Herbaceous Plants: Send whole plants, when possible, including roots and soil.  Roots and soil should be in a plastic bag tied off at the soil line to prevent soil from touching foliage.

Vascular Wilt Diseases including Verticillium Wilt, Dutch Elm Disease, Oak Wilt.Select branches that are partially wilted, with symptomatic leaves progressing from the tip of branches inward to thte trunk.  Be sure that branches are not totally wilted, dry or dead.

• Select samples from up to three symptomatic branches per single tree.  Branch samples should be at least 1 inch in diameter, cut into 6- to 8- inch lengths, and placed in large resealable plastic bags. More info...
• Keep samples cool during sampling, shipping and storage, but do not freeze. 
• Ship samples overnight mail (no later than Thursday) or deliver in person to the laboratory.

Seedlings: Leave plants in plug sheets or trays if possible.  Send a minimum of 12 seedlings per sample.

Turf: Include a square of turf from the margin of the diseased area so that both healthy and diseased turf is included.  An intact layer of soil should remain on the root system.  Wrap samples in newspaper and pack in a box for shipment.  Do not add moisture to the turf prior to shipment.  Provide a detailed description of cultural practices (irrigation, fertilization, pesticide application, etc.) with the sample.

Leaf spot and Fruit rot: Send several affected samples representing the early and moderate stages of symptom progression.

Herbicide Injury: Submit both injured and apparently healthy plants.  Plants should be dug carefully from the soil so roots remain intact.  Roots and soil should be placed in a plastic bag, pot, or small bucket to prevent soil from touching the foliage.  A pint of soil from both "good" and "bad" area should also be submitted.  Any patterns in the field should be noted on the submittal form, alon with past crop and pesticide history.  When possible include photos.

Herbaceous Plant Identification: Submit whole plants, including roots, vegetative structures and flowers.  Plants may be pressed flat between paper or cardboard to prevent leaf crinkling.  For best results, plants should be submitted immediately after digging.  Roots and soil should be in a plastic bag, tied at soil line, to prevent soil from touching the foliage.

Woody Plant Identification: Submit a large section of the terminal end of the stem or branch.  Where possible, include any flower or fruiting structures, roots and leaves.  Leaves may be pressed flat between paper or cardboard to prevent leaf crinkling.  Woody plants may be wrapped in plastic to retain moisture.

Refer to MSU Extension Bulletin E-2199, "Detecting and Avoiding Nematode Problems."

Always store nematode samples in plastic bags or other containers that retain moisture.  Submit a pint to a quart of soil per sample.  Proper sampling method

Problem Diagnosis: Collect soil & roots (or foliage) from the margins of diseased areas.  Submit samples of diseased and apparently healthy plants.

Problem Avoidance: Collect soil & roots (if available) by walking a zigzag or w-shaped pattern.  The more sub-samples (soil, cores, probes, etc.) collected the "better" the sample.

Pine wood nematode:  A sample should consist of branches that are showing symptoms and are at least 1 inch in diameter.  Branches can be in cut into 6 to 8 inch pieces and shipped to Diagnostic Services.  If the tree has already been cut down, a wedge from the trunk may also be submitted.  For more information regarding Pine wood nematode and Pine wilt disease refer to the Pine Wilt Nematode Diagnostic Factsheet.

Precise identification of insect or other arthropods requires specimens to be undamaged upon arrival in the lab.  It is very important to kill and ship the specimens in a manner that will not damage the delicate structures that facilitate their identification.  Dried and unprotected insects crumble easily during the mail process.  Kill and ship specimens in a small, leak proof container filled with white vinegar. 

Moths / Butterflies: Place specimens in the freezer for half an hour to kill them and gently pack in a small box or vial with tissue paper.

Ants / Other Adult Arthropods: Ant specimens should only include worker ants (i.e. those without wings). Submit ants and all other hard-bodied specimens in vinegar. 

Larvae (Caterpillar, grub, maggot, etc.): Whenever possible, soft-bodied larvae should be lightly boild for a few minutes before placing them in vinegar.  This prevents the specimens from shriveling and becoming discolored, however this only works if the larvae are alive when placed in the boiling water.

Weeds will be screened for herbicide resistance using one of several techniques.  Typically, a whole plant pot assay established from seed will be our standard test for resistance confirmation.  Mature, high quality seed or seedheads should be collected from suspicious plants in late summer or fall and submitted in a paper bag.  Do not seal in plastic.  Screens will be designed by herbicide site of action (ie: ACCase inhibitors, ALS inhibitors, Photosynthesis inhibitors).  Other resistance confimation tests may be utilized but will depend upon weed species, herbicide, and mechanism of resistance.  Extensive tests include but are not limited to: petri-dish germination, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf disc flotation, and enzyme sensitivity assays, as well as molecular diagnostic testing.

Soil, water and plant vegetation can be tested for the presence of pesticides using appropriate analytical instruments and techniques.  Pesticides will be tested on an individual basis or, if available, in multi-pesticide screens.  Samples should be submitted in leak-proof, glass containers and kept cold or frozen until arrival.