Horticulture & Related FieldsConnor Goralka
2025 The Garden Club of America Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies
Rpa Water Testing for Phytophthora Detection in Native Nurseries
The project is focused on determining the effectiveness of using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) to detect Phytophthora in nursery stock by testing water that is collected after irrigating a defined set of plants. This would allow rapid and simultaneous results for a large sample, which is useful for informing nursery pest management strategies. As part of this research, spore suspensions from multiple known Phytophthora species will be created to simulate infested water and then RPA will be performed on that water. Detection at this stage will prevent the introduction of pathogens into sensitive native restoration ecosystems.
The Garden Club of America Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies
To encourage the understanding, development, and use of underutilized native plants. Established to encourage the development of research, documentation, and teaching skills in the field of horticulture.
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