Box Blight Confirmed in Wake County

Box blight has been confirmed in boxwood plants originating in a nursery in the NC mountains and offered for sale at the North Carolina State Farmers Market in Raleigh. The disease also has been confirmed at the Raleigh home of the vendor. A small number of customers may have purchased infected plants between the beginning of July and mid-August 2014.

Box blight is a destructive fungal disease of boxwood leaves and twigs. Symptoms include brown leaf spots, dark streaks on twigs, and extensive leaf drop. Sarcococca (sweetbox) and Pachysandra can also become infected. A fact sheet is available with additional information about identification and management of this disease. Note that sanitizer information is currently being updated. For most bleach formulations the correct ratio of bleach to water is now 1:14.

Personnel from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are attempting to trace the sales of these plants from the Farmers Market. Careful removal and destruction of all infected shrubs may help keep losses to a minimum and prevent further local spread.  If believe you may have purchased one of the plants in question, please contact the office of Phil Wilson, Plant Pest Administrator for the NCDA&CS at 919-707-3753. Other parties with questions about box blight should direct them to their local County Cooperative Extension Service office.

Box Blight Webinar - January 5, 2012 11 a.m. EST

On Thursday January 5th at 11 am EST, NC State University will be hosting an ELLUMINATE LIVE webinar on box blight. Box blight is a disease new to the US and was recently found on boxwood in North Carolina, Virginia, and Connecticut (and now a few additional states).

This webinar will be geared towards County Agents and boxwood growers in North Carolina and adjacent states, but all interested parties are invited. There is no limit on attendance, so anyone can watch the webinar LIVE!

Dr. Kelly Ivors, who first diagnosed box blight in the US, will speak for 45 minutes, followed by questions from the audience. The session is scheduled to last an hour and a half but will be extended if necessary.  Representatives from VA and other box blight positive states may make additional comments and address concerns in their states.

The webinar will be recorded and made available for viewing at any time after the webinar at the same URL given below. 

Here's how to participate in the webinar:

Before the webinar, click on http://go.ncsu.edu/box_blight_webinar

The webinar will start EXACTLY at 11 am EST. Please log in a little early so that you can check your connection.  You will be able to enter the session starting at 10 am EST on the day it occurs.  All that you need is an up-to-date browser and internet connection. In order to test that your system configuration is acceptable, visit the Configuration Room at http://go.ncsu.edu/elluminate_config any time before the webinar. In addition, Elluminate tips can be found at http://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/Elluminate_Tips