Pete Hoekstra

Washington, Oct 7, 2009 - The House passed an annual agricultural appropriations bill today that contains $346,000 for research on combating Phytophthora capsici and $346,000 for Apple Fire Blight.

"Phytophthora and Apple Fire Blight pose major threats to one of the largest components of Michigan’s economy," said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland. "They are continuing to spread through Michigan and the U.S. and are capable of ruining a crop year or infecting entire farms."

Phytophthora capsici is a non-native, fungal-like pathogen that lives in soil and causes plants to rot. Vegetables such as cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, eggplants and lima beans are particularly susceptible. Crop rotation is mostly ineffective because Phytophthora can survive for 10 or more years in the soil.

Apple Fire Blight is a devastating apple disease in Michigan and other apple growing regions of the Eastern United States. The apple acreage in Michigan has declined approximately 18 percent in the last five years in large part due to fire blight.

"Effective methods to combat the two agricultural diseases are limited," Hoekstra said. "New measures are necessary to continue the battle to control them before they cause even more damage to Michigan’s agricultural industry."

Michigan State University will receive much of the funding, which was included in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

                                                                                       -30-