July 2025 40 Under 40, Plant Health

Forty Under 40 Perspectives: Prioritizing plant health

As a technical services specialist with Ball Seed, I have the privilege of working with greenhouse growers across North America on a daily basis. The challenges I see can be diverse, but most of these issues are categorized under the broader topic of plant health.

We face a wide array of pests, diseases and physiological disorders in the greenhouse, and diagnosing issues can be intimidating, especially for those new to the industry or unfamiliar with common signs and symptoms.

After years of working with growers to diagnose and manage plant health concerns, I believe every grower — regardless of experience level — should develop and maintain a working knowledge of plant health diagnostics. This will ultimately help improve crop quality while reducing losses.

BUILDING DIAGNOSTIC CONFIDENCE

It’s not realistic to memorize every pest or pathogen that can affect your crops, but it is realistic and important to understand the basic principles of plant health diagnostics. With just a little background knowledge and observation, growers can gather and communicate the essential information needed to quickly narrow down possible causes and take corrective action.

Think of plant diagnostics like a visit to the doctor. Before any diagnosis can be made, the doctor needs to ask questions about the symptoms and patient history. The same applies to plants.

Whether you’re consulting with a professional diagnostician or investigating a problem on your own, these are some of the key questions to ask:

• What are the symptoms? Are the leaves yellowing (chlorotic), browning (necrotic), curling or showing spots? Are plants stunted, wilting or collapsing?

• Where are the symptoms located? Are symptoms on upper or lower leaves? Along the edges? Between veins? Or across the whole leaf?

• How are the symptoms distributed? Are the symptoms widespread, localized to a few plants or clustered at the edges of a bench? Are multiple varieties affected?

• Can you provide a development timeline? Did the symptoms appear overnight or gradually over several days or weeks?

• What are the environmental conditions? What have temperatures, humidity and light levels been like? Were there any recent weather fluctuations or equipment failures?

• Is there any application history to share? Have any pesticides or other chemicals been applied recently? Could symptoms be linked to a spray or chemical drift from a neighboring field?

Answering these questions helps determine whether the problem is likely biotic (caused by a living pest or pathogen) or abiotic (due to non-living stress factors like nutrient deficiencies or chemical injury). For example, uniform symptoms that appear overnight often suggest an abiotic issue like fertilizer burn or flue gas exposure, while scattered symptoms that spread gradually might point to a fungal or bacterial disease.

You don’t need to be a plant pathologist to benefit from this process. Just being able to collect and communicate this information makes a big difference in resolving problems quickly and minimizing crop losses.

KEEP GROWING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Even if you didn’t start your career with formal training in plant pathology or integrated pest management, there are countless resources available to help you keep learning. Industry conferences like AmericanHort’s Cultivate event, university field days, webinars and online Extension programs are great opportunities to build your skills.

I also recommend checking out online platforms for educational resources like e-GRO and Ball Seed’s Tech On Demand, which offer free diagnostic guides, how-to videos, newsletters and real-time updates on emerging pest and disease concerns.

These tools can help you stay proactive rather than reactive. Plant health knowledge isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential to growing high-quality crops, protecting your investment and yielding a satisfied customer.

As new pests and diseases emerge, having basic diagnostic skills can set you apart.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If there’s one message I hope you take from this, it’s that plant health isn’t something you learn once and forget. It’s an ongoing process of observation, curiosity and growth.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been growing for decades, make time to keep sharpening your diagnostic skills and expanding your understanding of plant health. Your plants — and your career — will be healthier for it.

All photos courtesy of Josh Henry.