Vegetable & Floriculture Diagnostics
Vegetable & Floriculture Diagnostic
Form 
Contact:
Vegetable Diseases/Nematodes:
Dr. Robert Wick, (413) 545-1045, rwick@pltpath.umass.edu
M. Bess Dicklow, (413) 545-3209, mbdicklo@umext.umass.edu
Floriculture Diseases/Nematodes:
Dr. Robert Wick, (413) 545-1045, rwick@pltpath.umass.edu
M. Bess Dicklow, (413) 545-3209, mbdicklo@umext.umass.edu
General Floriculture:
Tina Smith, (413) 545-5306, tsmith@umext.umass.edu
Paul Lopes, (508) 295-2212 ext. 24, lopes@umext.umass.edu
Contact the appropriate individual listed above to discuss your sample
and to ensure that someone will be available to examine the specimen. Microscopic
and laboratory identification of fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes
are routinely carried out. Samples can be hand-delivered (if possible)
or sent overnight mail, UPS, or Federal Express. Along with your sample,
you must include a completed Vegetable & Floriculture
Diagnostic Form. Be
as complete as possible; accurate diagnosis depends on sufficient information
about cultural practices and environmental conditions. Collect specimens
that show a range of symptoms, avoiding rotted or decayed specimens. Please
avoid Friday samples; Friday samples will not be examined until Monday
which can lead to deterioration of the sample. Upon reaching a conclusion,
the lab will send or e-mail a report on the diagnosis including complete
management guidelines emphasizing cultural and biorational controls, as
well as chemical control options.
Guidelines for Sending Vegetable or Floriculture Specimens:
Please submit vegetable or floriculture samples according to the following
guidelines, based on the symptoms present.
Leaf Spots and Blights: Leaf spots and blights of floriculture
or vegetable crops are often caused by fungi or bacteria. Certain pesticides,
or environmental or nutritional factors can also cause spotting. Select
leaves which show a range of symptom development. Specimens that are dead
or dry are of little diagnostic value. Place leaves between sheets of paper
or inside a magazine. Place the package in a plastic bag, then into the
envelope for mailing. Never wrap leaves in wet paper towels.
Fruit Rots: Select early stages of disease rather than
badly rotted tissue. With large fruit such as a pumpkin, cut the affected
area out with a knife and submit. Wrap fruit or fruit sections in newspaper,
and put into a plastic bag for mailing.
Stem Cankers: When a canker occurs on a large plant,
cut a section of the stem with the symptoms, wrap in newspaper and place
in a plastic bag for mailing. If the plants are small (1 foot or less),
shake the soil from the roots, wrap in newspaper and put into a plastic
bag for mailing.
Wilt, Crown Rot or Root Rot - If the plants are 1 foot
or less, include the entire plant. Dig the plant, including a good handful
of the root system. Leave the soil on the roots. Place the root/soil ball
into a plastic bag and tie off at the crown to prevent soil from spilling
out. Wrap in newspaper and put into a plastic bag for mailing. If the plants
are large, send a portion of the plant that includes the infected tissue.
For wilt diseases, we must have lower stem tissue and roots.
Scorch, Defoliation or Poor Growth - These symptoms are
usually caused by nutritional or environmental factors. They may also be
the result of root rot or vascular disease. Collect a specimen as for wilt
(above); be sure to submit a soil sample to the UMass
Soil Testing Laboratory. A tissue analysis may also be advisable. Call
the Soil Testing Lab at (413) 545-2311 before sending the sample.
Vegetable & Floriculture Diagnostic
Form
Diagnostic Fees (payment payable to University of Massachusetts):
- Floriculture/greenhouse crop disease analysis - $50
- Floriculture/greenhouse crop nematode assay - $50
- Vegetable crop disease analysis - $50
- Vegetable crop nematode assay - $50
Address packages to:
UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab
Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, 160 Holdsworth Way
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-9285
(413) 545-3208 - fax (413) 545-4385
Use exact address to ensure delivery.
For further information, visit:
The
UMass Extension Floriculture Team
The UMass
Extension Vegetable Team
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