Brian Hudelson, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic
The UW-Madison/Extension Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (PDDC) provides unbiased, research-based plant disease identification and control recommendations for agricultural producers and businesses, horticultural producers and businesses, and homeowners throughout Wisconsin. If you suspect that you have a plant disease problem, you can submit a sample either through your county UW-Extension office (see http://www.uwex.edu/ for the location nearest you) or directly to the clinic (see https://pddc.wisc.edu/sample-collection-and-submission/ for collection details, submission details and forms). Fees for PDDC services (https://pddc.wisc.edu/services-fees/) are typically $20-25, although additional charges may apply depending on the sample type and tests requested.
Diseases of specific interest to field, forage, fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop producers for which the PDDC provides testing include (but are not limited to):
- Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) of soybean;
- Tar spot and Goss’ wilt of corn;
- Aphanomyces seedling blight/root rot (including race testing of soil) of alfalfa;
- Fire blight of apple and pear;
- Fruit rot and vine dieback of cranberry;
- Late blight of potato and tomato (testing provided free-of-charge as a public service);
- Black leg/tuber soft rot (Dickeya and Pectobacterium) of potato;
- Downy mildew of curcubits;
- Root rot (soil testing) of peas;
- Downy mildew and virus diseases of hop.
The PDDC partners with PJ Liesch at the UW-Madison/Extension Insect Diagnostic Lab (http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/) who provides unbiased and research-based insect identifications and control recommendations (at no charge). The PDDC also partners with Ann MacGuidwin at the UW Nematode Diagnostic Lab (http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/uw-nematode-diagnostic-lab/) who provides a wide range of unbiased and research-based plant nematode testing (e.g., corn nematode testing) and control recommendations (for $35). The UW Nematode Diagnostic Lab also provides SCN race testing of samples that test positive for SCN through the PDDC. The PDDC works closely with other UW-Madison/Extension plant disease experts including UW-Madison/Extension state field and forage crop pathologist Damon Smith (http://fyi.uwex.edu/fieldcroppathology/), UW-Madison/Extension state fruit crop pathologist Patricia McManus (http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/users/psm) and UW-Madison/Extension state vegetable crop pathologist Amanda Gevens (http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/wivegdis/).
If you have questions about submitting a sample or clinic fees, or would just like to discuss disease issues that you are seeing, feel free to contact PDDC Director Brian Hudelson (https://pddc.wisc.edu/) at (608) 262-2863 or pddc@wisc.edu.