Sending Samples To The Lab

 

• If you are shipping fresh plant material and/or living insects, use 24 or 48-hour delivery services. Avoid shipping on Thursday or Friday. Sitting around over the weekend can be hard on live samples.
• Provide as much information as possible about the problem to the diagnostician. Mention the collection date, location, relative size of the area affected, host plant, the location of symptoms on the plant, the pattern of symptom development within the greenhouse, and any other facts that you think may be relevant.

For Insect And Mite Pests

• Collect five to 10 specimens. Wrap pieces of insect- or mite-infested plant material loosely in paper towels. Place the paper-wrapped insects into a plastic bag with holes punched into it.
• Place soft-bodied specimens in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol into a non-breakable, water-tight container. Wrap with padding and place securely into a sturdy box for shipping. To prepare pests like caterpillars, worms, and grubs for shipping, place them into boiling water for 30 seconds, and then place them into 70 percent isopropyl alcohol as described above.
• Kill hard-bodied specimens before shipment by freezing them for one to two days. Gently wrap the insects in cotton or tissue and place them securely into a sturdy box.
• Some insect pests, such as scale insects, will be closely attached to the plant material. Ship these by placing plant tissue with the insects attached into plastic bags and ship overnight. Similarly, you can transport thrips by placing infested flowers into plastic bags if using an overnight delivery service.

Disease Problems

• Ship several plants with attached root systems by overnight or two-day service to the diagnostic lab. Package plants carefully, enclosing pots or root balls in plastic bags separately from foliage. This keeps the root system moist in transit and keeps the foliage clean for easy examination.
• Pack plants snugly to prevent bouncing and jarring during shipment. Wrap leaf samples in paper towels, then place them in plastic bags to prevent them from drying. Enclose a brief crop history and any recent soil and/or foliar analyses with the samples, and try to anticipate any questions a diagnostician may ask.