Pests & Diseases

With ongoing drought and local water restrictions in place in many areas of California, you may start to see landscape plants suffering from stress caused by a lack of water, calledwater stress. Water-stressed plants can have symptoms that resemble diseases caused by plant pathogens.

Ever heard of Bot canker? "Bot" stands for Botryosphaeria which is a plant disease that results in cankers of trees and other woody plants. This fungal disease can be worse under drought conditions when trees are stressed.

Originally published in the Summer 2021 issue of Utah Pest News. Many problems that gardeners experience with tomato plants are not related to insect pests or diseases. Rather, they are associated with adverse growing conditions due to the environment or production practices.

Figuring out what's wrong with your plant takes a little detective work. Plants can look unhealthy for a number of reasons, including diseases, pest insects, or even environmental conditions like sunburn, too much water, not enough water, wind damage, and other issues.

Strong winds from the latest winter storm have downed trees and branches throughout Northern California and may have also damaged plants in your garden and landscape. Further damage from wind or hail can be reduced with proper cultural care.

Your customers want their lawns to be beautiful and functional (Figure 1) but dead patches or other problems sometimes occur. Figuring out the cause of turfgrass damage can be a challenge since many plant pathogens affect grasses as well as numerous abiotic (non-living) disorders.

Sudden oak death is a disease of oak trees that is caused by an invasive plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. The disease has been found infecting trees in coastal California counties from Monterey to Humboldt and can be spread by moving infested soil and plant material. In California, P.

Anthracnose is a group of fungal diseases that infect many trees and shrubs, causing dark lesions on leaves and cankers on twigs and stems. In some areas of California, vegetables and turfgrass can also be infected with anthracnose. Symptoms of anthracnose vary by plant host and weather conditions.

As you practice social distancing during COVID-19, you may find yourself spending more time in the garden. As we move into nice weather, we are sharing a few gardening tips for pest management. Check for signs of powdery mildew on fruit trees, landscape ornamentals, and vegetables.

Roses in the garden can be infected with a variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, leading to diseases like powdery mildew and rust. Roses may also be damaged by nutrient deficiencies and other environmental problems.