Speaker: Dr. Jyostna Devi Mura, Research Molecular Biologist, Vegetable Crops Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, Madison, WI Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is a perennial fruit crop native to North America that thrives in low-nutrient acidic, sandy, and peat soils. Most terrestrial plants have microbial symbionts, such as mycorrhizae and bacteria, that help them acquire nutrients and adapt to stress. The webinar will cover the isolation and characterization of ericoid mycorrhizae and endophytes, as well as the microbial community structure in rhizosphere from various cranberry ecosystems. Furthermore, the webinar will discuss several potential ericoid symbionts that play important roles in soil nutrition and plant growth in cranberry, and interrelationship between soils and plant health.
