1997's Most Common Plant Diseases

1997's Most Common Plant Diseases
November 26, 1997
The Bi-State Horticulture Conference in Moline on November 5 was the rebirth of an annual conference to address the concerns of landscapers in the northern areas of Illinois and Iowa. Among others, I was asked to speak at the conference with my Iowa Plant Clinic counterpart, Paula Flynn. Our topic was the ten most common tree and shrub disease problems in 1997. The diseases we chose to discuss (not in order of importance) were cedar-apple and related rusts, anthracnose, oak wilt, Verticillium wilt, ash decline, Sphaeropsis blight of pine, Rhizosphaera of spruce, Cytospora of spruce, black knot of plum, and environmental or abiotic disease. Of course, Paula and I had a time limit to consider for our talk, but based on what I saw at the Illinois clinic this year, I would probably add Phytophthora root rot, Phomopsis of juniper, pine wilt, white pine decline, and Dothistroma/brown spot on pine to this list. If you are aware of other diseases that were particularly bothersome, drop me a line and I will make time this winter for literature searches and to prepare material for next year's Home, Yard and Garden Pest Newsletter.It is not always possible to do a thorough job researching articles in the midst of the busy clinic season. Send in your ideas now so that we can better serve you.
Author:	Nancy Pataky