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Vol. 17, No. 1
Article 2 of 4
January 26, 2007

Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic Report-2006
By Simeon Wright

The Plant Diagnostic Clinic is part of the Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Service Laboratories at the University of Missouri and handles samples submitted for disease, insect, and weed identifications, as well as management recommendations. Most clinic operations are handled by clinic staff, however other Division of Plant Science Agronomy, Entomology, Horticulture, and Plant Microbiology and Pathology extension faculty handle insect and weed identification and assist when needed.

The 2006 growing season represented an increase in sample submissions over the past few years. In 2006, most samples were submitted through the mail while some were personally delivered to the clinic. A few digital photos were also submitted by e-mail. Samples were submitted from 81 Missouri counties with 20 percent of submissions from Boone County. Nearly 90 percent of the samples were received between May and September.

In 2006, agronomic crop samples were an important part of the total submissions to the diagnostic clinic, in addition to woody ornamentals, fruit, turf, vegetable, herbaceous ornamental, and forage samples. The top 5 plants submitted to the clinic were soybean, tomato, pine, wheat, and spruce respectively. Among agronomic crops, soybeans, wheat, corn, and sorghum were the most popular submissions. We received a lot of samples this year with environmental problems related to the dry weather, although biotic (living) disease problems were also important. For many individual plant species, we did not receive enough samples to identify trends and common problems, however large numbers of certain samples were received. Common soybean problems this year were Cercospora blight, charcoal rot, Fusarium root rot, herbicide injuries, Phomopsis pod and stem blight, and Rhizoctonia root and stem rot (Figure 1). Many of the submitted wheat samples tested positive for barley yellow dwarf virus and occasionally wheat spindle streak mosaic and wheat streak mosaic virus (Figure 2). Sorghum samples often had head blast problems that could be traced back to extremely hot, dry weather at pollination. Some sorghum samples were also infested with sorghum midge. Many corn submissions had herbicide injury symptoms, although we saw a few ear and stalk rots as well.

The clinic received more samples in 2006 than had been received during the previous few years. We hope to increase this number significantly again in 2007 to better serve the people of Missouri and consequently look forward to any samples you are able to send. The more samples we receive, the more information we have about the plant problems occurring in Missouri, which can be used to provide updates during the growing season. This information can help you protect and improve the health of your plantings.

While we hope your plant problems are minimal in 2007, we are ready for any samples you wish to send and hope you will continue to use our services, or send us a sample when you run into plant problems if you have not done so in the past. The more samples we receive, the more information we have about the plant problems occurring in Missouri, which can be used to provide updates during the growing season. This information can help everyone protect and improve the health of their plantings.

Please see our Website at http://soilplantlab.missouri.edu/plant/index.htm for more information about the plant diagnostic clinic, fees, and sample submission. You can also contact the lab at plantclinic@missouri.edu or 573-882-0623.

Simeon Wright
Coordinator, Plant Diagnostic Clinic
WrightS@missouri.edu