Plant disease can seriously impact quality and yield. Considerable research on lettuce health management has been conducted by researchers, and effectively disseminating research results to those managing lettuce crops is vital in disease control and management. Funding from the Arizona Iceberg Lettuce Research Council (AILRC) allowed us to create a set of informative videos focusing on lettuce diseases principal diseases of lettuce in Arizona. We collaborated with Dr. Barry Pryor and Dr.

Soilborne diseases affecting fresh produce have been increasing at significant rates reducing crop yield and quality and is very costly. Tools are needed to better understand, predict the occurrence and mitigate these diseases. Dr. Frank D'Agnese and Dr. Jerry Hatfield collaborated with YCEDA on this project.

Fusarium wilt of lettuce continues to be one of the top concerns for lettuce growers in the desert agricultural areas of Arizona. We teamed up with Dr. Michael Matheron and Dr. Barry Pryor to conduct field trials and advance new research efforts to find solutions to this serious disease. In this presentation from our 2017 Research Symposium, Drs. Matheron and Pryor discuss the trial results, disease management, and further research recommendations.

Water and salt management during typical annual cropping rotations are of paramount importance to agricultural sustainability in the lower Colorado River region. Crop production systems and rotations in this region utilize a number of irrigation application methods over the cropping season. The systems utilized and the management of these systems can have a profound impact on water delivered, leaching achieved, and resulting salt distribution profiles.

Dr. Shane Burgess, Vice President and Dean at the University of Arizona, concluded our 2017 Research Symposium by sharing YCEDA history and the transformative impact of research.

Dr. Jerry Hatfield, Laboratory Director of the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, presented "Programs and Strategies for Mitigation of Soilborne Plant Diseases" as the keynote speaker at the October 2016 conference.

Steven Koike, University of California Cooperative Extension Monterey County, speaks on fusarium wilt on vegetables and lettuce. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

In November of 2015, the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture hosted an International Symposium on Fusarium Wilt of Lettuce. Paul Brierley, speaks about the disease and the problem-solving steps that came out of the symposium.

During a conference in California, Kevin Ford & Dr. Barry Pryor discuss the breakout results and speak on many topics that are a concern to growers and researchers alike.