Oregon Boxwood Blight Survey
Purpose: Determine the extent of boxwood blight in the Oregon boxwood nursery industry and within each nursery surveyed. This research project is cosponsored by the Oregon Association of Nurseries and by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Funding is provided in part by USDA-ARS base funds and the Floral Nursery Research Initiative.
What we do: We come out to your wholesale boxwood production nursery and survey for the presence of boxwood blight. We look for the disease at all levels of production, from propagation houses, to container and field systems. In the process of doing so, we also survey for the presence of Volutella Blight and Phytophthora Root Rot.
All results are kept confidential. Nurseries participating in this survey are assigned a number to protect anonymity when I report data. I will not share your identity or your nursery's identity without your written permission.
How long does it take?
Depending on the number of boxwood plants in production, distance from our laboratory, and our schedule, this process can take several weeks.
What do you get out of participation in the survey?
We provide a summary of our survey results. These results will tell you which parts of the nursery tested positive for Boxwood Blight and Volutella Blight. We also note locations where Phytophthora root rot might be present. See our sample summary report.
How we protect your nursery while sampling:
These practices prevent movement of the boxwood blight pathogen from nursery to nursery. Within the nursery, they also prevent movement from an infested block to a clean block.
Is your boxwood production nursery interested in participating? Please send me an email.
What we do: We come out to your wholesale boxwood production nursery and survey for the presence of boxwood blight. We look for the disease at all levels of production, from propagation houses, to container and field systems. In the process of doing so, we also survey for the presence of Volutella Blight and Phytophthora Root Rot.
All results are kept confidential. Nurseries participating in this survey are assigned a number to protect anonymity when I report data. I will not share your identity or your nursery's identity without your written permission.
How long does it take?
Depending on the number of boxwood plants in production, distance from our laboratory, and our schedule, this process can take several weeks.
What do you get out of participation in the survey?
We provide a summary of our survey results. These results will tell you which parts of the nursery tested positive for Boxwood Blight and Volutella Blight. We also note locations where Phytophthora root rot might be present. See our sample summary report.
How we protect your nursery while sampling:
These practices prevent movement of the boxwood blight pathogen from nursery to nursery. Within the nursery, they also prevent movement from an infested block to a clean block.
- We only survey one nursery at a time. We do not survey the next nursery until all sampling is completed.
- Our vehicle is washed in between sampling different nurseries and the interior is vacuumed.
- Generally, we start the survey in parts of the nursery where boxwood blight has not been found and end the survey in blocks where the pathogen has been found (if it has ever been found at all). This prevents the pathogen from being spread from infested nursery stock to clean nursery stock.
- We do not survey during rainy weather. Rain increases the chance of spreading spores from one location to the next.
- Gloves are changed and equipment is sanitized with 70% ethanol in between sampling different greenhouses, blocks, or fields. 70% ethanol has been shown to kill boxwood blight spores within seconds.
- At the end of each day, all field clothes are washed and equipment is sanitized with 70% ethanol.
- Please let us know if there are other disease prevention measures that you would like us to take.
Is your boxwood production nursery interested in participating? Please send me an email.