Fire Blight Fruit School
February 24, 2026 @ 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
$30Confluence Technology Center Wenatchee/ Virtual
285 Technology Center Way, Wenatchee, WA 98801
February 24, 2026
Hybrid In-person and Virtual event
Join us for an intensive workshop focused on managing fire blight of apple and pear. The session will include presentations from experts on new management strategies and in-depth discussion. Thank you to funding support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative and event sponsors NCW Fieldmens Association, POME club and Okanogan Horticultural Association.
Topics
- Fire blight biology
- Using Prohexadione Calcium and Actigard for Shoot Blight Management
- Biopesticide efficacy
- Antibiotic resistance management
- Managing fire blight infections: pruning, sanitation
- Winter canker sanitation
Format
- Expert presentations
- Discussion
- In-person and virtual options
Speakers
- Kerik Cox, Cornell University
- George Sundin, Michigan State University
- Suzanne Slack, Iowa State University
- Frank Zhao, Washington State University
- Tianna DuPont, Washington State University
- Khashi Ghorbani, University of Illinois
- Srdjan Acimovic, Virgina Polytechnic
- Katherine Dougherty, Michigan State University
- Achala KC, Oregon State University
Registration
Register for in person tickets.
Event sponsors
USDA SCRI Grant
North Central Washington Fieldmen’s Association
Pome Club
Okanogan Horticultural Association
Credits
4 Washington pesticide update credits*
4 Oregon and California credits*
*Pending approval
Agenda (Draft)
8:10 AM Introduction Fire blight biology animation. Introduction to the meeting.
8:20 AM Keynote – George Sundin, Michigan State University
8:55 AM Refining plant defense elicitor use in the field – Kerik Cox, Cornell University*; George Sundin, Michigan State University; Tianna DuPont, Washington State University; Sarah Villani, North Carolina State University
Field tests in Washington, Michigan, New York and North Carolina of Actigard and Kudos/Apogee. Identifying optimal rates and use patterns.
9:20 AM Balancing control and growth: enhancing shoot blight management while maintaining horticultural efficiency using plant growth regulators – Suzanne Slack, Iowa State University*; Tom Kon North Carolina State University
A discussion of work with prohexodine calcium used for shoot blight prevention at reduced rates and its impact on horticultural practices associated with high density apple.
9:45 AM Plant growth regulators in managing shoot blight and preventing the development of cankers in pears – Achala KC, Oregon State University
A discussion of shoot blight and canker severity results from field trials with Regalia, Apogee, and antibiotics in a pear orchard.
10:05 AM Discussion
A panel discussion with speakers and experienced orchardists.
10:35 AM Break
10:55 AM Optimizing biopesticides – Tianna DuPont, WSU Extension*; Kerik Cox, Cornell University; George Sundin, Michigan State University; Sarah Villani, North Carolina State University; Ken Johnson, Oregon State University
Can we select and time biopesticides and biologicals depending on environmental conditions?
11:15 AM Antibiotic resistance: status and resistance management – Frank Zhao, Washington State University
Antibiotics remain one of the best tools for managing blossom blight of apple and streptomycin remains the better choice in terms of cost and efficacy in killing pathogens. The occurrence of streptomycin resistance of the fire blight pathogen in WA pear orchards in 1980s resulted in increased use of tetracycline and kasugamycin. An update on the status of antibiotic resistance situations on the fire blight pathogen and summary of what actions growers should take to manage antibiotic resistance if occurs in their orchards.
11:35 AM Return on investment in alternative fire blight management strategies – Khashi Ghorbani*, Shadi Atallah, Karina Gallardo, Tianna DuPont, Tom Kon
Summary of return on investment (ROI) of alternative fire blight strategies including plant defense elicitors, biologicals, plant extracts and oxidizers.
11:55 AM Discussion
A panel discussion with speakers and experienced orchardists.
12:25 PM Lunch
1:35 PM Combatting fire blight cankers with winter pesticide applications using bark penetrating oils and dormant coppers – Srdjan Acimovic*, Nathanial Boeckman, Matheus Borba, Virginia Polytechnic, Achala KC*, Oregon State University
New research on the evaluation of several plant-active materials and multiple rates of copper mixed with bark penetrating oils with the goal of optimizing dormant apple treatments which can reduce or eradicate Erwinia amylovora in fire blight cankers.
2:15 PM How fast does fire blight move in the tree after infection? – Katherine Dougherty, Michigan State University
When fire blight infections occur we cut infected tissue to remove fire blight cells and try to get ahead of the infection. New research on the systemic movement in the plant helps us understand effective treatment options.
2:40 PM Evaluation of pruning therapies in apple trees with fire blight – Tianna DuPont*, Washington State University; Kerik Cox, Cornell; Ken Johnson, Oregon State University; Kari Peter, Penn State University
It is important to quickly prune out fire blight infected materials soon after infection occurs. We will discuss the results of 10 experiments looking at summer fire blight removal strategies in WA, OR, PA and NY. We will discuss how far back from symptoms to cut, do we need to sanitize, efficacy of breaking and more.
3:00 PM Discussion
A panel discussion with speakers and experienced orchardists.
3:30 PM Closing and Pesticide Credits
*Presenter(s). Additional individuals are contributing authors.
Speakers
George Sundin is a Professor and Extension Specialist at Michigan State University Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. His current research centers on the Erwinia amylovora fire blight pathosystem with projects ranging from basic studies of pathogen-host interactions to developing improved chemical and biological approaches for fire blight management. On the other hand, the goals of his extension program are to provide timely information and recommendations on management of tree fruit diseases to growers in Michigan and in other fruit-growing regions.
Kerik Cox is a Professor at Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section Cornell AgriTech. His research program aims to improve management strategies for fruit diseases of concern to New York producers. He focuses on understanding the prevalence, development, selection, and mechanisms of practical antimicrobial resistance to both antibiotics and fungicides in populations of fruit pathogens, as well as on conducting basic research in the hope of developing products with potentially broad or far-reaching applications. Additionally, his extension program develops educational programming and provides services for the diagnosis and management of fruit diseases in New York.
Katherine Dougherty began her career in agriculture at Texas A&M University, where she received her Bachelors in Bioenvironmental sciences. Her interest in plant diseases began while researching rose viruses working at the Texas Plant Disease and Diagnostic Lab. Katherine is currently pursuing her PhD in Plant Pathology at Michigan State University with Dr. George Sundin researching the systemic spread of fire blight on apples.
Frank Zhao is a Professor and Endowed Chair in Bacterial Diseases of Tree Fruits at Washington State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His research and extension program focuses on phytobacteriology and plant-microbe interactions, providing understanding of pathogenic and beneficial microorganism – host interactions for developing novel control strategies for bacterial diseases of tree fruits. His special research interest areas include pathogen biology of tree fruit bacterial diseases, especially fire blight disease of apple and pear, genetics and genomics of plant pathogenic bacteria and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, pathogenic bacterial evolution and systematics, biological control of tree fruit bacterial diseases and antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria and related resistance mechanisms.
Srdjan Acimovic is an Assistant Professor of plant pathology at Virginia Tech in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. He is located at Virginia Tech’s Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester, VA. He earned his doctorate in Plant Pathology from Michigan State University and his MS in Phytopathology at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia. Currently, he conducts research on Colletotrichum spp. causing apple bitter rot and on E. amylovora causing fire blight of pome fruit. His goal is to utilize the gained knowledge to develop new or improve existing strategies for tree disease management, primarily on apple and pear. Dr. Acimovic published over 70 research and 30 extension articles, gave over 50 invited and 200 extension presentations.
Achala KC is an Associate Professor at the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. She is a plant pathologist by training and is stationed at a research and extension center in Jackson County, the second-largest pear production region in Oregon. Her research focuses on applied aspects of disease management in pears. She has worked with local pear growers in understanding the challenges faced during the production, harvesting, and storing of fruits. Fire blight management is one of her major areas of research, where she focuses on developing both organic and conventional disease management programs for pear production in the Pacific Northwest.
Tianna DuPont is a Regional Extension Specialist and Associate Professor at Washington State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Her program provides opportunities for tree fruit producers and stakeholders to learn and adopt research-based information in the areas of integrated pest management, soil and water management. Her current fire blight research includes new product efficacy trials, refining cultural controls, updating Cougar Blight models, and partnership on multi-state trials to optimize biopesticide timings and use of plant defense elicitors.
Suzanne Slack is an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University. Slack has worked with fire blight and tree fruit horticulture since 2012. Her focus is on perennial fruit production.
Khashi Ghorbani, University of Illinois. Ghorbani is a graduate student in the department of Agriculture and Consumer Economics.
Contacts
Tianna DuPont, WSU Extension
tianna.dupont@wsu.edu
(509) 293-8758
