Environmental protection issues/challenges

Protection of strawberry blossoms from frost Injury after exposure to a temperature of -3.5 C has been achieved under laboratory conditions when the INA bacteria were challenged individually with several different strains of INA" " bacteria. Similar results were previously reported with both chemically-derived INA and deletion mutant strains of syringae on crops such as corn, pear and tomato (6,, 2 ). The next necessary step is to conduct field efficacy trials. Initially, a single trial will be conducted primarily to evaluate the environmental fate of the Introduced INA" strains. The location and small size of this plot will limit its usefulness as an efficacy trial per se. However, after the environmental fate issue of this release has been evaluated under field conditions, larger trials will allow us to examine the effectiveness of the INA" strains applied to strawberry plants in commercial fields at several locations. Finally, efficacy trials could be expanded to include other major rosaceous fruit crops whose acre2iges are exposed to frost hazards. 

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