February 2023 Plant Health

Editor’s Letter: Best practice for pathogens By Heather Machovina

When it comes to pests and diseases in your greenhouse, figuring out the culprit and putting effective management practices into place as soon as possible is crucial.

This month we highlight plant diseases and how to properly diagnose them with Carrie Harmon from the UF-IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center. I know this topic is on the minds of growers everywhere daily because keeping crops healthy and growing well is essential to their success. It’s also close to my heart because I spent years learning about plant pathology and working with pathogens in greenhouses at the University of Florida. I brought many samples to the diagnostic lab during my time there, and I’m grateful to now share the knowledge of an expert plant pathologist with you.

Spending time daily scouting crops is essential to finding problems quickly and resolving issues before they spread into devastating losses. “There are no silver bullets or magic wands in plant production or pest management,” says Harmon, who has 20 years of experience in diagnostics. “Accurate identification of the problem is of prime importance in effective and cost-efficient plant problem management.” Are you taking all the right steps to protect your crops from pests and diseases? Start reading page 22 to keep your production at its healthiest.

CAST 2023

This is my first time attending California Spring Trials, and I can’t wait to lay eyes on all the beauty these top breeders have been working so hard on for our industry. I once had the opportunity to write an article covering the CAST variety introductions during my freelancing days, but I imagine seeing it in person is going to be like visiting Hawaii or seeing the Colorado mountains covered in snow for the first time; photos just don’t do it justice.

Find the 2023 CAST Preview on page 26 to see what breeders will be showing off this year. Don’t forget to follow GPN on social media to get daily coverage during the event. And, if you see me and the team there, be sure to introduce yourself.

For an enhanced reading experience, view this article in our digital edition by clicking here.