aster yellow disease? - Ask Extension
Are my coneflowers and black eyed susans infected with aster yellow disease?
I live in Columbia Maryland.
Knowledgebase
aster yellow disease? #872532
Asked June 10, 2024, 11:03 PM EDT
Are my coneflowers and black eyed susans infected with aster yellow disease?
I live in Columbia Maryland.
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
We don't see any clear indications of Aster Yellows in the photos. The cupping/curling of the foliage can be caused by a range of factors, from sap-feeding insects doing minor damage while those leaves are expanding, to hints of herbicide exposure, to infections that aren't necessarily viral. The Black-eyed Susan bud opening looks normal, as petals would not have fully unfurled yet at that stage. The coneflower head is more inconclusive, but often Coneflower Rosette Mite damage is confused for Aster Yellows, since both cause flower deformities or unusual features. The linked page provides a nice overview of the mite impacts and how they compare to Aster Yellows.
Additionally, Aster Yellows is an incurable disease that will worsen over time, whereas the mite population can rise and fall and won't always reach damaging levels. If you prune off suspicious flower heads (sanitize pruner blades afterwards, just in case), you can limit a mite outbreak, but that would not reduce the incidence of Aster Yellows symptoms, so that can be one way to help tell which condition is present. (An overlap between the two is certainly possible, but most symptoms will probably be attributable to one condition or the other.)
We see no reason to remove any plants at this time, but just monitor them for any more distinctive or worsening symptoms.
Miri
Additionally, Aster Yellows is an incurable disease that will worsen over time, whereas the mite population can rise and fall and won't always reach damaging levels. If you prune off suspicious flower heads (sanitize pruner blades afterwards, just in case), you can limit a mite outbreak, but that would not reduce the incidence of Aster Yellows symptoms, so that can be one way to help tell which condition is present. (An overlap between the two is certainly possible, but most symptoms will probably be attributable to one condition or the other.)
We see no reason to remove any plants at this time, but just monitor them for any more distinctive or worsening symptoms.
Miri