Diagnostic Services

The Crop Protection and Plant Quarantine Division provides diagnostic services on pests and diseases of crops to farmers, agriculture entrepreneurs, government agencies, private organizations and individuals.

The diagnostic services include identification of pests or doing laboratory tests to identify the causal organism and subsequently providing technical advise on the control of the pest or disease.

The clients can bring the samples of the affected plants or plant parts or the sample of insect or weed to the Division for identification.

At the headquarters of the Division, there are specialized diagnostic laboratories, reference specimen collections and other references for identification of pest and disease samples referred. The State Units of the Division can also be contacted for assistance on the pest and disease problems.

How to submit samples for disease diagnosis

1. Collect living plants that exhibit varying stages of decline. Do not submit dead plants - they will decay before diagnosticians can examine them. Be sure the specimens represent the problem. Include enough plant material to show all stages of the disease from healthy to very sick. For virus tests, be sure to send green, symptomatic leaves.Send several whole plants, roots and all. Dig roots, rather than pull.
    
2. Include a cropping history and the pattern of symptoms in the field. Some diseases tend to be distributed in a characteristic pattern.
    
3. Include other information: description of the soil, nearby plants, and a history of the problem. Include photos when possible. Most clinics have an Information Request Form to include with the sample. You can print these out from the clinic website - see links below.
    
4. Wrap specimens in paper towels or clean newspapers. Do not add moisture. Pack loosely in a plastic bag to reduce drying. Keep specimens cool and mail the same day.
    
5. For mailing, use strong containers like corrugated boxes or mailing tubes that will not crush in transit. Fill empty spaces in mailing cartons with crushed or shredded paper to protect the specimen.
    
6. Form to be filled -Diagnostic Form