This webinar highlights some of the successes at Virginia Tech in the search for potent biological agents for blight control. Dr. Kong will describe the biocontrol development process: how and where candidate microorganisms were discovered, and how their antagonistic activities against the boxwood blight pathogen Calonectria pseudonaviculata were measured in the laboratory—followed by evaluation on whole plants in controlled environments and then in field trials in western North Carolina. Some biocontrol agents have not only shown blight control at similar levels to the fungicide standard but have also substantially promoted boxwood growth. 

Dr. Kong will also share the ongoing research with Burkholderia SSG, the top-performer in her lab’s trials. These studies provide an example of the exploration of the microbial world as a source of powerful tools to promote plant health and production.