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Canadian Plant Disease Survey

J. Elmhirst

Published 2024 in Canadian journal of plant pathology

ABSTRACT

The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture Plant Health Laboratory provides diagnoses of diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, plant parasitic nematodes and insect pests of agricultural crops grown in British Columbia. Between January 1 and November 30, 2017, the laboratory received 757 samples including Christmas trees, field crops, greenhouse vegetable and floriculture crops, forest nursery seedlings, herbaceous and woody ornamentals, small fruits, tree fruits, nuts and specialty crops for diagnosis. No significantly new or unusually high level of any disease was detected in the samples. METHODS: The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture Plant Health Laboratory provides diagnoses for diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, plant parasitic nematodes, and insect pests of agricultural crops grown in British Columbia. Samples were submitted to the laboratory by ministry staff, growers, agri-businesses, municipalities and master gardeners. Diagnoses were accomplished by visual and microscopic examination, culturing onto artificial media, biochemical identification of bacteria using BIOLOG®, serological testing of viruses, fungi and bacteria with micro-well and membrane-based enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). Molecular techniques (polymerase chain reactions (PCR – conventional and/or real time) were used for some species-specific diagnoses. Electron microscopic examination was performed on samples with unknown virus-like symptoms. Some specimens were referred to other laboratories for identification or confirmation of the diagnosis. RESULTS AND COMMENTS: Overall in 2017, British Columbia had a very wet spring followed by a late dry summer. The wet weather in the spring supported bacterial blights on woody ornamentals, tree fruits and berry crops. Fruit rots and postharvest rots were much lower than normal due to dry weather in late summer. Summaries of diseases and their causal agents diagnosed on crop samples submitted to the laboratory are presented in the following tables (1 to 12) organized by crop category. Diagnoses not listed include: abiotic symptoms such as nutritional stress, pH imbalance, water stress, drought stress, physiological response to adverse growing conditions, genetic abnormalities, environmental and chemical stresses including herbicide damage, fruit abortion due to lack of pollination, insect-related injury and damage where no conclusive causal factor was identified.

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