News, Events, Articles
HDC News: Start dry, stay healthy
01 Nov 2011
Keeping watering to the minimum is likely to have the biggest impact on soil-borne Pythium infection in brassica transplants. Incorporating composted green waste or the bio-pesticide Trianum G into the the growing-medium can also reduce Pythium, but their effects weren't as big as reducing the amount of watering. Several natural/biological seed treatments were also shown to reduce the seed-borne fungi Phoma and Alternaria, but these did not have any effect on the soil-borne Pythium. These results come out of a 2-year joint project between Steve Roberts of Plant Health Solutions and John Clarkson of Warwick Crop Centre, University of Warwick. Link to the news article
New factsheet on bacterial shot-hole of cherry laurel
01 Oct 2011
Bacterial shot-hole of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae. The disease can lead to product downgrading and losses in cherry laurel and other susceptible ornamental plant species. A new factsheet written by Steve Roberts of Plant Health Solutions is now available from the HDC. The factsheet describes the symptoms and biology of the diseases and summarises options for disease management. Link to the factsheet
Coriander blight pathogen infects parsley
01 Jul 2011
A recent scientific paper from the USA suggests that the seed-borne coriander bacterial blight pathogen (Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricola, Psc) is able to infect not only coriander but also parsley and celery. These results contradict earlier studies indicating that P. s. pv. coriandricola is not a pathogen of parsley or celery. This potential for cross-infection, if confirmed, could have considerable implications for epidemiology of bacterial diseases on these hosts. Plant Health Solutions hopes to confirm these results for isolates from the recent HDC-funded project, if financial support can be found. Link to the paper in Phytopathology
Onion sets and storage rots
01 Jun 2011
Bacterial rots caused by Burkholderia gladioli pv. alliicola, neck rot caused by Botrytis allii and Fusarium basal rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum fsp. cepae are the main storage rots of concern to onion growers. Problems seem to be greater in crops grown from heat treated sets. So, in collaboration with the Warwick Crop Centre and funded by the HDC, Plant Health Solutions will be investigating the extent to which these diseases are associated with sets of different types and from different sources. Full story...
Plant Health Solutions Incorporates
11 Oct 2010
The legal status of Plant Health Solutions has changed. Now a private limited company, Plant Health Solutions Ltd was formed on the 8th October 2010 and formally took over the sole-trader business of Dr S J Roberts t/a Plant Health Solutions on 11th October 2010. Company director Steve Roberts explains that the move was made to facilitate future expansion and development of the business and will have no impact on existing customers and suppliers. The VAT registration number remains the same, and the company number is 7401046.
Herbs project final report now available
08 Oct 2010
The final report for the HDC project on Outdoor Herbs is now available from the HDC. The project was a collaboration between Plant Health Solutions and ADAS. For coriander bacterial blight, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricola, new seed health standards have been defined and potential organic seed treatments identified. For parsley leaf spot, caused by Septoria petroselina, there have been new insights into seed infection and potential foliar fungicides identified. Grower summary
New biological seed treatment technologies
01 Oct 2010
Plant Health Solutions will be working on a new project developing biolgical seed treatment technologies. The three-year project, led by Elsoms Seeds, together with the University of Warwick, Becker Underwood and Vegetable Consultancy Services is part-funded by the Technology Strategy Board. It aims to develop biological controls for seed-borne vegetable diseases. Neck rot in onions and canker in parsnip will be main targets. Formulations of biological control agents using various seed treatment techniques will be investigated in the laboratory and in-field. Successful BCAs will have a lower environmental impact than chemical treatments.
Clean seeds for clean leaves
01 Sep 2010
Results from a joint Plant Health Solutions - ADAS project were highlighted in the September 2009 edition of HDC News. The project targeted two seed-borne disease, coriander bacterial blight and parsley septoria leaf spot, that are recurring problems in field grown herbs. Clean seed is a key part of disease management for both diseases, so the project has provided new insights into the relationships between seed infection and disease development. New seed health standards have been defined and potential seed treatments identified. Full story... Details of PHS seed testing services
Welcome to PHS Web 2.0
20 Apr 2010
Welcome to the new version of the Plant Health Solutions website, we hope you like it. We have made quite a few changes behind the scenes to make the site more dynamic and easier to keep up to date. Although we have tried to ensure that all old pages are redirected to new versions, it is possible that some bookmarked links are now no longer valid - the information will still be there, you may just have to navigate to it manually.
PHS to tackle bacterial problems in herbaceous perennials
01 Apr 2010
HDC is funding a new project to look at bacterial disease problems in herbaceous nursery stock. Over the last few years sporadic losses of up to 100% have occurred in a number of different subjects. During the first year nurseries will be surveyed for bacterial diseases. The results will be used to set priorities for the work in subsequent years which will comprise trials work and detailed epidemiological investigations. Interested herbaceous HNS growers who think they may have bacterial disease problems now or have had in the past are asked to contact Steve Roberts.
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