Iowa State plant emergency room looks to prevent unnecessary spraying

AMES - Diseases, insects, and other pests can get in the way of bumper summer crops, lush flower beds, or even the common manicured yard, and identifying specific perpetrators and potential solutions can present a challenge for growers and land owners.

But diagnosticians at Iowa State University are here to help.

ISU's Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic has evolved over the years to function - in part - as a sort of 'emergency room” for plants. Its staff identifies and treats a range of plant problems across Iowa and beyond its borders - helping farmers, professional fruit and vegetable growers, golf course managers, or even private homeowners with sick or dying plants.

'It's eerily similar to if you felt sick and were trying to figure out what is wrong - plants get sick too,” said Daren Mueller, an assistant professor of plant pathology and microbiology and ISU who works closely with the clinic as coordinator of the school's Integrated Pest Management Program.

'If you have a really nice oak tree or cherry tree, or your lawn or anything is starting to look worse and worse, then finding out the issues can help you pinpoint how to best manage it and make the best decisions going forward,” Mueller said.

In addition to addressing plant woes like disease, insect damage, and herbicide damage, the clinic identifies insects - including those annoying you, not your plants - and weeds from the field, garden and home. Diagnosticians make assessments based on samples and photos provided digitally, by mail, or in person to either the main office in Ames or to ISU's extension offices in every Iowa county.

'Over the last few years, it has coalesced into one clinic that will address a lot of different things,” he said. 'It's been sort of a slow growth.”

But despite increasing concerns about diseases, insects and pests affecting plants - like Northern Corn Leaf Blight and Goss's Leaf Blight that have been problematic to the region - Mueller said the clinic has seen a steady decline in samples in recent years.

The number of plant and insect samples submitted had topped 1,000 every year since at least 2006 until last year, when the clinic received 819 plant and insect samples.

When combined with nematode samples, email and phone inquiries, and connections made through presentations, the clinic tallied 4,102 total contacts in 2014 - down from a total of 10,023 in 2013, according to the entity's annual reports.

Part of the reason Mueller said the clinic wants to reach more people is to prevent unnecessary treatments, like spraying.

'You see in the news all the time the pressures that are put on farmers to be responsible with pesticides and herbicides - and that same level of scrutiny should fall on the community,” Mueller said. 'You should never spray unless you have a reason, and that reason should start with positively identifying a problem.”

The clinic has three diagnosticians, including one new expert focused in the area of field crops.

But the clinic isn't all about diagnosing and avoiding unnecessary treatments for plants, according to Iowa State News Service. Laura Jesse, the clinic's director and diagnostician specializing in entomology, pointed to bedbugs as an example.

'Very often, people start using insecticides and start spraying themselves with repellent or applying it to their clothes or bedding,” she said. 'It's rewarding when I can give them information about what the insect is and how to manage it in a way that reduces or eliminates their exposure to insecticides.”

Depending on the problem, the clinic also can act as a liaison between clients and other ISU faculty and departments.

Lina Rodriguez, a diagnostician for the clinic, said most samples are 'open-and-shut cases.” But some pose a bigger challenge, and that's when the clinic might consult with other experts to dig deeper.

'Sometimes there's some ambiguity,” she said. 'Some cases require a little detective work.”

The clinic charges $20 for plant problem diagnoses - sometimes more if a problem requires special lab work. And it charges $10 per sample for household pests and plant or mushroom identification.

More information about how to submit samples can be found at clinic.ipm.iastate.edu, where clients will be asked to provide information on symptoms, environmental conditions, and any management techniques they've tried.