Foliar and bud nematode of Easter lilies

摘要

Many growers experienced a problem with foliar nematodes affecting a significant percentage of their crop this year. Some growers experienced losses of 10-15 per cent while others only 4-5 per cent. Last year a few growers observed this problem with 1-2 per cent of their lilies. Unfortunately the actual cause of the problem was not correctly identified until this year when many more growers were calling about malformed lilies. After examining a number of possibilities, we were able to confirm, with the assistance of Dr. John Potter, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Vineland Station, the presence of the foliar nematode Aphelenchoides fragariae in the yellowing and distorted leaf tissue. Foliar nematode is a pest that greenhouse forcers have not observed for many, many years.