Washington State University is working to help growers be better prepared to fight fireblight. Washington State University’s Cougarblight model is being updated to improve its ability to predict when conditions are conducive to fireblight. The model uses information on temperature, wetness, and presence of fireblight bacteria to predict infections and was developed using data on the rate of growth of fireblight bacteria in a growth medium in a laboratory. This could be very different from what actually happens on the stigma of a flower, where the bacteria compete with each other and other organisms for nutrients, said Tim Smith, Washington […]