Submitting Physical Specimens for Diagnosis

Choose the correct form and fill it out as completely as possible:

• General Sample submission for most plant disease and insect problems: PPDL-Form-006-004
• Turf Samples, for both golf courses and lawns: PPDL-Form-006-005
• 2026 Cut Flower Growers: PPDL-Form-006-011
• Honey Bee genotyping samples: PPDL-Form-006-010

Be sure to include completed forms with your samples in a separate plastic bag to protect from moisture.

• Consider the scope of your problem to determine what to send.
  • Spots on leaves? Send leaves and connecting stems.
  • Wilting stems? Send stems with leaves attached, including healthy tissue below the wilt if available. 
  • Whole plant wilting? Send the whole thing, including roots and soil if possible.
  • Not sure what to send? Contact us for advice. 
• Collect fresh specimens and send plenty of material. We can only diagnose from what we have.
• Avoid plant material that has been dead too long or is completely dried out.

In general, package samples so that roots stay moist without stems and leaves retaining too much moisture. Consider the following options:

• Place single leaf samples flat between layers of paper. This is especially important for samples submitted for identification purposes.
• Branches (with or without leaves attached) can be wrapped loosely in paper and then in a bag within the shipping box.
• Wrap roots and soil separately from the rest of the plant. Place root ball in a bag and use a twist-tie or rubber band to secure the bag around the base of the stems to keep soil off foliage.
• Be sure the upper portion of the plant will remain clean and dry during shipping. Excess moisture on fleshy tissue can cause rotting quickly in transit. Plants can be wrapped loosely in paper to absorb excess moisture from leaves.
• Place samples in a crush-proof box for shipping, and package to avoid shifting in transit.

Delivering in-person samples

We are located on the Purdue West Lafayette Campus in the LSPS building (between Lily Hall and the greenhouses). Our reserved parking spot can be used only while dropping off samples. Please refer to this map for instructions on finding our parking spot. Feel free to call our lab at 765-494-7071 if you have difficulties when you get close.

Shipping sampleS

• Be sure to double-bag samples from outside of Indiana. This helps prevent the spread of potential pathogens or insects that aren't already affecting Indiana.
• Use a sturdy box to avoid crushing in shipment.
• Ship early in the week to avoid samples in transit over a weekend or holiday.
• Always ship perishable items using next day delivery.
• USPS shipments arrive at Purdue late in the day and get to our lab the following day. If you need it here on a specific day use UPS or FedEx Overnight.

Shipping ADDRESS

Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
Purdue University
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd., LSPS 116
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054

Photos are very helpful for diagnosis, and essential for trees and turf. Photos may be emailed to ppdl-samples@purdue.edu or submitted using our online tool. Please let us know if your photos go with a physical sample that is on the way to our lab. Diagnosis by photos alone is not possible for many problems so we may as for a physical sample as a follow up. Normal sample handling fees apply to photos for diagnosis but a single fee covers both physical sample and related photos.

Reports are sent from pdisnoreply@purdue.edu  and are typically sent 3 to 5 business days after we get your sample. Add this email address to your safe sender list so you don't miss it. Please don't hesitate to email and ask for an update if you don't see your report within a week.