Home gardeners and flower lovers across the Northeast were crying foul earlier this year when the first reports of impatiens downy mildew began to appear. The disease thrives in moist, cool conditions and can infect leaves of the shade-dwelling plant that remain wet for four or more hours. Afflicted plants soon develop yellowed leaves with undersides covered in a white, downy-like growth. Eventually, these leaves drop off, causing the plant to wither and die.
Cornell Cooperative Extension has recently joined forces with Michigan State University to survey growers and retailers to gauge the financial impact of this emergent blight on the U.S. greenhouse industry. The information gathered in the survey will be summarized and presented in industry magazines. The survey closes on November 1.
