Monday, July 1, 2024
Canada's Local Gardener magazine
Editor's PickFeature StoryGardening for BeginnersLocal Gardener

How to Find Resources for Detecting and Identifying Plant Diseases

Caroline Fu 40 Views

The Most Comprehensive Canadian Plant Diagnostic Institution Sharing

With spring approaching, as avid gardeners, we find ourselves with a long to-do list: addressing hardscaping issues, tackling spring cleanup, testing and nourishing garden soil, and more. And once we’ve planted our seeds and see them sprout and grow, new questions inevitably arise.

For those new to gardening, it’s easy to feel frustrated when plants don’t appear healthy, yet you’re unsure how to help them thrive. Just as you’d seek medical advice when feeling unwell, your plants too can benefit from diagnosis and treatment.

Here are some organizations where you may ask for help.

If you live in Ontario, you can contact either the Ottawa Plant Laboratory, or the Plant Disease Clinic at University of Guelph.                                         

If you live in BC, you can contact British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food .

If you live in Alberta, you can contact Alberta Plant Health Lab. 

If you live in Manitoba, you can contact  AGR/MASC Service Centre.

If you live in Saskatchewan, you can submit plant diagnostics request here on the website of University of Saskatchewan.

If you live in Nova Scotia, you can submit your request here.

If you live in New Brunswick, you may want to contact Perennia. 

If you live in PEI, please contact PEIAL (PEI Analytical Laboratories)

  • BioCommons Park,
    23 Innovation Way,
    Charlottetown, PE C1E 0B7
    Tel: 902-620-3300, (902) 368-5261

If you live in Newfoundland, you can contact Memorial University Botanical Garden for any gardening questions or plant ID.

If you live in Quebec, you can contact Laboratoire d’expertise et de diagnostic en phytoprotection.

  • Complexe scientifique
    2700, rue Einstein, D.1.200h
    Québec (Québec)  G1P 3W8
    Tél. : 418 643-5027, poste 2700
    Téléc. : 418 646-6806

If you would love to explore more, here is the website for your Clasnip.com, an amazing online tool developed by the scientists at the CFIA’s Charlottetown Laboratory,  a free, easy-to-use web=based platform for the classification and identification of closely related microorganisms.

According to Canadian Food Inspection Agency, “Clasnip (or “classification based on snips”) looks at tiny variations in genetic code called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), also known as snips. For new sample classifications, users can compare snips with curated, high-quality reference databases. This helps scientists accurately identify pathogens much faster than traditional methods — often within a few seconds! The tool has been used to quickly identify specific genetic signatures and to differentiate species from close relatives for pathogens of concern, including CLso, Brr, potato blackleg, soft rot and PVY.”

(Edited by Caroline Fu)

@ 2024 Pegasus Publications Inc.

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