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Inspecting Transplants

Inspect greenhouse transplants for pests before you plant them into the field. Use the information below to help identify problems. The most serious problems occur with late blight, gray mold, sweetpotato whitefly and pinworms—plants found with these pests should be removed and destroyed.

• Bacterial speck. Look for black lesions on petioles and stems.
• Bacterial spot. Look for water soaked areas on leaves.
• Late blight. Look for rings of mycelium and spore-forming structures on lower side of leaves.
• Botrytis (gray mold). Look for gray-brown furry mold covering stems or leaves. Infections that girdle the stem cause wilting above the infected area. Plants with severe infections such as active lesions or dead leaves or petioles should be destroyed.
• Pinworms. Look for leaf mines.
• Whiteflies. If you see whiteflies, distinguish sweetpotato from greenhouse whitefly. Plants with sweetpotato whitefly may need to be destroyed, while greenhouse whitefly is typically of little concern.