Blog article #2 by Marissa McCarthy (for partial fulfillment of BESC 484 requirement)   Diplodia is most often parasitic fungus, can be found to be saprophytic, that is extremely host specific on pine hosts or other conifer species.  This Diplodia was found on a Juniper from a private residence that was submitted to the lab. Chief complaint was new growth and tip yellowing and necrosis. Diplodia is found across the vast majority of the United States including Hawaii and California, and affects most species of pine or conifer…. Read More →

One of the functions that the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab is to be a training ground for our students at Texas A&M University.  We have had a somewhat open-door policy for student from the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology and the associated undergraduate BioEnvironmental Science (BESC) program.  In addition to that, we have hosted an international Borlaug Fellow who came for short term training in plant pathology & diagnostics.  This summer, a undergraduate student worker is parlaying her work at the Plant Clinic into an internship to… Read More →