Daylily rust (Puccinia hemerocallidis) has been found on nursery stock in Peabody, MA in Essex County. Symptoms of daylily rust were observed on seventeen plants from Monrovia and one plant from Van Burkem; however, the Dept. of Agricultural Resources is unsure of where the infection originated. Once the disease was confirmed by Rob Wick, plant pathologist at the University of Massachusetts, the eighteen infected plants were destroyed. The remaining block is being held under quarantine for two weeks to see if they develop symptoms. The other daylilies in this establishment will receive a fungicide treatment.

Daylily rust was first detected in four states in the southeastern United States in 2000. As of January 2003, it was present in a total of 24 states. In 2003 several cases were reported in Massachusetts. Due to the limited number of cases of daylily rust in Massachusetts it is possible to eradicate this disease in the state. If daylily rust is confirmed on their plants, growers will be ordered to destroy symptomatic plants and follow quarantine procedures.

Please look for the symptoms of this disease on new stock coming into your nurseries or gardens. Raised orange-yellow to red-brown pustules will appear on both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves infected with daylily rust. If you rub a tissue along the surface of the leaves, it will pick up the bright orange spores. For photos of the symptoms visit websites listed below. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is asking growers to report daylily rust via the MA Introduced Pests website (http://www.massnrc.org/pests) or via the plant pests and noxious weed hotline at 617-626-1779.

Resources on identifying and treating daylily rust:
Fact sheet from UMass Extension Floriculture Program on daylily rust details how to detect, treat, and limit the spread of this disease.
http://www.umass.edu/umext/floriculture/fact_sheets/pest_management/daylily_rust.htm

This website from Canada contains excellent photos of the symptoms of daylily rust and other symptoms that could be mistaken for daylily rust.
http://www.daylilyrust.org/

National Plant Board
http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/dlr/npb.html

This pest alert is from the Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project, a collaborative project between the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the UMass Extension Agriculture and Landscape Program aimed at preventing the establishment of new pathogens and pests in Massachusetts. Visit the project website (http://www.massnrc.org/pests) for more information on other emerging pests and to subscribe or unsubscribe from our pest alert list.