Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research
Project Number: 8044-22000-051-046-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jun 25, 2026
End Date: Jul 6, 2027
Objective:
The objective of this project is to protect North American oak resources from the foreign pathogens causing Japanese and Korean Oak Wilt (Dryadomyces quercivorus and D. quercus-mongolicae), which are not yet established in the U.S. This will be achieved by validating species-specific diagnostic tools and assessing the host susceptibility of key North American oak species, thereby enabling proactive surveillance and risk assessment to prevent future outbreaks.
Approach:
This project's approach will develop validated diagnostic tools and host susceptibility data for the foreign pathogens causing Japanese and Korean Oak Wilt. This involves two main components: first, rigorously validating a suite of lab-based and field-deployable diagnostic assays for rapid and accurate pathogen detection against comprehensive panels of target and non-target organisms. Second, conducting a thorough host range study to determine the susceptibility of key North American oak species to these pathogens through controlled inoculations. All work with live foreign pathogens will be safely conducted within USDA-ARS BSL-3 greenhouse and laboratory facilities.