The staff of the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, along with other cooperating Extension Specialists in the Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Entomology, and Horticulture diagnosed a total of 1604 routine samples in 2004 (Table 1).

Of the 1604 routine sample submissions to the P&PDL, 1533 were submitted as physical samples, 16 were submitted as digital images accompanied by physical samples and 55 were submitted strictly as electronic submissions of digital images via a standard web-based method made available in 2003 to all Indiana educators as well as the general public.

Of the 71 total electronic ‘samples’ submitted, 42 digital images were submitted by County Extension Educators for various clientele while 29 were submitted directly by the general public (e.g. homeowners, garden centers, greenhouses, landscapers, dealer/industry reps). Electronic submission of a digital sample to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab was assessed the same $11 (in-state) and $22 (out-of-state) charge as a physical sample. There was no additional charge for follow-up physical samples requested by diagnosticians who desired more detail for an accurate identification or problem diagnosis than was provided by the initial digital images submitted.

The majority of routine samples were received by the P&PDL during the months of June, July, and August (Figure 1). Same day service was provided for 5% of the samples received during 2004 and 28% of the samples were completed in three days or less. A total of 50% of the samples received during 2004 were diagnosed within five working days and 80% of all samples received were answered within 10 working days. An extended turn-around time of greater than 10 days (20% of samples) was documented for those samples requiring more extensive culture work and laboratory testing (Figure 2).

Noninfectious disorders (42%), infectious diseases (35%), and arthropod-related problems (14%) were the most common primary diagnoses in 2004 (Figure 3). The most common commodities submitted to the P&PDL were ornamentals (58%), followed by agronomic crops (18%), insect infestation/ID (7%) and turfgrass/yard (7%) (Figure 4). The remaining 15% of samples were distributed among various other commodity groups including vegetables, fruit, specialty crops and insect infestation/ID. Specific commodity related summaries of prevalent problems that occurred in 2003 were provided by Purdue Extension Specialists and Research Associates.

The Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, serves as the plant disease diagnostic facility for the IDNR and thus the expertise of P&PDL plant disease diagnosticians is an integral part of the regulatory function performed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The IDNR and the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory worked together to survey nurseries in the state of Indiana for the presence of Phytophthora ramorum, the causal agent of Sudden Oak Death. P. ramorum was isolated in June 2000 from dying trees in California. Since its discovery in North America, P. ramorum has been confirmed in forests in California and Oregon and in nurseries in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. There are programs addressing Phytophthora ramorum in forests settings and in production nurseries. On March 8, 2004, Claude R. Knighten, Public Affairs Specialist for USDA/APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine, reported the confirmation of Phytophthora ramorum, the fungus-like causal organism of sudden oak death (SOD) disease on six varieties of camellia samples taken from Monrovia Nursery, in Azusa, California. Hosts and associated plants were destroyed. As of December 2004, 21 states reported positive confirmations of Phytophthora ramorum, the fungus-like causal agent of Sudden Oak Death, on nursery stock originating from a large nursery in southern California and a nursery in Oregon. Indiana established an Emergency Quarantine of California nursery stock susceptible to Sudden Oak Death on March 30, 2004. Twenty nurseries were surveyed, and the 871 samples submitted all tested negative for P. ramorum.

The P&PDL provided disease diagnosis on 97 corn and 6 soybean fields for the IDNR Phytosanitary Certification Program as well as disease diagnosis on 57 corn field samples for entry into the National Agricultural Plant Information System (NAPIS) database.