Will the U.S. become a pestapalooza? After two consecutive years of dealing with Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, I wonder how many growers are starting to feel gun shy about imported starter material, especially geraniums. There's really not a lot the average grower can do to avoid receiving cuttings that were shipped from a foreign country or that at least got their start at an off-shore propagation facility. As Mike Klopmeyer of Ball FloraPlant pointed out at this year's Society of American Florists' Pest Management Conference, more than 80 percent of all cutting-propagated geraniums are supplied by these farms, most of which are in Central America. By eliminating a labor-intensive stock maintenance and harvesting program, Klopmeyer said U.S. growers can concentrate on using valuable greenhouse space for finishing plants rather than propagating them. After having to destroy millions of geranium cuttings and finished plants and forfeiting millions of dollars in lost sales, how many growers wish they could maintain their own stock plants for cuttings? (It's never going to happen on the proprietary material, so don't give it a second thought.) Lance Osborne of the University of Florida told conference attendees that California imports a new pest every 60 days. Between 1986 and 2000, Osborne said 150 new pest species became established in Florida. But it's not just new pests that growers have to be concerned with. Osborne said there are emerging pests, like the pink hibiscus mealybug, and re-emerging pests that can pose serious threats. Osborne said USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service estimates that invasive, exotic species cost the United States about $138 billion annually. What's a grower to do? Osborne said growers are the best safeguard for preventing new pests from coming into their operations and becoming established. He said growers should stay informed by joining list servers, visiting pest-related Web sites, subscribing to extension mailing lists and reading trade journals. The National Plant Diagnostic Network (www.npdn.org) was recently formed by USDA to protect the country's agriculture from intentional and unintentional introductions of exotic pests and pathogens. The network is divided into five regions, each with its own regional center and Web site. At the conference, Klopmeyer provided a list of key grower activities for minimizing risk of infection from both pests and disease pathogens. He stressed establishing a sanitation program that is simple enough for employees to understand. Employees should be properly trained to use equipment and to also know what problems and symptoms to look for. Klopmeyer advised selecting a key employee to be properly trained to scout greenhouses. This employee should be empowered to identify symptoms, to use on-site test kits and to send samples to diagnostic labs. Keep weekly shipments of starter plants separate upon arrival. Klopmeyer said growers should save invoices, packing slips and quality-control tags. These can provide information if a problem does occur so that the plants can be traced back to the suppliers and/or propagators. Finally, in the case of Ralstonia and geraniums, Klopmeyer said irrigation water should not be shared through subirrigation or ebb-and-flow systems. If these watering methods are used, both host and non-host plants are considered suspect if the disease is found and will be required to be destroyed. Klopmeyer said to be aware of hanging plants that may drip excess water onto plants below. If the recent trade agreements between the United States and Central American countries and Australia are approved by Congress, you can be sure the amount of starter and finished plant material entering the country from off-shore operations is only going to increase. With this material will come an increased risk of receiving new imported pests. The pressure on APHIS to inspect agricultural goods at U.S. ports of entry is expected to outstrip its resources. Now is the time to make sure you have the appropriate measures in place to ensure your operation isn't quarantined for receiving an unwanted pest or disease. Send this article to a friend Enter your e-mail address: Enter your friend's e-mail address: Click the image below to send: © 2004 Branch-Smith Publishing