Nematodes

A novel non-native microbe is locally impacting beech tree health and mortality throughout the northeastern United States and southern Canada. The microbe, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, a subspecies of a nematode found in Japan, is causing beech leaf disease (BLD).

Southern bacterial wilt of tomato, which is caused by the soil-borne bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum Race 1, has been found in several tomato fields just recently. This pathogen affects many solanaceous crops and is found throughout the southern United States.