In honor of this day, here is a short update about mangrove research at NC State.

We collected many more leaf samples on our last trip to Abaco to better hone in on the plant pathogen causing lesions. Here are some photos of what fungal colonies we have growing from those leaves.

Fortunately, the fungal colonies we have grown from these samples match many of those that we have grown previously, bringing us that much closer to being able to identify the pathogen! We also planted more mangroves in the green house here to ramp up experimental inoculations in the lab.

In conjunction with the ongoing research at NC State, students from Abaco participating in FRIENDS after school club, Island Investigators, will begin their own experiment that will examine fungal lesions on different species of mangrove (Red, White and Black) and compare the fungal colonies that grow.

We will keep you up to date on our progress!