On March 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified Phytopthera
ramorum on six varieties of Camelia at Monrovia's Azusa, CA nursery
near Los Angeles. Shipments of all plants susceptible to the pathogen were immediately halted. P. ramorum was first identified as the cause of "Sudden Oak Death"
(SOD) which has killed hundreds of native oak and tanoak trees in northern
California over the last two years. The term SOD has become common, although
it is now somewhat of a misnomer. Plant researchers have determined the
pathogen also infects many
other plant species, including camelia and rhododendron — but
it is not necessarily a fatal infection on many affected species. Besides Monrovia's Azusa nursery, P. ramorum was confirmed at
a nursery in San Diego County, CA and suspect positives samples have also
been found at 11 other nurseries in southern California’s Los Angeles
and Orange counties. The USDA's APHIS-Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) agency is working
with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to trace shipments
from these nurseries to other areas of the country. The United States Department of Agriculture of Food and Agriculture has
established a toll-free hotline, 888/703-4457, to answer questions regarding
the recent findings of P. ramorum at several commercial nurseries
in California. The hotline will be staffed by USDA pest management experts
who can answer questions about the need for testing plants and the protocol
for handling plants known to be hosts to the pathogen. Protocol varies
from state to state and even among counties within a state. Hotline hours
are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. More Info:The
American Nursery & Landscape Association's P. Ramorum FAQ The
USDA's SOD site The California
Oak Mortality Task Force Monrovia
Growers Statement Regarding Phytophthora ramorum , March
15, 2004 (updated March 18, 2004). "[Florida]
State closes borders to nursery stock from California," Orlando
Business Journal, March 19, 2004. "[Mississippi]
Ag officials quarantine Calif. nursery plants," The Clarion-Ledger,
March 19, 2004. "Hines
Horticulture Has Taken a Precautionary Action to Suspend the Shipment
of Certain Plants," Press Release, March 19, 2004.
"Hines Horticulture, Inc. today announced that as a precautionary measure
it has voluntarily suspended shipments of plants on the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Sudden Oak Death-host list from its facilities in California
even though these facilities have not tested positive for the detection
of SOD." "Disease
threat prompts Georgia to ban California nursery plants," AP, Alabama.com,
March 15, 2004.
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