Monday, February 6, 2012

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

No comments:

Post a Comment