The first and most important step in managing a plant disease is to correctly identify it. Although some diseases can be diagnosed quickly by visual examination, others require laboratory testing for diagnosis. These laboratory procedures may take days or even weeks to complete and are, in some cases, relatively insensitive. Delays are frustrating when a quick diagnosis is needed so that appropriate disease control measures may be taken to prevent plant injury, especially when high value cash crops, turf grass, or ornamentals are at stake. Fortunately, as the result of advances in biotechnology, new products and techniques are becoming available that will complement or replace time-consuming laboratory procedures.
Many products already are available for use, while others are still in developmental stages.
Some procedures require laboratory equipment and training, while other procedures can be performed on site by a person with no specialized training. A number of disease detection kits have been developed for use at the site where a disease is suspected. These kits, which in most cases do not require laboratory equipment, are especially useful to growers. Some tests only take five minutes to perform. This assay is based on the ability of an antibody to recognize and bind to a specific antigen, a substance associated with a plant pathogen.