Alex Wong

Background: Born and raised in Blacksburg VA. B.S. in Molecular cell and developmental biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2016 from the University of Pittsburgh. Started M.S. at Virginia Tech in Dr. Mizuho Nita’s grape pathology lab at the AHS AREC in 2016.

Abstract of work at AREC: My work focuses on crown gall of grapevine and new potential biological control of the disease. Crown gall is a bacterial disease (Rhizobium species) of many plant species but can cause detrimental loses of grapevines. The pathogen causes galls to form on the base or “crown” of the vine trunk (shown below). These galls act as a nutrient and water sink which reduces vine vigor and yield. As the galls continue to grow, galls cut off the vascular system of the vine and lead to the eventual death of the vine. In the northern mid-Atlantic, harsh winters can cause winter damage to vines that are the primary method of entry for the bacterial pathogen. Currently there are no economically feasible or sustainable management options for crown gall. Recently in Japan a new bacterial strain of Rhizobium vitis, ARK-1, has been shown to be an effective at preventing crown gall in grapevines. We have been investigating the ability of ARK-1 to be an effective biological control agent against grapevine crown gall causing isolates of R. vitis in the United States. By co-inoculating ARK-1 along with R. vitis isolates that cause crown gall, we can identify how much ARK-1 can reduce the probability of causing crown gall. We are also examining various methods of how ARK-1 could be applied in the field to prevent crown gall.