NURSERY PEST NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2021

Updates Plant Protection and Weed Control We missed you in 2020! Between Here are some highlights since our 1320 Research Park Dr. moving our lab in early spring, staff last newsletter:

Manhattan, KS 66502 changes, and COVID-19 restrictions, we did not compile a newsletter last • Lab move — KDA’s Agricultural year. We also missed seeing you at Laboratory relocated from Topeka to Office: 785-564-6698 trade shows and educational events Manhattan in spring of 2020 and is Fax: 785-564-6779 that were cancelled or switched to now housed next to KDA headquar- agriculture.ks.gov/PPWC online formats. ters. The ag lab conducts a wide range of testing for various programs within Despite the challenges, we continued the agency.

to certify plants and plant products for The purpose of our export and have continued other • Cherie Copeland retirement — program is to: inspection and survey work. We are Cherie served as the south central currently visiting greenhouses and area specialist for 22 years and retired • Protect the state’s native gearing up for the busy spring season from KDA in March of 2020. and cultivated plants as are many of you. We hope to see from the introduction and you soon, either through inspections • Website revamp — We improved outbreak of harmful plant or educational events. Please reach navigation and made a few updates. pests, including insects, out if you have questions or needs in Check it out at: plant diseases, weeds and the meantime. agriculture.ks.gov/PPWC. other organisms.

• Provide inspection and Reminders about shipping live plants certification services to ensure compliance with Interstate shipments: Require a Live Plant Certificate of Inspection issued by KDA statutes and quarantines which should accompany the shipments. Certificate acquisition requires one or more and to facilitate move- inspections per year depending on quantity and nature of shipments. Non-certified ment of plants and plant shipments may be held or destroyed by shipping companies or other states’ plant products to other states protection agencies out of concern for accidental transport of exotic pests. and countries.

• Manage pests of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, regulatory significance and Washington have special restrictions on shipments of live plants from Kansas within the state. because of Japanese beetle. They prohibit certain items and require compliance agreements, extra documentation, pre-notification and/or treatment. • Ensure that plants, plant products, and seed The National Plant Board offers these resources for domestic shipping guidelines: offered for sale in Kansas U.S. Domestic Japanese Beetle Harmonization Plan: meet the requirements of nationalplantboard.org/documents-and-policies/japanese-beetle-harmonization-plan/. the Plant Pest and Summaries of state quarantines and regulations: Agricultural Commodity nationalplantboard.org/laws-and-regulations/ Act, the Kansas Seed Law, the Kansas Noxious Weed International shipments: Also require a Live Plant Certificate of Inspection. May Law, and the Commercial require a Phytosanitary Certificate, Import Permit, and/or special testing, depending Industrial Hemp Act. on the country. Contact your area plant protection specialist for guidance well in advance of shipping to ensure requirements can be met. Page 2

Watch for Ramorum blight in perennials and shrubs this year Gaelle Hollandbeck, Plant Pathologist

Phytophthora ramorum was confirmed in 2019 on On species other than rhododendrons sold at various retail locations across the U.S., oak, P.ramorum causes including stores in Kansas. This was the first known introduction leaf scorch, foliar blight, of P. ramorum into the state. and stem cankers. On oaks, P. ramorum Ramorum blight, also known as Sudden Oak Death, is a disease infection causes cankers caused by the water mold Phytophthora ramorum. Sudden Oak on the trunks of Death is the name given susceptible species and to the disease when it subsequent decline. affects oaks. Ramorum Cankers have defined blight is the name given margins and a reddish- to the disease when it brown, “bleeding” affects non-oak species appearance. Tanoaks including azalea, bay and oaks in the red and laurel, camellia, lilac, intermediate groups are pieris, rhododendron, susceptible. viburnum, and many Stem canker on rhododendron other native and The pathogen survives cultivated plants. in infected soil, plant tissue, and water. It develops most Ramorum blight is non- favorably during wet, rainy conditions. It spreads short lethal but contributes to distances by splashing rain and irrigation water, in the spread of sudden contaminated soil, and on contaminated clothing or equipment. oak death. It spreads long distances via interstate nursery trade. Leaf scorch and blight on rhododendron Continued on Page 6

Hemp in Kansas: Update Jason Teal, Industrial Hemp Technician, and Braden Hoch, Industrial Hemp Supervisor

After the passage of the acres were planted, Alternative Crop Research and 800 acres were Act in 2018, the Industrial harvested. Hemp Research Program was established in February Diverse factors such 2019 to license industrial as market price, crop hemp growers, distributors, surplus, extreme and processors in Kansas. weather, producer constraints, and the By the end of each growing impact of COVID-19 potentially resulted season, 190 (2019) and Floral material production 207 (2020) growers were in the change in Fiber production licensed. For 2019, in acres licensed acres, planted acres were nonyielding or of industrial hemp, acres, and harvested acres failed to produce a crop. acreage from 2019. While approximately 5,800 were from 2019 and 2020. seed, grain, floral, and fiber licensed, 2,800 were In 2020, approximately product were not planted, and 1,800 were Of the planted acres, 54 98% of the planted acreage differentiated in 2019 and harvested. However, 2020 (2019) and 34 (2020) acres was for floral material 2020 reporting, product saw drastic percentage tested noncompliant (cannabidiol or other also saw -15% change. changes, as roughly 10,000 (> 0.3% THC). 890 (2019) cannabinoid production), acres were licensed, 4,000 and 3,167 (2020) planted an increase of roughly 8% Continued on Page 6 Page 3

Recent detections of invasive insect pests K. Taro Eldredge, Entomologist

Invasive species are an ongoing issue that must be continuously Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, addressed, and Kansas is no exception. Through our efforts to Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In part due to their rapid spread, protect the interests of the state’s native and cultivated plants, CMBS was declared one of the top nine pests in 2015 by Green- KDA has intercepted several invasive species new to the state of house Growers Magazine. Kansas. While these invasive species are either newly established with a limited distribution or interceptions from CMBS was intercepted in Kansas for the first time in 2019 at a contaminated imports, it is imperative that growers are aware box store infesting crapemyrtle, likely from Texas. It is currently of these new and potential threats to protect and promote unclear if they are able to survive Kansas winters, but they are their operations. Over the last couple of years, KDA has known to withstand Arkansas winters so it is a possibility. detected crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae), Japanese maple scale (Lopholeucaspis For more information please visit: https://agriculture.ks.gov/ japonica), and Ligurian leafhopper (Eupteryx decemnotata). docs/default-source/pp-insect-reports/entonews_66(2).pdf? These insects were covered in detail in our quarterly sfvrsn=433189c1_0 Entomological News and can be accessed online for further information. They are highlighted here for a brief lightning Japanese maple scale (Lopholeucaspis japonica) round of info. A new adventive invasive armored scale insect (Diaspididae), Japanese maple scale (Lopholeucaspis japonica), was detected Crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae) at multiple Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS) was initially detected in Kansas nurseries Richardson, Texas, a Dallas suburb, in 2004. Originally, speci- for the first time mens were confused with a related native species, azalea bark on Japanese scale, Acanthococcus azalea, which attacks azalea maple (Acer (Rhododendron spp.). However, A. azaleae are not known to palmatum) and attack crapemyrtle, and through a combination of molecular Japanese zelkova (DNA) and anatomical data comparisons, the specimens were (Zelkova serrata) re-identified as A. lagerstroemiae. in 2019.

Due to the popularity of crapemyrtle as a woody ornamental, Japanese maple CMBS has rapidly spread throughout the southern U.S. via scale (JMS) was human transportation. As of August 2019, CMBS was recorded initially detected in 12 states in the Early Detection & Distribution Mapping Sys- in Connecticut in tem. The states are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, 1914 and is now known in 19 states and the CMBS on District of crapemyrtle stems Columbia. The JMS on Japanese maple trunk states are Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia.

As with all armored scales (Diaspididae), JMS does not feed on vascular tissue (i.e. phloem), rather they target individual mesophyll cells and empty their contents via mechanical cell lysis. Because armored scales do not feed on large quantities of phloem in order to obtain limited amino acids (they also harbor symbiotic bacteria that augment phloem nutritional deficiencies), armored scales like JMS do not produce honeydew. Therefore, sooty mold is not a concern with JMS,

Continued on Page 7 Page 4 Nursery Pest Newsletter

Check the test date of grass seed Bob Buhler, West Area Specialist

The test date on a seed bags of seed are placed on states have been contacted • If the problem continues, label is the date the seed top of older bags of seed. and the problem seems to contact Plant Protection was evaluated for Eventually many of these persist. and Weed Control staff to germination and other bags will be out of date by visit your location to characteristics such as several years. This is also a For retailers with this issue, document the situation. purity, presence of weed good time to check the test we suggest the following: seed, etc. In Kansas, seed dates on your inventory; • Check grass seed test We appreciate the may only be offered for bags with expired test dates upon arrival and cooperation we have sale for 9 months after the dates cannot be legally sold return it if not in received since we took over month it was tested. in Kansas. New seed tags compliance. management of the Kansas can be requested and • Contact your sales Seed Law in 2016. We Plant protection staff find placed on bags. representative and/or would like to remind retail- two common problems in distribution center and ers that the law requires retail stores that sell grass For problem 2, a shipment demand the grass seed persons or businesses sell- seed: arrives from the they send is compliant ing grass seed to register 1. Retailers store leftover distribution center with with the Kansas Seed Law. with KDA and renew the seed beyond the test date grass seed that is already • If you cannot return the registration annually. The expiration. out of compliance with the seed, collect the license year is 2. Distribution centers test date. Some of these manufacturer September 1-August 31. send retailers grass seed distribution centers are information, lot number, that has already expired. outside the state of Kansas number of bags, etc. and For more information and and we have limited request new seed tags to registration applications, For problem 1, be sure to authority in addressing the place on the bags. Grass visit agriculture.ks.gov/ rotate your stock when problem. The distribution seed that is out of date seed. fresh seed arrives. We find centers and our cannot be sold until it is many instances where fresh counterparts in the other retagged. Chart to Determine when a Seed Germination Test Date Expires Month seed tested Non-compliant on Month seed tested Non-compliant on January November 1 July May 1 February December 1 August June 1 March January 1 September July 1 April February 1 October August 1 May March 1 November September 1 June April 1 December October 1

Per the Kansas Seed Law, agricultural seed (including grass seed) can only be offered for sale for 9 months after the month it was tested. It may be re-tested and re-labeled after that time.

Staff Highlight—Sarah Hawver

If you call or visit our main export coordinator and of- pursue a master’s degree landscape design. office in Manhattan, Sarah fice manager for the Plant in horticulture at Kansas Hawver is likely to be the Protection and Weed Con- State University and stayed Sarah enjoys spending her first person you reach trol and Grain Warehouse in Kansas after graduation. free time working in her within our program. Sarah programs. She spent several years garden and hiking with her joined KDA in the summer working in horticulture husband Cole and her son She moved to Kansas from of 2019 and works as the production and later, Max. Alabama a decade ago to Page 5 Nursery Pest Newsletter

Beware of bacterial wilt in geraniums Gaelle Hollandbeck, Plant Pathologist

In April 2020, geranium cuttings of potentially plantings with a 10% bleach potatoes, contact your cuttings from a U.S. owned affected varieties and all solution. local county Extension production facility in susceptible hosts within a office or the Kansas State Guatemala were shipped to certain distance of those If you suspect bacterial wilt in University Plant Diagnostic commercial growers across cuttings were destroyed per geraniums, tomatoes, or Lab for testing. the country and later found USDA protocol. to be infected with bacterial wilt. This disease is caused by Symptoms of bacterial wilt in Ralstonia solanacearum race geraniums include wilting of 3, biovar 2, a threatening lower leaves, rolling of leaf pathogen of potato, tomato, margins, yellowing, and leaf and geranium. necrosis. Stems and root tissue may also turn brown or A few growers in Kansas black near the soil line. received potentially-infected cuttings. KDA staff worked To reduce risk of disease with USDA to visit all affected introduction, inspect growers. They found no signs geranium, potato, and of the disease on received tomato plants on arrival and material or nearby plants and check regularly for signs of all sampled material tested disease as they grow. Bacterial wilt may cause necrosis, leaf curl, and yellowing on geranium leaves. Credit: Margery Daughtrey, Cornell University, negative. However, all Disinfect tools between Bugwood.org

Specialist News and Reports

The state specialists within our program provide annual or semi-annual updates in their field of study. These are available on our website through the links below. We are working to provide an option to subscribe to these newsletters online in the future.

Entomological News: Agriculture.ks.gov/PPWC > Insects > Insect Survey and Reports Or agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/plant-protect-weed-control/insects K. Taro Eldredge, State Entomologist, publishes the Entomological Newsletter multiple times a year to spotlight the myriad of activities and findings by KDA pertaining to insects as it relates to plant health in Kansas. Articles highlight annual insect pest surveys conducted by KDA which frequently involve various partner organizations and introduces various insect pests significant to Kansas. Often you can find notices of new state records, which will be informative for growers and producers in an ever evolving pest management landscape. You can be notified of the latest newsletters by emailing [email protected] with “SIGN ME UP ENTO” in the subject line.

Plant Disease in Kansas: Agriculture.ks.gov/PPWC > Plant Diseases > Plant Disease Reports Or agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/plant-protect-weed-control/plant-diseases Gaelle Hollandbeck, state plant pathologist, publishes this newsletter several times per year highlighting the most recent issues in plant disease in horticulture and agriculture in Kansas. This has included topics such as Hosta Virus X, Alternanthera Mosaic Virus in purslane, Canna Yellow Mottle Virus in cannas, and pine wilt disease among other diseases. She also publishes an annual report on estimated yield loss due to disease in the wheat crop, a report based on data collected in surveys performed by KDA in conjunction with Kansas State University.

Noxious and Invasive Weed Update: Agriculture.ks.gov/PPWC > Noxious Weed Control Program > Noxious and Invasive Weed Reports Or agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/plant-protect-weed-control/noxious-weed-control-program Scott Marsh, state noxious and invasive weeds specialist, publishes this newsletter several times per year highlighting the most recent issues in the management and control of weeds in Kansas. Topics include weed biology, control methods and weed identification. Ramorum blight continued from Page 2

Best management practices include inspecting host plants on have established in the environment. KDA staff are focused on arrival in addition to monitoring new and established plantings. early detection and exclusion of the pathogen. If Sudden Oak Avoid overhead irrigation and promote good air circulation Death or ramorum blight is suspected, contact your local between plants. When pruning, disinfect tools between plants county Extension office or the Kansas State University Plant using 10% bleach solution. Diagnostic Lab for testing.

To date, P. ramorum has not been detected outside of the retail locations where it was found in 2019 and is not believed to

Hemp: Continued from Page 2

With the passage of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Industrial hemp processing certificate of analysis is Commercial Industrial Production Program. USDA has been moved to the attached to the bill. Hemp Act (K.S.A. 2-3901) approved KDA’s plan and it Office of the State Fire in 2019 and under the was implemented in Marshal under a registry. As a result of the USDA 2018 Farm Bill, KDA February 2021. final rule on the developed the Commercial While no license is required establishment of the Industrial Hemp Program to Under the commercial to transport or distribute domestic hemp production move beyond production program, KDA only licenses industrial hemp, all program, KDA is hoping to on a research basis. hemp producers, otherwise individuals should make have further revisions for known as growers; license certain unprocessed the commercial regulations Subsequently, KDA applications are due March industrial hemp is in place by the 2021 submitted the plan to USDA 15 each growing season. accompanied by a signed harvest season. -AMS for inclusion into the bill of lading and that a

Plant Protection & Weed Control Staff

Program Manager Export Coordinator / Jeff Vogel Office Manager 785-564-6699 Sarah Hawver 785-207-0586 (M) 785-564-6698 [email protected] [email protected]

State Specialists Area Specialists

CAPS Coordinator Plant Pathologist West KC Metro & Laurinda Ramonda Gaelle Hollandbeck Bob Buhler Field Supervisor 785-580-9194 (M) 785-564-6787 785-207-1507 (M) Jennifer Smith [email protected] 785-370-1046 (M) [email protected] [email protected] 785-213-6890 (M) Industrial Hemp [email protected] Supervisor Weeds & Agricultural Seed North Central Braden Hoch Scott Marsh Erin Lepski Southeast 785-564-6789 785-564-6697 785-210-5776 (M) Jeremy Maples 785-307-3590 (M) 785-207-2118 (M) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 785-256-3849 (M) [email protected] Entomologist Northeast K. Taro Eldredge Amy Jordan South Central 785-564-6796 785-410-1119 (M) Vacant 785-210-6240 (M) [email protected] [email protected] Insect detections, continued from Page 3 like CMBS for example. Furthermore, armored scales including The presumed facilitators of the spread are human-mediated JMS are not prolific egg layers compared to other groups of transport of infested plant material and increased planting of scale insects, such as soft scales; armored scales typically lay catnip (Nepeta cataria)—a preferred host—as an ornamental. fewer than 100 eggs versus 1,000 or more LLH was first intercepted from infested rosemary at a retailer in in soft scales. Florida in 2008, consisting of a shipment originally from Relatively speaking California. Subsequently, multiple states have had positive JMS are a minor pest, records, but the extent to which they have established in however they can various states is yet undetermined. However, it appears to be locally become very clearly established in California. problematic, especially in nursery LLH is known to feed on a diversity of herbs, particularly those settings. JMS is in the Lamiaceae family. In Central Europe the primary hosts extremely are catnip and sage (Salvia officinalis), but there are at least ten polyphagous and has additional hosts. LLH, like other Typhlocybinae leafhoppers, been reported from feed on the mesophyll, emptying the contents of palisade and more than 83 spe- spongy parenchyma. Individuals insert their piercing-sucking cies/hybrid cultivars mouthparts (stylet) into leaf surfaces and probe around feeding across 49 genera and on intracellular contents. After cellular content is removed, the 27 families. JMS is damaged space becomes filled with air, resulting in known to feed on characteristic whitish mottled feeding damage known as Magnified view of JMS many popular nursery typhlocibid stippling. and landscape woody perennial ornamentals including apples, ash, basswood, dogwoods, elms, hollies, honey locust, lilacs, Occasionally LLH densities can become high enough to maples, pears, privet, Prunus spp., redbuds, willows and significantly damage and kill plants, with leaf stippling fusing zelkovas, with preference for smooth-barked trees. and leading to partial leaf necrosis. For cultivated aromatic herbs, the major concern is adverse effect on essential oil While JMS has been in the U.S. for over 100 years, it has been content. The related sage leafhopper (Eupteryx melissae) within the last ten years or so that nursery crop producers and feeding on Turkish and Greek oregano (Origanum onites & O. landscape managers in the eastern U.S. have become vulgare hirtum respectively) was observed causing 28.8–34.8% increasingly concerned. Furthermore, new state records have reduction in essential oil content and discoloration of leaves. been cropping up more frequently in recent years, likely due to Despite potential damage, LLH is not known to transmit the transportation of infested material, and it was first detected diseases like some other planthoppers. in neighboring Missouri in 2013. A stakeholder focus group has identified JMS as an emerging pest of concern alongside white For more information please visit: https://agriculture.ks.gov/ peach scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona) in the southeastern docs/default-source/pp-insect-reports/67(2).pdf? U.S. sfvrsn=13eb90c1_0

For more information please visit: https://agriculture.ks.gov/ docs/default-source/pp-insect-reports/66(3)a.pdf? sfvrsn=45508ec1_0

Ligurian leafhopper (Eupteryx decemnotata) A leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) that is a relatively new invasive to the U.S., Ligurian leafhopper (Eupteryx decemno- tata) was detected in Kansas for the first time in March 2020. Ligurian leafhopper (LLH) was discovered in a greenhouse operation feeding on rosemary (Rosmarinus offininalis) that was likely shipped from growers in Florida for retail. Therefore, it is not believed to have established yet in Kansas.

LLH is native to Mediterranean coastal regions of France and Italy around the Ligurian Sea (hence the name). In the 1980s, LLH began expanding its range throughout Western Europe. Ligurian leafhopper The reason for this intracontinental expansion is unclear.