Floral probiotics reduce apple disease

While many celebrate apple blossoms as classic signs of spring, they are also welcoming entry gates for pathogens. Full of nutrients to lure pollinators and promote pollen germination, flowers also attract bacteria like Erwinia ...

Fighting fire blight and detecting salmonella

ETH researchers have created an effective weapon against the plant disease fire blight and a new method for detection of Salmonella. Both are based on particular viruses that attack only one species of bacteria.

Researchers develop new high-yield pear cultivar

A new pear cultivar, 'Gem', has been released jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oregon State University, Michigan State University and Clemson University. Gem is ideal for the fresh market, combining high ...

Fire-blight resistant apples

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the Julius Kühn Institute in Germany have created the first fire-blight-resistant apple. With the aid of so-called cis-genetic engineering, they transfered a resistance gene from a wild apple ...

The bee's knees for detecting disease

Fire blight is a serious threat to fruit trees. Now a quick test has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology, which can indicate the danger early - with the help of bees.

Strep-resistant fire blight found in New York orchards

(PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell plant pathologists have issued a warning to New York apple and pear growers after discovering a strain of fire blight that is resistant to such traditional treatments as the antibiotic streptomycin.