Update, Jan. 15: The Capital Press agricultural newspaper (Salem, Ore.) has published a news story about the change in rules and what it means, including more in-depth comments from OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone. ——————————— The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it has revised regulations (PDF) that are intended to […]
Sudden oak death wreaking havoc on the Isle of Man
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One might expect an island to be less susceptible to an invasive plant pathogen than most places. Phytophthora ramorum, which causes sudden oak death, can’t cross the sea on its own — it has to be carried across via infected plant material. At some point, that’s exactly what happened on the Isle of Man. The island […]
Oregon gets an A minus on invasive species report card
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Oregon deserves an A-minus for its efforts to limit and control the introduction of invasive plants, animals and pathogens into the state, according to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The group issued its annual Invasive Species Report Card on Jan. 9. Some highlights pertaining to the nursery industry include the following: The Oregon Legislature passed […]
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 […]
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 Officials in that state have rescinded Regulation 27-78, which imposed state-based rules pertaining to Phytophthora ramorum.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 […]
Oregon, California growers sue to reopen South Carolina plant market
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Nurseries can’t afford to let disease spread. They take seriously the threat of Phytophthora ramorum, commonly known as sudden oak death – and so does the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For several years, APHIS has had rules in effect to protect ecosystems and plant material. Nurseries in Oregon and California have […]
New plants added to P. ramorum regulated list
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Officials with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine program (PPQ) issued a federal order on Monday (Feb. 22) adding 10 species to the list of plants regulated for Phytophthora ramorum. The plants have been identified them as hosts of the pathogen, and now will be regulated in accordance with […]
A persistent pathogen
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Scientists are wondering: Why does Phytophthora ramorum – the fungus that causes sudden oak death – survive sometimes even if all host material is removed, the area is fumigated and all runoff is ceased? Read more in this Page A-1 story from today’s San Francisco Chronicle.
A P. ramorum breakthrough
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Researchers probing linkages between the two North American strains and the European strain of Phytophthora ramorum – the pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death – say they have found important clues to their origins. According to a USDA Agricultural Research service press release: Their evidence showed that the European lineage may be older than the […]