Oregon State University is offering a free online course in Spanish to help nursery growers learn more about the harmful plant pathogen Phytophthora, the leading cause of nursery plant disease in Oregon and nationwide.

The English version of the course debuted earlier this year. The Oregon Department of agriculture partnered with OSU on the project.

Because other states are wary to purchase plants from infested states, Phytophthora outbreaks not only cause economic hardship for individual nurseries, but tarnish Oregon's reputation for producing high-quality nursery stock.

Nursery crops continue to be Oregon's leading agricultural commodity, with annual sales of more than $1 billion.

To access the English and Spanish language version of the Phytophthora Online Course: Training for Nursery Growers, visitecampus.oregonstate.edu/phytophthora.