Investigating the Microbial Die-off of Generic E. coli On-farm

PI: Strawn

Goal: The goal of this project is to examine the microbial die-off of generic E. coli when sprayed on the harvestable portion of tomato, cucumber, and cantaloupe in the field.

Benefits: The FSMA Produce Safety Rule will allow growers to apply a 0.5 log reduction of generic E. coli for up to 4 days. This study will provide real-world data on survival kinetics of generic E. coli when sprayed on different produce crops (with different surfaces, and grown differently). Results will be used to develop best practices for the industry.