Information on diagnostic services of plant problems in specific plants is available through the links below.
The UMass Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory offers comprehensive analyses of soil, plant tissue, compost, and soilless greenhouse media. It serves homeowners and backyard gardeners, commercial growers, landscaping professionals, and golf course managers, as well as engineers, consultants, and researcher scientists.
Some plant pathogens are able to penetrate and survive within the seed, out of reach of surface seed treatments and would benefit from hot water seed treatment. Hot water seed treatment also has the beneficial effect of priming seeds resulting in faster germination than untreated seed. Hot water seed treatment is a valuable tool for preventing establishment of seed-borne diseases on the farm, or their reintroduction year after year.
UMass Extension, in cooperation with researchers at the UMass Laboratory for Medical Zoology, will assess specimens to determine whether they are black legged ticks (deer ticks), and if so, will determine whether or not they carry the bacterium that causes Lyme Disease.
The UMass Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) provides inorganic chemical analysis of water for University researchers, public agencies, and other publicly-supported clients to support environmental research, management, and monitoring activities, and has a particular strength in the analysis of trace levels of phosphorus.