Forage Diseases Diagnosis Service

Forage Diseases Diagnosis Service

Introduction

Alfalfa diseases reduce the yield, quality, and feeding value of forage. Alfalfa diseases occur when pathogens are present in the field, when alfalfa products are susceptible to disease, and when the environment is conducive to disease development. Alfalfa leaves, stems, roots and canopy can be affected. Still, the effects of the disease are often not recognized, especially root diseases, because symptoms may be subtle or mistaken for something other than a disease. The pathogen may be difficult to detect. Pathogens that cause alfalfa diseases include fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. Abiotic diseases are not caused by infectious agents but by environmental factors such as extreme temperatures or mineral deficiencies. Alfalfa disease management begins with selecting locally appropriate alfalfa products that are highly tolerant or resistant to the major local alfalfa diseases.

Solutions

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We work closely with international plant breeders or plant pathologists to provide customized solutions for diagnosing forage diseases, especially alfalfa diseases. Our rapid and accurate identification and diagnosis of alfalfa diseases will help reduce yield losses and degradation of alfalfa hay quality caused by the disease. Lifeasible offers over 50 alfalfa disease diagnostics. These pathogens cause severe damage to alfalfa and prevent it from reaching its full potential for producing high-yielding, high-quality forage.

Our mission is to help alfalfa growers diagnose the most prevalent local alfalfa diseases and select the most appropriate products to help manage potential disease outbreaks. Some disease symptoms can mimic insect feeding, leaf burn from herbicides, fertility deficiencies, and environmental stress, and our forage disease checks are thorough. The alfalfa disease diagnostics we can provide include, but are not limited to:

Seedling Alfalfa Diseases

  • Aphanomyces Root Rot
  • Mycoleptodiscus Crown and Root Rot
  • Phytophthora Damping Off and Root Rot
  • Pythium
  • Rhizoctonia

Root Rots

  • Bacterial Wilt
  • Fusarium Wilt
  • Phytophthora Root Rot
  • Rhizoctonia Root Rot

Crown and Stem Rots

  • Anthracnose
  • Sclerotina Crown and Stem Rot

Foliar and Stem Rot

  • Bacterial Leaf Spot
  • Spring Black Stem and Leaf Spot
  • Summer Black Stem
  • Verticillium Wilt

Foliar Diseases

  • Common Leaf Spot or Alfalfa Leaf Spot
  • Downy Mildew
  • Leptosphaerulina Leaf Spot
  • Rust
  • Stemphylium Leaf or Zonate Leaf Spot
  • Yellow Leaf Blotch

Abiotic Disease-like Symptoms

  • Frost and Freeze lnjury
  • Scald or High Temperature Flooding lnjury
  • Air Pollution
  • Nutrient Deficiencies and Herbicide Injury

Depending on the disease, plant infections can occur through soil water, splashing rain, wind, and insect feeding. We will scout the forage weekly for any disease development. We aim to help alfalfa growers produce high tonnage, high quality, and high feed value alfalfa for their livestock or commercial sales by providing a comprehensive forage disease diagnostic service. Be sure to consult your seed representative for the best protection for your alfalfa fields when new varieties become available. If you are unsure, please contact us to submit samples to help identify these and other diseases.

Our products/services are For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use!
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