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Plant Disease

Growing isn't always easy. When plant problems present themselves, you can count on WVU Extension specialists and agents for trusted, research-based advice. Learn about common plant diseases.

Browse the Plant Disease Identification Guide

Extension experts help identify, prevent and find solutions to recover from stress, injury and disease in all types of plants. Contact the WVU Extension when your plants get sick.

Plant Disease Identification Guide

Cucumber anthracnose.

Managing Garden Diseases

Potato plant herbicide injury: symptoms of exposed growth regulator include wilting foliage.

Identifying & Preventing Herbicide Injury

Other Plant Disease Resources 

Biological Controls Managing Soilborne Diseases


Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Contact the Clinic

WVU Plant Diagnostic Clinic

G102 South Agricultural Sciences
Morgantown, WV 26506-6108
email Email Mahfuz Rahman
phone 304-293-8838 phone 304-288-9541

Monday - Friday | 8:15 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Closed on WVU Holidays

Collect & Submit Plant Samples

Take & Submit a Plant Sample


Active Plant Disease Alerts

AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

Boxwood blight on a shrub.

Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that affects one of West Virginia's most popular landscape shrubs.

Boxwood blights are a fungal disease that can be fatal if no measures are taken to manage the disease at the early stage of infection and symptom appearance. There are two different fungal pathogens involved with blights – Volutella buxi  and Calonectria pseudonaviculata.

Read AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

Compost has traditionally been used by growers not only for supplying nutrients to the soil and plant but also due to its multiple beneficial attributes, such as balancing pH, enhancing water holding capacity, and boosting soil structure and beneficial microbial populations to improve overall soil quality for plant growth and development. Compost can hold nutrients for a longer time and deliver to plants when needed. Nutrients found in compost are released slowly as the compost decomposes, reducing nutrient loss through prevention of off-site movement. Despite all these benefits, herbicide contaminated composts can do lots of harm to plants, especially to those belonging to the family Solanaceae, which includes tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant distortion due to growth regulator type herbicide is shown in Figure 1. 

Tomato plant with curled leaves due to growth regulator type herbicide.  Potato plant with curled leaves due to growth regulator type herbicide.

Tomato plant with curled leaves due to growth regulator type herbicide.

Read AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) has now been found in Monongalia County, West Virginia, as well as neighboring states – Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland. For the latest information, visit the CDM regional map at https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is a destructive disease that can affect most members of the gourd family or Cucurbitaceae, such as cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, watermelon and zucchini. However, cucumbers are the worst affected cucurbit that can be completely killed in two weeks from the onset of the disease. 

Symptoms of the disease may vary slightly from species to species, but in general, it causes angular chlorotic lesions on the foliage. These lesions appear angular because they are bound by leaf veins. During humid conditions, the lower surface of the leaf is covered with a downy, pale gray to blackish mildew. 

Read AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

If you see or suspect a new plant disease outbreak that's not currently reported here, please contact Mahfuz Rahman with the WVU Plant Diagnostic Clinic or your local county Extension agent, immediately.

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