The cool weather of 2010 highlighted a growing concern about little cherries showing up in some orchards. Follow-up testing by Washington State University confirmed that the trees were infected with a dreaded cherry disease that had not been found extensively in Washington before. “The 2010 spring was very cool, and as a result, virus expression was at an all-time high in Washington State,” said Dr. Ken Eastwell, WSU virologist and director of the National Clean Plant Network center in Prosser. “As a rule, viruses generally express their symptoms much more strongly in cool weather.” WSU Extension educator Tim Smith and […]