New Seminar Discusses Laurel Wilt Threat

Dec 12, 2024

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is hosting a free webinar entitled “Sustaining Avocado Production in the Face of the Lethal Laurel Wilt” on December 19 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EST). The webinar will introduce attendees to a new research project by Dr. Paul Rugman-Jones focused on laurel wilt and ambrosia beetles. As part of this project, Dr. Rugman-Jones is looking to survey California avocado groves located in Ventura, San Diego and Riverside/San Bernardino Counties.

California avocado growers are encouraged to participate in this study, which will pre-emptively gather information to help the California avocado industry prepare in case the disease was to spread in California as it has in Florida. Participation is simple — he will sample orchards in the aforementioned counties during the spring, summer and fall seasons and place a series of Lindgren funnel traps in the orchards baited with known ambrosia beetle attractants over a period of two-week intervals. He also will walk the groves looking for evidence of ambrosia beetle infested branches and with the permission of the grower, remove and bag those branches for study at a quarantine facility. Growers who are interested in participating in the study should contact Dr. Rugman-Jones at [email protected].

The laurel wilt webinar will discuss:

Highlights of the entomology research
Host resistance and susceptibility
Conventional and biological laurel wilt control
Accessing laurel wilt and cold tolerance of avocado selections
Relating within-tree movement of the laurel wilt pathogen to tree sap flow and stem anatomy
Managing regional and national risk
Economic evaluation of laurel wilt management strategies

Online registration for the laurel wilt seminar is now available.