Uh oh...is this what I think it is?

If this is fusarium/stengelbrand, then this is proof positive that the fungus can be spread through seeds. This was a seedling that was planted in the ground in April. There are no other affected plants in my garden, however if you experts determine that it is the dreaded stengelbrand, all other seedlings from that cross will also be destroyed.

Needless to say, I WILL NOT be sharing any cuttings if this turns out to be stengelbrand... I welcome any and all comments.

P.S. This seedling has had a failure to thrive problem since July when a giant cat ate all its leaves. The leaves kept trying to re-emerge, but it was sickly looking. Today I saw these lesions, and I check all my brugs EVERY day!

THIS SEEDLING HAS BEEN DESTROYED.

Further down the stalk:

Yikes, that looks terrible. Anxious to hear from the experts on this one.

Wow, Gretchen, that looks awful. I hope some of the experts see this and let you know what they think it is. Good luck.

Isn't it nasty? Its scary to think that if its stengelbrand, it came from a seed from an infected plant... In my Master Gardener class, I learned from a plant pathology expert at Texas A&M that stengelbrand can be spread that way, but I've never heard of it before (here in the forum).

It does look like it to me, but I am no expert. I don't think that necessarily means it was spread via the seed, though. If stanglebrand is truly a form of fusarium, then it could come from anywhere, as fusarium is in the soil, and could have just developed in this one opportunistically because it was weak.

Thanks Mary. I sure hope its not in my soil! I spent so much time and $$$ building the beds and amending the soil... I think that would make me want to cry!!!

It looks like it to me, but we need Monika to look at it to be sure.

Sure does look like it,so sorry,I would let Monika say for sure,did you keep any to take and have tested at an extention office?

Oh, Gretchen, regardless of what it is, I am so sorry for YOU!!! I can only imagine how disappointing this must be. I have seedlings from at least one source that you have used too. I will be MOST anxious to see this through. Do you have a county extension service?? It is possible that they might test for you?? They are most helpful in Arky, but, of course, all states are different. I know how upset you must be and I am SOOO sorry and will assist you any way I can. Please advise. SherryLike

Ugghh... whatever it is, it sure is ugly and you were right to dispose of this plant! I think SB/fusarium is probably similar to the many fungi that infect tomatoes... it doesn't mean you're cursed forever, just don't plant tomatoes (brugs) in that exact same location for a few years. Just as there are now disease-resistant tomatoes, we will need to breed disease-resistant brugs. So your plant has just weeded itself out of the gene pool. I am sorry this happened to you - it will probably happen to most of us sooner or later. Good luck, but I think everything will be OK.

Phoma is another fungus with identical symptoms. It gets in several agricultural crops and can be a pain. Not sure if it's soil or air borne. Your extension office should be able to send the plants for testing to see what it is. Some states charge a small fee, some have free testing.

I do believe these are on the driveway,and in new beds,built for these Brugs,I may be wrong.
SB is its own monster,akin to Fusarium,but exclusive to Brugs,soil borne and contagious by improper handling and sucking insects,and so far not thought to be transmitted by seed,this needs to be looked at further,if a piece of the plant can be retained,I will gladly have it tested here.
Gretchen feel free to contact me if testing can not be done there.
I know you are looking at every spot now,try to remember back,how long a time period did this occur over?
Root

Oh Gretchen, looks like the SB pics to me. I remember most of your seedlings were suaves. SB loved suaves. Did you use good clipper technique and wash your hands well between brugs?

With suaves evidently, it can be transimitted just by being in the vacinity of other suaves. Keep a good eye out. Next year grow more aureas. I have lots of aurea seeds I am getting out to you. They are much more resistent.

I have had 3 odd looking seedlings. None like yours but odd weird sores on them and they were sickly. I tossed them as soon as I realized it. So far all my others are fine. Thank God for Monika. She checked them all out and told me they were not SB. I was so sick over it.

Thank goodness there are other brugs that are resistent . Monika is breeding fo rresistent ones. That is why she will not use suave. genes. To bad too, I like suaves!

You should have a piece of it tested Gretchen. Even though, it looks much like SB, it could be might as well Phoma. Apparently, all leaf nodes are affected, which is more typical for Phoma than SB. Phoma seems to be more a problem on pink brugs.
Gretchen, you dont need to worry about the soil.
SB, as we know it, is a Brug disease and not of tomatos and it is carried into a Brugmansia collection with infected Brugmansia material ONLY. SB is not located everywhere in every soil.
You dont have to worry about the seeds either. Only seedlings with a certain gene combination may be prone to SB. You can desinfect the plant hole with calcium cyanide.

Thank you all!!! And to all of you -- I appreciate your concern, but there is nothing to be sorry about!!! Its just one of those things that happens. You deal with it appropriately, hopefully rid yourself of it and move on.

Thank you for your offer Root, but I think I can get it done here, through TX A&M and I'll take a piece of it that I saved, to our County Extension Office today to have it sent to them. This was one of the driveway seedlings and there are two more of this cross on either side of the spot where this one was. They are both very healthy! In fact, with the exception of bug-eaten leaves, all my brugs are VERY HEALTHY!!! And this occurred rapidly. As I said earlier, this brug has been sickly for the past two months, but the spots and lesions appeared in a day or two. I check my brugs daily, and since they are "standards" rather than bushes, its very easy to keep an eye on them.

Kell -- I have never used an implement of any kind on my brugs. They have not been pruned yet, and I snap the lower and/or spent leaves off with my hand, which never touches the broken part of the plant, so yes, I practice good hygiene...

Monika -- yes, all the nodes were affected. And, rather than being sunken like you've described SB, these are raised and split. How do we find out the genetic combination that is prone to SB? I know they are yellow multi-hybrids, but can you add anything more? This was a pink/yellow combination.

Again, thank you all for your comments and concern -- just a little stumbling block to get over -- quickly, I hope!

Oh no, Gretchen. You've worked too hard for this to affect any more of your brugs. Sure hope and pray this is the only one.

Gretchen, some how I missed your post yesterday. I am so sorry about this. Hopefully it is not what you think! How long will it take to find out? Please keep us posted, as I know you will. Is it possible that only this one plant will be affected if it is SB ? I need to learn more about it. Maybe that would be a good new thread topic, to help us all...
Margie

Has anyone found calcium cyanide here in the US?

I haven't been able to find it yet. I wonder if it is known by another name and we just don't know what it is.

I did a google search for it. It sounds very toxic...see link. I doubt if it is sold in the US !

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc04/icsc0407.htm

Kalkstickstoff is the german word for it and it is a old agrar fertilizer, which first desinfects the soil and kills seeds of weed and after four weeks, it has changed into nitrate fertilizer.

Cyanide is "poison", doubt if they would sell it under that name.

Well, thank you all for your kind words and support. I salvaged a piece of the lower portion of the plant with roots attached and sent it to the district plant pathologist through my local county extension office. After doing quite a bit of research today, I'm guessing that its a variety of Didymella, also known as Gummy Stem Blight, also known as Stengelbrand. I hope not!!! And if it is, I hope its isolated to that single plant. As soon as I find out what it is, I'll let y'all know.

Again, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Gretchen

I just received a letter from the doctor who tested my plant -- while his test was not 100% conclusive, it appears to be be tomato spotted wilt virus. Here is the letter I received:

" I made free hand sections of the border between green and brown stem
tissue to check for bacterial streaming under the compound microscope,
but did not observe streaming. I did not see fungal fruiting structures
of Didymella, so that may not be the problem. Based on your photos sent
by e-mail and dissecting the sample, I suspect this is a virus infection
(watersoaked dark line or band next to green tissue). Hopefully it is
an isolated occurrence and no additional plants have symptoms. I
suggest you carefully lower a large garbage bag over any symptomatic
plants, tie at the base, and dig as many roots as possible before
bagging them as well, geing careful not to break leaves from or wound
adjacent asymptomatic plants, and dispose of the top and roots in the
garbage dumpster.

If you have a vegetable garden, aggressively rogue (bag, pull, destroy)
any virus-like symptoms, especially dark line-pattern symptoms on newest
leaves, or bizzar lines, concentric rings, streaks on fruit of tomato
and pepper. This virus can gradually spread among plants over winter if
you propagate vegetatively (cuttings), so hopefully you can grow from
seeds. Fortunately, TSWV is not documented to be seed born except for
one or two species out of a 1000-plant host range. For spring tomatoes
at risk, we recommend a row-cover fabris attached to cages for the first
several weeks of the season (weave is small enough to exclude thrips
until wind tears it apart). We have some tomato varieties somewhat less
prone to TSWV (444, Amelie (spelling?), but nothing immune.

Unfortunately, we are currently out-of-stock for quick strip TSWV
tests, but would be one to test for if others come down and you want to
pursue it. TSWV is common in peanuts in Atascosa, Frio, Wilson,
southern Bexar, and southern Medina Counties this year (worst year in
peanuts in about 4 or 5 yr). Tomato and pepper periodically have lots
of problems with this virus, as do certain greenhouse flowers and
foliage plants, all the way into the Hill Country, including Comal Co.
This virus is carried by at least two thrips species common here.
See TSWV discussions at:

http://www.americanbrugmansia-daturasociety.org/brugvirus.htm

http://www.americanbrugmansia-daturasociety.org/virus_diseases_in_brugmansia.htm


I hope this helps."

Gretchen, I'm so sorry to hear of this. I hope you will only have the one affected plant. It could happen to any of us, but it is still depressing to find out because you never know what will happen with the next plants. I applaud you for sending the sample off for testing so that the rest of us would know what to look for and what to do. Thanks so much and I wish you all the luck in the world with the rest of your plants.

Oh Gretchen, just saw this thread.

Glad that you are pretty sure you found out what it is. How much did it cost to do that test? I had problems with my tomatoes, and never got them tested, thinking it might be more than I could afford at this time. I THINK it was blight, but really don't know. We sprayed them with something Dr. Carolyn (from the tomato forum) said to spray with. Since then, the tomatoes themselves seem to be ok, but the plants are very sickly looking, but since it is late in the year, not worried about it. I am thinking about having my soil tested by WSU. Just wondered how much these tests usually cost.

Hope the rest of your brugs will be ok! I know you've really poured your heart into them, and I can imagine how frightening this must be for you, knowing you have others planted nearby.

Karrie

Thank you Shirley! I too hope its isolated to that one plant. I feel certain that it the plant was weakened by the cats stripping it of its leaves early on. As a precaution I have removed and destroyed all the brugs that were in close proximity to that one. The toughest part of the problem is that the virus is carried by flying insects (Thrips), and even if you're diligent about using an insecticide, an infected Thrip can still transmit the disease by biting into a healthy plant that's been treated. Ugh! It sounds like its been a terrible year for the virus in this area. My fingers are crossed that this is it!!! But, I won't even know for sure until next year... I do know one thing for certain -- I will not be growing tomatoes or any vegetables that are susceptable to TSWV in the future.

Karrie -- luckily I live in an agriculturally rich state, and the test was free. I had some terrible looking tomatoes earlier in the year that I thought were just suffering from the heat, as they were not a good variety for this area, but in retrospect I imagine they had TSWV. See if you can get yours tested and get rid of what you don't send off! You've invested too much in your brugs to lose them!!!!!!!! Good luck, and let us know what you find out :) Gretchen

Gretchen, sorry about you Brug but I'm glad you had it tested and found out for sure what it's problem is. Like Shirley said, any of us may have this problem some time or other. I had one last year that I had purchased that didn't look good and I burned it. I wish I had had it tested but I went bonkers and got rid of it right away. LOL

Wow Gretchen, you did good. I don't know why, but I had never thought of insects spreading a disease like that. Fingers crossed that all your lovlies stay healthy :)

Sorry Gretchen. Thanks for having it tested. Sure hope everything else is okay down the road.

Kauffman, glad you were able to get your brug tested, sorry you had the problem and hope all will be okay soon. Donna

I'm glad that you got an answer so quickly, but I'm sorry that you had to destroy some of your Brugs. Hopefully, getting rid of the sick Brug will do the trick!

Im sorry also Gretchen, but thank you for bringing it in, and to our attn, and letting us know the results.

This sucks lemons!! So sorry!

Thank you all for your kind words -- I just figure that those weren't meant to be :) Hopefully, next Spring there will be plenty of healthy ones to replace these. I have a bunch of seeds started, so my fingers are crossed! And, I sure hope this doesn't happen to anyone else, but at least we now know what to look for :) Gretchen

gRETCHEN SORRY ABOT THE BRUG HOPEFULLY IT IS AN ISOLATED CASE THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH US IT IS JUST LIKE NATIVE HABITAT ETHNOBOTANICALS LOST THEIR WHOL CROP T A VIRUS FUMIGATED ALL THEIR GREENHOUSES. I AM SURE THEY LOST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. bOB

Thank you Gretchen for having it tested and letting us know about it.
It is interesting to see the similar damage but different causes.

Gretchen, you did the right thing and I hope your plant problems will remain in the past!!

Thank you all!

Monika -- its very interesting. I thought for certain that it was a fungus, and then it turned out to be a virus... The symptoms were so silimar, and had I not had it tested, would've never known.

I'm especially thankful that these babies grow so quickly! Hopefully I'll have everything replanted in PINK, and no one will ever notice that the old ones are gone :) And, I really hope that it was limited to this one plant!!!