February 27, 2025 Webinar: On-farm Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation for the Management of Soilborne Pathogens in High Tunnel Production Systems

View the recording of this webinar on managing soil pathogens in high tunnels at https://eorganic.org/node/36205

About the Webinar

This webinar will provide basic information on emerging soilborne pest and pathogen issues affecting specialty crop high tunnel production systems in Pennsylvania and the use of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) as a sustainable management strategy to help with mitigation. Attendees will learn about i) key emerging soilborne pests and pathogens affecting high tunnel cropping systems; ii) how to implement ASD in high tunnels on a commercial farm and the effect of clear and black plastic on soil physicochemical properties and iii) the efficacy of ASD in suppressing plant parasitic nematodes and fungal pathogens. Results of the research conducted in Pennsylvania on different commercial specialty crop farms will be presented.

About the Presenters

Caterina Roman, is a MS student finishing her degree in Plant Pathology at The Pennsylvania State University studying the use of ASD for management of soilborne pathogens and bionematicides for nematode management.

Beth Gugino is a Professor of Vegetable Pathology at The Pennsylvania State University focusing on the diagnosis and management of vegetable diseases across the region.

Francesco Di Gioia is an Associate Professor of Vegetable Crops Science at The Pennsylvania State University focusing on the development of sustainable vegetable production systems.

Funding for this webinar is provided by USDA NIFA OREI Grant number  2021-51300-34914

Learn more about the project at https://eorganic.info/ASDEasyOrganic