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Oregon takes proactive stance against boxwood blight

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So far there has been just one detection of boxwood blight in Oregon nurseries, but growers are taking the pathogen very seriously, as Mitch Lies reports in the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.). The Oregon Association of Nurseries has been out front in getting information to its members, and is holding a special meeting on Friday, […]

Box blight webinar set for Thursday at 8 a.m. PST

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Cylindrocladium buxicola, a fungal blight afflicting boxwood shrubs, recently has been detected in several East Coast states. Experts believe it came over from Europe on infected plant material. At 8 a.m. Pacific time on Thursday morning, Jan. 5, Kelly Ivors of North Carolina State University will hold a free webinar to address this disease threat. […]

Boxwood blight found in Eastern U.S. states

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Reports indicate that a new fungal blight of boxwood has been detected in the Eastern United States. Cylindrocladium buxicola was isolated recently and confirmed by USDA in North Carolina, Maryland and other locations. The disease can have severe effects on boxwood, causing rapid and severe defoliation. It was first detected in the U.K. and had […]

Ag inspections suffered in wake of 9/11

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If you fly on an airplane, then you have experienced firsthand how U.S. security priorities changed following 9/11. A huge new agency, the Department of Homeland Security, was created and given broad powers to stop terrorist threats. Passengers were treated to body imaging, patdowns and a thicket of regulations governing what they can and can’t […]

An enemy for the emerald ash borer

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We don’t have the emerald ash borer in Oregon, and we hopefully never will. But this blog post talks about a new way of detecting fighting the tree-killing beetle — predatory wasps. Evidently the wasps will quickly find the beetle if it is present in the area. This definitely beats the method of watching for […]

USDA awards $2.7 million for research into plant pathogens

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded group of colleges, led by Virginia Tech, a $2.7 million grant to conduct research on integrated management of zoosporic pathogens and irrigation water quality. Researchers will look for biological control methods for fighting Phythophthora, Pythium and other pathogens. Researchers will also “develop […]

APHIS delays federal order on interstate plant shipments

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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today has delayed the effective date of Federal Order DA-2021, which was announced May 27. It initially was scheduled to take effect on Monday, June 21, but now it officially has been pushed back to Monday, July 19. The order requires West Coast states to pre-notify […]

Missouri bans walnut products from nine states

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In an attempt to halt the devastating spread of thousand cankers disease, which afflicts black walnut trees, the state of Missouri has issued an emergency quarantine banning the importation of “walnut products” from nine Western states. According to Missouri officials, “The ban applies to nursery stock, unprocessed lumber, logs, wood chips, mulch and other products […]

South Carolina rescinds regulation that blocked trade

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Nursery growers in Oregon and California are once again free to ship their plants to South Carolina. Officials in that state have rescinded Regulation 27-78, which imposed state-based rules pertaining to Phytophthora ramorum. The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) and the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC) sued to overturn the regulation, on […]