Cryptomeria samples have been coming into the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory with increasing frequency this spring. Their issues with winter damage, particularly this year, have been chronicled on this blog. We’ve also had a couple of samples diagnosed with Maskell scale in the lab this spring, too. Pretty routine set of samples, just a few more than usual, until last week that is… [Read more…]
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Heads Up, Boxwood Lovers!
A boxwood per day helps keep the doctors away! All of us here in the Plant Diagnostic Lab must be pretty healthy then–since the boxwood blight outbreak in 2013, we get a dose of dead boxwood almost every day.
Plant Plagues: The Rusts Diseases
In this article:
- Impact & Biology
- Symptoms & Case Example: White pine blister rust
- Management
Where would we be without rusts? Rust diseases, to a plant pathologist, are anything but boring. In fact, this group of plant diseases contains some of the most destructive pathogens of vascular plants. Throughout history, rust epidemics have caused famine and wrecked the economies of entire civilizations. Important food and fiber crops affected by rust diseases include bean and soybean, grains (barley, corn, oat, and wheat), asparagus, cotton, pine, apple, and coffee (coffee rust is particularly troublesome in Guatemala right now). Rust diseases also affect a wide variety of ornamentals – landscape plants, greenhouse and nursery crops, Christmas trees – you name it. [Read more…]
Take(-all) it to the Limit
A sample diagnosed with take-all patch of creeping bentgrass was the highlight of the turfgrass submissions to the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory this week. This sample marks the first in the seasonal transition on golf courses from diseases common to late-winter and early-spring (snow molds/yellow patch) to the late-spring and early-summer problems (take-all/brown ring patch). Yes, it was an exciting day for the turfgrass pathologist!
Kyllinga Awakens as Soil Temps Increase
Daily high soil temperatures at the 2-inch depth are consistently getting into the 60s°F. Yesterday, temperatures in sunny locations reached into the upper 60s. This means that the warm-season species are, or will be soon waking from winter slumber.
Winter’s Continuing Legacy
Despite a winter we all want to forget, it never ends if you are a pathologist. Everywhere I look there is plant damage due to the extreme winter. Broad-leaved evergreens seemed to take it hard again this year, particularly some of the hybrid hollies. Frozen roots and heavy winds, along with the need to transpire on sunny winter days, left them in shambles. The injury was visible early and often.