When landscape or garden plants begin to show symptoms of a problem, or commercial crops start to decline, homeowners and growers want to know quickly what is causing the problem and what to do about it. Often the first step toward answering these questions may be contacting the local County Extension office. When Extension agents are not able to quickly diagnose the problem, they may submit a plant sample to one of the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories. A survey in 2019 found that 67% of county agents and support staff prepared and shipped between 1-10 samples in an average month. While preparation of a plant sample for submission may seem to be a straightforward process, improper plant selection and packaging can compromise the quality of the sample and result in either delays or a lack of a diagnosis. In 2017, approximately 13% of samples were given a “diagnosis” of inadequate sample, no disease, or unknown cause. When the cause of a plant problem cannot be determined, stakeholders can often become frustrated, and crop losses could occur.

As a way to train county agents and support staff on the proper techniques for plant sample selection and packaging, a one hour webinar was conducted. This training was led by the Diagnosticians of the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories and Department of Plant Pathology Extension Associate. The program consisted of a PowerPoint presentation and live demonstrations. Topics covered included how to identify a good sample, the importance of the information provided by growers, proper packaging examples and, what happens to a sample once it arrives at the laboratory.  A summary of agricultural diagnostic resources was also provided for county staff. 

A total of 47 county Extension agents and staff participated in the training. A survey showed an increase in understanding of the importance of completion of diagnostic forms (35%), identification of inadequate samples (49%), and proper sample packaging for shipment (50%). Individuals that participated in the program indicated an increased level of confidence in the areas of working with clients to complete paperwork (35%), explain to clients when samples are inadequate (49%), working with clients to explain the process for sample submission (48%), and preparing samples for shipment to the diagnostic laboratory (53%). Participants anticipated being able to implement the following changes as a result of participating in the training; increased ability to explain to clients the diagnostic process (31%), increased client satisfaction (27%), and reduction of time in preparation of samples for submission (21%). A majority of individuals indicated that the most valuable part of the program was learning the proper way to package samples. The training was well received, with participants stating, “Great program! Great to see pictures showing the best way to submit samples!” and “This was a very good training. It will help me better serve our clients.” This program was recorded to be released at a later date.