From the Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Published: May 1, 2014

Greetings,

I am the new Director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic. I grew up in Ava, MO and was thrilled to be chosen to fill this position. It is my pleasure to serve my home state of Missouri by diagnosing your plant disease issues and identifying pesky pests or plants you may be dealing with. The clinic officially reopened April 1st. The only April's fool joke was the cold weather and storms that followed. Despite the ‘stormy’ start we have received a number of plant samples. Several samples have had winter injury due to a drought year followed by a hard, long winter and also due to several warm days followed freezing temperatures. If you are seeing some dieback on your ornamental plants it could be related to these things. If you suspect something else, I am happy to receive your samples. Information for sample collection, submission and associated fees can be found at your local Extension office or on the clinic’s website .

If you have a pre-2014 copy of the Midwest vegetable Production Guide, I recommend purchasing a revised 2014 edition. There are some nice features in the latest guide such as comparison charts of active ingredients, showing if you can get more disease prevention from a single application. The guide is available for purchase through the MU Extension publications for $12. The item number is MX384 and can be ordered by phone (800-292-0969). It is also available as a free at http://mwveguide.org/ . Below are a few notable updates to the manual.

• For tomato a new fungicide is recommended for the suppression of white mold, Priaxor® at 4 -8 fl. oz / A applied prior to disease development and continue on a 7 to 14 day interval during conditions that are conducive to disease. It can also be used on sweet corn and legumes. [This is the 1st foliar fungicide for white mold (also called timber rot) on tomato. Contans can be applied to the soil before planting.]
• For watermelon a new fungicide is recommended for the suppression of Fusarium wilt, Proline 480 SC® at 5.7 fl. oz / A. This product may be applied by ground or chemigation application equipment but cannot be used in water used for hand transplanting. The label allows for one drip application, at the time of transplant.
• Also the watermelon variety, Distinction, now has a resistance rating of '++++' against Fusarium wilt.