Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab

One of the reason that I am interested in plant diseases is that the microbes causing these diseases can have a huge effect on humankind. It also gives me some satisfaction that with a plant pathology degree and my innate curious nature, I can “hopefully” make contributions to stop or manage some of the plant disease problems that can detrimentally affect humans. Recently, I came across a news report which mentions a slump in Indonesian cocoa exports in part due to a disease called Vascular-Streak dieback. That report… Read More →

First my disclaimer – I am a plant pathologist, not a horticulturist. But I do like plants A LOT.  Ever so often, something that I read captures my eye.  This week it was about dye-infused plants, in particular a spotlight on GreenhouseGrower.com about a dye-infused yellow anthurium (Princess Alexia Yellow) that was introduced to the European market.  This plant is not available to growers in the US.  I thought it was great because of the discussion that ensued amongst the readers of this site, usually professional ornamental production… Read More →