Vegetable growers toured an on-farm plot of early generation Cornell downy mildew resistant pickle breeding lines. Dr. Michael Mazourek, Professor of Plant Breeding, and lab members, were on-site to walk growers through the plot and review plant selections. Feedback from growers helps Cornell researchers make selections for the next generation of pickle variety releases. Organic control options for downy mildew in cucumber were also presented. Dr. Christine Smart, Professor of Plant Pathology, discussed her research projects and answered questions on the management of downy mildew in cucurbits. The use of the disease forecast warning system, Cucurbit Downy Mildew PIPE was also discussed. Grower’s were asked to provide feedback on the pickling breeding lines to guide the downy mildew resistant pickle breeding program.
