott, and Gary Chastagner with the WSU Department of Plant Pathology.

Mobile Drip Irrigation (MDI) (FS367E)

This method of irrigation combines the high efficiency of surface drip irrigation with the flexibility, lower hardware costs, and the convenience of center pivot systems. This guide looks at advantages and disadvantages, concluding that growers should consider MDI if they don’t have enough water for unstressed crop production, and runoff problems that make it hard to use low elevation spray application. Authors are WSU Biological Systems Engineering PhD candidate Behnaz Molaei, WSU Professor Troy Peters, and Isaya Kisekka; Associate Professor at University of California, Davis.

Find more guides on the WSU Extension Publications website.