Nursery News - Oregon

Nursery News
September 2009
Horticulturists:
Debbie Driesner Dan Hawks
Lisa Rehms
Eric Reusche
John Ekberg
Karl Puls
Sherree Lewis
Scott Rose
Dennis Magnello Gary Garth
Bev Clark
Susan Schouten
Christy Brown
Melissa Boschee
Gary McAninch, program supervisor; Jan Hedberg, lead horticulturist;
Sue Nash, program assistant; Kim Lawson, office specialist;
Christy Brown and Bev Clark, editors.

Phytophthora ramorum: the road ahead
By Jan Hedberg and Christy Brown, ODA horticulturists
It was in December 2004 that the USDA issued the federal
order regulating California, Oregon and Washington
for Phytophthora ramorum. The Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA) in cooperation with Oregon nurseries,
now has more than five years of experience working to ensure
that customers in other states do not receive infected plants.
We have all done an excellent job meeting the challenges of
this disease, but the road ahead could prove to be rocky.
From the start, other states were understandably wary that
P. ramorum could be spread through the nursery trade.
The southeastern states in particular have a diverse flora
comprised of many known host species, including an
understory of shrubs such as Kalmia and Rhododendron,
and a canopy including many valuable oak species.
The federal order in effect protects our nursery industry
from possible state-level quarantines. The federal order
also provides one of the best safeguarding programs
against the spread of Phytophthora ramorum by the
regular inspection, testing and certification of susceptible
host plants.
The certification system has a remarkable success rate
for ensuring that plants shipped out-of-state are free of
Phytophthora ramorum. Thousands of shipments of
nursery stock have been safely shipped over the last five
years. ODA P. ramorum survey crews find less plant
material symptomatic of Phytophthora diseases than
in previous years. However, there have been several
occasions when plants shipped out of Oregon have tested

positive for P. ramorum. There is growing resistance from
some states in the east. Twelve concerned states have
submitted a letter to the USDA asking for exemption to
the federal order. If such an exemption were granted,
these states would be free to implement their own
quarantines regarding P. ramorum. In the worst-case
scenario, this could severely limit shipments of host
material from Oregon. The recent notification rule from
South Carolina (see article on page 8) might be a sign of
changes coming.
To ensure that the federal order remain the standard for
all intrastate trade it is vital that nurseries carefully abide
Continued on page 1

In this issue
Phytophthora ramorum: the road ahead__1

Buddleja revived____________________3
Notification rules____________________4

Special surveys conducted by
ODA this summer___________________5
Trading grapes______________________6
Online resources____________________7
Room for more goofy pictures!_________7
South Carolina now requires a
state phyto and prior notification_ ______8

P ramorum continued from page 1

3. Knowledge is power

The Phytophthora online course (http://oregonstate.
edu/instruct/dce/phytophthora) was developed by
Oregon State University in cooperation with the
ODA and the USDA. The course is free and will
give the user a good understanding of the biology of
Phytophthora diseases in general and information
about P. ramorum disease in particular. One third
of the course deals with techniques to stop or slow
the spread of Phytophthora in your nursery. Even if
you feel knowledgeable about this disease you are
sure to learn something new. It is advised that as
many nursery workers as possible take the course.
Even workers that aren’t in the position to make big
decisions can still affect the overall sanitation of the
nursery in the small daily decisions they make. An
optional exam is available at the end of the course
for $100. The course has also been translated into
Spanish.

by their signed compliance agreements for Phytophthora
ramorum. Also, any measures that can be taken to reduce
Phytophthora species at nurseries should be implemented.
Below are four things to consider that will help protect
Oregon’s intrastate shipping industry.

1. Record keeping

Consider making improvements to the way your
records are kept. The timely tracking of all shipments
from the source to the final destination is critical
to containing any possible infection. From our
observations, record keeping is probably the number
one facet of the P. ramorum compliance agreement
that could stand improvement. Should your nursery
be found with P. ramorum infected plants, you would
be required to provide trace back and trace forward
information on all host and associated host plants
(HAP) for the past 12 months. The information would
need to be supplied within 10 working days of disease
confirmation. It should be in a form that is not only
transmittable, but also searchable (an electronic
spread sheet is encouraged). We have found that if
the information can be searched and sorted easily,
the USDA will kindly segregate records so that each
state’s regulatory authority only receives information
pertinent to their state. The records should include;
receivers name, address and contact information, date
of the shipment, what material was shipped and how
many were sent. Remember that fungicide records are
also required.

4. Take it up a notch

Complete a sanitation audit of your nursery and
implement a control plan. The easiest way to do this is
to join the ODA Grower Assisted Inspection Program
(GAIP) by calling Melissa Lujan at 503‑510‑5529.
The GAIP program has made Phytophthora
control more systematic by identifying points of
contamination in the nursery. For example, you should
consider such things as sanititized nursery containers,
sanitary potting media storage, disease-free water
supplies, and clean buy-in plants. Best management
practices are recommended to mitigate areas that
are risky. The GAIP program is based on recent
research on the spread of Phytophthora in nurseries.
It puts to use the information that is provided in the
Phytophthora online course.

2. Certification

All plants sold out-of-state must come from a nursery
with a signed compliance agreement and federal
shield. Special attention needs to be paid to buy-in
plants. Many nurseries that operate in Oregon do
not ship out-of-state and therefore have not received
the mandatory level of testing required for a federal
shield. It is okay to buy plants from these nurseries,
but that plant material needs to be segregated,
safeguarded and held from sale until it has been
inspected and tested by the ODA. Nurseries that sell
to intrastate shippers on a regular basis need to request
that they be added to the federal testing program so
that they can get their own federal shield.

In the face of uncertainty there is still a lot of good news
about Phytophthora ramorum control in our nurseries.
In recent years a lot of money and time has been devoted
to research. As a result we know much more about the
spread of the disease and it’s genetic diversity. The critical
control points outlined in the online course and used in the
GAIP program can make real differences in the amount
of disease and plant loss in your nursery. Ultimately, if
we can’t find Phytophthora in your nursery, then we can’t
find Phytophthora ramorum in your nursery either.
Testing protocols, laboratory equipment and skills have
also improved with the help of national research done
in the last five years. You should feel assured that our
tests for the disease are accurate. The Salem plant health
laboratory passes a strenuous certification test each year.
If we detect P. ramorum in a sample, we rerun the test and
Continued on page 3
2

the system, 3 Christmas tree growers (486 phytos issued
last year) and 10 lumber companies. Most agree that
they really like the PCIT system. The ODA is planning
to have all nurseries with 10 or more international
shipments per year on PCIT by the summer of 2010.

Phytos enter the digital age
If your nursery ships plants out of the
United States, then this article is for you!
There is a new online system for requesting and producing

USDA APHIS will start charging a fee, called the “passthrough” fee, to issue FPCs. The charge for nurseries
utilizing PCIT will be $3.00 per phyto as opposed to
$6.00 for handwritten phytos effective October 1, 2009
through September 30, 2010. On October 1, 2010 the
fee will increase to $6.00 for PCIT-issued phytos and
$12.00 for handwritten phytos. This USDA fee is in
addition to the $15.00 fee charged by the ODA to issue
a FPC. Eventually USDA APHIS will collect both the
federal and state fees with PCIT through a secure online
account. Nurseries will deposit money into their PCIT
account and the fees will be withdrawn, as with a debit,
as services are rendered.

a Federal Phytosanitary Certificate (FPC, also known
as a ‘phyto’). The system is called PCIT (Phytosanitary
Certificate Issuance and Tracking System). It’s use and
acceptance has grown rapidly across various commodities
since it was first deployed in December 2005.
PCIT is a national online system administered by the
United States Department of Agriculture and Plant
Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). Exporters
electronically submit an application for a FPC online.
ODA staff then access the system, complete the
application and print out a FPC on special dedicated
paper issued by the USDA. If an import permit is required
for the shipment, the shipper must scan and attach that
import permit into PCIT when they submit their request.
Currently all federal agencies that issue FPCs require
the use of PCIT. Eventually, the old handwritten phyto
certificates will be phased out by all state agencies as
well. The online system can be accessed at:https://pcit.
aphis.usda.gov/pcit/faces/pcit_signIn.jsp

This just in!

ODA will no longer be able to bill for phytos because of
the way the USDA will collect fees for PCIT. Starting
October 1, 2009, nursery inspectors will be required
to collect phyto fees at the time that handwritten
certificates are issued. This new arrangement will
be quite a hassle for nursery inspectors, as well as
nurseries, and you may find that your inspector has an
increased interest in getting you on the PCIT system as
soon as possible.

Oregon nurseries that ship internationally are slowly
coming onboard and becoming regular and familiar
users of PCIT. Currently there are 25 nurseries using

Buddleja revived

P ramorum continued from page 2

More changes are coming this fall for the popular

get a third positive confirmation from the official USDA
laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland prior to contacting the
nursery. The ODA is sensitive to the fact that a positive
test result has hard economic consequences.

nursery plant Buddleja. Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA) plans to amend the noxious weed
quarantine, allowing certain sterile hybrid varieties of

We hope we never find P. ramorum in a nursery, but if
we do, it is in everyone’s best interest to find it quickly
and make sure it is not shipped. By informing yourself
about Phytophthora ramorum, what is required by
the compliance agreement you have signed, and the
regulations that will come into effect if your nursery is
found to be positive with the disease, you can help limit
the negative impact at your nursery and to the Oregon
nursery industry.

Buddleja to be grown and sold in Oregon. Plant labels
specifying the approved varieties will also be required.
ODA encourages those with an interest to review the
proposed changes and submit comments. Proposed
changes to the quarantine, label requirements, and
instructions for submitting comments are found in the
Buddleja amendment proposal at http://oregon.gov/
ODA/PLANT/NURSERY/buddleja_amend.shtml

3

Notification rules

2. Japanese beetle quarantine
(pre-notification and post-notification)

Our nursery inspection program works most efficiently when

Advance notification is required for any nursery
stock with roots being shipped into Oregon from
states infested with Japanese beetle (JB). An official
from the shipping state must certify that the plants
meet certain sanitation requirements to prevent the
introduction and spread of JB. The certifying official
is then responsible for notifying the ODA of the
shipment. The shipper must remind the receiving
nursery to hold the plants for inspection by the ODA.
Lastly, the receiver must notify the ODA when the
commodities actually arrive in Oregon. It should
be noted that live Japanese beetles have been found
upon inspection of certified incoming nursery stock.
Without notification ODA personnel would not have
been able to target the shipment and a possible JB
infestation could have resulted.
For more information go to http://oregon.gov/ODA/
PLANT/NURSERY/reg_jb.shtml

we know what kind of plant material is entering the state
and when. Such information, supplied through notification
rules, helps us protect the Oregon nursery industry from
the introduction of exotic pests, diseases and weeds.
Notification gives ODA horticulturists the opportunity
to inspect shipments of high-risk nursery stock shortly
after it arrives. Inspections are conducted to confirm that
quarantine requirements have been met and to help assure
that no hitchhiking pests have been included.
There is frequent confusion about the notification
requirements. Sometimes there is uncertainty about which
party is responsible for notification. Other times the
distinction between pre-notification and post-notification
is lost. Pre-notification (required before the shipment
arrives) sometimes identifies a certification problem
before the plant material has left the shipping nursery.
This allows for corrections to be made and prevents the
material from being held once it arrives. Nurseries should
review the notification rules to determine if their out-ofstate plant purchases fall under these regulations.

3. Grape nursery stock quarantine
(pre-notification)

Advanced notification is required for all grape stock
(Vitis spp.) being shipped into Oregon. An official
from the shipping state must certify that the grape
plants meet specific sanitary requirements. Written
notification needs to be sent by the shipper at least one
day prior to the shipment. The ODA may require that
shipments be held until inspected and released.
For more information go to http://oregon.gov/ODA/
PLANT/NURSERY/reg_pd.shtml

1. Notification of trees and shrubs
(pre-notification or post-notification)

This is the broadest reaching notification rule. It
was adopted in 2004 as a reaction to Phytophthora
ramorum, but is very useful in assuring compliance
with a range of quarantines. Recipients of woody plant
material (trees and shrubs) imported into the state of
Oregon from any out-of-state source are required to
notify the ODA. Notification must be received by the
ODA no earlier than two business days prior to arrival
of the shipment and no later than two business days
after the plants arrive. The ODA will contact nurseries
within one business day of receipt of notification if the
nursery stock requires inspection. Reported shipments
without all of the required information will be held
until that information is obtained. A fax load or order
list with the certification supplied by the grower is an
easy way to comply with this rule. Note that it is the
responsibility of the receiving nursery to provide the
notification.

4. Blueberry nursery stock quarantine
(pre-notification or post-notification)

Notification is required for blueberry plants
(Vaccinium corymbosum and any other Vaccinium
species shown to be a host of blueberry scorch virus)
entering Oregon. An official from the shipping state
must certify that the blueberry stock meets specific
sanitary requirements. Written notification needs to
be sent by the shipper. The ODA may require that
shipments be held until inspected and released.
For more information go to http://oregon.gov/ODA/
PLANT/NURSERY/reg_bsv.shtml

All notifications need to include the consignee’s name
and address, the shipper’s name and address, the
species and number of plants being shipped, and all
official certification. Notifications must be mailed,
faxed or e-mailed to: Administrator, Plant Division,
Oregon Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol Street
NE, Salem, Oregon 97310, Phone: 503/986-4640, Fax:
503/986-4786, Email: [email protected]
4

Special surveys conducted by
ODA this summer

Columbia root knot nematode (CRKN) survey
The ODA participates in an ongoing program to test soil
associated with nursery stock for Columbia root knot
nematode (Meloidogyne chitwoodi), a quarantine pest
of significance to Canada. CRKN destroys plants with
tubers. Potatoes are the most commonly known host, but
they can also infest grasses and other ornamental plants.
The nematode has never been found in Oregon nurseries
to date, although some positive fields are known to exist
in the eastern parts of the state associated with potato
production. This year ODA nursery inspectors sampled
soils from seven fields in their territory to again test
for CRKN. Test results for the summer 2009 were all
negative, allowing Oregon nursery stock to continue to be
shipped to Canada.

The nursery program received federal funds to conduct the
following surveys this summer.

Amber snail survey

Plant shipments are increasingly being stopped by our
trade partners due to the presence of amber snails. These
mollusks are exotic to the United States, and have been
introduced into this country from such places as Haiti and
the Dominican Republic. They have established a toehold
in the Pacific Northwest.
Previously it was thought that amber snails were only
feeding on the algae associated with plants and their
containers. They were not considered a pest of plants.
Now evidence is suggesting otherwise, and eyewitnesses
have seen them feeding on phormium, euonymus, and
hibiscus.

Grape nursery disease survey

In 2007, several nurseries requested that the ODA survey
certified grapevine nursery stock for viruses of regulatory
concern. Washington State recently conducted a similar
survey after a quarantine virus was detected in a shipment
of Washington certified nursery stock.

Amber snails are extremely hard to identify visually, and
it is unknown if there are more than one species found in
Oregon. In order to know how to proceed with regulations
and control measures it is important to know which
species of snails are actually present and where they
are found. A survey of amber snails in Oregon nurseries
was conducted this summer. Samples were collected at
twenty nursery sites around the state. The specimens were
sent to a specialist at the University of Hawaii for DNA
identification. Once the species are identified, further
studies will be implemented to determine their potential
threat to the nursery industry.

Federal funding was used this summer to conduct a
survey of Oregon’s certified grapevine blocks. Grape
leaves with petioles attached were collected and will be
tested for grapevine virus A, grapevine leafroll-associated
virus (GLRaV), grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and
tomato ringspot virus using ELISA test kits specific for
the target viruses. If a positive sample is found, additional
samples will be pulled and tested to confirm the diagnosis
and verify how widespread the virus is within the block.
The goal of this survey is to maintain Oregon’s “free
from” status for viruses of regulatory concern. Recent
reports of GLRaV in the northeastern part of the state,
a suspicious mealybug (virus vector) in the south, and
GFLV in northern California have raised the importance
of this survey. Reinforcing the official visual inspections
with periodic laboratory tests will help maintain continued
acceptance of Oregon’s official certification program by
other states and countries.

More information on these and other snails can be found
at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/snails.htm

5

time. The virus stunts plants and can reduce crop yield by
as much as 40 percent. While GLRaV has already spread
to all grape-growing regions of the world, it has a limited
distribution in the Pacific Northwest.

Trading grapes

By Christy Brown, ODA Horticulturist
Grapes, particularly wine grapes, are one of the most valued

To complicate matters, a new insect vector called vine
mealybug (Planococcus ficus) was recently introduced
into California from Europe or Mexico. This mealybug
is more effective in spreading GLRaV than other vectors,
and also excretes much more honeydew than other
mealybug species. The honeydew alone can ruin a grape
harvest. Vine mealybug has rapidly spread through
California since it was first detected in 1994, but it has
never been found in Oregon. The ODA recently adopted
an emergency quarantine order for vine mealybug on
grapes being transported into Oregon for crushing or as
table stock.

cultural and economic crops in the world. But as luck would
have it, grape plants are plagued by a litany of natural
enemies. It’s no surprise that regulations governing the trade
of grape plants are some of the most strict and complicated
in the business. This article will help sort out the details.
There are too many individual diseases and insect pests
of grapes to give a thorough summary here, but there
are some that stand out as being the most dangerous and
widely regulated. Historically, one of the most important
pest outbreaks on grapes began in 1860 in Europe. A
tiny aphid-like organism called grape phylloxera was
accidentally introduced from North America and spread
throughout Europe. Grape phylloxera feed on leaves
and roots of grape plants. The resulting damage causes
root girdles that lead to severe decline or death of plants.
North American grapes (Vitis labrusca) are fairly resistant
to phylloxera but European wine grapes (Vitis vinifera)
are highly susceptible. France in particular lost nearly
90 percent of all of its vines by the late 1800s. As a
solution, grape plants throughout Europe were replaced
with vines grown on North American rootstock.

Summary of grape plant regulations

To start with, international trade in grape stock is highly
restricted. Individual regulations vary by country but an
import permit is nearly always required. Our principal
nursery trade partner, Canada, will only permit grape
stock from virus-indexed plants from the states of
California, Oregon, and Washington. Oregon currently
has 15 nurseries that are virus-certified every year and
therefore have registered grape blocks that meet Canada’s
requirements. British Columbia also requires that plants
be treated for nematodes and grape phylloxera. As for
the European Union, importing grape plants is simply
prohibited.

More recently and closer to home, Xylella fastidiosa, the
bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, gained a lot of
attention in California. The disease has actually been in
California since the late 1800s, but it didn’t cause much
of a problem until the1990s. That was when a leafhopper
called the glassy-winged sharpshooter was accidentally
introduced into California from the southeastern United
States. Pierce’s disease was able to spread rapidly with the
aid of this vector insect. The disease destroys the waterconducting xylem of grape plants, leading to plant death
in one to five years. California mounted an extensive
control effort against the sharpshooter that appears to
be paying off. There are currently hotspots of Pierce’s
disease in Napa and Sonoma counties, and in other
countries such as Mexico and Venezuela.

The United States controls grape vine health through
the maintenance of foundation blocks that are regularly
indexed for grape viruses. Foundation blocks serve
the wine and grape industry by providing high quality

Another major concern for grape plant sanitation is
viruses. Some resources claim that there are over 50
viruses known to infect grapes throughout the world.
Viruses are especially worrisome because they can
be difficult to detect, easy to spread, and difficult to
control. Some grape viruses such as grapevine fanleaf
virus (GFLV) and tobacco ringspot virus are vectored
by nematodes (nepoviruses). Others such as grapevine
leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaV) and corky bark
disease are vectored by insects like leafhoppers and
mealybugs. GLRaV is of special concern to Oregon at this
6

certified stock to growers. There are only two certified
foundation blocks in the United States (University of
California in Davis, and the NRSP5 facility associated
with Washington State University in Prosser), although
two other regional blocks (one at Cornell University in
NY, and one in SW Missouri) may be added in the future.
The only way that grape plants can be imported into the
United States is through the Northwest Grape Foundation
Service located in Prosser, WA, or through the USDA
Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program in Beltsville, MD.

Online resources
Northwest Grape Foundation Service
http://nwgfs.wsu.edu/fai.html

University of California, Davis, Foundation
Plant Services
http://fpms.ucdavis.edu/

There are no federal regulations in the United States for
trade of grape nursery stock among states, so individual
states are free to adopt their own regulations. Five states
with large grape industries have their own regulations for
importing grape plants:

USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service, Plant Protection & Quarantine,
Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program:

http://www-mirror.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/
plants/plant_imports/quarantine/index.shtml

Oregon

Certification for freedom from glassy-winged
sharpshooter and Xylella fastidiosa is required from
regions where the insect is known to exist. Field grown
grape plants are prohibited. Potting media must be treated
for root pests such as vine mealybug. Plants must be
certified free from dangerous pests and diseases. The
ODA must be notified at least one day prior to shipment
of grape plants into Oregon.

California

There is no general exterior quarantine on grape plants.
Regulation is at the county level. Plants must be certified
free from grape phylloxera, grape leaf skeletonizer, and
glassy-winged sharpshooter into various counties. The
Pierce’s disease control program is in effect.

Washington

Grape plants must meet regulations for freedom from
phylloxera and vine mealy bug. Plants must be tested
for viruses (including GFLV, GLRaV, stem pitting and
corky bark) through an official certification program. The
Washington State Department of Agriculture must be
notified prior to shipment of grape plants.

Idaho

Vitis vinifera (European wine grapes) need certification
for freedom from virus diseases. All grape species need
fumigation or heat treatment for pests harmful to grapes.

New York

Certification is required for freedom from GFLV, GLRaV,
corky bark disease and the phytoplasma Flavesence
dorée.

7

8

South Carolina now requires a state phyto
and prior notification

The state of South Carolina now requires a state phytosanitary certificate and prior notification for shipments of
Phytophthora ramorum host and associated-host plant material. This new regulation went into effect June 26,
2009 and may expire March 21, 2010 unless re-approved or made permanent.
This regulation requires that a shipping nursery request a state phyto from their nursery inspector. This phyto must
list the type and quantity of plants, the shipper’s address, the name and address of the recipient, the date and
results of the last P. ramorum test, and contact numbers of the shipper and recipient.
Additionally, pre-notification of the shipment must be sent at least 24 hours prior to arrival of shipment.
Notification may be made by mailing, faxing or e-mailing a copy of the state phytosanitary certificate to:

Clemson University Department of Plant Industry
511 Westinghouse Road
Pendleton, SC 29670
FAX: 864-646-2135
E-mail: [email protected]
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in commodities being returned to point of origin or
destroyed at the expense of owner.

PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
SALEM, OR
PERMIT NO. 81

Oregon Department of Agriculture
635 Capitol Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301-2532