As if we don’t have enough issues with Botrytis, Rita Jo returned form a working trip to New Zealand, and sent pictures of a new disease that is devastating peony fields, some to the point they could not be harvested. Xanthomonas is another leaf spot disease that is spread by raindrops, irrigation water and more. I quickly searched on the net for any mention of this disease in the US and found a paper reporting the first incidence of Xanthomonas on peonies. The researchers were in Virginia. I am trying to follow up on this disease and have alerted the State and CES so they can be on the lookout for it and also figure out how we can avoid importing it to Alaska. Stay tuned.
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