June 25, 2010 – A potential threat to mum production is chrysanthemum white rust, which is a quarantine-significant pest.

To address how to avoid the pest and recognize symptoms, the Society of American Florists and the American Nursery & Landscape Association have partnered with Syngenta Flowers, Ball Horticultural Company, and GroLink to offer free 30-minute webinars on chrysanthemum white rust.

The webinars will be offered at 10 a.m. EST on the following dates: June 29, July 7, July 20, July 22, July 27 and August 3. In addition, a webinar will be presented in Spanish on July 1. To register for one of these sessions, visit www.safnow.org/pestsanddiseases . There is no cost to participate.

For more information on this pathogen, read Mary Hausbeck’s MSU Greenhouse Alert article posted in August 2008: White rust on mums: Symptoms and management.