Montana Organic Association 17th Annual Conference and Business Meeting

We, Dave Sands and Tommy Weiss, have been screening sick plants of C.Thistle and Field Bindweed sent in by MOA members to us at 119 Plant Bioscience Building, MSU, Bozeman. We have been especially looking for the fungus Fusarium oxysporum (FOXY) because of its ability to wilt plants, its host specificity and apparent lack of toxins, its long term survival in the soil, and because of our track record in using this fungus as a biocontrol agent for organic farmers. We will discuss this approach in general and also our recent field plots using strains of this Montana sourced fungus tested against Canada Thistle and Field bindweed. Dr. Sands' research is funded by the Organic Advisory and Education Council.