Researchers at Cornell’s Experiment Station in Geneva and the University of Florida want your mildew!
There is a method to the madness: it seems that the strawberry powdery mildew overwinters as small spherical fruiting structures called cleistothecia. They are common in some states, but in others they are thought to be rare. So, in a Citizen Science Project modeled on the Great Backyard Bird Count, Drs. David Gadoury, Kerik Cox, and Natalia Peres are asking you to check your strawberry plants for powdery mildew.
The researchers are using a combination of microscopy and molecular tests to find out where the cleistothecia are, and why. All of this work is directly relevant to improved management of this destructive disease. See details of what to look for, and how to collect and ship samples at Cornell’s Tree Fruit and Berry Pathology website.