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Entomology and Plant Pathology

 

One of the most important strengths at Pacific Ag Group is our solid base in the study of insects and plant diseases of economic importance.

 
alafalfa research Powdery mildew research
late blight research beneficial insect research
 

 

At the primary facility in San Luis Obispo, California, we maintain two independent science laboratories, each focused on separate disciplines of agricultural pest management. The Entomology laboratory maintains colonies of key coastal insect and arachnid pests for basic biological studies and to use in bioassays with new and existing compounds. In addition to these studies, the Entomology lab supports a comprehensive insecticide field testing program conducted by field technicians working both on company managed farms and with independent cooperating regional growers.

tomato worm controlEntomology bioessays

The Entomology facility is fully equipped with microscopy, substrate application and fumigation chambers, controlled temperature cabinets, greenhouses and shade houses, and basic chemistry facilities capable of supporting most any laboratory or field entomology study conducted. Located across the compound from Entomology, the Plant Pathology lab focuses on diagnostics of fungal, bacterial, and viral plant pathogens. The two labs also work in conjunction to provide support services for an extensive fungicide and insectiside testing program on fruits and vegetables along the humid coastal agricultural districts.

Of particular distinction, is the Pacific Ag Post Harvest Laboratory, where commodity storage and processing studies are conducted with fruits and vegetables. This laboratory provides the excetptional ability to encompass all aspects of post harvest longevity for refrigerated storage investigations and studies for control of decay organisms. Studies can systematically segregate post harvest senarios to include: transportation, cold storage, supermarket display, and household storage increments. Produce packing line products can also be applied under precise conditions on a small scale packing line. Because all facilities are within a few feet of the pathology lab, identification of post harvest decay agents and experimental evaluations are quickly made by trained staff within the same facility, and all under controlled conditions.

These facilities have been used extensively by manufacturers to test field-applied products for such traits as:

  • Extension of post harvest shelf lives of fruits and vegetables
  • Determining the potential impact of a fungicide to wine fermentation
  • Studying the persistence of pesticide residues through post harvest processing activities
  • Competitive displacement, fungal decay species, and population shifts during post harvest storage
powdery mildew of rose crop loss by insects
ornamental soil born fungi