Extension Search / Diagnostic Labs / Nebraska

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic

The Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic at University of Nebraska–Lincoln is Nebraska’s university plant diagnostic lab. Send it a sick plant, an insect or a weed and it tells you what it is and what to do about it, usually for a small fee.

Lab Details

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska

Disease diagnosis
Insect ID
Nematodes
Virus tests
DNA tests

Open the lab's site for fees, forms and the mailing address.

Services

Disease diagnosis. Finds what is making a plant sick, from fungi and bacteria to cold, drought or chemical injury.
Insect ID. Identifies insects, mites and spiders and whether they are a threat to the plant.
Nematodes. Extracts and counts plant-parasitic nematodes from soil or roots.
Virus tests. Serological tests such as ELISA that check a plant for specific viruses.
DNA tests. PCR or sequencing to confirm a pathogen that can't be told apart by eye.

Nematode tests include corn nematodes, pine wilt and turf nematodes.
DNA tests are available for select pathogens only.

Out of State

The lab’s site doesn’t say whether it takes samples from other states. Ask before sending one.

Sample Tips

Call or email the lab before you send anything. What a lab accepts, and what it charges, changes.
Send a plant that is still sick, not one that has died. Include the edge where sick tissue meets healthy tissue.
Bag the roots and soil and tie the bag off at the stem, so soil stays off the leaves. Wrap leaves in dry paper and don’t add water.
Mail early in the week so the box doesn’t sit in a warehouse over the weekend.
Fill in the lab’s form completely: the plant, what you see, when it started and what has been sprayed or applied.

Not sure it’s worth a lab fee? The plant health key narrows a problem down from what you see, and your county Nebraska Extension office can often look at a sample free first.

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