Greenhouse growers have a lot to juggle during the busy spring production season: crop scheduling, plant health, employee management, logistics, and ship dates. However, there is another challenge lurking: plants being shipped between counties, states, and even countries need to follow federal and state quarantine regulations. Why do these regulations exist? The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Program (USDA APHIS PPQ) and the plant health agencies in each of the 50 states, regulate the shipments of plants in order to minimize the spread of harmful insects, diseases, and other pests to new geographic regions.
by Heidi Lindberg - wollaege@anr.msu.edu
Spotted lanternfly: An example of a quarantine pest
One invasive pest that is relatively new in the United States is the spotted lanternfly, which is not only a threat to the green industry but to all of agriculture. Spotted lanternfly is an invasive plant hopper native to Asia, that feeds on woody ornamentals as well as other commercially-important agricultural crops including: grapes, apples, hops, and hardwood trees (Figure 1). Spotted lanternfly has been flagged as a large threat to the greenhouse, nursery, and agriculture industries because the infestations can cause extensive damage to ornamentals from honeydew and sooty mold (Figure 2).
Unfortunately, the spotted lanternfly is an excellent hitchhiker. Spotted lanternfly egg masses are often laid on items that are stored outdoors for long periods of time. Those items in the green industry include: carts, pallets, plastic containers, bales of substrate, loads of fertilizer, hardscaping materials, and vehicles. Deny the spotted lanternfly was published on the MSU Extension website in October of 2019 and details actions that greenhouse and nursery growers can do to prevent the spread of spotted lanternfly, especially for those that have plants coming from or passing through the quarantine zones in the affected east coast states.