Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Services

Effective January 1, 2003, the operations of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic, Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory and the Plant Nematology Laboratory were combined under the new name Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Services. Dr. Manjula Nathan has been appointed as the director of the combined service labs. Laura Kabrick will be the coordinator of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic, and Bob Heinz the coordinator of the Plant Nematology Laboratory. The day to day operations of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic and Nematology Laboratory remain essentially the same; however, fiscal and administrative duties will be handled by a common staff. The reorganization will result in a more efficient and cost effective functioning of our service labs and clinics. 

Effective immediately, there is a per sample fee of $15.00 for plant disease, insect and plant/weed Identifications. Samples that require additional tests to determine fungal, bacterial or viral pathogens will be charged an additional fee of $10.00. The detailed fee schedule for the Plant Diagnostic Clinic is given below. No changes in the fee structure for the Soil Testing Lab and Plant Nematology Lab are anticipated at this time.

Additional information on MU Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Service Laboratories can be obtained from the following web sites:

MU Extension Soil & Plant Testing Laboratory: http://www.soiltest.psu.missouri.edu/

MU Extension Nematology Lab: http://www.agebb.missouri.edu/nemaext/

MU Extension Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic: http://www.agebb.missouri.edu/PDC/

Fees for Services Offered by the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Services	Cost	Additional Fees	Total Cost
Disease Diagnosis Includes initial visual examination of diseased plant material, microscopic observation for disease-causing organisms and if needed incubation in a moist chamber. Also includes management recommendations. In some instances additional tests may be necessary to arrive at a diagnosis:	$15.00		$15.00
Fungal Isolation (including testing for Dutch Elm Disease, Oak Wilt, Phythophthora root rot and Verticillium wilt) $10.00 $25.00
Bacterial Isolation (uses standard techniques for isolation of and identification of bacterial pathogens)		$10.00	$25.00
Virus Testing (limited virus testing using serological methods)		$10.00	$25.00
Insect Identification(Includes identification, lifecycle and management recommendations)	$15.00		$15.00
Plant/Weed Identification(Includes identification, lifecycle and management recommendations)	$15.00		$15.00
Digital Diagnosis (Examination of diseased plants, insect and plant/weed identification submitted via email)	$15.00		$15.00

Dr. Manjula V. Nathan, Director -- MU Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Services, 23 Mumford Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 Tel: (573) 882-3250 email: nathanm@missouri.edu