Oregon nursery updates

To date this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) confirmed 11 P. ramorum-positive nurseries in Clackamas, Curry, Lane, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, and Washington Counties.  Infected plants have included Camellia japonica; C. japonica ‘Grand Prix’ and ‘Mrs. Tingley;’ Hamamelis virginiana; Kalmia latifolia; Pieris sp.; P. japonica; Rhododendron cultivars ‘Baden Baden,’ ‘Bessie Howell,’ ‘Black Sport,’ ‘Holden,’ and ‘Maximum Roseum;’ Rhododendron sp.; Viburnum sp.; V. davidii; and V. tinus.  The Confirmed Nursery Protocol is underway at all 11 nurseries.

The positive plants found in the Curry County nursery (now closed for business) were infected with the EU1 lineage.  No infected plants were found at the nursery during inspection last year; however, 13 infected plants were found this year.  This is the first report of the EU1 lineage in Curry County.  ODA has implemented a voluntary recall for all potentially infected plants sold from the nursery.  Follow-up inspections have been negative for the pathogen; ongoing monitoring is still underway.

P. ramorum was also detected at a private residence in Lane County (Oregon) based on trace-forward information received from USDA APHIS.  The pathogen was detected infecting Gaultheria shallon and G. procumbens plants that had been imported from Washington and were still in their containers.  The USDA Confirmed Residential Protocol has been implemented.  For more information, contact Nancy Osterbauer at nosterbauer@oda.state.or.us.

From August COMTF newsletter.