Check Out the ISU Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic

April 23, 2008
ICM News

By Laura Jesse, Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic


The Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic helps growers and agribusiness professionals throughout Iowa diagnose and manage plant disease, weed and insect problems on all kinds of plants. Clients are educated on ecologically sound plant disease, weed and insect management practices.


Services offered include:







Diagnosis of plant problems       $10
Identification of insects, plants, weeds or mushrooms Free
Soybean cyst nematode egg count $15 in state

$30 out of state

Complete nematode count (for corn nematodes) $30 in state

$60 out of state

Soybean cyst nematode HG type test $150

Submitting a sample for diagnosis 


When submitting a plant sample please provide plenty of fresh material and when possible submit the entire plant. Wrap the plant in dry newspapers and place it in a box for shipping. Do not add any moisture. 


Insects should be submitted in a container to prevent crushing in the mail. Hard bodied insects (beetles, grasshoppers) need no special preservation, but soft bodied insects (caterpillars, aphids) should be placed in a vial with alcohol or hand sanitizer.


Any background information you can provide also is a big help.  Please tell us about the chemicals applied, when you first observed the problem, the pattern and how quickly it spread, the history of planting in the field and anything else you think might be relevant. 


For specific information on submitting a soybean sample please see our new pamphlet.


For more information, contact your local ISU Extension County Office, or contact the Clinic directly at (515) 294-0581, sickplant@iastate.edu.


Laura Jesse is an entomologist with the Iowa State University Extension Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on April 23, 2008. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.

Author: 

Laura Jesse Iles Director, North Central IPM Center

Dr Laura Jesse Iles directs the North Central IPM Center.   Dr. Iles has earned B.S. (Animal Ecology), M.S. (Entomology), and Ph.D. (Co-major in Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) degrees, all from Iowa State University.  In addit...