Detecting the presence of a pest or disease problem is the easy part of floriculture crop protection. Knowing the exact problem is the real challenge, not to mention being critically important for enabling you to apply the appropriate control measures. Otherwise, you risk wasting pesticides (wasting expensive assets is not something a business wants to do), or releasing them unnecessarily into the environment (risking more serious problems, possibly for the entire industry).

Fortunately, diagnosing plant problems is a learnable skill that gets easier with experience. Making a proper diagnosis may require the help of a university or private laboratory, but growers can often combine their background knowledge with careful observations to make a good working diagnosis.

Nine Tips For Diagnosis

Sending Samples To The Lab

Best Practices To Prevent Pest Problems

Resistance Management Is Key To Pest Control

Here are some problems you might be seeing in the greenhouse. Click through for images and explanations of different pests and diseases.

Blotches	Deformities & Stunted Growth	Discoloration	Necrosis
Notches & Holes	Patches	Infestations	Rings, Spots & Dots
Rusts & Mildew	Wilt	Stem Lesions	Rot

Images and material for the Insect and Disease ID and Diagnosis Guide were supplied by Margery Daughtrey, John Sanderson, and Tom Weiler (Cornell University) and Dan Gilrein (Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County).