Friday, November 4, 2011

Imprelis Herbicide Damage

It seems that newly symptomatic Imprelis-damaged trees are still appearing in landscapes across the region. The UK Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and plant pathologists alike receive many questions concerning diagnosis and treatment  of these weakened plants. 

While damage can sometimes be confused with disease symptoms, the herbicide must be detected by special analytical chemistry laboratories.  The UK Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory specializes in detection of plant pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes, not chemicals or herbicides.

Michigan State University has one of the few facilities with the capability of detecting herbicide residues in soils (www.pestid.msu.edu). Private labs may be available, but as of this posting, they are unknown to our group.

Additional information is available from Purdue University (http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/pubs/briefs/ImprelisLCO.pdf or ) and Dupont (http://www.imprelis-facts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Guidelines-for-Removal-and-Replanting-093011.pdf and http://www.imprelis-facts.com/letter-to-lawn-care-professionals/ ) concerning Imprelis-related issues.