New boxwood blight quarantine to begin in Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture confirmed that a new boxwood blight quarantine will go into effect Feb. 4. According to AmericanHort, the new quarantine includes all material currently known to transmit the disease, including Buxus species, Sarcococca species, and any/all material containing this plant material, such as compost, mulch, soil, and waste. Any regulated material entering Tennessee must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and under compliance agreement in accordance with a boxwood blight cleanliness program, such as that outlined in the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) suggested Boxwood Blight Best Management Practices for prevention of this serious pathogen.

In 2017, 11 Tennessee wholesale nurseries participated in a boxwood blight cleanliness program. See the full list of participating nurseries here.

HRI revised its best management practices last fall. The BMPs provide the production basis for complying with the Tennessee quarantine. HRI and AmericanHort continue to support the Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC) pilot, which also qualifies as a cleanliness program.

Photo: boxwood blight in the landscape. Provided by Margery Daughtrey.