Diagnostic Skills for First Detectors of Plant Problems

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Diagnostic Skills for First Detectors of Plant
Problems
Marcia McMullen North Dakota State University
Extension Specialist Loren Giesler - University
of Nebraska Extension Specialist Dennis
Berglund - Centrol Inc. Crop Consulting Cheryl
Biller - Plant Diagnostician
Commissioned and Funded by the Great Plains
Diagnostic Network, a region of the National
Plant Diagnostic Network
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Diagnosing Plant Problems

• These modules are designed to train a network of
  first detectors to identify new and unusual pest
  outbreaks.

Masked chafers (cyclocephala spp.)
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First Detectors

• Cooperative Extension personnel
• Crop consultants
• Field scouts
• Pesticide applicators
• Commercial agricultural representatives
• Growers
• Phytosanitary inspectors
• Department of Agriculture personnel
• Master Gardeners

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Diagnosing Plant Problems

• You will learn to
• Use proper methods to assess field crop problems.
• Identify potential causes of damage based on
  field patterns.
• Assess symptom patterns on individual plants to
  discern possible abiotic or biotic causes of
  plant damage, and look for signs of potential
  biotic causes.
• Properly collect and submit plant samples to your
  state diagnostic laboratory.

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Diagnosing Plant Problems

• Diagnosis of a plant
• problem occurs in
• several steps. These
• steps aid in gathering
• information and clues,
• from the big picture
• down to an individual
• plant or plant part.

Eastern tent caterpillar
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Diagnosing Plant Problems

• Steps for diagnosis
• Obtain field history
• Prepare for field assessment
• Determine survey approach
• Recognize a healthy plant
• Look for patterns, time of occurrence and
  distribution of symptoms
• Get to the cause abiotic or biotic
• Sample for confirmation of diagnosis

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5 Modules

• Module 1 What is the field history? How to best
  prepare for the field assessment and determine
  your survey approach.
• Module 2 Recognize what a healthy plant looks
  like.
• Module 3 Determine the onset of damage or
  symptoms. Look for patterns and distribution of
  symptoms.

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5 Modules

• Module 4 Lets get to the cause. Is the plant
  damage biotic or abiotic?
• Module 5 Instructions for sampling and
  confirming the diagnosis.