Health & Emerging Issues: Plant Health Issues

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Plant Health Issues

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Asian Longhorne Beetle

The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) is a large, bullet–shaped beetle about 1 to 1.5 inches long. Shiny and black with white spots, it has exceptionally long antennae that are banded with black and white. The elongated feet are black with a whitish–blue upper surface. Although its size and large mandibles cause it to appear threatening, the beetle is harmless to humans and pets. In the larval stage, the white, worm–like beetles bore into live trees causing sap to flow from wounds and frass (sawdust and other insect waste) to accumulate at tree bases. Left undetected, the ALB will girdle the vascular system of trees eventually causing the tree to wither and die.

Gypsy Moth

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is one of North America's most devastating forest pests. The gypsy moth is known to feed on on the foliage of hundreds of species of plants in North America but its most common hosts are oaks and aspen. Gypsy moth hosts are located through most of the coterminous US but the highest concentrations of host trees are in the southern Appalachian Mtns., the Ozark Mtns., and in the northern Lake States.

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

This introduced insect, believed to be a native of Asia, is a serious pest of eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock.

Invasive/Noxious Plants

"Invasive plant" is a name for a species that has become a weed pest, a plant which grows aggressively, spreads, and displaces other plants. Invasive plants tend to appear on disturbed ground, and the most aggressive can actually invade existing ecosystems. Invasive plants are generally undesirable because they are difficult to control, can escape from cultivation, and can dominate whole areas.

Plant Diseases

Christmas Tree Diseases
Floral and Foliage Diseases
Fruit Diseases
Ornamental Plant Diseases
Vegetable Diseases
New and Emerging Plant Diseases Project (NCSU)

Plum Pox

Plum pox disease of stone fruits is caused by a virus new to North America. However, plum pox virus (PPV) is not a strange new virus. It is related to several viruses, such as, potato virus Y and maize dwarf mosaic virus that commonly occurring in Pennsylvania crops .

Sudden Oak Death

The plant disease known as sudden oak death (SOD) first appeared in California in 1995. This disease is caused by a fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum and attacks at least 37 different plants species, including numerous kinds of trees and shrubs, and container grown nursery crops. Since 1995 SOD has been found in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Soybean Rust

Soybean rust is caused by either of two fungal species, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, also known as the Asian species, and Phakopsora meibomiae, the New World species. The Asian species, the one found in Louisiana, is the more aggressive of the two species, causing more damage to soybean plants.

Wildlife Damage

Wildlife Damage Publications--PSU
Wildlife Damage Control--Unvirsity of Nebraska
Deer Control--Colorado State University
Deer Control--West Virginia DNR

Related Information

US Departments of Agriculture
PA Bureau of Plant Industry Agricultural Laws and Regulations
Purple Loostrife--PDA
APHIS Biotechnology News

General Information:

Government Info:

APIS PPQ
EDEN
NPB
NAPIS
NASDA
NEPDN
PaDCNR
PDA
USDA
USDA Forest Service

CAS Links:

Ag Economics & Rural Sociology
Crop and Soil Sciences
Entomology
Food Science
Horticulture

For more information, please contact:

Greg Hoover, Entomology
Email:

Bill Curran, Crop & Soil Sciences
Email:

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Tuesday, November 29, 2005