Focus On: Ben Lockhart, Plant Virus Expert Beth Jarvis, Yard & Garden
Ben Lockhart
Photo credit:
(Provided photo)
A colleague claims Ben Lockhart find a new virus "practically every time he goes outside." It's not surprising. Ben is a world-renown expert on viruses that cause plant diseases. He even discovered an entirely new genus of viruses, the badnavirus. Badnaviruses, such as banana yellow streak virus, cause a number of tropical and subtropical plant diseases. Schefflera ringspot virus is also a badnavirus and affects not only schefflera but aralia.
While Ben's not likely to trip over an new banana virus in anyone's Minnesota back yard, the increase in transglobal shipment of plants has brought the world, and the plant diseases it harbors, to our yards. For a plant virus expert, the possibilities are limitless, as viruses often do not become evident until the plant has grown a while in someone's yard when mottling, abnormal foliar growth, or mosaic patterns on leaves, among other things, tip the watchful gardener to something amiss.
If anyone's likely to find a new virus in bananas in Minnesota, it will most likely be Ben. He's raised bananas in the plant pathology greenhouse on the St. Paul campus for years. With a laugh, he's quick to note Minnesota is a perfect place to study banana viruses. After all, if a virus escapes, what will it infect? The same logic applies to his work on sugar cane. It's not work that can be as safely done in Florida, Texas, or Hawaii.
So how did a scientist with an interest in tropical plant diseases wind up in the snow belt?
Ben grew up in the West Indies and earned a degree in Agronomy in Trinidad which was followed by a PhD in Plant Pathology, from the University of California, Riverside. In the late 1960's, the University of Minnesota won the honor of participating in a project, funded by the US Agency of International Development, to establishing an Institute of Agriculture in Morocco. Ben was hired by the U in 1971 and within months of arriving here, was headed for Morocco.
Ferns rarely get virus diseases. This doesn't even look typical.
Photo credit:
Ben Lockhart
Establishing an undergraduate degree program was the first phase of this 20 year project. Ben spent five years there setting up labs and teaching courses geared to a BS level. He got his first real taste of Minnesota winters when he returned to Minnesota and taught for five years. Then the U won the opportunity to participate in the second phase, to establish a Ph.D program. Ben was off to Morocco, again, where he spent an additional five years.
During his stays in Morocco he worked on diseases of bananas, sugar cane, corn, and other cereal grains. Upon his return to Minnesota, he has continued his research and still collaborates with colleagues all over the world.
In addition to tropical crops, Ben works on sugar beets, potatoes, peas, soybeans and many other common crops. He's quick to point out that he's not a crops specialist. His objective is always to identify the virus then work out practical control measures. The principle is the same whether it's 10,000 acres of a field crop or one plant in a pot. Commercial producers need help to determine the most effective control in terms of cost per acre and factoring in conditions that may be unique to a grower's geographic area, such as soil type.
The viruses that cause diseases on Minnesota field crops are well documented. "No one has reported a new potato virus in 30 years." he says. Viruses on ornamental plants, on the other hand, are pretty much uncharted territory. For someone like Ben, these plants pose new opportunities and challenges.
So what does a virus expert do when someone bring him a plant with a possible virus?
A very sick hosta.
Note light spots on leaves--typical of virus.
TRV on epimedium.
TRV on heuchera.
TRV on bleeding heart..
TRV on phlox.
Photo credits:
Ben Lockhart
The first step is to checks the literature to see if it's been described before. (The literature he consults is the Review of Plant Pathology, a journal that reports every disease reported in any other journal of plant pathology.) If the symptom match a previously described virus, the next step is to run tests to confirm the presence of that virus. Once the tests confirm the presence of that virus, he formulates effective control and management measures.
In the case of many ornamentals, the viruses have not been previously reported. Ajuga displaying yellow splotches on the leaves is likely to have alfalfa mosaic virus. But what about the others?
About 90% of the time, there's little in the literature about viruses of ornamentals, so the literature review is often of no help.
In addition, new ornamentals are introduced every year, so not only is the virus missing from the literature, but the host plant may be too new to list, as well.
As previously mentioned, the increase in international movement of plants plays a significant role in plant disease. A Dutch grower might have a company in Kenya produce a quantity of plants. Since viruses are often undetected by visual examination, these plants win phytosanitary certificates which clear them for import into the US.
When the host and/or virus are not mentioned in the literature, the next step is to try to see the virus using an electron microscope. To an expert, the shapes and sizes of viruses are clear cut or at least give the viewer an idea of what the virus might be. To confirm the virus identification made visually, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test is fast and fairly inexpensive.
If it's not clear, then greenhouse tests are run to determine the biological properties. The first step is to see if the virus is spread mechanically or by insects. A very small percentage of diseases are spread by insect vectors. The wind, equipment and even peoples' hands can mechanically spread viruses.
Once the transmission method is determined, the next step is to see if it can be transmitted to members of the same plant family, such as Compositae (daisy like plants). If it can be spread to other plant family members, the literature can again be searched using a broader host range, and possibly identified.
If this yields nothing, then the virus is purified then converted to antibodies and those antibodies can be used in future ELISA tests to screen for that virus' presence the next time it shows up. A first report is published. Ben says there are "new viruses every week". He publishes six or seven reports himself every year.
Ben's become quite the expert on viruses of hosta and he has worked closely with the local hosta society to identify viruses and propose control methods. In his campus greenhouse, he's currently isolating viruses in oxalis and violas.
Some viruses are a problem in greenhouses where temperatures prevent plants from freezing and keep insect vectors thaw/healthy. Outdoors in Minnesota, the winters kill off the top growth of both perennial weed and ornamental sources of viruses. This prevents insect vectors, such as aphids, from finding a ready inoculum source in the spring. Consequently, home gardeners have fewer disease problems than folks in warmer areas or even indoors in greenhouses.
A virus that we must be aware of is Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV). It is becoming more common in Minnesota, due to globalization of the world green industry. Some exotic viruses can be in plants we buy but the viruses aren't a problem because there are no additional, suitable host plants. The truly troublesome viruses are those which have a wide host range and a means of spreading. TRV is spread by nematodes that are present in Minnesota soils and it has a very broad host range. It was first reported on epimedium, but Ben thinks we'll be quite likely to see it on bleeding heart and heuchera (coral bells) among many otherrs. He's seen it on many plants, so can our gardens be far behind?
Improving Your Home Landscape Deborah Brown, Extension Horticulturist
'Princess Kay', a double-flowering plum, a small tree.
Photo credit:
U of MN
Extension Service
Given the wacky on-again, off-again spring we've experienced this year, early May could still be too soon to do much actual work in the yard. But it's never too soon to plan improvements.
The landscape around your home functions as outdoor living space. It makes sense to create as pleasing and comfortable an outdoor space as possible, to take advantage of whatever good weather we have. As this year bears out, most of us spend the better part of six months indoors.
The most obvious reason to work on your landscape is aesthetic, adding plants and other features to make it more attractive. But there are many other reasons to improve your landscape:
Your outdoor space may need to catch up with changes that have occurred in your lifestyle over the years. If your children are grown and no longer play in the yard it might make sense to reduce the amount of space devoted to lawn. You may want to expand hobby gardens and shrub beds or add a large deck or patio for entertaining.
If bending over to garden in the ground is growing increasingly difficult, think about installing raised beds to limit your need to stoop. Beds may be constructed easily from landscape timbers or special interlocking concrete blocks. Raised beds have the added advantages of warming earlier in spring and draining well, even if soil in the rest of the yard is heavy and clay-like.
'Autumn Splendor' buckeye developed by the U
Photo credit: U of MN
Extension Service
Landscaping can also provide privacy from cars passing on a busy street or from nearby neighbors. (Many large new homes are sited on small lots, very close to one another.) The choice of appropriate small trees or shrubs can increase your privacy and enhance both the value and usefulness of your property.
If you've been in your home ten or fifteen years, your trees have probably grown substantially, shading parts of the yard, causing grass and other sun-loving plants to deteriorate. Replace those struggling plants with shade tolerant specimens. You might also hire a qualified tree service to trim and thin, not "top" your larger trees in order to allow more light to reach plants nearby.
(Topping trees puts them under considerable stress, causing a wild burst of succulent, abnormally vertical regrowth. Often this reduces the amount of leaves so drastically that there isn't enough food energy created to sustain the trees, and within a few years, they die. If they do survive, they never look right again; they're also more prone to disease and storm damage.)
Make the effort to remove trees and shrubs that were poorly placed originally. For instance, dig out tall arborvitae that have grown into your eaves and substitute evergreens with globe-shaped or spreading habits. Maybe you've got a flowering crabapple that litters your deck or driveway with fermenting fruit each fall. Many good varieties hold onto their fruit most of the winter, attracting birds.
Get rid of yews that turn orangey-brown each year from the drying effects of exposure to winter sun. They're meant for shade. Conversely, if you have a lilac that never blooms, chances are it was planted in too much shade. Transplant it to a sunny space or haul it away.... unless you're happy with a leaves-only lilac!
'Northern Pearls', a shrub for sunny sites.
Photo credit: U of MN
Extension Service
Insects and disease organisms seem to attack certain plants with great regularity. It may be better to replace these plants than to spray repeatedly throughout each growing season. At the very least, keep potential problems in mind when you choose new plants.
Many honeysuckles are vulnerable to honeysuckle witches' broom aphids; many crabapples are defoliated almost annually by apple scab. Paperbark birch and river birch both suffer from birch leaf miner, but only the paperbark is likely to be attacked by the potentially lethal bronze birch borer.
Visit your local nursery or garden center -- where they stand behind the plants they sell you -- for help improving your landscape. Spend an afternoon at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to see mature specimens that have been growing in our climate for years. Check out Extension's Sustainable Landscape web page at http://www.sustland.umn.edu/ to make use of it's plant selection features.
And finally, don't be discouraged if you can't do it all at once. Plants chosen carefully for their location will grow well; it won't be long before you begin to enjoy the results.
How Can We Manage Plant Diseases Without Chemicals? Janna Beckerman, Extension Plant Pathologist
Powdery mildew on grapes
Photo credit:
Chad Behrendt
There is only thing more difficult than diagnosing plant disease and that is managing plant disease problems after you've established the correct diagnosis! How do you decide the best control method or combination of management methods for a given problem? How do you determine when to use these strategies at the appropriate time? Why does this have to be so hard?
The reason this is so complicated is simple: It really is so complicated! When we develop disease management strategies we need to consider the biology of two organisms: The species of plant being infected and the microorganism causing the problem. The disease management strategy for one type of a plant may not be the best method for another disease on the same or different plant species. An excellent example of this involves powdery mildew of gooseberry compared to powdery mildew of grapes. Powdery mildew of gooseberry (Sphaerotheca mors-uvae) can completely defoliate the plant. If this occurs over several years, the plant can even die. Powdery mildew of grape (Uncinula nectator), although a regular occurrence, generally only reduces yield and rarely causes plant death. Sulfur is labeled for control of powdery mildew, and is an excellent fungicide for use on grapes. However, sulfur produces a phytotoxic reaction when applied on some varieties of gooseberries, and can even kill the plant if applied in hot weather. Does this make sulfur a "bad" fungicide? Not at all-it's just not the right fungicide for this particular job.
Just like there is no one, "best" fungicide, there is no one, "best" management strategy. In other words, plant management strategies must be developed on a case-by-case basis. This requires an understanding of the host, pathogen and environment. Control of plum pockets is very different than control of plum brown rot, even though "true" fungi cause both of these diseases. In managing plant disease, a "one-size-fits-all approach" is doomed to failure. Most disease problems require the use of more than one control measure, which is the basis of integrated pest management (IPM).
Excluding Plant Disease
A cornerstone of good gardening practice and IPM is the selection of disease-free stock. This includes the purchase of certified disease-free seed, healthy seedlings and established nursery plants. By starting with healthy plants you are practicing "Exclusion" of disease problems. Quite simply: The amount of disease at the end of the season is directly related to the amount of disease you start with.
Avoiding Plant Disease
After starting with healthy plants and excluding unhealthy ones, you need to make sure you keep them healthy. Falling in love with a plant and willing it to live will not keep it healthy if is a shade-loving variety in a site of full sun (Fig. 1)! This means objectively evaluating a site for the amount of sun it receives, the quality of the soil and how that soil retains water. Matching the plant to the site keeps that plant healthy and better able to resist disease problems when they happen. This practice is simply termed "Avoidance." By keeping the plant healthy, you are avoiding disease problems. Finally, one of the best ways of avoiding disease problems, particularly if you know a problem is present, is through the use of resistant varieties.
Flooding stresses plants.
Photo credit: Dave MacDonald
Even varieties that are resistant to certain diseases need to be kept healthy. Proper use of properly timed fertilizer can reduce disease. Because nitrogen encourages thick, vegetative growth, some diseases are suppressed by reducing the amounts of nitrogen. Others are likely to be suppressed by increased amounts of nitrogen. Proper ratios of certain elements in fertilizers can be used to suppress plant diseases.
Keeping plants healthy isn't just a matter of keeping them well fed, but making sure they aren't being fed on by another creature! Remember that insects and nematodes not only act as vectors or carriers of disease, but their feeding damage can provide an entrance point for disease-causing organisms. Tomatoes that are resistant to Verticillium or Fusarium wilt have been known to succumb to these diseases if root knot or other parasitic nematode populations get too high. Armillaria root rot often infects oak trees that have been attacked by two-lined chestnut borers or by trees that have been defoliated by gypsy moths or tent caterpillars.
At this point, even if you have done everything right (Exclusion and Avoidance), disease may happen. If it does, it is helpful to remember that most plant disease control methods are preventative. This is due to the fact that once the pathogen increases in numbers (usually accompanied by an increase in disease) disease control becomes difficult if not impossible. Unfortunately, this doesn't help you when the problem has already started! What do you do then?
Eradicating Plant Disease
Eradication is an effective tool for controlling several diseases, in some instances. You can attempt to eradicate or reduce a disease by removing the infected plants and other species of plants that are also hosts of the disease. These plants may be weeds or alternate hosts. Alternate hosts support part of the life cycle of the organism causing disease. Roguing or culling (the selective removal of an infected plant) and destroying diseased plants are tools used in controlling plant disease. In the case of trees, selective removal of cankered limbs, whether due to fire blight or Nectria canker, can be used to control plant diseases. Cutting it off isn't enough, though. Destroy old plant debris (Do not compost!) as it can harbor diseases.
Sunscalded hosta.
Photo credit: Janna Beckerman
Clean up!
Whether it is the greenhouse, nursery or garden, cleanliness is next to godliness (and next to impossible)! Still, Sanitation is an important control measure. Routinely, clean and disinfest tools and equipment, especially if they have been used in areas known to harbor diseased plants or debris. A solution of bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) is sufficient for routine sanitation. If material is infested with a plant pathogen, consider disposal-many soil-borne pathogens have been known to survive sanitation by bleach and hot, soapy water. If an area of yard or field is infected with a soil born pathogen (e.g., Sclerotinia, Sclerotium or Verticillium spp.), consider purchasing two sets of tools, and relegate one set to be used only in the infested area. This minimizes your possibility of spreading disease. Finally, wash your hands, forearms and all tools thoroughly after handling diseased plants.
Good gardening IPM also includes strict weed control. Weed control is disease control: Weeds, particularly perennial weeds like dandelion, nightshade, and plantain can serve as alternate hosts for viruses and harbor inoculum. Additionally, weeds compete with nearby plants for nutrients and water, thereby reducing plant vigor.
Crop rotation is an important and underutilized method to reduce disease. Crop rotation is the simple practice of alternating a susceptible host with an immune or resistant host. Potato, tomato, pepper and eggplant are members of the plant family Solanaceae. This means that they are closely related, like cousins. They are susceptible to the same diseases. However, members of the Legume family, like peas and beans, are very different-so different in fact, that they get very few of the same diseases. By changing the area where you traditionally plant tomatoes with peas, pathogens like Phytophthora infestans, which causes late blight, no longer have a host to infect and their numbers will die. Not only that, but you've improved soil fertility in that area by planting nitrogen fixing legumes. In a few years, your pathogen problem is gone and your soil is better than ever!
Implementing these practices (Exclusion, Avoidance, Eradication and Sanitation) will go a long way in preventing plant diseases. However, the most important strategy for good disease management is Tolerance. Always remember that you don't have to prevent every disease from ever infecting any plant in your yard. In fact, you will probably be a lot happier if you let "bygones be bygones" when it comes to some diseases. Diseases like powdery mildew of lilac, or black rot of ivy are not going to kill the infected plant and should be considered minor nuisances. Keep in mind that you can (and should) learn to live with plant disease. Tolerance is the key.
Test your diagnostic savvy monthly with Disease Watch at: http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/PlantPathWeb/Plpa.htm
Watch Out For Early Season Apple Insects Jeff Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist
Plum curculio
There are several early season apple pests, especially plum curculio and codling moth, that can plague home gardeners. These insects can be potentially serious but they are not necessarily a pest every year. If may not be necessary to treat them if you have had few problems in the past but expect to battle them this year if you've had ongoing problems in recent seasons.
Plum curculios can infest up to 90% of unsprayed apples in a home yard. These insects overwinter as adult weevils in plant debris on the ground. Plum curculios are not quite 1/4 inch long, a mottled brown, black, and gray, and have a bumpy appearance. They move to apple trees to lay eggs about the time the trees bloom. As the female weevils oviposit their eggs into apples, they create crescent shaped scars on the apple skin. Severely attacked apples become deformed and knotty-looking. Larvae feed for about two weeks then exit from fallen apples and pupate in the soil. They emerge later in the summer and hibernate. There is one generation a year.
Codling moths overwinter as mature larvae. Moths start to appear in spring as the last petals fall from apple blossoms. Female moths lay eggs on fruit or nearby leaves, which hatch in 6 to 14 days, depending on temperature. Codling moths can damage apples in two ways. By burrowing through the apple into the core, either from the side or from the calyx end or by causing stings, i.e. small damaged areas where larvae start to feed but then stop. After feeding for about three weeks, full grown larvae exit the fruit in late July and pupate on the trunk or larger branches of the tree. A second generation can occur starting in late July or August.
If you have had a problem with one of these insects, you need to be prepared to take action before you actually see damage on the apples. You can verify the presence of these insects by monitoring for them, especially if you do not see damage every year. Start at pink bud stage of development.
Look for plum curculios by shaking branches while a holding a white paper plate underneath. Any plum curculios falling out of the tree should be conspicuous when they land on the white paper plate. You can monitor codling moths by setting up a pheromone trap in the tree. The traps give off a chemical odor that attracts male moths which become stuck when they land on the trap. You can purchase pheromone traps at garden centers or through gardening catalogs).
If you detect either of these insects or you have a history of one or both of these pests consistently attacking your trees, the best method to protect your apples is to spray them. However, the timing is critical. It is most effective to make two applications, one at petal fall, i.e. when about 3/4 of the petals have fallen and a second application ten days later. Use a registered insecticide, such as methoxychlor.
You can reduce problems nest season by picking up apples as they fall and destroying them. This helps prevent any insects in the fruit from finishing their development.
West Nile Virus Reminder
Jeff Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist
There is a very good chance that West Nile Virus will be discovered in Minnesota this year. First detected in New York in 1999, West Nile virus has spread to 27 states in the eastern U.S., including Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. By the end of 2001, there have been 149 total human cases of West Nile virus illness reported and confirmed, including 18 fatalities.
This virus can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord). Most people infected with West Nile virus show no symptoms or may experience mild illness such as fever, headache, and body aches before recovering. Some people also develop a mild rash or swollen lymph glands. At its most serious, it can cause permanent neurological damage and can be fatal. Encephalitis symptoms include rapid onset of severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, confusion, coma, muscle weakness or possibly death. Fatal cases are more prevalent in people 50 years or older.
The disease is transmitted to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. In the United States, several species of mosquitoes, especially those in the genus Culex, are known to vector this disease. There are six species of Culex in Minnesota, although most of them do not bite people. Uninfected mosquitoes can acquire the virus by biting an infested host then transmitting the virus to the next animal it bites.
Wild birds are the primary hosts. So far, West Nile virus has been detected in 103 different bird species. Generally, infected birds do not show symptoms and survive. However, crows, blue jays, and ravens are particular susceptible to this virus and can die from it. Finding these birds dead often if the first indication that this virus is in the area.
If you encounter dead birds next year that appear to have been dead for less than 24 hours, particularly if it is a crow, blue jay, or raven, contact the Minnesota Department of Health at 612 - 676 - 5414. Birds suspected of being infected with West Nile virus should be kept cool but not frozen. There is no evidence that a person can contract West Nile virus from handling dead infected birds. However, to err on the side of safety, people should wear gloves when handling dead birds.
Although the risk of West Nile Virus in Minnesota this year is low, take common sense steps to minimize mosquito bites. Avoid (when possible) being outside when mosquitoes are most active. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when in areas of high mosquito numbers. Use a repellent, such as DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Apply DEET to clothes or skin but only enough to lightly cover the desired areas. Do not overapply repellents! Do not treat children with a product containing more than 15% DEET.
Cut weeds and tall grassy areas near your home to help reduce mosquitoes harborages. Use less attractive lights like sodium lights. Leave yard lights off when possible to avoid attracting them unnecessarily. Keep window and door screens fitting properly. Remove any containers that may hold water (e.g. old tires). If they can not be removed, then drain them. If this is not possible, then apply a small amount of vegetable oil on the water's surface to suffocate larvae. Keep gutters cleaned so water doesn't accumulate.
For more information see the Minnesota Dept. of Health web site:
Get the low down on this month's insect pests at
Insects http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/EntWeb/Ent.htm Bye, Bye Compost Beth Jarvis, Yard & Garden
Composted animal manure is no longer available on the St. Paul campus. Effective April 20, the compost pick up site was moved to the NRG Processing Solutions Site at 915 N. Albert, which is at the intersection of Pierce Butler Route and Albert. There will be a $5 handling charge for small amounts and an $8 fee for a pick up or comparable load. For information, call (651) 641-1939.
I just returned from the Netherlands where I visited Floriade, the once every decade floral expo and Keukenhof, a bulb lovers heaven, among other places botanical and otherwise. It's mind-boggling to drive through countryside where the crops in the field aren't corn, oats, or soy beans but tulips, hyacinths and daffodils!
The double flowering plum is one of my favorite shrubs and it flowers in April and May. It's 10-12' tall, speading, yellow-broze fall color, hardy to zone 2 and on it's own roots (not grafted). Likes a well drained soil.
Next issue we'll be featuring an article on composting, just in time for your spring yard and garden clean up. I also have a brief article on how much defoliation trees can withstand, and I may have something on why trees don't leaf out. (Seem to have that topic covered going and coming.)
Please feel free to cut and paste any of the articles for use in your own newsletters. All we ask is that you give our authors credit.
Back issues Yard & Garden Line News are on the Yard & Garden Line home page at www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/. Our home page has clickable links to most of the components of the Yard & Garden Line, such as Bell Museum of Natural History, INFO U and the Soil Testing Lab.
Deb Brown answers gardening questions on Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) "Midmorning" program on the first Thursday of every month at 10 a.m. Katherine Lanpher hosts the program that is broadcast on KNOW 91.1 FM, and available state-wide on the MPR news radio stations.
If you have gardening questions, please call the Yard & Garden Line at (612) 624-4771.
If you would like to receive an e-mail reminder when the next issue of the Yard & Garden Line News is posted to the web, just send an e-mail to:
listserv@lists.umn.edu (note: the second E in listserve is omitted), leave the subject line blank, then in the body of the message, type: sub yglnewslist
or to unsubscribe, enter: unsub yglnewslist
Happy gardening!
Beth Jarvis
Yard & Garden Line Project Coordinator
Previous Page University of Minnesota Extension Service Home Page
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is
available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact your
University of Minnesota county extension office or, outside of Minnesota,
contact the Distribution Center at (612) 625-8173.
The University of Minnesota Extension Service is committed to the policy that
all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment
without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age,
marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual
orientation.