Boxwood blight - a new disease

Boxwood blight, a fungal plant disease new to North America, has been detected in Oregon for the first time, prompting state officials to take measures to eradicate it. However, unlike the pathogen that causes sudden oak death, the newly-reported disease is no threat to the state’s environment and only affects boxwoods, a plant species that is not native to Oregon.

Boxwood blight, Cylindrocladium buxicola, has now been found in eight states and a Canadian province. It has previously invaded Europe and New Zealand. Boxwoods are commonly grown and sold by nurseries. The Oregon Department of Agriculture discovered boxwood blight disease at a Washington County nursery in December. ODA is working with the nursery to destroy all the infected blocks by bagging and burying the plants. The nursery is also voluntarily taking other actions to get rid of the disease.

 Read more at naturalresourcereport.com

New website shares information about deadly tree pathogens

Sudden oak death, Port-Orford-cedar root disease and other deadly tree diseases caused by Phytophthora species (pronounced fy-TOF-ther-uhs) are threatening forest ecosystems worldwide. These microorganisms, which are related to algae and diatoms, spend part of their life cycle in soil or water but once they infect trees, they can kill them. A new web site, developed jointly by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and Oregon State University, hopes to put knowledge and resources in the hands of scientists and land managers as they look for ways to fight these deadly diseases.

website: www.forestphytophthoras.org/

Read the rest of the article at www.physorg.com 

Bloedel Reserve horticulturists trained to detect serious pests and pathogens

Bloedel Reserve has joined the Sentinel Plant Network (SPN), a partnership of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) and the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The SPN is focused on engaging public garden professionals, volunteers, and visitors in the early detection of high-consequence plant pests and pathogens.

Full article at KPBJ.com