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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370495
Research Project: Development of Knowledge-based Approaches for Disease Management in Small Fruit and Nursery Crops

Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit

Title: Scouting for boxwood blight: Insights from the 2019 survey

Author
item Weiland, Gerald - Jerry
item PSCHEIDT, JAY - Oregon State University

Submitted to: Digger
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2020
Publication Date: 3/1/2020
Citation: Weiland, G.E., Pscheidt, J.W. 2020. Scouting for boxwood blight: Insights from the 2019 survey. Digger. March 2020:25-28. Available: http://www.diggermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Digger_202003.pdf

Interpretive Summary: Oregon is the top producer of boxwood in the United States. Boxwood Blight is a newly introduced disease that was first found in Oregon in 2011 at two nurseries. Since then, it has spread to 12 nurseries and is capable of causing severe damage. This disease causes leaf spots, defoliation, and stem lesions. Severe infection results in plant death. Once infected, plants cannot be cured and the affected plants must be destroyed. Therefore, nursery growers need to understand how to effectively scout for boxwood blight in order to determine whether the disease is present. The best time to scout is on cloudy days or in the morning and late afternoon. Growers should inspect more frequently during warm, rainy weather and pay particular attention to the lower branches and to the interior of the plant, where symptoms are often overlooked.

Technical Abstract: Oregon is the top producer of boxwood in the United States. Boxwood Blight is a newly introduced disease that was first found in Oregon in 2011 at two nurseries. Since then, it has spread to 12 nurseries and is capable of causing severe damage. This disease causes leaf spots, defoliation, and stem lesions. Severe infection results in plant death. Once infected, plants cannot be cured and the affected plants must be destroyed. Therefore, nursery growers need to understand how to effectively scout for boxwood blight in order to determine whether the disease is present. The best time to scout is on cloudy days or in the morning and late afternoon. Growers should inspect more frequently during warm, rainy weather and pay particular attention to the lower branches and to the interior of the plant, where symptoms are often overlooked.