Q&A: Francesca Peduto Hand

A beautiful, healthy plant like winterberry holly can brighten dark days with its glossy leaves and colorful berries. But when plant disease attacks, it can reduce the yield of saleable plant material – which ultimately reduces profits for the green industry. Growers must guard against disease constantly.

Francesca Peduto Hand has focused her career on understanding emergent nursery diseases to develop effective plant health management strategies. She is currently assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University, where she’s responsible for research, extension and teaching in turf and ornamental crop diseases. For the last two and a half years, Peduto Hand’s lab has been studying the fruit rot issue confronting winterberry producers across the Midwestern and Eastern U.S. She’ll bring her research to Cultivate’16 to speak about “New & Problematic Nursery Diseases,” explaining how to identify and effectively manage emergent plant diseases facing the horticulture industry.

Peduto Hand gave us a preview of the topics she’ll cover at Cultivate.

Q: Why should growers come to your session at Cultivate?

A: Growers and green industry professionals should be well-trained on what to look for when scouting their crops for potential disease problems, and they should know the most recent disease management tools available to them. Attendees will hear about recent advances in knowledge on important and emergent diseases of nursery crops. I will guide attendees through the disease identification process, which is the very first step in any disease management effort. I will provide information on the different ways pathogens spread in the nursery, and I will outline disease management strategies – from simple cultural practices to chemical and biological applications, when applicable.

Q: What research have you done on plant disease management that you will present at Cultivate?

A: My research program focuses on understanding the biology, ecology and epidemiology of plant pathogens in an effort to improve disease control strategies in economically important crops. Both in Italy and the U.S., I have conducted research on bacterial and fungal diseases of diverse crops in nursery and field production systems – including fruit crops (grapevine, olive, cherry), herbaceous annuals and perennials, and woody ornamentals.

During my talk at Cultivate, I will share some of the most recent findings on an emergent disease of winterberry holly that my lab has been working on for the past two and a half years. I will also provide updated research-based information on effective disease management products to control important diseases of nursery crops.

Q: What are the latest problematic diseases facing the green industry?

A: Phytophthora diseases, rose rosette disease and boxwood blight are without any doubt the most problematic diseases affecting nursery crops nowadays. However, there a few re-emerging diseases such as elm yellows that are making a comeback on the nursery scene and should not be overlooked. Most recently, a disease caused by a fungal complex is affecting winterberry growers across the Midwestern and Eastern U.S. My talk will cover all of these topics.

Q: What are the biggest mistakes made when identifying disease?

A: In my opinion, the biggest mistake people make during the disease identification process is to assume that they know what is causing the problem, and take action without getting a confirmatory diagnosis. I get plenty of ‘after the fact’ calls from growers who thought they had a specific problem on their crop and applied the wrong product to control it. Seeking the advice of an extension professional or a diagnostic lab can save time and money.

Want to go? New & Problematic Nursery Diseases | Monday, July 11 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.