News for Growers

If you are a commercial grower of greenhouse crops or flowers, check out the New England Greenhouse Update. Produced by Cooperative Extension specialists around New England, this weblog will keep you informed with timely information, from advice about when and how to move greenhouse plants outdoors, to dealing with plants pests and pathogens.

The New England Greenhouse Update has been posting helpful information for growers on the internet since 2005. Because the articles are posted in a "blog" format, you can subscribe to the feed with your favorite news/RSS reader and make sure you never miss an update.

Update: Gladiolus Rust

The April Pest Alert for Gladiolus Rust (Uromyces transversalis) has been updated to reflect information about the recent discovery of this fungal pathogen on gladiolus plants in Minnesota (check out a map of the US distribution here, courtesy of the National Agricultural Pest Information System). Until this past April, the only US records for this species were in California and Florida. The Minnesota record represents the most northern US location where the rust fungus has been found, by far - more information will be posted when it become available.

Gladiolus rust remains a problem mainly for nurseries that grow gladiolus for sale as cut flowers. But if you grow gladiolus (or related tropical plants in the Iris family [Iridaceae], including Crocosmia, Tritonia and Watsonia species) or know someone who does, it is worth checking out the links at the bottom of the pest alert so you know what to look for in case you ever encounter this destructive pathogen.

Pest Alert: Gladiolus Rust

On March 10, 2008, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services identified a suspected infection of gladiolus rust (Uromyces transversalis) on the leaves of gladiolus plants at a cut flower production farm in Hendry County, Florida.

Gladiolus rust primarily attacks hybrid cultivars of gladiolus grown for cut flower production, and if uncontrolled, can lead to total yield losses. This disease could have a significant impact if it becomes established or is transported into greenhouses or nurseries that grow gladiolus or related species. It is a plant disease of quarantine importance in the United States and Europe.

Read more about gladiolus rust in the full pest alert.