Disease Alerts

Check the Virginia Ag Pest and Crop Advisory website. Visit the website to subscribe to pest/disease alerts and view archived alerts.

1/30/23: Vascular Streak Dieback on Trees and Woody Ornamentals Alert and Information 

11/1/22: Corn Tar Spot Alert and Information

9/13/21: Laurel Wilt has been confirmed in Scott County, Virginia from a roadside right-of-way Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Symptoms of laurel wilt were observed on the tree on June 17, 2021 by personnel from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and collected and submitted to the Plant Disease Clinic. A fungus  was cultured from symptomatic trunk tissue and identified as Raffaelea lauricola, the causal agent of laurel wilt. USDA-APHIS-PPQ confirmed the determination on Sept. 8, 2021. This is the first report of this devasting disease in Virginia. Refer to the VDOF announcement and a VDOF topic sheet on laurel wilt for more information. Suspect samples should be submitted through your local VCE office and collected as detailed in these instructions.

8/18/21: Beech Leaf Disease has been confirmed by APHIS-PPQ in Prince William County, VA. This is the first detection of this disease in Virginia. Native American beech is susceptible to this disease, as are other beech, such as European, Chinese and Oriental beech. A foliar nematode, Litylenlenchus crenatae subsp. mccannii, is the cause of this disease and can be spread by natural means and through infected beech nursery stock. Refer to More Information Relating to the First Report of Beech Leaf Disease in Virginia.