So far, the spread of P. ramorum in nursery stock has caused an emergency
I just received this from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Station (APHIS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are hoping to raise awareness about a new forest and nursery disease threat called Phytophthora ramorum. Here is the original announcement:
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working to raise awareness of P. ramorum, often referred to as “Sudden Oak Death” (SOD). They see P. ramorum as not only a threat to the nation’s forests, but also to the nursery industry.
APHIS, in editorials running in many nursery industry publications, is suggesting how nursery owners and managers might help. P. ramorum causes blights in more than 70 ornamental plants, and the spread of infected plants could be the pathway that sends the pathogen into America’s forests.
The editorials point to courses of action being taken by the nursery industry which APHIS supports, including the establishment of Best Management Practices and clean stock programs. APHIS is also encouraging anyone who wants to learn more about the symptoms, inspections, sampling programs and testing protocols to visit their web site.
So far, the spread of P. ramorum in nursery stock has caused an emergency order to ensure the movement of clean nursery stock from California, Oregon, and Washington. The order was developed in cooperation with the states and the nursery industry.
The editorial goes on to point out that while identification of P. ramorum requires laboratory-based diagnostics, recognizing blight symptoms is important for effective scouting and Integrated Pest Management. — USDA/APHIS
If you would like to get more information about this new threat, please check out this USDA/APHIS web page.
