Soft Spot for Succulents

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a healthy succulent

Written by Hannah Ayala – Extension Assistant Like all plants, your succulent could be suffering because of a plant pathogen, an insect pest, or an abiotic factor. When it comes to succulents, there are some issues that are more common than others. One of the most common problems we find in samples that come into the lab is caused by overwatering. Cacti and other succulents are mostly found in areas with low rainfall. This means that they store more water than other plants, hence their “puffy” foliage. This… Read More →

Student Worker (Oak) Branches Out

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Michael Giedraitis testing Oak Wilt samples in the lab

Written by Michael Giedraitis – TPDDL Student Worker; Edited by Hannah Ayala – Extension Assistant Background It was an exciting summer and fall at the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Alongside all our normal duties involved in operating the clinic, I was given the opportunity to work on the development of a new method for diagnosing oak wilt. Our current protocol is to break down infected branch samples sent to us and set them to incubate on petri plates in specialized media for two weeks. We check these… Read More →

Have you or your beloved Christmas Tree been affected by Dothistroma?

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Image of Dothistroma needle blight on many needles

Written by Christina Lanzoni – TPDDL Student Worker; Edited by Hannah Ayala – Extension Assistant ‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the night Spores were dispersing causing Dothistroma needle blight It’s that time of year again where everyone is out buying Christmas trees to decorate their homes. Without proper care, those trees would not be available for us to put gifts under. One of the most common foliar diseases seen in pine trees is Dothistroma needle blight. It affects the needles of over 30 different species… Read More →

I’m a Leaf Baller, Insect Galler!

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Cynipid Wasp galls

Written by Megan Turner – TPDDL Student Worker; Edited by Hannah Ayala – Extension Assistant Have you noticed strange bumps or swelling on your tree leaves? There could be something living in there! More than 2000 species of insects in the United States create these bumps, properly termed galls, to protect their young while they are developing. While most commonly caused by tiny wasps, they can also be caused by other insects, mites, nematodes, bacteria, and fungi. Eighty percent of galls reported in the US are found on… Read More →

Ento-MOUSE-sporium

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Entomosporium Leaf Spot on an Indian Hawthorn leaf

Written by Kendall Grier – TPDDL Student Worker; Edited by Hannah Ayala – Extension Assistant Disease is everywhere! As plant diagnosticians, we are constantly reminded of this everywhere we go. One of these reminders is daily as we walk into the lab for work. When you walk into the Centeq building (the building where the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab is located) you are greeted by some spotted Indian Hawthorns. At first glance they look very pretty, almost as if the color change is caused by the changing… Read More →