New Year news – much activities and COLD | Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab

This year went off with a start where the Plant Clinic remains busy with many different activities. Here are a few highlights:

Many of you may have notice a new posting on our Facebook page called “Sample of the week”. This project/task is headed by our new Extension Assistant (newly graduated former student worker), B. Commer. The goals is to post an interesting thing that is received by the TX Plant Clinic once every 1-2 weeks. Check out and like us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TXPlantClinic

Thanks to colleague, Dr. Woodward, for funds to help send a couple of people (A. Brake & B.Commer) to present their undergraduate work at the Southern Division – American Phytopathological Society meeting. The TPDDL was well represented with Sheila McBride presenting a look at the sample distribution that is received by the TX Plant Clinic in the last few years. I got to present some work that was done in collaboration with some of my colleagues at the University of Florida.

Lastly, it has been cold…..very cold in Texas. In Central TX, we have seen much days where temperature is below freezing. In North TX, there is quite a bit more. A lot of times, these cold is accompanied with ice and wind. Remember to protect your plants. Even those “hardy” woody ornamental such as Euonymus, Holly or Ligustrum can be damage by the freeze and cold wind. Check out the photo showing burns on a Ligustrum japonicum hedge at one of the strip mall areas in College Station. Exposed areas of the plants are affected.

We were also fortunate to have some funds to purchase new tools for the lab. Check out the new PCR Workstation (AirClean). That’s Molly who is using the unit for the first time. She approves. This unit gives us a little bit more room to work under the sterile conditions in the workstation. This new purchase allows us to continue to improve our services in the area of molecular diagnostics. If you wish to contribute to our continue efforts of service to the people of Texas and beyond, please contact me.